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.
Hebrews, Chapters 5 and 6, part 1
57-0908M §11
Lying, stealing, drinking, smoking, gambling, committing adultery, that's not sin; that's the attributes of unbelief. See, that's what... You do that because you are a sinner, see. But first you are a sinner. That's what make you do that, because you do not believe. And if you do believe, then you do not do that. Then you have love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, gentleness, meekness, patience. That's the fruit of the Holy Spirit, see. So we got little things, little sensations, is because that men got off o...
Letting off the pressure
62-0609E §58
Now you say, "Brother Branham, I don't smoke, drink, chew, commit adultery." That ain't it. That's not sin. That's the attribute of sin. That's the attribute of unbelief. See, if you believed, you wouldn't do that, see. No, that ain't what sin is. People can... Unbelief is sin. "He that believeth not is condemned already," see. That's just a attribute of unbelief. But if you can beat all that away from you, say, "Lord God, I believe just exactly what your Word says, and I believe [as we preached last night] that th...
Jehovah-Jireh
57-0326 §119
What does the Bible say, go ye and what no more? Sin no more. Is that right? What is sin? Unbelief is correctly, sir. That's a correct answer. He that believeth not is condemned already, see. If you don't believe, you're just condemned, you're a sinner. The only way you can be saved is because you're a believer. That's right.
Then Jesus came and called
64-0417 §37
...that sacrifice... The life that was in that blood was God himself, so He comes back upon you with the Holy Spirit. You become a son of God then, with no more conscience of sin. "He that's borned of God does not commit sin." He can't sin. The seed of God's in him---he can't sin. There's no more desire of sin at all. As long as you're desiring to sin, you're guilty of it. But when you have no more desire, if you do anything wrong, then you don't willfully do it. Hebrews 6 said if we sin willfully after we receive th...
Adoption, part 3: Position in Christ
60-0522M §33
Remember last Wednesday night, no Christian... Christians sin, but a sinner cannot sin. A sinner doesn't sin, because he's a sinner. He's just a sinner to begin with, and that's all. Here, take the back of this book. It's black. How much of that is black? It's all black. There's just no white to it, it's black. You say, "This much here." No, it isn't, the whole thing's black. It's just all black. That's the way a sinner is. He's just condemned to start with. Well, you say, "What about if he commits adultery? What i...