Does God Forgive Willful Sin? Is Deliberate Sin Unforgivable?
IN SHORT: Willful, deliberate sin after salvation is spiritually dangerous. The Bible warns that ongoing, unrepented sin can harden the heart, bring discipline and judgment, and, if pursued to its extreme, lead to ruin and apostasy. Yet God graciously forgives believers who sincerely confess and turn from sin. Grace never excuses intentional disobedience — it teaches us to repent quickly and walk in holiness before the Lord.
Willful or deliberate sin is the intentional, knowing choice to continue in disobedience to God rather than turning away in repentance.
Key Takeaways:
- Ongoing, deliberate sin after salvation is spiritually dangerous.
- Grace teaches believers to reject sin, not excuse it.
- Jesus calls His followers to stop sinning and keep His commandments.
- God forgives the believer who sincerely confesses and turns from sin.
- Persistent, hardened, intentional sin can lead to severe spiritual consequences.
Key Scriptures: Hebrews 10:26-30; Deuteronomy 29:19-20; Titus 2:11-12; John 5:14; Ephesians 4:22-24; 1 Corinthians 5:11; 1 John 1:9-2:1
Welcome to Original Pentecostal
Sermons and Bible Studies
by Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D.
Brief Bio: Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D., is a Pentecostal Bible teacher with more than 50 years of Spirit-filled ministry experience. His sermons and Bible studies are personally written and drawn from decades of service as a church planter, senior pastor, Bible college teacher and Dean, and as a trainer of ministers internationally in the Pentecostal tradition.
Introduction to the Dangers of Ongoing, Deliberate Sin
Summary: There is a looseness that seems to have become commonplace and even accepted in 21st-century Christianity in America. Again and again I hear of Christians deliberately, willfully sinning and excusing it with statements like, “Well, God understands and He’ll forgive me.” Then they knowingly continue practicing the same sins. This casual attitude to sin seems to have permeated large segments of Christian thought in America today. I want to point out in this message that the Bible warns of serious spiritual consequences for the practice of ongoing, willful, deliberate sinning after salvation. If that describes you, I urge you to ponder the Bible's answers to these relevant questions: Is willful sin unforgivable? Does God forgive deliberate sin? Intentional sin? Let's look at some of the biblical warnings about sin and the fearful spiritual consequences of willful, intentional sin.
The Bible gives both strong warnings about persistent, deliberate sin and clear promises of forgiveness for those who truly repent.
Deliberate Continuance in Sin Can Incur God's Judgment
- • Many Bible scholars understand this portion of Scripture to refer to apostasy from the Christian faith after having received the truth of the Gospel. In over 40 years of Christian ministry, thankfully I have known only a handful of Christians who have abandoned their faith. However, there are warnings here that all Christians should consider carefully. Notice that the writer to Hebrew Christians says, “If we…” That is, the warning here is to “we” (to us, to believers) not to knowingly, purposely continue in habitual sin.
- • These important questions are sometimes raised: "Does God forgive deliberate sin? ... Can willful sin be forgiven, or is it unforgivable? ... What happens if you sin knowingly?" I'm hesitant to give a one-size-fits-all answer. The point I wish to emphasize is that to intentionally, willfully, “deliberately keep on sinning” is to open a door that in the most extreme circumstances can result in total apostasy from the Lord and a “fearful expectation of judgment.” Even short of complete apostasy, the Bible's law of "sowing and reaping" (Galatians 6:7-8) still applies and is reflected in the wise and true saying that "your actions have consequences."
- • That this warning is written to believers is further validated by verse 30: “The Lord shall judge his people.” Remember the apostle Peter’s warning that “judgment must begin at the house of God” (1 Peter 4:17, KJV). The bottom line? For a Christian to deliberately, knowingly, purposely choose a life of sin may start a chain of events that, if not checked and repented of, can lead to apostasy and catastrophic judgment. This brings in the topic, long debated among theologians: "Can You Lose Your Salvation?" (Click the link for Bible answers).
Is willful sin unforgivable if you repent?
- The Bible does not present willful sin as unforgivable for a truly repentant believer, but it strongly warns against continuing in deliberate sin with a hardened heart.
