Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit in Mark’s Gospel must first be viewed in its immediate context

The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, and the Sin Leading to Death

By Lance Waldie

Mark 3:28-30… “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” - 30 for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

It is impossible to separate vv. 28-30 from vv. 20-27. In that context the scribes were attributing the powers of Jesus (to cast out demons) to Satan. In other words, their conclusion as to Jesus’ healing power and his ability to cast out demons was that it was satanic and demonic. For this belief Jesus delivers a stinging and ever-so-sobering rebuke about such an accusation.

Jesus begins his forceful rebuke by saying “truly, I say to you.” The word for “truly” in the Greek text is “amen.” Jesus is the only one in the NT who speaks with this formula. The fact that he does so was not only a new way of speaking but of solemnizing what would follow. Saying “amen” to begin his sentence proved that his words were reliable and true, and it is a sure-fire proof that he himself was God Almighty, for no man could speak with such authority.

Jesus basically said that all sins can be forgiven except for the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The word “blasphemy” is a word used to describe defiant hostility toward God by slandering His name. The scribes knew this well, and even they viewed blasphemy against God as a sin in which God Himself would immediately avenge. But because of their refusal to believe Jesus they apparently didn’t consider that they might be guilty of that crime. Even in light of the fact that Jesus cast out demons, healed the sick, and preached the truth of God they still denied the power of the Holy Spirit in Jesus. Instead they attributed his power to Satan, and in this context they were blaspheming God by consciously rejecting His saving power which manifested itself through Jesus. They gave no credence to the possibility that Jesus’ ability to cast out demons was a sign that the Kingdom of God had come. They made their decision to reject the Holy Spirit. And this didn’t come from ignorant laymen. On the contrary, the scribes were learned men – carefully trained specialists who should have known who they were accusing. In v. 30 the Greek text uses an imperfect verb tense which literally means, “they were saying he has an unclean spirit.” In other words, their repetition that Jesus had a demon revealed their hardened hearts – the very trait that proved that it was they who were possessed by an unclean spirit.

In sum, the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit seems to consist primarily with attributing the words and works of Jesus Christ, of God Almighty, to Satan or anything else for that matter. Remember that the next time you hear that chance and/or evolution created the universe or that the miracles of Christ can be explained simply by reason and/or natural events.

For those folks who fear they may have committed the eternal sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit, the NET Bible Commentary offers this: First, the nature of the sin is to ascribe what is the obvious work of the Holy Spirit to Satan himself. Second, it is not simply a momentary doubt or sinful attitude about the works of God, but it is indeed a settled condition which opposes the Holy Spirit’s work, as typified by the religious leaders who opposed Jesus in his day. William Lane says, “A person so insensitive to the Spirit that he attributes what is of God to demonic origin will not be conscious of having committed the ultimate transgression.” And Greek commentator C.E.B. Cranfield says, “It is a matter of great importance pastorally that we can say with absolute confidence to anyone who is overwhelmed by the fear that he has committed [the unpardonable] sin, that the fact that he is so troubled is itself a sure proof that he has not committed it.” Truly the sin of finally rejecting God’s work is one He does not forgive.

Conclusion in Mark’s Gospel: Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit in Mark’s Gospel must first be viewed in its immediate context. Simply put, it’s about rejecting the power of God and attributing His power to the work of the devil. God’s power was seen in Jesus Christ as he cast out demons, healed the sick, and proclaimed that God’s Kingdom had arrived. The scribes and Pharisees of the day, instead of taking heed and believing what they saw, chose to ignore the obvious truth and attribute God’s power and work to the devil himself.

In order for the blasphemers to attribute the work of Jesus to God they would had to have recognized that Jesus was God or at least a true servant of God whom God worked through. A blatant denial of such proved that these men had already made up their minds. They had experienced much of what God came to present to them. They may very well represent those that the writer of Hebrews described in 6:4-8; 10:28-31 who reject God to the point of no return.

