Journal Day 2

October 3, 2006 - Day 2

Mark 3:22-35
Passage: Jesus is so good at exposing the wisdom of the world as the foolishness it is. The scribes thought they had Jesus captured. The crowds were amazed at Jesus’ ability to cast out demons from the oppressed. The scribes came down from Jerusalem saying that he was casting out the demons by Beelzebul and by the prince of demons. Jesus replies very simply, “How can Satan cast out Satan?” In other words, that’s foolish and illogical! Christ indicts the scribes with a serious statement. He claims that by speaking of the Holy Spirit, which was working with Jesus to perform these miracles, as a spirit of a demon was an eternal sin. It was a sin that would never be forgiven. This is the sin of the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.

Application: This could very possibly become a terrifying passage to the thoughtful Christian reader. “What if I’ve mistakenly done this?” could haunt the mind and conscience. This could truly be a concern if Christ had not promised to keep all of His flock forever. This could truly be a concern if it was not true that “those whom he justified he also glorified.” (Romans 8:30) As a Christian my future state in glory is sure. I must conclude that God will prevent me from committing this eternal sin of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. I do however think it is wise not to let the tongue loose. We should be watchful over what we say concerning those who claim to perform miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit.