What does Mark 3:28 mean?

Jesus has dismissed the scribes' claim that He casts out demons with Satan's authority as illogical. Now He explains how those claims are also blasphemous.

Despite the seriousness of the sin of blasphemy, God says it can be forgiven. In this very important verse. Jesus, who died for our sins and was raised again, says clearly that all sins save one will be forgiven (Mark 3:29). And the one sin that cannot be forgiven is not sexual; it's not spontaneous, uncontrolled thoughts; it's not struggling with addiction; it's not even murder.

"Forgiven" comes from the Greek root word aphiemi, which means to send away and disregard. It doesn't mean God forgets our sins, as if His mental hard drive has been erased. It means He no longer thinks on the sin, and it does not affect our salvation. He will forgive even insults about His very nature, as long as we do not commit the one unforgiveable sin: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

"Blasphemy" comes from the Greek root word blasphemia, which refers to speech that is disrespectful of and defiant toward God. Ultimately, it means to intentionally misrepresent God's character. When Jesus infers that He is the Son of God, the Pharisees and scribes see that as blasphemy. In the Mosaic Law, blasphemy against God is punishable by death (Leviticus 24:10–16).

The wording Matthew uses in his gospel is slightly different. Instead of saying "all sins will be forgiven the children of man…" it reads, "whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven" (Matthew 12:32). Both statements are true.