Matthew 12:31-32… And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

There are two concepts mentioned in the first phrase of v. 31: sin and blasphemy. Sin is the general transgression against God, for all sin is against God even though it may offend certain men or women. The sin of blasphemy is an extreme form of sin. It slanders the name of God and attributes His works to the devil. It is conscious, deliberate, and defiant. Blasphemy, in the OT Law, was a sin punishable by death (Lev. 24:16). It is a sin that will be prevalent in the latter days when the events of Revelation unfold. Those who oppose God in those days will blaspheme His name even in their torment which is meant to bring repentance (Rev. 13:5-6; 16:9; 17:3).

Even though blasphemy is a terrible sin, however, it can be forgiven according to v. 31. Forgiveness comes to those who confess and repent of their particular sin or sins. No one can out-sin God, and He has provided a way for all to receive His mercy, grace, and forgiveness, namely through His Son Jesus Christ. Biblical examples of blasphemy being forgiven can be found in the Apostle Paul and in the Apostle Peter – two stalwarts of the faith Christians hold to so dearly. In 1 Tim. 1:13-14 Paul referred to himself in the past tense as a former blasphemer, one who was shown forgiveness in Christ through God’s grace. Peter too blasphemed Christ with his denials of knowing Jesus during Jesus’ trials (cf. Mark 14:71), and yet he too was shown mercy and forgiveness. The difference between Paul and Peter is that Paul blasphemed God in ignorance prior to his conversion while Peter blasphemed Jesus after following him for years and after solemnly pledging his undying allegiance to him (Mark 14:29). One might question that Peter was truly a convert at the time since the disciples didn’t really have their eyes opened to the true nature of Christ until after his resurrection from the dead (cf. John 20:8-9), but surely Peter’s blasphemy was worse than Paul’s given that he was an eyewitness to all that Jesus had done and said. But Peter was later forgiven for his crime and restored by Christ himself (John 21:15-17).

All believers in Christ blaspheme God from time to time because our sinful mind is given to sin from the time of our birth. Believers blaspheme God when they let their pride overrule their commitment to Him. We question the goodness and fairness of God, and sometimes we come across Scriptures that don’t sit well with us, so we either ignore them or reinterpret them to fit our faulty theology. This is a form of blasphemy, but it can all be forgiven following repentance.

However, according to the latter part of v. 31, there is a form of blasphemy that cannot be forgiven: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. In order to explain what that means, Jesus, in v. 32, says that one can actually blaspheme the Son of Man and be forgiven. Of course the “Son of Man” is a designation for Christ in his humanity on the earth – signifying his incarnation, his life, ministry, and death. One could have misunderstood Jesus’ humanity and his ministry, denied him, and even spoken against him in reference to his humanness while he preached on the earth concerning the Kingdom of God (this was the Apostle Paul’s sin). Many did. What Jesus was saying when he used the term “Son of Man” was that anyone could have misunderstood his full deity and relationship to the Father because they weren’t given full exposure to who he really was. Upon being enlightened and placing their faith in Jesus alone for salvation, however, the person who sinned against God could actually be forgiven. They would have at one time blasphemed the Son of Man, but subsequent to repentance, they received him as Lord and Savior. Jesus said that this kind of blasphemy could be forgiven (praise Him for that!).

In comparison to blaspheming the Son of Man, Jesus distinguishes that from the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit – a sin that can never be forgiven. This sin is truly far more serious, for it pertains to far more than simple ignorance and unbelief. The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is about knowing the truth and then denying it willingly. This goes beyond denying Jesus in his humanity; it denies his deity after being truly enlightened. And this is the context of the passages that precede Jesus’ words. The scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees, learned and enlightened men who knew God and His Law and who saw and witnessed the works of Jesus Christ, actually attributed his works to the power of Satan. The Spirit of God who indwelt Jesus Christ was therefore denied and blasphemed. These people consciously rejected God in the person of Jesus Christ – the God-man indwelt by the Holy Spirit. They saw up close and personal the life of Jesus, his works, his death, and his resurrection, and they categorically rejected him. For this there could be no forgiveness. They had lost the opportunity forever after blaspheming the Holy Spirit in their denials of Jesus Christ. Jesus said that they could never be forgiven, “not in this age” (the age of human history) or in the “age to come” (in the afterlife of eternity).

