“Accidental Stumble”

Wednesday, February 06, 2019

      In the Old Testament, it talks about unintentional sin.  Is there also unintentional (accidental) sin in the New Testament, like Paul before his conversion?  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Sinful By Mistake

Dear Sinful By Mistake,

Unintentional sins are committed every single day.  Paul said that all of his sins had been committed out of ignorance and in a clear conscience (1 Tim 1:13, Acts 23:1).  Paul also pointed out that he still needed mercy for his unintentional sins.  Ignorance is an explanation for our sins, but it doesn’t excuse our guilt.  God is patient with us, but eventually, we are responsible for seeking to remove our ignorance by finding the truth of God’s Word (Acts 17:30).  It is understandable when people sin because they don’t know any better, and that understanding engenders God’s compassion (as it should ours), and that is exactly why God’s love sent His Son, so we might have a way of escape from our unintentional rebellion (Jhn 3:16).

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