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Question: I dont feel good. I have purposely knowingly willfully deliberately wanted to sin. Even after knowing the truth of Jesus. And that He died for me. I even knew Hebrews 10:26. I sinned while knowing that Hebrews 10:26 says that willfully sinning lies no forgiveness. But the anger of God. I willfully sinned and i don’t think i was ever saved. I don’t even know if i have faith anymore. I feel like i just blasphemed the Holy Spirit. I can’t believe i just WILLFULLY, KNOWINGLY, DELIBERATELY, PURPOSELY, chose sin of Jesus. Can i be forgiven. Hebrews 10:26-27 says i cant.

Profile: Male, North America, Under 19

Answered by: Laura Groninger, who has been a volunteer with us since July, 2020.

Answer: Hello, my friend, and thanks for sharing your question. The good news is, yes, you can ABSOLUTELY be forgiven for your willful, deliberate sin. Let’s look at the whole message of the Bible to clarify the meaning of Hebrews 10:26-27. 

First of all, let’s think about some of the people in the Bible. King David knowingly slept with another man’s wife and when she became pregnant, he planned for her husband to die in battle (2 Samuel 11). In the very next chapter, the prophet Nathan stated that David would experience earthly consequences for his sin but when David confessed his sin, Nathan said, “…The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die…,” (2 Samuel 12:13). We also know that David was called by God “a man after my heart” (Acts 13:22). Clearly, God forgave his intentional sin. 

Consider next one of God’s prophets, Jonah. He heard directly from God (so he knew better!), but he ran in the opposite direction after God told him to go to Nineveh (Jonah 1:1-3). Verse 3 literally says that he “…sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.” He was blatantly ignoring God’s command even though he was a prophet. After Jonah was swallowed by a big fish and confessed his wrongs, the fish spit him up (Jonah 1-2). God gave him a second chance, and he continued on as God’s prophet. 

Even the apostle Paul (who may have written the book of Hebrews), sinned regularly after coming to Jesus. He stated, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners-of whom I am the worst,” (1 Timothy 1:15). He wasn’t talking about his sins before coming to Christ (although he mentioned those in verses 12-14 in the past tense). Rather, he used the present verb tense to show that he still sinned and needed regular forgiveness. 

As you can see, Christ-followers in the Bible intentionally sinned (I would argue we all do, unfortunately!), but God is willing to forgive. In fact, James 4:17 even says that “…whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” God knows we will knowingly sin. It’s not hard to see why, too. The devil is sneaky and will try to tempt and deceive us into thinking it will be worth it. He’s a master liar and is willing to do what it takes to get Christians to sin (John 8:44). 

Let’s look now at the passage you mentioned: Hebrews 10:26-27. Verse 26 notes, “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left.” The Bible tells us that all people have “knowledge of the truth” because God has made himself known to all in a variety of ways (Romans 1:20); not everyone will accept his sacrifice, however. Hebrews 10:26 states that for those who reject Jesus’ one sacrifice on the cross, there is no other sacrifice that will work. The beginning of chapter 10 contrasts Jesus’ sacrifice with the ongoing temple sacrifices of the Old Testament. I believe that this passage refers to someone who is continually choosing sin as a way of life instead of accepting God’s forgiveness for his/her sins. A believer, though sinful, will repent of sins regularly and will have an inward desire to obey and serve the Lord out of thanksgiving for his mercy. 

In summary, if you have acknowledged your sins and accepted Jesus’ death on the cross, you are saved! When you sin, acknowledge how it is hurting yourself and others (This helps us to change!), share with others to get some support, and confess your sins to God. 1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” You can walk in peace and freedom knowing you are forgiven. 

For more information, you may want to read this article: https://www.gotquestions.org/Hebrews-10-26.html

May you find his peace as you continue to seek the one who loves you!