Question from a Site Viewer
I have sinned deliberately too many times and for a long time. Does God forgive intentional sins?
Tim’s Answer
You say that your sins were deliberate. Does this make your sins somehow different than David’s sin with Bathsheba, or Manasseh’s sin, or the sin of the prodigal son? Were these not all deliberate sins? And how about Moses’ sin of striking the rock when God said to speak to it, or Adam’s sin in taking of the fruit in the garden, or Judah’s sin in having sex with a person he thought was a prostitute, or Samson’s sin in seeking to marry a Philistine, or Jacob’s sin in lying to his father, or Peter’s sin in denying Christ? And what about those of us who have sinned deliberately? Does the “our sins” of 1 John 1:9 exclude intentional sins? Is there no hope for murderers to repent, or liars, or covetous people, or adulterers?
God has a long history of forgiving intentional sins, even among those who have His Holy Spirit in their lives when they commit the sin. If willful or intentional sins cannot be forgiven, then none of us have any hope. We have all sinned willfully. For that reason, we all need mercy.
The will of God is that when we sin, we return to Christ and seek to follow Him more closely. God wants to redeem the world (that is us), not condemn the world. He is the Shepherd who comes looking for us and welcomes us back home. The devil, on the other hand, wants to accuse us, condemn us, and destroy us. We have to decide to whom we will listen.
Your deliberate sins were covered on the cross along with all of the other deliberate sins of the world, including mine. The call now is for us to be reconciled back to God. And He is the Father of us prodigal children. He warmly welcomes us home.
May you come to understand how deep is the Father’s love for you; how He does not condemn us; but rather how He calls us to return and live deeply and richly in Him.
My prayers are with you,
tim
Related Content:
Does God Want Me Back?
Can God Ever Forgive Me?
Forgive Me Lord
I need jesus more thin any thing in this word I give him my life to do what he wants to
Greetings,
Tim, your answer is great, to the point and clear. I hope he takes your words to heart. God understands our need for mercy more than we do.
Tim, I am about to intentionally sin, to have sex with a man I’m not married or engaged to. I am a 66 yr old widow. I am a lone and lonely. I hav recently been in contact with a man via text. We are talking about meeting up and the possibility of having sex. We are both very lonely and in need of physical affection. All though I know sex without marriage is a sin my desires for sex is very strong, would I marry this man yes. Not sure weather that will happen or not but yes I am going to have sex with him either way. Will God forgive me I’m a believer and have been saved for many years.
That is a Biblical answer. You are correct.
Help me to understand for what does this scripture mean 1cor 5 vs 5.
To ‘deliver such a one to Satan’ means to exclude him from the fellowship of believers. Without the spiritual support of Christians, this man would be left alone with his sin and Satan, and perhaps this would drive him to repentance. ‘For the destruction of the flesh’ states the hope that the experience would bring him to God to destroy his sinful nature through his turning from sin. The alternative translation would imply that Satan would afflict him physically and this bring him to God.
This is in the footnotes of my study bible on the verse you questioned. I hope this helps you understand
I LOVE JESUS AND AM SO HAPPY I BELONG TO THE FAMILY OF CHRIST……AM SO HAPPY FOR MY SALVATION……………..I LOVE THE WISDOM OF GOD.
If God said to be counting sins, it’s means 99% of person would have been condemned every day. Thank God for His grace
Will a christian who intentionally sins and then dies before asking for forgiveness go to heaven?
Ohhhhhh what a wonderful ans
I am encouraged now. Thanks to God for His mercy if not I would have be a victim of doom as a result of intentional sins severely committed
Praise GOD for his grace and mercy. I too knowingly sinned greatly and continually for many years. I have repented, but still feared that wasn’t enough. This article and brothers like you are a great encouragement as I seek Christ / GOD above all else.
Thank you so much for serving us with your time and encouragement.
Thank you. You gave me great encouragement. I struggle with the warning verses in the book of hebrews and wrestle with the thought that i maybe apostate. But your words have filled my heart with hope and strength in seeking my father in heaven. God bless you.
And what does He desire but Mercy. Look not to His Forgiveness but his mercy.
Praise be to GOD ALMIGHTY, HE gave us JESUS CHRIST – HIS ONLY BELOVED SON and HE paid for our miserable sins so that our wretched and sinful nature (the human heart is irretrievably wicked and filled with desire to disobey and sin against our LOVING FATHER GOD (it states so right in The Scriptures). We are forgiven and she’d of our sins through JESUS CHRIST – even the thief on the cross along with other characters like Adam and David King of Israel had been forgiven also (granted they were something much higher than the thief on the cross mind you). I am grateful that our GOD ALMIGHTY IN HEAVEN allowed us this chance to confess our sins and believe in JESUS CHRIST so much
What an amazing and relieving response! Thank you for this answer. I am glad that Christ receives the sinful men, both intentional and unintentional sinners. Jesus, I love you. What gain is there for us if we continue sinning? Or should we continue in sin and ask the grace of God to abound? Also, where sin abounded, grace abounds more; but that does not mean we should keep sinning. I will always love God till eternity for this unquantifiable privilege He has given us. Thank you, Jesus.
Thank you so much Brother. I feel relieved this midnight. Now I can go back to my life of prayer.
Depends if you have salvation or not and then intentionally sin. Hebrews 10:26 “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.” Hope this helps some one.
John explains receiving salvation you grow from children to young men to fathers. So does Hebrews 10:26 apply to all these stages?