The question of whether God can sin is an important theological question. According to orthodox Christian theology based on the Bible, the answer is definitively no – God cannot sin. This article will examine the biblical basis for this position and explain the theological reasoning behind it.
God’s Nature is Perfectly Holy
The Bible repeatedly emphasizes that God’s fundamental nature and character is one of absolute moral perfection and holiness. Passages such as 1 John 1:5 state, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” Light here refers to God’s pure holiness with no hint of evil or sin whatsoever. Habakkuk 1:13 says of God, “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong.” God’s eyes are so holy that He cannot even look upon sin. Revelation 4:8 declares that the four living creatures in God’s throne room continually sing of God’s holiness: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.” The Bible makes clear that sin and evil are contradictory to God’s core being.
Theologians refer to this attribute of God as His “aseity.” This means God has life in and of Himself; His perfect character is dependent on nothing else. Wayne Grudem explains, “God’s holiness means that he is separated from sin and devoted to seeking his own honor.” God did not derive or borrow His moral perfection from some outside source – it simply flows as part of His eternal divine nature. Augustine summed this up in his famous statement, “God is what He has.”
God Cannot Violate His Own Character
If God’s essential nature is perfectly holy, then it stands to reason God cannot act in contradiction to His own nature. Sin would require God to act against His own moral character, which is an impossibility. Norman Geisler writes, “God can do all things that are proper objects of his power. But sinning is not a proper object of his power since it involves a self-contradiction.” Just as God cannot make 1+1=3, He cannot cause a moral contradiction within Himself.
The Bible confirms this principle when it tells us that it is “impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18). Lying is a sin, but God cannot sin. Therefore, He cannot lie. Titus 1:2 specifically applies this to God, saying, “God, who never lies.” God swears oaths to Abraham by Himself since there is no higher standard than His own perfect nature (Hebrews 6:13). Basing morality in God’s unchanging character is key to having a sound, objective foundation for ethics.
Jesus Was Fully God and Fully Man
Understanding the dual natures of Christ is key to answering whether God can sin. Jesus was fully God (John 1:1-3), but also became fully human when He was incarnated (Philippians 2:5-11). Wayne Grudem observes, “The fact that Jesus did not sin proves that it is possible for a human being to live without sinning.” Jesus lived a perfectly righteous life as a man through dependence on the Holy Spirit and obedience to the Father.
However, Jesus retained His divine nature as God during His earthly ministry. The writer of Hebrews notes, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). His divine nature was constant. The incarnation added a human nature to His existing divine nature. Therefore, as God, Jesus was still incapable of sinning against the Father throughout His human life. Robert Peterson concludes, “Temptability is not the same as peccability.” Jesus was tempted externally but did not have an internal propensity toward sin.
God Establishes the Moral Law
Moreover, God establishes what is good, righteous, and holy through the moral law He institutes. Sin is defined as transgression against God’s law (1 John 3:4). But God’s law flows from His moral character. Wayne Grudem writes, “The moral law of God flows necessarily from his own righteous character.” Malachi 3:6 reminds us, “I the LORD do not change.” Therefore, God does not arbitrarily establish moral law from outside Himself. It is rooted in His changeless nature.
This means God cannot sin by transgressing the moral law since it is based in His own character. God does not go against Himself. The moral law comes from what God is. Augustine said of God’s law, “It neither consists principally in the words that formulate it, nor in the rewards that encourage to it, but in the nature itself of the highest good…” As John Frame concludes, “He cannot contradict his own nature.” This is why the Bible can say God is “incapable of lying” (Hebrews 6:18).
God’s Will is Perfect and Unchanging
God’s supreme sovereignty over His creation stems from His infinite power guided by His perfect will. Psalm 115:3 declares, “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” As eternal Creator, everything God desires is perfectly righteous because His will flows from His holy nature. Wayne Grudem notes, “God’s will flows necessarily out of his own moral character.” God cannot arbitrarily will something opposed to His moral nature.
The Bible also repeatedly emphasizes God’s will as unchanging and unchangeable. Hebrews 6:17 notes the “unchangeableness of his purpose.” God says in Isaiah 46:10 – “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.” Psalm 33:11 declares, “The plans of the LORD stand firm forever.” Grudem concludes, “He is unchanging in his being, purposes, and perfections.” Once God wills something in line with His righteous character, He cannot reverse it or be discouraged from it.
God Cannot Be Tempted to Sin
A key verse on this question is James 1:13 – “God cannot be tempted with evil.” This succinctly states what we have been establishing. Firstly, God’s nature has no enticement or desire for sin whatsoever. Sin does not appeal to Him in any way. Secondly, any external solicitation toward sin could only appeal to non-existent sinful desires. Robert Peterson notes, “External temptation has no inner hook to catch hold of.” As Spurgeon quipped, “For God to be tempted with evil, He must have a sinful nature to which evil can appeal.”
Someone may point to Genesis 6:6 where it says God’s “heart was filled with pain” over human sin and claim this indicates capacity for sin. However, Wayne Grudem counters, “But here the word pain . . . tells us only that God is grieved by the sin of human beings. This should not be thought inconsistent with God’s unchangeableness.” Anthropopathisms like grief or anger describe God’s outward response to human sin without implying any change in His perfect Being.
God’s Justice and Wrath Demonstrate His Holiness
A holy God must respond with righteous anger and just retribution toward sin and evil. The Bible often speaks of God’s burning wrath and vengeance against individual sins and systemic sinfulness in the world (Romans 1:18). How can a loving God demonstrate such fierce wrath? Only because His perfect justice flows out of His perfect holiness.
Wayne Grudem observes, “God’s wrath is his righteous anger and punishment for wrong.” When prompted, God’s holiness requires Him to act in holy justice and judgment. When Moses pleaded for mercy on disobedient Israel, God declared His name, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6). God’s gracious patience stems from His perfect character. In Christ, God’s full righteous judgment against sin was satisfied on our behalf (1 John 2:2).
Objections and Responses
1. “God repents or changes His mind in the Bible.” As mentioned, anthropopathisms describe God’s outward emotional interaction with humans without implying internal incoherence. God’s will never changes, but He may change courses of action based on sinners’ repentance.
2. “Genesis 6:6 says God was sorry He had made man.” This expresses grief over human sinfulness. But God’s perfect will resulted in a sinless creation in Genesis 1. Humans brought sin through disobedience.
3. “God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.” God did not infuse evil but allowed Pharaoh’s heart to pursue its sinful desires. Scripture teaches God is not the author of evil.
4. “The incarnate Son didn’t know the day of His return.” Jesus submitted Himself to limits in knowledge as part of His humanity while on earth. But He retained omniscience in His divine nature.
5. “Jesus was tempted.” As covered, Jesus was externally tempted without any internal sinful desires. His divine nature was incapable of sin.
Summary Thoughts
The clear testimony of Scripture is that a holy God cannot contradict His nature by sinning. He did not derive holiness but is eternal Love, Light, and absolute Perfection. While God griefs over the effects of evil, He retains a perfect divine will to establish righteousness. In His unfathomable grace, God satisfied His wrath justly against sin through Christ’s atonement. God’s love flows out of His holy, beautiful character. The more we grasp this gospel truth, the more we grow in worshiping God in spirit and truth.
