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.
At Thy Word, Lord
54-0221 §33
I said here some time ago, preaching in a Methodist church. I said, "Drinking whiskey is not a sin; smoking cigarettes, committing adultery's not a sin." The little old sanctified Methodist mother sitting there, she said, "Then, preacher, what is sin?" I said, "Unbelief! That's sin." Smoking, drinking, gambling, committing adultery, and stealing, lying, and so forth is not sin; it's the attributes of sin. You do that because you're an unbeliever, and you don't... You say, "Well, I'm a Christian, I don't smoke, I do...
Hebrews, Chapter 7, part 2
57-0922 §40
And you take the word sin and find out what it means. The word sin means "unbelief." There's only two factions, that is, a believer or an unbeliever. That's a justified person or a sinner. That's all. If you're an unbeliever, you're a sinner. No matter how good you are, how much you go to church, or even if you're a preacher, you're still an unbeliever! Those Pharisees were preachers, and they were unbelievers, and in hell today for it. Just as religious as they could be, and pious, but they didn't believe Him! And...
Hebrews, Chapter 3
57-0901M §56
Now the word here is used: sin, provoked; made... The reason they did it, they disbelieved. They never went out and got to shooting craps, now, and things like that. They never run around with somebody else's wife, and went out and told lies. That wasn't what they were doing. But that's not sin to begin with. Living in adultery is not sin. Smoking, chewing, drinking, gambling, cursing, swearing and so forth---that's not sin. That's the attributes of unbelief. You do that because you're an unbeliever. If you are a b...
Hear ye Him
56-1215 §10
I was preaching here not long ago in a Methodist church, and I was saying, "Smoking cigarettes is not a sin. Committing adultery is not a sin. Getting drunk is not a sin. Taking the Lord's name is not in sin." Some blessed little old saint sitting in front, with one of these high-collared dresses on, she just forgot where she was at, it got her so bad, because she just had one school of thought. She said, "Then pray, tell me what sin is." I said, "Sin is unbelief." You know, smoking's not a sin. Committing adultery...
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever
55-0806 §23
But now look, friends, there's only one translation, there's only one word for sin, and that's "unbelief." "He that believeth not is condemned already." Drinking whiskey is not a sin. Committing adultery is not a sin. Gambling is not a sin. It's the attributes of unbelief. If you believe Christ and accept Him as your Saviour, you won't do that. That's just the fruits off of your tree. So, if you... Now, not drinking, and not smoking, and not gambling, and not committing adultery, and those evil things, because I do...