Jesus was sent to the earth to die for mankind by the Father, and he was submissive to Him (John 4:34; 5:19-30). Furthermore, he was empowered by the Holy Spirit (Matt. 4:1; Mark 1:12; Luke 4:1, 18; John 3:34; Acts 1:2; Rom. 1:4). The Apostle Peter said that Jesus was “anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power” (Acts 10:38). So those who spoke against Jesus Christ after having been enlightened as to who he really was were actually blaspheming the Holy Spirit. They saw Jesus’ divine nature, but they willingly refused to believe. In some cases they even attributed his power to the devil. They hated God so much they said that His good works were actually satanic. For them there was no longer any chance for forgiveness. Even the writer of Hebrews says as much: “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but only a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries” (10:26-27).

William Hendrickson said, “For a thief, an adulterer, and a murderer there is hope. The message of the gospel may cause him to cry out, ‘Oh God be merciful to me, a sinner.’ But when a man has become hardened, so that he has made up his mind not to pay any attention to the Spirit, … he has placed himself on the road that leads to perdition.”

The Gospel writer Luke says, “I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. 9 But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven” (12:8-10). This confirms all that Matthew and Mark said, and it exhorts all to boldly proclaim Jesus Christ. Those who do will be acknowledged by Jesus before His Father and the holy angels. But those who reject Jesus and the full manifestation of God in him (Col. 2:9) end up denying the Holy Spirit – a sin in which there is no forgiveness at all.

In sum, the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is an eternal sin for which an eternal death is the reward. Denying Christ’s humanity in ignorance, though blasphemy, can and will be forgiven. But to deny Jesus Christ’s deity and the works of his deity, with full knowledge of his deity, constitutes an eternal sin for which only death can come.

The Sin Leading to Death

This leads to an interesting and somewhat controversial passage in 1 John 5:16-17 concerning the sin that leads to death. Of course all sin leads to physical death in all humans no matter how righteous they are (with the exceptions of Enoch, Elijah, and those who are raptured prior to the coming of Christ). So what is John talking about when he says, “If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to hose who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.”??? Though somewhat difficult to interpret, the passage itself comes into focus when one understands what Jesus meant when he spoke of the eternal sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit in Matthew 12:31-32 and Mark 3:28-30 and Luke 12:8-10. This author concludes that the “sin leading to death” in 1 John 5:16-17 is the blatant denial of Jesus Christ as the Savior of mankind, thus the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. For knowingly and willingly denying Christ is ultimately the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit – a sin for which there is no forgiveness, not in this age or in the age to come.

Though John’s first epistle is dealing with and written to believers in Christ, which mitigates against an interpretation that might signify believers losing their salvation, there can never be full assurance that all church-goers, whether in the first century or the present century, are true believers. Some do in fact look like true believers, then they end up leaving the fold. John himself speaks of these folks in 1 John 2:19… “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for it they had been of us they would have remained with us; but they went out so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.” Jesus referenced the same type people in his parable about the sower in Mark 4:1-9; 13-20. In a nutshell, Jesus spoke of some seeds that fell upon soil and sprang up quickly (signifying some who believe in Christ after being taught the good news). But they fall away when the troubles of life come upon them and/or when the worldly desire for riches and fame takes the priority of Christ in their lives. Their reception of the gospel was done in earnest, but the problems of life and the deceitfulness of wealth cause them to knowingly reject God forever. So, they were once church-goers and seemingly believers, but they later forsook it all and turned away. Therefore, John’s words in his first epistle, even though written to believers, can include apostates who forsake the message of salvation after coming to belief. This was their sin “leading to death.”

