Can a True Believer Commit Serious Sin?
1) Direct answer
Yes—in the sense that a true believer, still in this flesh, can fall into a serious wrong. No—in the sense that he cannot continue in it, excuse it, or be at peace with it. The life of God in him will drive him to repentance and restoration.
2) Scriptural explanation
- The Bible says, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin… and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9; 5:18). That speaks of a nature that will not practice or live in sin.
- Yet it also says, “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). So a believer may stumble, but he is not left there.
- David fell grievously, but cried out and was restored (Psalm 51). Peter denied the Lord, wept bitterly, and was restored (Luke 22:61-62; John 21).
- “Sin… because they believe not on Me” (John 16:9). Sin at its root is unbelief. The born-again heart believes the Word and cannot settle in unbelief.
- “Shall we continue in sin? God forbid… Sin shall not have dominion over you” (Romans 6:1,14).
- A real son is chastened when he errs (Hebrews 12:6-8). God corrects His own.
- If we confess, He forgives and cleanses (1 John 1:9). The Spirit seals unto the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30).
3) Simple clarifying logic
Now notice, the new birth activates God’s seed in the soul. That inner life says Amen to every Word and cannot deny it. The outer man may stumble, but the inside man cannot live in rebellion. A sheep may fall in mud, but it will not wallow there; it cries to be washed. If a person can live in willful, ongoing sin without conviction or chastening, the Scripture says that is not sonship (Hebrews 12:8). But if he is God’s, conviction strikes, godly sorrow works repentance, and he is restored to walk in the light.
4) Reinforcing statement
So a true believer may fall, even seriously, but he will not remain in sin. The seed of God in him breaks the dominion of sin, brings confession, correction, and a clean walk with God.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Position of a believer in Christ
55-0227A §50
Now, how in the Old Testament... The first thing the believer... If he committed adultery, or if he did anything evil, he went and got a lamb. He took the lamb up to the priest. The priest looked the lamb over, not the believer; he looked the lamb. He never seen the believer. He didn't care nothing about the believer. The believer wasn't even in the picture. The believer come and presented a lamb. Oh, brother. Oh, if you could only see it. You say, "Well, I--I know what I done when I was a young man. I--I know when...
Position of a believer in Christ
55-0227A §13
But the misunderstanding was they thought that I said that Adam never sinned. But Adam did sin. But he did it with his eyes wide open. And Timothy 3 it said Adam was not deceived, but the woman, being deceived, was in the transgression, see. Eve actually thought she was right. But Satan deceived her. But he didn't deceive Adam. He knew it was wrong. But because of the love for his wife, he represented himself with sin and was condemned by the same and cast out of the garden of Eden. And Christ represented Himself w...
The unpardonable sin
54-1024 §73
But if I knowed these things were true, like baptisms, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and all these other operations and things, and knowed they was the truth, and just because I wanted to be popular amongst ... and let somebody pat me on the back and say, "Doctor," "Reverend," or, "Bishop," or whatever it is, "you preached a good sermon." That's the praise of men. I'd rather them be snickering and laughing at me, and making all kind of fun of me, and know that I've stood true to God. That's right. That's true....
The unpardonable sin
54-1024 §22
...can take it away. You dip that down in a can full of Clorox, or a tub, bring it back out, it's just as white as it can be. That's what the blood of Jesus Christ does to the believer that confesses his sins. It said: There is a fountain filled with blood Drawn from Immanuel's veins; When sinners plunge beneath the flood, Lose all their guilty stain. Then, when God shakes the sheet and sees that it's dried out by the holy winds of God coming like a rushing mighty wind from Heaven, He takes the Holy Spirit and seals t...
A testimony on the sea
62-0720 §83
Now, smoking, drinking, committing adultery, cursing, that's not sin. There's only one sin. That's unbelief. You do those things because you are an unbeliever. If you was a believer, you wouldn't do those things. There's only two things---one of them is faith, and the other one's unbelief. One of them possesses you. And if you're a little doubt about the Word of God, every word of it being true, then you're an unbeliever. The Holy Spirit doesn't dwell in you. If you dispute one word of God's promise, or question it...