Mark 3:28-30

3:28 I tell you the truth, ¹  people will be forgiven for all sins, even all the blasphemies they utter. ²  3:29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, but is guilty of an eternal sin” ³  3:30 (because they said, “He has an unclean spirit” ⁴ ).

Luke 12:10

12:10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the person who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit ⁵  will not be forgiven. ⁶ 

Acts 7:51

7:51 “You stubborn ⁷  people, with uncircumcised ⁸  hearts and ears! ⁹  You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors ¹⁰  did!

Acts 7:1

Stephen’s Defense Before the Council

7:1 Then the high priest said, “Are these things true?” ¹¹ 

Acts 5:16

5:16 A crowd of people from the towns around Jerusalem ¹²  also came together, bringing the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits. ¹³  They ¹⁴  were all ¹⁵  being healed.

¹ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

² tn Grk “all the sins and blasphemies they may speak will be forgiven the sons of men.”

³ sn Is guilty of an eternal sin. This passage has troubled many people, who have wondered whether or not they have committed this eternal sin. Three things must be kept in mind: (1) the nature of the sin is to ascribe what is the obvious work of the Holy Spirit (e.g., releasing people from Satan’s power) to Satan himself; (2) it is not simply a momentary doubt or sinful attitude, but is indeed a settled condition which opposes the Spirit’s work, as typified by the religious leaders who opposed Jesus; and (3) a person who is concerned about it has probably never committed this sin, for those who commit it here (i.e., the religious leaders) are not in the least concerned about Jesus’ warning. On this last point see W. W. Wessel, “Mark,” EBC 8:645-46.

⁴ sn Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.

⁵ sn Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit probably refers to a total rejection of the testimony that the Spirit gives to Jesus and the plan of God. This is not so much a sin of the moment as of one’s entire life, an obstinate rejection of God’s message and testimony. Cf. Matt 12:31-32 and Mark 3:28-30.

⁶ tn Grk “it will not be forgiven the person who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit.”

⁷ sn Traditionally, “stiff-necked people.” Now the critique begins in earnest.

⁸ tn The term ἀπερίτμητοι (aperitmhtoi, “uncircumcised”) is a NT hapax legomenon (occurs only once). See BDAG 101-2 s.v. ἀπερίτμητος and Isa 52:1.

⁹ tn Or “You stubborn and obstinate people!” (The phrase “uncircumcised hearts and ears” is another figure for stubbornness.)

¹⁰ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

¹¹ tn Grk “If it is so concerning these things” (see BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 10.a for this use).

¹² map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

¹³ sn Unclean spirits refers to evil spirits.

¹⁴ tn Literally a relative pronoun, “who.” In English, however, a relative clause (“bringing the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits, who were all being healed”) could be understood to refer only to the second group (meaning only those troubled by unclean spirits were being healed) or even that the unclean spirits were being healed. To avoid this ambiguity the pronoun “they” was used to begin a new English sentence.

¹⁵ sn They were all being healed. Note how the healings that the apostles provided were comprehensive in their consistency.