Can a Christian Sin So Badly That God Will Not Forgive?

June 19, 2018

IS THERE A POINT OF NO RETURN FOR CHRISTIANS WHO SIN? No. You cannot sin so badly that God will not forgive you. Let me give you 3 verses and 2 examples to demonstrate the point. Verses There are passages of Scripture that tell us that God forgives our sin, no matter how big, no matter how often.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9) There are no qualifications here, just a simple, straightforward statement. We confess, He forgives.
“Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” In this exchange, Peter demonstrated that you cannot sin so often that God will not forgive you. (Matthew 18:21)
Then he began to curse and swear, "I do not know the man!" (Matthew 26:74) In this passage, when Peter was accused during Jesus' trial of being a disciple of His, Peter cursed and swore and denied Jesus. In this, Peter demonstrated that you cannot sin so badly that God will not forgive you. It is hard to image a sin worse than denying God with an oath. Yet just a few days later, Peter was eating breakfast on the Sea of Galilee in perfect fellowship and harmony with the One whom he had denied (John 21:15-17).

Examples

David: Perhaps the best-known example of God’s forgiveness of egregious sin is when King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of one of David’s army officers, Uriah. And when Bathsheba became pregnant at a time when her husband was away on military campaigns, David had Uriah killed, to cover up his sin. Adultery followed by murder?!? Mercy!

Nathan the prophet confronted David with his sin in the name of God. And David, a monarch with unlimited authority, could have pointed at Nathan and said to his guards, “Off with his head!” But he didn’t. Instead, he repented: “I have sinned!” As a result, Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin.”

What?!? Is it that easy? You commit adultery, you murder, and just like that, you’re forgiven? Yes. You may still pay for the earthly consequences of your sin. David certainly did, and they were significant. But he was immediately forgiven by God and restored to fellowship with Him.

Manasseh: In a lesser-known, but even more egregious example, Manasseh, one of the kings of Judah, was evil. David was not evil. He was basically a good person who sinned badly a couple times. Manasseh was a bad person. 2 Chronicles 33 says, “He did evil in the sight of the Lord.” Then it lists the evil he did:

Built “high places,” sites dedicated to idol worship
Erected altars for Baal, the detestable god of the Canaanites
Erected altars for Asherim, the detestable goddess of the Canaanites
Worshiped the hosts of heaven (stars?)
Built pagan altars in the temple of the Lord
Burned his sons alive as a sacrifice to the god, Molech
Practiced witchcraft, divination, sorcery, consulted mediums
Put a carved idol in the house of the Lord
Caused Judah to do more evil than the pagan nations around them

As a result, God judged him by bringing the king of Assyria to conquer him, militarily. The Bible says “they captured him with hooks (put through the nose) bound him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon.” You would think that that would be the end of Manasseh. Good-bye and good riddance! But then, Scripture records a remarkable turnaround, unlike anything else ever seen in the monarchy of Israel: “When [Manasseh] was in distress, he entreated the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. When he prayed to Him, [God] was moved by his entreaty and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.” (2 Chronicles 33:12-13) How remarkable! After having been subjugated militarily, having been hauled off in utter humiliation and ignominy, after having been banished to the dust-bin of Judean history, he repents. And the Lord forgives him. And not only that but the Lord restores him to the throne of Judah! Certainly one of the most remarkable examples of forgiveness and restoration in the annals of Scripture! These three passages and two examples teach us that a Christian cannot sin so badly or so often that God will not forgive him. How reassuring! Two Clarifications:

Forgiveness is based on repentance. God forgives us when we repent. Not before. So, the simple truth in that is, repent when you sin.
Sin does not break our relationship with God (Romans 5:10). When a Christian sins, God is still his heavenly Father. Sin does break our fellowship with God, but not our relationship. Not unlike an earthly child, whose sin can break its fellowship with a parent, but whose sin does not banish it from the family.

Conclusion God is often misperceived as an intolerant, impatient, don’t-tread-on-me kind of deity. Nothing could be further from the truth. He is patient, longsuffering, understanding and quick to forgive. Psalm 103 says it as clearly as can be said: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. Have you sinned so badly, or so often, that you fear God will not forgive you? Take heart from these verses and examples. As God was quick to forgive Peter and David and Manasseh, so He will be quick to forgive you. Turn to Him, lay down your burden of guilt, and rest in His boundless, unfailing love.

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