Most certainly I tell you, all sins of the descendants of man will be forgiven, including their blasphemies with which they may blaspheme;
Parallel translations
- KJV Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:
- BSB Truly I tell you, the sons of men will be forgiven all sins and blasphemies, as many as they utter.
- ESV “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter,
- NKJV “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter;
- NASB “Truly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons and daughters of men, and whatever blasphemies they commit;
- NLT “I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven,
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus solemnly promises that all sins and blasphemies of humanity can be forgiven. It matters because it magnifies the breadth of God's mercy before naming one tragic exception.
Overview
With a 'most certainly,' Jesus stresses the astonishing scope of divine forgiveness available to sinners. No sin lies beyond the reach of grace for those who repent and turn to God. This sweeping promise sets the backdrop for the sobering warning that follows, highlighting how grievous the one unforgivable sin truly is.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Luke 12:10Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
- Matt 12:31–32Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.
- 1 Jn 5:16If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life for those who sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death. I don’t say that he should make a request concerning this.
- Mark 3:28–30Most certainly I tell you, all sins of the descendants of man will be forgiven, including their blasphemies with which they may blaspheme;
- Heb 6:4–8For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,
- Heb 10:26–31For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 3:28 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.