"I Am Safe" and "Nothing Bad Will Happen to Me" Are Dangerous Attitudes When Willfully Continuing in Sin
- • These verses spoke of an attitude in some Old Testament Israelites that I see creeping more and more into the mindset of modern Christian churchgoers. It goes like this: “I am safe [from the Lord’s judgment], even though I am following the desires of my own stubborn heart” (NLT). Or: “I will continue doing what I want. Nothing bad will happen to me” (ERV). Or (my paraphrase): “I know the Bible says not to do this, but I’m going to keep on doing it anyway, and God will forgive me, not judge me.”
- • God said to those Israelites who had this self-serving, “stubborn heart” attitude to sin: “This would lead to utter ruin! (NLT) … The Lord will not forgive them for that. No, the Lord will…punish them” (ERV). It is a fearful thing to knowingly, deliberately, willfully oppose the Lord! There is great danger in unrepented, persistent sin.
God's Saving Grace Teaches Us to 'Say No!' to Sin, Not to Excuse It
- • Too many Christians wrongly believe that grace is a license to say “yes” to ungodliness and worldly passions because, they think, “God understands and He’ll forgive.” Will God forgive? Of course! But in what context? — “If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins" (1 John 1:9). And “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth andforsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13, KJV).
• "...God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities" (Acts 3:26, NKJV). The blessing of the Christian walk with Jesus is not in persisting in sin, but rather in turning away from our iniquities, away from our sins. - • Grace is not permissiveness. No! Rather, “the grace of God…teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness…” Any understanding of grace that does not include grace motivating us towards holiness is an incorrect understanding that has no basis in Scripture.
- • An angel announced to Joseph that Mary would bear a divinely conceived child and “…you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people
from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The Lord’s intent is not to save us so that we may continue in sin, but to save us from our sins. Deliberate, premeditated, intentional sinning after salvation is directly contrary to Christ’s desire to “purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Jesus Said This: 'Stop Sinning!' and Also: 'Keep My Commandments'
- • Stop sinning! That’s what Jesus said to the man whom He had healed. Yet many Christians tragically misunderstand grace as loose, permissive, and unrelated to biblical holiness. Look at what Jesus and the apostle John said about those who profess to love the Lord:
-
John 14:15, NASB : [Jesus said,] If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. -
1 John 5:3, NLT Loving God means keeping his commandments. - • I hear people who claim to love Jesus with all their hearts, yet who live in consistent violation of His teachings about holy living. I’ll say this frankly, and with support from the two verses just above: If you are walking in ongoing, deliberate, willful disobedience to the Lord’s biblical teachings, you do not love Him.
- • I’ll move on to the next verse with a reminder of Jesus’ sobering words: “Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”
The Bible Says to Put Off the Old Self and Put On the New, Striving for God's High and Holy Example
- • We can’t come to Jesus, get saved, and just continue to live as we did before we were saved. No, we are to put off our old self … be made new in our minds … and put on the new self. And what is our now-saved, “new self” supposed to be like? As new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), we are “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” There’s no room for intentional, purposeful sin in that description of our Christian calling.
We Are 'Not to Associate' with Those Who Claim to Be Christians But are Clearly Living Ungodly, Unholy Lives With No Sign of Repentance
- • How seriously does God take His command to us to stop sinning? Well, look at the verse above. If someone you know who claims to be a brother or sister is living in sexual immorality, drunkenness, or those other named things, you are to “not associate” with them. And even further, “Do not even eat with such people.”
- • How many Christians do you know that put this command of God into practice? Probably few if any. And yet it is clearly stated New Testament teaching. What is the point? — God does not take a tolerant attitude towards believers who knowingly, with premeditation, choose to live in sin. So much so that He tells other believers to avoid them! (The hope, of course, is that the discipline will help them come to repentance)
God Will Forgive Those Who Confess Their Sins and Turn From Them (Proverbs 28:13)
- • Wow, is there any hope then? Certainly! The grace of God offers forgiveness to the repentant, sinning believer. If you are a Christian who has drifted back into living in sin and haven’t repented, confess your sins to the Lord. Ask His forgiveness and His strength to turn away from those sins. He will hear your sincere heart and will “forgive [your] sins and purify [you] from all unrighteousness.” Your advocate with the Father — Jesus Christ — will restore you to good standing before God.