A.T. Robertson, in his Word Pictures of the New Testament, says “Most sins are not mortal sins, but clearly John conceives of a sin that is deadly enough to be called “unto death.” This distinction is common in the rabbinic writings and in Numbers 18:22 (the LXX has ‘to incur a death-bearing sin’) as many crimes then and now bear the death penalty. There is a distinction in Heb. 10:26 between sinning willfully after full knowledge and sins of ignorance (Heb. 5:2). Jesus spoke of the unpardonable sin (Mark 3:29; Matt. 12:32; Luke 12:10), which was attributing to the devil the manifest work of the Holy Spirit. It is possible that John has this idea in mind when he applies it to those who reject Jesus Christ as God’s Son and set themselves up as antichrists. Concerning this (this sin unto death), that he should make request… John does not forbid praying for such cases; he simply doesn’t command prayer but leaves them to God.

The New Bible Commentary says, “We should regard sin that leads to death as a state rather than an act; in Scripture there is no one specific act people do which results in death, but there is a state of sin, of being in rebellion against God, which John elsewhere calls remaining in death (3:14). Jesus warned that anyone who blasphemes against the Spirit ‘will not be forgiven’ (Lk. 12:10), and it is this kind of thing that is in mind here. John adds that he is not saying that believers should pray about sin that leads to death (though he does not say explicitly that they should not pray about it). This does not mean that we should try to calculate when we may and when we may not pray for others. It is a stern warning that sin damns people. All wrongdoing is sin. We must not take sin lightly. But the believer may sin a sin that does not remove him or her from the category of the saved.”

The IVP Bible Background Commentary says, “The OT and Judaism distinguished between willful rebellion against God, which could not be forgiven by normal means, and a lighter transgression. More relevant here, some ancient Jewish texts (the Dead Sea Scrolls, Jubilees also spoke of a capital offense as “a matter of death,” which was normally enforced by excommunication from the community rather than literal execution). Those who were sinned against could secure forgiveness for their opponents by prayer (Gen 20:7, 17; Job 42:8), but a sin of willful apostasy from God’s truth nullified the efficacy of secondhand prayers for forgiveness (1 Sam 2:25; Jer 7:16; 11:14; 14:11). John is presumably saying: God will forgive erring believers at your request, but those who have gone completely after the heresy are outside the sphere of your prayers or (on another interpretation) simply must directly repent to receive forgiveness.”

Jamison, Fausset, and Brown in A Commentary, Critical & Explanatory say, “The sin unto death must be one tending ‘towards’ (so the Greek), and so resulting in, death. Alford makes it to be an appreciable ACT of sin, namely, the denying Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God (in contrast to confess this truth, 1Jn 5:1, 5), 1 John 2:19, 22; 5:10. Such willful deniers of Christ are not to be received into one’s house, or wished ‘God speed.’ Still, I think with Bengel, not merely the act, but also the state of apostasy accompanying the act, is included—a ‘state of soul in which faith, love, and hope, in short, the new life, is extinguished. The chief commandment is faith and love. Therefore, the chief sin is that by which faith and love are destroyed. In the former case is life; in the latter, death. As long as it is not evident that it is a sin unto death, it is lawful to pray. But when it is deliberate rejection of grace, and the man puts from him life thereby, how can others procure for him life?’ Contrast James 5:14–18. Compare Mt 12:31, 32 as to the willful rejection of Christ, and resistance to the Holy Ghost’s plain testimony to Him as the divine Messiah. Jesus, on the cross, pleaded only for those who knew not what they were doing in crucifying Him, not for those willfully resisting grace and knowledge. If we pray for the impenitent, it must be with humble reference of the matter to God’s will, not with the intercessory request which we should offer for a brother when erring.”

John Calvin says, “It may be gathered from the context, that it is not, as they say, a partial fall, or a transgression of a single commandment, but apostasy, by which men wholly alienate themselves from God. For the Apostle afterwards adds, that the children of God do not sin, that is, that they do not forsake God, and wholly surrender themselves to Satan, to be his slaves. Such a defection, it is no wonder that it is mortal; for God never thus deprives his own people of the grace of the Spirit; but they ever retain some spark of true religion. They must then be reprobate and given up to destruction, who thus fall away so as to have no fear of God. Were any one to ask, whether the door of salvation is closed against their repentance; the answer is obvious, that as they are given up to a reprobate mind, and are destitute of the Holy Spirit, they cannot do anything else, than with obstinate minds, become worse and worse, and add sins to sins. Moreover, as the sin and blasphemy against the Spirit ever brings with it a defection of this kind, there is no doubt but that it is here pointed out.”

Calvin further says, “But it may be asked again, by what evidences can we know that a man’s fall is fatal; for except the knowledge of this was certain, in vain would the Apostle have made this exception, that they were not to pray for a sin of this kind. It is then right to determine sometimes, whether the fallen is without hope, or whether there is still a place for a remedy. This, indeed, is what I allow, and what is evident beyond dispute from this passage; but as this very seldom happens, and as God sets before us the infinite riches of his grace, and bids us to be merciful according to his own example, we ought not rashly to conclude that any one has brought on himself the judgment of eternal death; on the contrary, love should dispose us to hope well. But if the impiety of some appear to us not otherwise than hopeless, as though the Lord pointed it out by the finger, we ought not to contend with the just judgment of God, or seek to be more merciful than he is.”

John Walvoord and Roy Zuck’s The Bible Knowledge Commentary (BKC) does not adhere to the sin leading to death as the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Dr. Zane Hodges, commenting on 1 John 5:16 in the BKC says, “Sometimes a Christian may sin so seriously that God judges that sin with swift physical death: ‘a sin that leads to death.’ In the NT Ananias and Sapphira are cases in point (Acts 5:1-11). [In the OT three people serve as examples of swift death following blatant sins: Nadab & Abihu (Lev. 10), Korah and his clan (Num. 16), Achan (Josh. 7), and Uzza (2 Sam. 6).] But most of the sins which one sees a Christian brother commit are not of such a nature, as their common occurrence shows. For these, a believer ought to pray, knowing that any sin—if continued in long enough—is a threat to a fellow Christian’s life (James 5:19-20; also Prov. 10:27; 11:19; 13:14; 19:16). Thus the restoration of a brother may secure a prolonging of his physical life. The words, a sin that does not lead to death, can be easily misunderstood. All sin ultimately leads to death, but the expression “that does not lead to death” should be understood in the sense, “not punished by death.” The distinction is between sins for which death is a rapid consequence and sins for which it is not.”

Warren Wiersbe in the Bible Exposition Commentary, in keeping with the interpretation of Zane Hodges of the BKC, says, “Ananias and Sapphira lied to God about their offering, and they both died (Acts 5:1–11). Some believers at Corinth died because of the way they had acted at the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:30). And 1 Corinthians 5:1–5 suggests that a certain offender would have died had he not repented and confessed his sin (2 Cor. 2:6–8). When a believer sins, he can confess his sin and be forgiven (1 John 1:9). But a believer dare not play with sin, because sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4, where ‘transgression of the Law’ means ‘lawlessness’). A person who practices sin proves that he belongs to Satan (1 John 3:7–10).”

Wiersbe continues, “If a believer does not judge, confess, and forsake sin, God must chasten him. This process is described in Hebrews 12:1–13, which suggests that a person who does not subject himself to the Father will not live (Heb. 12:9). In other words, first God ‘spanks’ his rebellious children, and if they do not yield to His will, He may remove them from the world lest their disobedience lead others astray and bring further disgrace to His name. The ‘sin unto death’ is not some one specific sin. Rather, it is a kind of sin—it is the sort of sin that leads to death.”

