In a world increasingly driven by self-will and defiance, theologians and revivalists are raising the alarm about what they describe as deliberate sinners, individuals who knowingly embrace wrongdoing while scorning the call to repentance. The late Prophet T.B. Joshua once explained with searing clarity: “A deliberate sinner is someone who knows sinful things and does them.” His words cut through the noise of relativism, reminding the faithful that sin ceases to be mere weakness when it is willfully chosen. Pastor Evelyn Joshua, successor of the Synagogue, Church of All Nations, has equally cautioned that the danger of deliberate sin is not only its rebellion against God but also its numbing effect on the conscience. “When one delights in what is against God’s Word, the heart becomes hardened, and the Spirit’s gentle voice is silenced,” she warns. The emphasis is clear: deliberate sin is less about human frailty and more about brazen rebellion.
This theme resonates across global evangelical thought. Billy Graham, the world-renowned evangelist, repeatedly reminded audiences that “sin is the great disease of the human race, but deliberate sin is like choosing to drink poison with full knowledge of its death sentence.” For Graham, the tragedy was not that people fell, but that they refused the hand of mercy stretched out to raise them. C.S. Upthegrove, the American revivalist, once thundered: “Every time a man sins deliberately, he declares war on the cross.” His words capture the cosmic magnitude of deliberate rebellion, a conscious spurning of the blood that was shed for redemption. The Holy Scriptures resonates this solemn warning. The Epistle to the Hebrews declares, “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment” (Hebrews 10:26-27, NIV). The text makes it clear: deliberate sin is not a stumble but a calculated act of spiritual treason.
For Nigeria, where religious fervor sits side by side with rising moral decay, the debate carries heavy implications. Analysts say the culture of willful corruption, sexual immorality, and blood-stained politics thrives not merely from ignorance but from deliberate indulgence. The Igbo adage, “He who knows the road and chooses the bush cannot blame the thorns,” mirrors this reality. The late Prophet T.B. Joshua once warned his congregation, “God forgives sins committed in ignorance, but deliberate sin is like challenging His sovereignty.” Pastor Evelyn Joshua continues that legacy, urging Christians to examine the motives behind their actions: “Ask yourself—do you fall into sin, or do you walk into it with a smile?” Theology, both ancient and modern, agrees on one point: the danger of deliberate sin is not only its offense against God but also its corrosion of society. In deliberate sinners, we see rebellion institutionalized, selfishness normalized, and evil rationalized. As the Igala proverb says, “The man who knowingly eats rotten yam prepares his stomach for worms.” Deliberate sin, then, is not just an individual failure but a societal cancer. It calls for bold preaching, courageous leadership, and a return to moral responsibility. As Billy Graham once declared, “The cross demands a choice: surrender or rebellion. Neutral ground does not exist.”
And in a world where rebellion increasingly masquerades as freedom, the cry of the prophets still resounds: choose wisely, for sin by choice is a chain heavier than sin by chance. Yet even now, mercy stretches out her hands. The Holy Bible declares, “Now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2, NIV). No matter how far a man has strayed, grace still whispers his name. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Today the altar is open before every reader, whether in the quiet of a bedroom, the stillness of a workplace, or the solitude of a troubled heart. You can bow your soul before the throne of grace and whisper the words that change eternity: “Lord Jesus, I confess that I have sinned deliberately, and I repent today. Wash me with Your precious blood. I surrender my will, my choices, and my life to You. Forgive me, renew me, and fill me with Your Spirit. Today, I rededicate myself to follow You, to walk in Your truth, and to love righteousness. From this moment, I belong to You, Lord Jesus. Amen.”
If those words rose from the well of your heart, believe that Heaven has heard you. As Pastor Evelyn Joshua often reminds, “The proof of genuine repentance is a changed life.” Rise from your knees determined to live differently. Break away from the company of rebellion, forsake the path of deliberate disobedience, and embrace the way of holiness. For the cross still stands, mercy still speaks, and grace still saves. Worship with us at Latter Glory Kingdom Assemblies, Oforachi, Igalamela/Odolu, Kogi State, Nigeria
– Inah Boniface Ocholi writes from Ayah – Igalamela/Odolu LGA, Kogi state.
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