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.
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever
63-0627 §33
Now we all know that sin is unbelief. "He that believeth not is condemned already." Now, sin is the attribute of unbelief. Smoking cigarettes is not a sin. Stealing is not a sin. Lying is not a sin. Committing adultery is not a sin. "What is it then, you'd say?" It's the attributes of unbelief. If you were a believer you would not do those things. The reason you do it proves that you're a unbeliever. There's only two factions. That's either you are a believer, or not a believer. And how, always puzzled me, that a m...
The unpardonable sin
54-1024 §46
...me congregation or some petty preacher, or to be popular, that you want to hold onto the things that you want to hold onto instead of taking God's Word; Paul said, "He that sins, or disbelieves willfully after he has received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin." There is your unpardonable sin, is to know what is the truth and refuse to walk in it. Amen. Now, you believe that's right? That's what the Bible said. "He that sins...!" Sin is "unbelief." Well, you say, "Is smoking a sin...
Be certain of God
59-0708E §13
Ahab had done wrong marrying this woman, marrying a sinner, unbeliever. The word sin means "unbelief." I was speaking some time ago, and I said, "Committing adultery is not sin. Drinking whiskey is not sin." I was at the Henryville Methodist church. And a precious old sister stood up, and she said, "Then, Brother Branham, what is sin?" I said, "Unbelief." You commit adultery, and drink whiskey, and lie, and steal, because you do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Those things are attributes of unbelief. When you...
Hebrews, Chapter 6, part 2
57-0908E §36
...and I think, "The Scripture doesn't say that." That's not talking about a Christian. That's talking about a man that heard the Word and turned away from it, see. For if we sin [What is sin? Unbelief!] if we disbelieve wilfully after the Gospel's been preached to us, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin, What is sin? Unbelief! Read St. John, the 4th chapter, Jesus said, "He that believeth not is condemned already." Sin is not smoking, drinking, committing adultery. You do that because you're an unbeliever. Tha...
The unpardonable sin
54-1024 §50
"Now, if we sin," s-i-n, sin! Now, what is sin? Sin is "unbelief." How many knows that? Get your Webster's dictionary, anywhere you want to go. Here in the Bible, the first sin was unbelief. Is that right? "He that believeth not is condemned already." All through the Scripture, everything, is "unbelief, unbelief." If I say it's night outside, it's dark; how much is dark, just what part of that is night? It's all night. Is that right? It's night because it's dark. Is that right? How much is light in this room? Is th...