A Biblical Warning Against Full Rejection of Christ

Hebrews 6:4-5 says, “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come…”

THEY HAD BEEN ENLIGHTENED

The enlightened ones are not spoken of as born again, made holy, or made righteous.
Enlightenment has to do with intellectual perception of spiritual, biblical truth.
The Greek word photizo (enlightened) means “to give light by knowledge or teaching.”
When Jesus first came to Galilee to minister, He declared that he had come to fulfill the
No mention of justification, sanctification, or regeneration. No term used here is ever used elsewhere in the NT for salvation.
Those who saw and heard Jesus were enlightened but not all were saved.
People saw Christ, they heard his message, and they witnessed the miracles. They had firsthand opportunity to see God's truth in person. Yet many, if not most, of them did not believe in Him (cf. John 12:37-40).
The same thing had happened to the Jews being addressed in Hebrews 6:1-8. They were enlightened but not saved. Consequently, they were in danger of losing all opportunity of being saved, and of becoming apostate. See also 2 Peter 2:20-21.

THEY HAD TASTED OF THE HEAVENLY GIFT

The “heavenly gift” here is Christ Himself (the “indescribable gift” of 2 Cor. 9:15).
This great gift, however, was not received. It was not feasted on but only tasted. It was not accepted or lived, only examined. Jesus told the woman at Jacob's well, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water” (John 4: 10). Eternal life comes from eating, not simply tasting, God’s gift of salvation in Christ.

THEY HAD PARTAKEN OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Partakers (Greek, metochos) has to do with association, not possession. These Jews had never possessed the Holy Spirit, they simply witnessed it. It is possible to have an association with the Holy Spirit, to share in what He does, and not be saved.
In Hebrews 2:4 these Jews had heard the word and had seen and even participated in numerous signs, wonders, miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit. They were actually involved in some of His work.
The Bible never speaks of Christians being associated with the Holy Spirit. It speaks of the Holy Spirit being within them. Here, however, are some persons who are simply associated with the Holy Spirit.

THEY HAD TASTED THE WORD OF GOD

· The audience had tasted something of God, this time His word (Greek rhema) which emphasizes the parts rather than the whole. They had heard God’s utterances and sampled them, tasted them, without actually eating them. No doubt they regularly came to the assembly of the church, but they could not say with Jeremiah, “Thy words were found and I ate them, and Thy words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart” (15:16).

· Herod enjoyed listening to John the Baptist preach (Mark 6:20). He was perplexed but fascinated by this dynamic preacher. He liked to sample the message of God. But when pressed into decision, he forsook God’s man and God's message.

· David encourages “tasting” of the LORD to see that He is good (Ps. 34:8). The problem is when people stop after tasting. They won’t chew, swallow, or digest it.

· Paul's advice: “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” (2 Cor. 13:5). Such a person needs to learn if he has only tasted the gospel without eating it.

THEY HAD TASTED THE POWERS OF THE AGE TO COME

The age to come is the future kingdom of God. The powers of the kingdom are miracle powers. These Jews had seen the same kind of miracles that are going to come when Jesus brings in His earthly kingdom. And the more they saw and tasted without receiving, the more their guilt increased.
Jesus’ miracles in the age to come will be much like the one’s of his first coming.

A WARNING… For in the case of those… and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame. (6:4-6)

