Blaspheming the Holy Spirit-- Eternal Consequences.

Mark 3:22-35 NLT  

  22  But the teachers of religious law who had arrived from Jerusalem said, “He’s possessed by Satan, the prince of demons. That’s where he gets the power to cast out demons.” 

  23  Jesus called them over and responded with an illustration. “How can Satan cast out Satan?” he asked.  24 “A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse. 25 Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart. 26 And if Satan is divided and fights against himself, how can he stand? He would never survive. 27 Let me illustrate this further. Who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.

   28 “I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, 39 but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences.” 30 He told them this because they were saying, “He’s possessed by an evil spirit.” 

   31  Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him. They stood outside and sent word for him to come out and talk with them. 32 There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, “Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you.” 

   33 Jesus replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 34 Then he looked at those around him and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. 35 Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

After discussing the futility of a force fighting against itself, Jesus experienced the ultimate rejection, once again. Those who were influenced by Satan not only rejected Christ as God's Son and as God the Redeemer, but they accused him of being aligned with the devil. It is often the way of evil-- to accuse good of, itself being evil. It has been the goal of The Enemy from before creation to take personal credit for what God has done and to discredit the creator in the process. God is unconditionally loving, but it would be futile to think that no matter what you say or do to or against God, there will be no consequences. Jesus went to many great lengths in his parables to illustrate the ultimate outcome of such a direction taken. Thus we have the warning by Christ, Himself, about the one sin that will not be forgiven. In closing this point Jesus made it clear that those who are obedient to do the will of God the Father by trusting in Christ, the Son, would be as close to Him in eternity as would a mother, brothers, sisters would be in a family.

Are your sins forgiven, when you come to faith in Christ and ask? Yes, of course? Are all your earlier rejections of Christ forgiven? Absolutely! Then what is this blasphemy that Jesus spoke of? Many have written that such blasphemy is to hold on to one's rejection of God's Son and our Redeemer up through the end of one's life. Doing this, eliminates any opportunity to be redeemed.  Coming in at the 11th hour, is good, as Jesus pointed out with his parables about laborers hired at different times, or with his word to the believing criminal on the cross beside him.  You and I must consider the question, are we as close to Jesus Christ as a person would be to mother, or siblings? Or are we at a distance? Is Jesus our Lord and King, or merely one of several influences in our life. Are we doing God's will-- to believe and trust completely in Christ? Or are we risking blasphemy of the Holy Spirit yet today?

Your servant in Christ's Love

Dan

drdanelliott@gmail.com