What is the “unforgivable sin”?

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Gospel: Mark 3:22-30

The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus,
“He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and
“By the prince of demons he drives out demons.”

Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables,
“How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself,
that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided,
he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder his house.  
Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies
that people utter will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin.”
For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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There’s very good news and very bad news in today’s Gospel passage.

Jesus tells us plainly, “All sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them.” That’s the good news.

There’s nothing that can separate us from the love of Jesus Christ or from eventually entering into his kingdom.

With one exception.

“Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness,” he says, “but is guilty of an everlasting sin.”

It’s imperative that we’re clear on what this sin is.

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One of the primary roles of the Holy Spirit is to forgive sins; to purify or sanctify our souls. We receive our first dose of that divine forgiveness in baptism when the stain of Original Sin is washed away.

We then seek that same divine forgiveness later in life, particularly in confession.

But if a person deadens their conscience to the point that they no longer know the difference between right and wrong, then they cannot be sorry – and therefore, they cannot repent. 

That would be the unforgivable sin against the Holy Spirit, believing that you are, in fact, not in need of forgiveness.

Jesus is not declaring that the scribes have committed this everlasting sin. However, he is warning them of the grave peril they are in, unless they open their hearts to the Holy Spirit and repent.

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Consider it another way.

If you live in darkness long enough, then you lose the ability to see.

If you remain in bed long enough, then you lose the ability to walk.

If you stop using a particular language, then you lose the ability to converse.

And if you stop recognizing the difference between right and wrong, then you lose the ability to recognize your own sins, and therefore you cannot repent.

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“Whoever has ears ought to hear,” Jesus says. “All sins will be forgiven,” so long as we remain humble enough to recognize that He is Lord and we are not. 

For all the times we’ve fallen short, we should repent and rejoice knowing God loves us and forgives us, if only we ask.

And while we are at it, we should forgive others as Christ has forgiven us. 

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Image credits: (1) David Jeremiah Blog (2) The Kingdom @ Glandore Underdale (3) Catholic to the Max

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