Eternal Sin

Mark 3:20-30

²⁰And the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. ²¹When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.” ²²And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.” ²³And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? ²⁴If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. ²⁶And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. ²⁷But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered. ²⁸“Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; ²⁹but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—³⁰for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

After healing the man with a withered hand, Jesus went around healing others and driving out unclean spirits. He then chose twelve of His followers as apostles and returned to Galilee.

Jesus’ family heard some people say He had gone out of His mind. They worried about Him and wanted to take Him home. Scribes from Jerusalem were saying that the healing power that Jesus was displaying was not from God but from Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.

Jesus responds by pointing out the illogic of Satan driving out his own demons. He also states that people will be forgiven for their sins, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never be forgiven.

Every time a scriptural reference comes up about the unforgiveable sin, people are curious to know what that might be.

Both Matthew and Luke also speak of this. In both cases, like in Mark, Jesus states this after the religious leaders claim that Jesus is driving out demons by the power of Satan.

So, have you wondered if you have committed the unforgivable sin? The good news is that if you are concerned about it, then you probably do not have to worry about it. The specific example of this sin described in the gospels is attributing God’s work to Satan. In other words, rejecting the good works of God.

According to Acts 1:8, the Holy Spirit will give us power to be witnesses for Christ in near and far places. To spread the good news of Jesus Christ, we first must accept it as truth and then devote ourselves to spreading it.

To sin against the Holy Spirit would be to NOT believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and not believe that by accepting Him as Lord and Savior, our sins will be forgiven and that we will be given eternal life. In other words, if we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world and through Him, we can have eternal life, then we are not guilty of the unforgivable sin.

To not believe in the work of Jesus is the unforgivable sin. That would be deliberately rejecting God’s truth and grace, even when we recognize it. That is a state of hardened, final rejection of God.

There is no other way to be forgiven except by the power of the Holy Spirit. By the Power of the Spirit, we can accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

Also, it does not appear that if we commit this sin once, then it is all over. Jesus’ family thought that Jesus was not quite right in the head, as He preached the kingdom of God. To regard God’s work as something else is no different than what the scribes were doing. And yet, we know that at least some of His family came to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. It appears that the unforgivable sin is only unforgivable if one continues to deny Jesus until the end. Just like one of the thieves on the cross was saved at the very end of his life, there is always hope available until the end of one’s life.

In his book titled, “The Great Divorce”, C. S. Lewis has the guide George MacDonald explain who will end up in hell and who will end up with God. He says, “There are only two kinds of people in the end: Those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘thy will be done.’

Let us all not commit the unforgivable sin and have God say to us, “Thy will be done.”

The important takeaway from this passage is not to try to define the unforgivable sin, and certainly not try to determine who had committed such a sin. The key verses are 28 and 29. The good news is v. 28 – “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter.” But to reject that, then v. 29 comes into play – “but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.”

So even though this terrifying concept of an unforgivable sin was raised in this morning’s passage, it is not something we were unaware of. No matter what sin we commit, whether we consider it small or large, is enough for us to be headed towards eternity without God. However, God loves us and sent Jesus to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, so that we can be forgiven. All we have to do is accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, even if it is late in our lives. But if we do not accept this forgiveness and keep rejecting until the end of our lives, then we are not forgiven.

How tragic that would be, since Jesus had already paid for our sins.

For us who have been forgiven, we should live our lives in appreciation. We should also show love to those who have not been forgiven yet and tell them of the gospel of Jesus Christ so that they will not die in their unforgiven state.

(the above is a summary of the message shared by Pastor Shun Takano during our worship on May 24, 2026.)