Deliberate sin

“But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or alien, blasphemes the Lord, and that person must be cut off from his people. Because he has despised the Lord’s word and broken His commands, that person must surely be cut off; his guilt remains on him.” Numbers 15:30-31
The Old Testament law makes it quite clear that there was no forgiveness for deliberate sin, when a person knew what the law of God said and then chose to disobey it. For sins which the person accidentally committed, either through not intending to (e.g. receipt of stolen goods or manslaughter), or through ignorance of the law, there were the sin and trespass offerings that could be made. But where someone knew the law of God, there was no offering that could be made.
It’s interesting to note that this deliberate disobedience is called blasphemy. Usually we think the word ‘blasphemy’ refers to using God’s name as a swear word. But the meaning is much, much broader than that. Blasphemy is bringing God’s name into disrepute, either by what you say or what you do. To say that you belong to Him and then consciously disobey His commands, brings His name into disrepute. To deliberately disobey means that you think your way is better than God’s. You are despising His commands by doing so.
This is a lesson for all of us, because we have all done this – known what the right thing to do is, and not done it; or known what the wrong thing to do is, and done it. Praise God that in this dispensation, even these deliberate sins can be covered by the blood of Christ, if we seek His forgiveness! But this is not a license to keep on sinning; we should strive to be conformed to the image of Christ.