THE UNFORGIVABLE SIN
While the mercy and love of God takes centerstage in the Christian narrative, the gospel also talks of the ‘unforgivable sin’, a sin that cannot be forgiven.
“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)
The need for forgiveness arises because man is as much an eternal being as a physical being. And this eternal spirit that originated from God is now separated from God because of sin. Unless this separation is repaired, man will be eternally cut off from God. No tragedy in man’s physical life here on earth can compare with that of eternal separation and hence the need for forgiveness.
God’s mercy is intrinsic to His nature. His forgiveness is beyond belief.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. (Psalms 103:11,12)
Yet, there can reach a stage in the life of men where they recognize the love of God expressed through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, yet come to reject Him. This was the case of the Pharisees mentioned in Mark. Their depiction of Jesus as a person who was a prince of demons reflects an unfortunate conclusion of rejection of Christ and thereby the love of God. If that stage is reached, there can no longer remain the option of salvation, which is available only through Christ.
It is then and only then that sin becomes unforgivable. For all else, God’s outstretched remains open and no adversity, tragedy, failure or turn of events should desist a person from returning to God. You can never go too far from God to return except when you deliberately reject Him.
