There is only one individual in all history that the Bible tells us God could not save. When I talk about this, people often try to figure out who that person might be. Surely that individual was a terrible sinner. Some might think of an evil plotter, horrendous despot, or cruel dictator who mercilessly slew hundreds, thousands, even millions. Could it be Timothy McVay, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, or Saddam Hussein, or how about Osama bin Laden?

None of these fills the bill, as bad and evil as their deeds have been. Then this person must be the greatest sinner of all time. No ordinary sin such as profanity, lying, stealing, adultery, or even murder is large enough for this judgment. You see, Jesus, said in Mark 3:28, "Truly I say to you that all the sins will be forgiven to the sons of men and as many blasphemies as they may blaspheme."1

Then who could be the only person God could not save? Not Adam, the first sinner, because God forgave his sin with the promise of the Redeemer (Gen. 3:15). Not Moses the murderer (Exod. 2:11–15), for he was forgiven and is in heaven today (Jude 9). Not David the adulterer, liar, and murderer (2 Sam. 11), for God forgave his sins (2 Sam. 12:13). Not Nebuchadnezzar, the proud king of Babylon, because he became a child of God (Dan. 4:34–37). Not Peter, who shamefully denied the Lord Jesus three times (Mark 14:66–72), for Jesus forgave him three times (John 21:15–19). Not even Judas, who ignominiously betrayed Jesus to death and killed himself (Matt 27:3–5), for although he won’t be saved, he could have been saved had he truly repented and turned back to God (2 Pet. 3:9).

No, to find the only person God could not save we must look in a most unusual place. Matthew 27:42 reports the words of Jesus’ enemies at the cross: "He saved others," they said, "himself he cannot save." Please ponder these words with me for a moment. Have you noticed that your enemies do not usually say good things about you? In fact, if they say anything good about you, you can be sure it is true, because, after all, they are your enemies.

Notice that the first line of the high priests’ words were, "He saved others." Isn’t it ironic that at the foot of the cross the enemies of Jesus declared him to be the Savior? You can be sure it is true, Jesus’ enemies told you so. But just as importantly, they said he couldn’t save himself. That also was true, but not for the reasons they thought. The only man God could not save and still save you, was his only Son. He gave him as a sacrifice to wash away the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:1–2).

This brings us to the question of the unpardonable sin—it really makes you tremble if you think about it seriously. I mean, is there really something so bad that God cannot or will not forgive it? Is this a sin too strong even for the gospel? We already read in Mark 3:28 the words of Jesus: "Truly I say to you that all the sins will be forgiven to the sons of men and as many blasphemies as they may blaspheme." That surely sounds like wonderful gospel news, such a sweeping reassurance!

But the next verse is troubling. Mark 3:29 reads, "But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, does not have forgiveness forever, but he is guilty of an eternal sin." It seems you can sin against Jesus and be forgiven, but not against the Holy Spirit. Is the Holy Spirit less forgiving, less gracious, somehow easily offended? It doesn’t seem so, since Jesus sends the Spirit as his personal emissary to draw the world back to God (see John 14–16).

Then what is this unpardonable sin? Mark explains it with a very brief editorial comment in Mark 3:30, "Because they were saying, ’He has an unclean spirit.’" Jesus, of course, was filled with the Holy Spirit. His ministry of healing and teaching brought home the message of God’s love to the heart of everyone he met. But some people didn’t like what he had to say, they fought him. Even that is alright. God is willing to listen to people who shake their fist at him. Just read Job and a number of the Psalms, and even Revelation (6:10). God can take it if you want to argue with him, indeed, he welcomes it.

No, the unpardonable sin is deeper, and it comes so subtly as to be unnoticed. It is to resist the entreaties of the Holy Spirit to the point that you call his work the work of the Devil. Now that is a serious matter. Why? Because the Spirit is God’s Emissary to the world to draw us back to repentance, to woo us to God. No one in their right mind wants to follow the Devil, so if you convince yourself that the work of the Spirit is the work of the Devil, you will not listen to the Spirit any more. The entreaties fall on deaf ears. It is not God who no longer calls, but the sinner who no longer listens.

We must beware. God has paid an inestimable price for us. He gave his only Son. He sends his Spirit to draw us to him. We neglect this great salvation at the peril of our souls (Heb. 2:3). The Lord Jesus holds out his nail-scarred hands to you and me today. "Behold My hands!" he says (John 20:27). "Do not be unbelieving but faithful." None of us need be lost. The price has been paid by the only man God could not save.

Notes and References

1. The translation is my own. The word all in Mark 3:28 is in an emphatic position in the Greek text, separated some distance from the word sin, which it modifies. Thus the italics in the translation above.

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