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Read: Mark 3:22-29
Listen: Mark 3

Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin. Mark 3:28-29

Jesus’s popularity continues to grow. Religious leaders wonder, “What is happening with this miracle worker in Galilee?” and send a delegation from Jerusalem to get to the bottom of it. These religious officials eventually accuse Jesus of being possessed by Satan. Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit since his baptism, informs them that all sins can be forgiven except for “whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit.” They have attributed God’s work to Satan and denied the Savior God sent to rescue them.

Many people have struggled with the question of whether or not they have committed the unpardonable sin. Jesus makes this assertion to individuals who denied Jesus’s Holy Spirit-empowered ministry and claimed Jesus was possessed by (and working for) the devil. They denied Jesus’s identity as God and refused to accept Jesus as the Savior he is. This is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. The only “unpardonable” sin is to reject the Savior. We can only be forgiven if we accept the forgiver.

TODAY: There is forgiveness and new life in Jesus’s name. Jesus even promised this in his response to the religious leaders: “People can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter” (v. 28). If we confess our sin, God is faithful to forgive us our sin (1 John 1:9). Have you received this gift? If not, then today would be a great day to receive Christ as Savior. If you have, today is (as is every day) a good day to give God thanks for the gift of salvation found in Jesus.