{"id":39700,"date":"2014-09-14T17:10:00","date_gmt":"2014-09-14T22:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=39700"},"modified":"2021-11-20T17:13:47","modified_gmt":"2021-11-20T23:13:47","slug":"are-willful-sins-irremissible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-willful-sins-irremissible\/","title":{"rendered":"Are willful sins irremissible?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

Question:<\/h2>\n

Hello,<\/p>\n

I repented wholeheartedly and believed that I would never (willfully) sin again.\u00a0 I was determined to not sin.\u00a0 I was overjoyed to be baptized for the forgiveness of my sins because I knew what Jesus went through to make it possible, and I thought that surely I would never turn my back and walk back into sin.<\/p>\n

However, I’ve not been able to sleep in the past few days because I grew careless and I have done some things that I’m afraid I can’t be forgiven for.\u00a0 I have carelessly spoken in lewdness to a friend about her relationship with her husband.\u00a0 We laughed and joked about their sex life, this is not pleasing to God.\u00a0 Then (it should be understood that before coming to Christ I lied all the time, just to tell stories) I told a lie without even thinking about it.\u00a0 Since then I have gone back and corrected my life and apologized for my lewdness, but I feel like such a failure.<\/p>\n

Lastly, I did something that is unthinkable to me. In a moment of boredom, not lust, I “abused myself.”\u00a0 I tried to stop once I realized how awful I would feel, but it was too late.<\/p>\n

The Scriptures say that lewd, sexually immoral, liars do not inherit the kingdom.\u00a0 In the early church in the first 100 years after the apostles died, it was taught that sins such as these were irremissible, so am I lost forever because I have (in the words of Clement of Rome) “defiled my baptism”\u00a0 or (Justin Martyr) “unsealed my baptism?”\u00a0 I have read that many lapsed excommunicated people sat outside the Church wailing for forgiveness but were denied entry because they “sinned unto death”.\u00a0 Eventually, the church created confession, penance, and absolution for such sins, but that was the beginning of what we today refer to as the Catholic Church.\u00a0 However, many people like Tertullian fought against this practice.\u00a0 He was referred to as a rigorist because he actually broke sins into remissible and irremissible.\u00a0 Any willful sin was irremissible.<\/p>\n

Please help, in the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ please help me to understand why our understanding of sin and particularly my sin has changed?\u00a0 Am I beyond hope?<\/p>\n\t

Answer:<\/h2>\n

What you have to do is return to what the Bible taught. Clement, Justin Martyr, and Tertullian may be interesting writers, but they are just men and like other men they make mistakes. Their writings are about God but they are not from God.<\/p>\n

Yes, people who live in sin cannot reach heaven. “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God<\/em>” (I Corinthians 6:9-10). Paul is speaking of those who remain in these sins. It is possible to leave sin. “Such\u00a0were<\/strong>\u00a0some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God<\/em>” (I Corinthians 6:11).<\/p>\n

What you are claiming is that people can live without sinning, but John tells us that this is impossible. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous<\/em>” (I John 1:8-2:1). A Christian strives not to sin and yet knows that at times sins will happen.<\/p>\n

You referred to “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins<\/em>” (Hebrews 10:26). Draw your attention to the phrase “go on sinning.” It refers to continuing in willful sins. There is no forgiveness while a person remains in sin. This passage does not address the person who sinned but then turned from his sins.<\/p>\n

Regarding sins unto death, see:\u00a0A Sin Leading to Death<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Bible does not call sins unforgivable or irremissible. There are only sins that are unforgiven because the person refuses to repent of his sins, like Esau. “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears<\/em>” (Hebrews 12:15-17). Esau wanted the benefits of living godly without leaving his sins and such cannot happen.<\/p>\n

The idea that a church can create ways to be forgiven is ludicrous. Only God offers forgiveness of sins and it is done on His terms, not man’s. Notice that I John 1:8-2:1 says how a Christian can gain forgiveness after sinning — by confessing his sins to God. II Corinthians 7:10-11 tells us that a sinner must also repent of his sins. It does not require confession to a man or doing penances prescribed by a man to be forgiven.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: Hello, I repented wholeheartedly and believed that I would never (willfully) sin again.\u00a0 I was determined to not sin.\u00a0 I was overjoyed to be baptized for the forgiveness of my sins because I knew what Jesus went through to make it possible, and I thought that surely I would never turn my back and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[1571,50,1599,179],"class_list":["post-39700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-forgiveness","tag-repentance","tag-roman-catholic-church","tag-sin"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":48128,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-went-back-into-sin-after-my-baptism-does-that-mean-my-baptism-was-invalid\/","url_meta":{"origin":39700,"position":0},"title":"I went back into sin after my baptism. Does that mean my baptism was invalid?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 26, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, I just had a question. I was baptized at about 19 years old. I knew what I was doing, which was to live a different life, to be baptized and turn from my old self. I thought that when I came up from the water, I would be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":54363,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-we-know-jesus-forgives-mortal-sins-we-are-traumatized-over\/","url_meta":{"origin":39700,"position":1},"title":"How can we know Jesus forgives mortal sins we are traumatized over?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 8, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, I'm just enquiring if you can help me. I read comments about sin on your site. 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My parents suggested that I go\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14689,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/were-sins-rolled-forward-under-the-old-law\/","url_meta":{"origin":39700,"position":3},"title":"Were sins rolled forward under the Old Law?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 5, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: In a Wednesday night lesson recently, our minister stated that under the Old Law sins were not rolled back when sacrifices were made. He said there was no Scripture that says that and that it has just been repeated until people think that. He said since God knew from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18567,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-feel-so-guilty-about-my-past-sins-i-just-cant-get-them-off-my-mind-why-do-i-still-not-feel-forgiven-is-forgiveness-all-about-feelings\/","url_meta":{"origin":39700,"position":4},"title":"I feel so guilty about my past sins. I just can’t get them off my mind. Why do I still not feel forgiven? Is forgiveness all about feelings?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 3, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Years before my girlfriend, who is my wife right now, and I had committed fornication and I got her an abortion. I was so sorry, even now, and regretful I allowed these things to happen, but it happened. Prior to our planned marriage, I converted and become a Christian.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":808,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-sin-leading-to-death\/","url_meta":{"origin":39700,"position":5},"title":"A Sin Leading to Death (Article)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 1, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton \"If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. 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