- • However, don’t miss those two all-important words (“not sin”) right in the middle of His gracious promises of forgiveness — “I write this to you so that you will not sin.” Yes, we are weak, mortal beings born with a nature given to sin. Even as believers, that sin nature can rise up and tempt us to sin. But the correct biblical response to sin is immediate, sincere repentance, confession of those sins to God, and a recognition of and agreement with God’s desire that we “not sin.”
- • To such a genuinely repentant believer, the Lord will always grant His gracious forgiveness. But to the one who willfully, deliberately keeps on sinning, that pathway if followed to its end will lead to a “fearful expectation of judgment” (Hebrews 10:26).
- • The choice is simple: choose life in Christ, choose holiness, choose to follow Him and His commands. If you do succumb to temptation, don’t let your heart become “hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13, KJV). Rather, immediately confess that sin(s) and determine to resume a holy walk with the Lord. He will graciously forgive you, and you will walk on in His blessings!
In Sum, Can a Christian Be Forgiven for Willful Sin?
Yes — when there is genuine repentance, confession, and a turning away from sin. Scripture promises forgiveness to believers who confess their sins sincerely (1 John 1:9). But the Bible also warns that ongoing, deliberate sin with a hardened, presumptuous attitude is spiritually dangerous and must not be treated lightly.
How Should a Christian Respond After Sinning?
- Confess the sin honestly to God
- Repent and turn away from it
- Receive God’s forgiveness
- Resume a walk of obedience and holiness
Frequently Asked Questions About Willful and Deliberate Sin
Below are answers to some of the most common questions about what the Bible teaches regarding willful, deliberate sin after salvation.
What is willful or deliberate sin according to the Bible?
Willful or deliberate sin is intentional disobedience to God rather than sin committed in ignorance or momentary weakness. In this context, the Bible especially warns about knowingly continuing in sin after receiving the truth. Scripture presents this kind of sin as spiritually dangerous because it hardens the heart and resists God’s call to holiness. The issue is not merely that a believer stumbles, but that he chooses to persist in sin without repentance.
Does God forgive deliberate sin?
Yes, God forgives sin when there is sincere confession, repentance, and a turning away from it. First John 1:9 promises that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. At the same time, the Bible warns against a presumptuous attitude that treats grace as permission to continue sinning. God’s mercy is real, but it is never meant to excuse ongoing rebellion.
Is willful sin unforgivable?
Willful sin is not presented as unforgivable in the case of a truly repentant believer, but Scripture gives severe warnings about continuing in deliberate sin with a hardened heart. Hebrews 10:26-30 warns of fearful consequences for those who deliberately keep on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth. The danger is not that God is unwilling to forgive the repentant, but that persistent, unrepented sin can lead to ruin, judgment, and even apostasy. The biblical answer is to repent quickly and return wholeheartedly to the Lord.
What does grace teach us about sin?
The Bible teaches that grace trains believers to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions. Grace is not permission to live loosely or ignore God’s commands. Instead, grace leads us toward self-control, righteousness, and holiness. A view of grace that excuses deliberate sin is not the Bible’s view of grace.
What should a Christian do after falling into sin?
A Christian who has sinned should confess that sin to God, repent sincerely, and turn away from it. Scripture says that believers have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. The right response is not to justify sin or continue in it, but to seek forgiveness and restoration immediately. God’s desire is not only to forgive His people, but also to restore them to a holy walk.
Can ongoing willful sin bring serious spiritual consequences?
Yes, the Bible warns that ongoing, deliberate sin can bring serious spiritual consequences. It can harden the heart, bring God’s discipline, damage a believer’s walk, and, if pursued to its extreme, lead to ruin and apostasy. Jesus Himself warned, “Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” These warnings are meant to awaken repentance and keep believers walking closely with the Lord.
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Check out our related sermon: Does God Forgive All Sins If You Repent?
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Pentecostal Sermons and Bible Studies
by Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D.