They were at the best point for repentance – full knowledge. To fall back from that would be fatal.
Because some believe the warning is addressed solely to Christians, many interpreters hold that the passage teaches that salvation can be lost. If this interpretation were true, however, the passage would also teach that, once lost, salvation could never be regained.
The believer need never fear he will lose his salvation. He cannot. The Bible is absolutely clear about that. Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand" (John 10:27-29). Paul is equally clear. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . . For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:35, 38-39). “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory” (Eph. 1:13-14). "He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:6). We are "to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven," and we "are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Pet. 1:4-5). Salvation cannot be lost!
These particular Jews had even heard the apostles preach and had seen them perform signs and wonders and miracles (Heb. 2:4). They had heard it all and seen it all. If they were to reject it then, they would crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame. They had either to go on to full knowledge of God through faith in Christ or else turn away from Him, to become apostate and be lost forever.
Some have translated adunatos (impossible) in 6:6 as “difficult.” But the same Greek word is used in 6:18 (“It is impossible for God to lie”), in 10:4 (“It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins”), and in 11:6 (“Without faith it is impossible to please Him”). These would make no sense if “difficult” were the meaning.
To renew means to restore, to bring back to an original condition. The original condition of these Jews was that of excitement about the gospel when they first heard it. It was beautiful. If they fell away they did so with an evil heart of unbelief and they did it against full revelation. There was no hope that they could ever be restored to the place where the gospel was fresh. When one rejects Christ at the peak experience of knowledge and conviction, he will not accept at a lesser level. So salvation becomes impossible.
They could not return because they had crucified to themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame. “To themselves” simply means that, as far as they were concerned, the Son of God deserved to be crucified. They decided He was not the true Messiah. They had turned around and gone back to Judaism. To them Jesus was an impostor and deceiver and got exactly what was coming to Him.
When anyone has heard the gospel and then turns away, he has done exactly what these Jews did. They don’t nail Jesus to the cross literally, but they agree to his crucifixion. They become apostate and are put forever out of reach. "How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?" (Heb. 10:29).
It is dangerously self-deceptive for a person to think that by holding off deciding, by thinking himself tolerant of the gospel simply because he does not outwardly oppose it, that he is safe. The longer one stays on the edge the more he leans toward the old life.

For ground that drinks the rain which often falls upon it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned. (6:7-8)

This passage illustrates the above teaching. All those who hear the gospel are like the earth. The rain falls, the gospel message is heard. The gospel seed is planted and there is nourishment and growth. Some of the growth is beautiful and good and productive. It is that which is planted, rooted, and nourished in God. But some of the growth is false, spurious, and unproductive. It has come from the same seed and has been nourished by the same ground and the same water, but has become thorny, destructive, and worthless. It has rejected the life offered it and become good only for burning.
James 1:21-27 speaks of moving forward with the preached word of God. Verse 21 says, “…in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.” This is a clear admonition to those who had been taught about Jesus to fully receive him. Just being a hearer of the truth wasn’t enough for salvation (vv. 23-24).

Further Observations…

The prophet Jeremiah was a prophet in Israel just prior to the Babylonian captivity in 586 BC. His continued warnings to Israel and her kings fell on deaf ears. The people were given to the prophecies of false prophets, and they refused to listen the word of the LORD through Jeremiah. Their abominations included the worship of pagan idols, sacrificing their children to pagan gods, and kneading dough for the queen of heaven. They had categorically rejected God Almighty, and because of this Jeremiah the prophet was told to stop praying for Israel. Could this be the very thing the Apostle John said in 1 John 5:16-17 where he says that we should not pray for someone who has committed the sin leading to death?

Jeremiah 7:16 says, “As for you do not pray for this people, and do not lift up cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with Me; for I do not hear you.”
Jeremiah 11:14 says, “Therefore (because they continually cried out to pagan gods) do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not listen when they call to Me because of their disaster.”
Jeremiah 14:11… So the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for the welfare of this people.”
First John 5:16… “There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this” (i.e. pray for him/her).

The Apostle Paul spoke in Romans 1 of people who were under God’s wrath because they “suppress the truth by unrighteousness” (v. 18). This group of people could refer to Israel (cf. Jeremiah’s prophetic days), but it shouldn’t be limited to them alone. In Rom. 1:19 it is clear that God makes Himself known to all peoples through an instinctive knowledge within. Furthermore, through His creation all of His invisible attributes, His eternal power, and His divine nature are clearly seen by all. No one can deny God’s goodness and creation with a clear conscience or in ignorance.

In Rom. 1:21-23 this group of God-rejecters actually knew God, but they consciously rejected Him. As a result their hearts were darkened (they blasphemed the HS, so they received the just penalty of no repentance as a result). The believed themselves to be wise, probably because they thought the world’s wisdom was greater than God’s “foolishness,” and they exchanged God’s glory for an image (clearly an illusion to pagan idolatry in Israel).

