You and I know that Jesus died and paid for all sins of mankind, right? And that there is no sin that is so gruesome, or so horrible, that is not covered by the blood of Jesus. But just because all sins have been paid for, still, not all will enter the kingdom of heaven. Why? Well, because this offer of salvation of Jesus requires a response from you and I. Before we are entitled the promise of eternal salvation in the presence of God, we have to repent and ask for forgiveness and accept Jesus as our Lord and savior and devote our lives to Him as His follower.
This dual conditions of our salvation is essential. Without the sacrifice of Jesus who gave up His life for us, no amount of repentance, no amount of good behavior and worship would suffice. On the other hand, even though Jesus offered up His precious and unblemished life as payment for any and all sins, no one would qualify to enter the Kingdom if they did not repent, ask for forgiveness and make Jesus the Lord of their life.
And this is why you and I should not freak out when we hear Jesus saying: “Not everyone who says, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 7:21). Or that branches of the vine that do not bear fruit are cut off and thrown into the fire (John 15:1-6). Or when sheep will be separated from goats, or we need to turn and become like little children.
Yes, you may say, that’s the good news – bad news combination.
In today’s gospel reading from Mark 3:28-29, we hear yet another one of those alerts that should wake us up, because Jesus calls it “the sin that cannot be forgiven”. What is this sin? Jesus says, “Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” (repeat)
Question: Do you know what it means to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit? Gosh, it’s important to know this because, if you’re not sure, could there a possibility that you and I might already be guilty of that?
What DOES it mean to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit? Ok. Let me tell you, my dear friends. Simply put, a person is said to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit if he refuses to seek forgiveness when the Holy Spirit Himself has already called him to do so. It’s when a person keeps saying: “I don’t need forgiveness.” “I won’t change.” “I know better than God.”
As I said earlier, God offers forgiveness for all sins if we simply ask him from a humble and repentant heart. But there are persons who will never be forgiven, simply because they refuse to ask for forgiveness. It’s not that God will not forgive them if they eventually ask for forgiveness. They just don’t want it. It’s their choice. Kung ayaw, e di sorry na lang.
Let me end with a word of encouragement, my friends. If you are worried that you might have committed this sin, that concern itself is a sign that you haven’t. Your heart is still very much open to the Holy Spirit. We just need to ask ourselves: Am I open when God challenge me? Do I resist change even when I sense it’s right? Do I explain away grace because it feels uncomfortable?
Remember: God is always ready to forgive. The real danger is slowly closing our hearts and convincing ourselves we don’t need Him. So today, let’s simply pray: “Lord, give me a heart that recognizes Your goodness, the humility to repent, and the courage to let You change me. Come Holy Spirit.”
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