The purpose of this article is to show that there is no salvation in sin. Simply put, those who live in willful, deliberate sin, are on the broad road to destruction, even if they claim to believe in Jesus.
If they truly repent, God will forgive and accept them, but as long as they continue in unrepentant sin, they remain enemies of God and under His wrath. This shouldn’t be controversial at all. The fact that this is controversial among so many professing Christians only shows how far modern-day Christianity has deviated from the Bible.
We are all familiar with the following verse:
[Romans 6:23] The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The way this verse is commonly understood by most Christians is:
The wages of sin is death, but only for those who don’t believe in Jesus. For those who believe the wages of sin is no longer death, because once they believe in Jesus they are under grace.
But that’s not what this verse says at all. Please understnd that the wages of sin is still death. It was death under the Old Covenant, and it’s still death under the New Covenant, because God doesn’t change. God is holy and hates sin, and He won’t turn a blind eye to anyone’s sins just because they profess to believe in Jesus.
God has the same standard for all, not only for some.
[Ezekiel 18:4] Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.
[Ezekiel 18:20] The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son.
Please read these verses carefully:
[1 Corinthians 6:9-10] Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
[Galatians 5:19-21] Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
[Ephesians 5:5-6] For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
How much clearer can it be? The Bible means exactly what it says: Those who live in any of the above sins will NOT inherit the kingdom of God. They are not saved, even if they profess Christ. They are on the broad road to destruction.
Do not be deceived, my friend. If you practice any of these sins and want to go to heaven, you need to repent, which means stop doing them. Please take the following warnings of Jesus seriously. Jesus meant exactly what He said.
[Matthew 5:28-30] But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
Sexual sins are taking millions of Christians to hell.
Those who are enslaved by them and die in an unrepentant state will end up in hell. If you live in any willful sin, I plead with you to come to your senses and truly repent, because there is no forgiveness without true, remorseful repentance.
Regardless of what you’ve been taught by false teachers, the truth is that Jesus’ sacrifice does not cover willful, deliberate sin. The Bible is very clear that those who keep on sinning after professing Christ will be condemned.
[Hebrews 10:26-29] If we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?
Try to read the above verses without any preconceived ideas, and you will see that they mean exactly what they say: Those who continue in willful, deliberate sin after they become Christians will not be saved, unless they repent, which means they turn from their sins.
Likewise, those who are righteous but fall into sin and refuse to repent will not be saved if they die in that condition.
[Ezekiel 18:24] But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.
This doesn’t mean that God won’t forgive us if we happen to fall into sin but then are truly sorry and repent. If there is true repentance, God always forgives. But that’s one big IF. Forgiveness is conditional.
The choice for obedience or disobedience is a choice we make. God won’t make that choice for us. If we choose disobedience, we will die spiritually, but if we choose obedience, we will live spiritually, just as the Bible says:
[Romans 6:16] You are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to DEATH, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness.
[Romans 8:13] If you live according to the flesh you will DIE, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Please understand that anyone who lives in willful sin and disobedience is spiritually dead, regardless of what they believe.
[Romans 6:21] The end of those things is DEATH.
[Ephesians 2:1] You were DEAD in the trespasses and sins.
There is a false teaching saying that because Jesus died for all our sins, all our sins—past, present, and future—are automatically forgiven, even if we don’t repent. But that idea is nowhere to be found in the Bible. Jesus’ death doesn’t bring forgiveness of sins automatically. His sacrifice is a provision for forgiveness. We are forgiven only if and when we repent, not before, and not unconditionally.
Another false teaching says that because Jesus died for our sins, we are saved from the penalty of our sins but not necessarily from our sins. Again, there is no such an idea in the Bible. Jesus came to save us from sin, not only from the penalty of sin.
[Matthew 1:21] She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people FROM their sins.
Yet another false teaching says that because we believe in Christ, when God looks at us, He sees the righteousness of Christ, even if we live in sin. But where is that in the Bible? Show me one verse, please. Do you honestly believe that while you are in willful, deliberate sin, God looks at you and see the righteousness of Jesus? There is no such thing in the Bible, my friend. That’s just seminary-taught nonsense.
Please understand that the blood of Jesus doesn’t cover unrepentant, deliberate sin. It only covers our imperfections and weaknesses, our sins of ignorance, and sins we repent of. None of us is perfect, but that doesn’t mean we all live in willful sin. The Bible clearly says that if we keep on sinning willfully, we are slaves to sin.
[John 8:34-36] Everyone who practices sin is a SLAVE to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Those who keep on sinning prove that they are not born again. They are not born of God. They don’t know God. They just know “theology.”
[1 John 3:6] No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
[1 John 3:8-9] Whoever practices sin is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. No one born of God practices sin, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.
[1 John 5:18] We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning.
If you know something is sin but keep doing it, for instance things that are widespread today like pornography and masturbation, or addiction to alcohol, you are bound by the devil. The way to be set free is to first admit to yourself that it’s a sin, then confess it to God, repent, and ask Him to set you free.
Just admitting you’re a sinner is not enough. You must actually hate and forsake that sin. That’s true repentance.
[Proverbs 28:13] Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses AND forsakes them will obtain mercy.
Please don’t hate me for telling you these things. I am only trying to help you see the clear truth of the Bible, just as James says:
[James 5:19-20] My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
These verses clearly say that a believer can wander from the truth, and while they are in that condition, their soul is dead. The doctrines of “once saved always saved” and “unconditional security” are lies.
Also consider this further warning from James to his brothers in faith. Sin leads to death, even for Christians. Do not be deceived.
[James 1:15-16] Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.
Please understand that if we sin willfully, we don’t walk in the light, and if we don’t walk in the light, we are not forgiven. The blood of Jesus cleanses only those who walk in the light:
[1 John 1:7] IF we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Note the little word IF. Forgiveness is conditional on our walking in the light. Repenting and walking in the light is our responsibility. God will not repent and walk in the light for us.
God loves you, but you need to understand that He won’t accept you in heaven while you live in willful, unrepentant sin. You need to be set free from sin.
[Revelation 21:27] Nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false.
[Romans 6:18] Having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
I wrote this article to show you what the Bible says about willful sin and to give you a clear warning from God, urging you to get right with Him before it’s too late. This is not “judgmental” or “self-righteous.” This is precisely what Paul and other apostles did, and this is also part of my calling. To rephrase Paul’s words:
[2 Corinthians 5:20] I am an ambassador for Christ, God making his appeal through me. I implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Your lack of peace and joy shows you are not right to God. Please swallow your pride, admit it first to yourself that you’re not right with God, then get right with Him. Don’t pay attention to the superficial messages of today’s pastors who tell you that you’re OK just because you believe in Jesus, when deep in your heart you know you’re not OK.
[Jeremiah 8:11] They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.