An Indefensible Sin

𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇 𝟏𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐃 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟏: 𝐉𝐞𝐫 𝟕:𝟐𝟑-𝟐𝟖

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟗𝟓:𝟏-𝟐, 𝟔-𝟗 “𝐈𝐟 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐋𝐤 𝟏𝟏:𝟏𝟒-𝟐𝟑

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞: “𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞.” (𝐯.𝟐𝟑) 

         Have you ever had a real-life experience where one of your friends or acquaintance with whom you had a serious conflict told you, “I cannot forgive you as long as I live.” Or it could be the other way around when you uttered those same words in anger at someone with whom you had a dispute.

         Most often this happens within a family, especially when the bone of contention is over money or property. This may have happened to some of you in the same way that this also happened to me a couple of times. But can there really be a sin that is unforgiveable no matter how bad it may be.

         In the temporal world this be so albeit temporary because at some point time, friends find a way to reconcile with one another either by circumstance or through the help of your circle or peer group.

        It is different in the spiritual realm and you probably have heard of the so-called unforgiveable sin and you must have asked what sin is such that God whom we know to be a forgiving God cannot forgive this kind of sin. In fact, the reason why man has the tendency to commit the same sin repeatedly is because of his confidence that God’s preoccupation is to forgive. But how sure are we?

         The Gospel today speaks of an unforgiveable sin. And the question we might ask is if God is a forgiving God, how come there would be an unforgiveable sin? What sin would be so grave that it would be unforgiveable? We may perhaps even ask if there is such a thing as an unforgiveable sin?

         Yes, there is and the Pharisees may have committed it without their knowing it especially when they attributed the healing miracles of Jesus to Beelzebul, the prince of demons (𝐯.𝟏𝟓-𝟏𝟔). A similar event reported by Mark quoted Jesus describing this claim of the Pharisees as blaspheming the Holy Spirit (𝐌𝐤 𝟑:𝟐𝟗).

         To blaspheme is “𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒚, 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒍𝒆, 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒏𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒆, 𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒓 𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒍 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒖𝒂𝒈𝒆.” Thus, to speak ill of the Holy Spirit who empowers Jesus to heal the mute (𝐯.𝟏𝟒) was a grievous sin because it was tantamount to calling the Holy Spirit a demon.

          Hence, when the Pharisees ascribed the miracles of Jesus to the prince of demon, they denied that Jesus was truly from God thus divesting themselves of any hope of forgiveness that comes only through Jesus.

         The question now is whether we who have been baptized as Christians are still capable of committing this unforgiveable sin? Yes, and we might not be aware of it. We are guilty of committing an unforgiveable sin “𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞.” (𝐇𝐞𝐛 𝟔:𝟒-𝟔).

         We also may be committing an unforgiveable sin “𝐢𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡, 𝐧𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝. 𝐀𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐭, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞?” (𝐇𝐞𝐛 𝟏𝟎:𝟐𝟔-𝟐𝟗)        

        In other words, we will be guilty of committing an unforgiveable sin if we persist in sinning and if we desecrate the sanctity of the Body and Blood of Christ that is present in the Eucharist and if we insult the Holy Spirit. This was why Jesus used such strong words when he said that: “𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞, 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.” (𝐯.𝟐𝟑).

         This could only mean that in this life we cannot be neutral or remain in the sidelines. In one way or the other we will have to take sides and its either we are on the side of Jesus or we are not, it’s as simple as that and these are the only two choices we have. Do we want to enter the kingdom of God or do we want to remain in darkness. There are no ifs and buts when it comes to our salvation.

         If we want to live in true freedom from the power of sin and Satan, then Jesus must reign in the temple of our hearts and minds. This Gospel passage is a warning for us to avoid this unforgiveable sin but with it comes his assurance that the Holy Spirit himself will empower us by making the Grace of God active when we are faced with adversities in life.

        God’s mercy and compassion may be infinite but those who refuse to acknowledge and confess their sins and ask God for forgiveness has already condemned themselves as they have closed the door to God's offer of mercy, pardon, grace, and healing.

        Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Lord empowers us to live our lives in absolute freedom from slavery to sin and the Scriptures will tell us that Jesus is our refuge and strength because our lives are hidden in him who created us.

        In this Lenten Season, let us make it a habit to spend a few moments reading the Sacred Scriptures and God Himself assures us that it will be a time well spent. We should look at the Bible as our personal manual of operations that teaches us how to remain on the road leading to the Kingdom of God.

        To disobey these sacred instructions from God, we open ourselves to the influence of the evil one whose main objective is to separate us from the Grace of God. This is why Jesus must fill our souls, and he will provide us the strength to resist the evil one.

        What then is the best protection that brings lasting security to our lives? Scripture tells us that true peace and security come to those who trust in God and obey his Word. “𝐎𝐛𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐲 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮.” (𝐉𝐞𝐫 𝟕:𝟐𝟑). The struggle between choosing to do good or evil, yielding to our will or God's will, God's way or our way, cannot be won by human strength or will-power alone.

        Our enemy conspires with the world and our flesh to lead us into sinful desires. Peter the Apostle tells us that the devil prowls the earth seeking the ruin of souls (𝟏 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓:𝟖-𝟗). We should remind ourselves, however, that there is no limit to the mercy of God but anyone who deliberately and with willful intent refuse the accept God’s mercy through repentance is actually guilty of rejecting the forgiveness of his sins as well as the salvation offered by God through the Holy Spirit. This hardness of heart is what will lead an impenitent person to eternal loss and damnation. (𝐂𝐂𝐂 𝟏𝟖𝟔𝟒.)

        In this light, God Himself offers us Grace and protection if we are willing to obey his Word and resist the devil. “𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐠𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐧𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐧𝐨 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬.” (𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦 𝟗𝟏:𝟗-𝟏𝟏)

(𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 - 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 12, 2026)