Reformatiion

Still it remains true, "Whosoever shall believe, shall not perish."

Within the Christian church there has been considerable interest in Jesus’ words in Mark 3:29 and the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

In words that are penetrating and gospel-oriented, Thomas Boston wrote the following about this particular matter:

I doubt if the sin against the Holy Ghost can justly be said to be a limitation of God's grace in Jesus Christ. For in the original authentic gospel-offer, in which is the proper place for such a limitation [if there was any] that grace is so laid open to all men without exception, that no man is excluded; but there is free access to it for every man in the way of believing, (John 3:15,16, Rev 22:17); and this offer is sometimes intimated to these reprobates, who fall into that sin, else they should not be capable of it. It is true, that sin is a bar in the way of the guilty, so as they can never partake of the grace of God in Christ; for it shall never be forgiven, (Matt 12:31, Mark 3:29); and any further ministerial application of the offer to them seems to cease to be lawful or warranted, (1 John 5:16). But all this arises from their own willful, obstinate, despiteful, and malicious rejecting of the offer: and fighting against the Holy Ghost, whose office it is to apply the grace of Christ; and not from any limitation, or exclusive clause in the offer, for still it remains true, "Whosoever shall believe, shall not perish."

Footnote 25 in Edward Fisher, The Marrow of Modern Divinity (Fig. Kindle Edition)

Photo credit to:  Ian Espinosa on Unsplash