These people fit the bill of committing the sin “leading to death” (1 John 5:16) and having the impossibility of being returned to repentance (Heb. 6:4-8). They have clearly rejected God and therefore have blasphemed the HS (Matt. 12:31-32; Mark 3:28-30) – an eternal and unforgivable sin. So, since they cannot come back to the faith, Romans 1:24-32 states in no uncertain terms that God has “turned them over” (vv. 24, 26, 28). These people are turned over to “impurity” in v. 24 (dishonored bodies as a result of exchanging the truth of God for a lie), “degrading passions” in v. 26 (perverted sexual behavior), and a “depraved mind” in v. 28. The depraved mind includes the following behavior from vv. 29-32: greedy, envious, murderous, contentious, deceitful, malicious, gossipers, slanderous, God-hating, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventing new forms of evil, and disobedient to parents. These character traits come, as a result of having a “darkened heart (mind)” in v. 21, with a mind that does not understand, a character that cannot be trusted, an attitude without love, and a disposition that contains no mercy for others. Verse 32 reiterates that these people actually know the ordinances of God and that those who practice such evil are worthy of death. But they not only practice such behavior themselves, they encourage others to join with them and applaud when they do. Clearly their minds and hearts have not only categorically rejected God and His goodness, they have also gone beyond the privilege of repentance. They have committed the unpardonable sin. For such people there is no hope and no reason to even pray for them (cf. 1 John 5:16-17).

In Revelation 16:9-11, 21 men will see firsthand God’s wrath and His power, yet they will refuse to repent of their deeds. They will “blaspheme the name of God” who brings such disaster upon them. They are just like the scribes and Pharisees who actually saw God’s work through Jesus, but instead of repenting of their deeds and placing their faith in Christ, they blasphemed God – the very Holy Spirit of God – by ascribing Christ’s power to Satan.

Conclusion

The Christian church today has not only encroached the post-Christian society, we appear to be living in it. What’s worse, even some “Christian” churches make excuses for blatant sin. People are offended when God’s Word tells us to stop praying for some people who have entered into the point of no return (to repentance). Churches spend more time putting musicals together, singing songs, acting out skits, and putting on puppet shows than talking about the sinful state and depraved nature of mankind. God’s goodness is set aside for “warm-fuzzies” because the “Christian” church wants to depart from Sunday morning church feeling encouraged and having deeper “relationships.” Encouragement and deeper relationships, however, are simply a by-product of right doctrine. Real encouragement consists of exhorting people to realize their sins, repent of them, and get right with God. True doctrine teaches God’s Word verse-by-verse so as to keep it in context, get the whole counsel of Scripture, and to thus gain a right understanding of God. To be sure, many today who have rejected God through His Son Jesus Christ have rejected a false god and a false “Christianity” which stems from a lack of sound preaching, bad preaching, or simply ritual liturgy (the latter having its place however). For them there is still hope. But sadly, for many they have indeed rejected Jesus Christ after having been taught true doctrine and actually grasping it. They are like the scribes and Pharisees in the Gospels who saw the Lord Jesus Christ heal, cast out demons, and forgive sins. They saw him die, and they saw him resurrected. Furthermore, because they were experts in the Jewish Law of the OT they knew about the coming Messiah and how Jesus fit the bill. But because they were children of the devil, they categorically rejected him, credited his deeds as power from the devil himself, and in doing so they committed the unpardonable sin – a sin for which there would be no repentance.

The society today, by and large, looks much like this, and even preachers of righteousness fail to do what it is they have been called to do. Jeremiah did it, and he had little to no converts. But he was faithful with God’s Word. Let us now go and do the same even if we have no converts to show for our efforts. Salvation belongs to the LORD! The message of the cross, however, is put in our hands. Cursed be us if we fail to present it and present it accurately.