The Unforgivable Sin
The Bible has this to say about God forgiving the sin of blasphemy:
Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin. [Mark 3:28-29]
The mental midgets over at the Rational Response Squad are giving away 1,001 copies of the video The God Who Wasn’t There to anyone who will upload a video of themselves saying “I deny the Holy Spirit” to YouTube. They have creatively named this The Blasphemy Challenge. At the time of writing, 560 such videos are posted. This makes my wife physically ill. But I see only amusement here.
These folks have accepted the Blasphemy Challenge, but they haven’t completed it! You see, saying the words isn’t the sin. Living a lifestyle, a consciously chosen lifestyle, that denies God’s active hand in your life and in the world around you, that is the Unforgivable Sin. Read the verse in context and see for yourself! The key to the entire passage is verse 30: “for they [the scribes] had said ‘He [Jesus] has an unclean spirit.’” The scribes are saying that Jesus is from the devil! They are doing far more than denying the existence of God: they are now denying the work of God.
Denying the work of God in the world around us is not a condition of words or expression; it is a condition of heart and will reflect in the things you do, think, and speak.
The Rational Response Squad fails to understand the passage. The folks who accepted the Blasphemy Challenge fail to understand what they are denying. Therefore, they can still be forgiven this sin if they choose to repent. Something tells me they won’t, but perhaps if enough people pray for them God will draw them into His flock and they will understand the true implications of what they denied.
LATE BREAKING ADDENDUM: In my study of Catholic Mass for Got Questions Ministries, I stumbled on a verse that is important to understand the concept of the Unforgivable Sin. The Holy Spirit is the personified work of God in all of Creation, right? Well, check out John 6:29: “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.” Once again, this underscores the importance of a person’s condition of heart. Belief in Jesus as the Son of God is the very work of God! Not believing this is the core of the Unforgivable Sin.
