What are presumptuous sins?
Question 6010
In Psalm 19, David prays, “Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me!” (Psalm 19:13). This suggests there is a category of sin that is particularly dangerous, something beyond the ordinary sins we all commit. What are presumptuous sins, and why should they concern us?
Understanding Presumptuous Sin
The Hebrew word David uses here is זֵדִים (zedim), which carries the idea of arrogance, pride, or insolence. A presumptuous sin is a deliberate, defiant, high-handed sin. It is not a stumbling or a weakness but a wilful, knowing violation of God’s will. It is sin that presumes upon God’s grace, or presumes to know better than God, or presumes that there will be no consequences.
The Old Testament makes a clear distinction between unintentional sins and intentional ones. Numbers 15:27-31 explains: “If one person sins unintentionally, he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering… But the person who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native or a sojourner, reviles the LORD, and that person shall be cut off from among his people. Because he has despised the word of the LORD and has broken his commandment, that person shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be on him.”
The phrase “with a high hand” paints a vivid picture. Imagine raising your fist in defiance against God. That is the spirit of presumptuous sin. It is not weakness but rebellion. It is not falling but leaping. It knows what God commands and chooses to do the opposite anyway.
Examples of Presumptuous Sin
Scripture gives us several examples. When Nadab and Abihu offered “strange fire” before the Lord, fire came out from the Lord and consumed them (Leviticus 10:1-2). They presumed to approach God on their own terms rather than His. When Uzzah reached out to steady the ark of the covenant, God struck him down (2 Samuel 6:6-7). This may seem harsh, but Uzzah presumed that his touch would be helpful when God had given clear instructions about how the ark was to be handled.
King Saul committed presumptuous sin when he offered sacrifice himself rather than waiting for Samuel (1 Samuel 13:8-14). He presumed to take on a priestly role that was not his. His kingdom was torn from him as a result. Ananias and Sapphira in the New Testament presumed they could lie to the Holy Spirit and get away with it (Acts 5:1-11). Their sudden deaths were a warning to the early church about treating God’s presence lightly.
Presuming on Grace
One form of presumptuous sin that is particularly relevant today is presuming on God’s grace. It is the attitude that says, “God will forgive me anyway, so I can do what I want.” Paul confronts this directly: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2).
Dietrich Bonhoeffer called this “cheap grace”: “the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” To presume that grace gives us license to sin is to misunderstand grace entirely and to heap up judgment for ourselves.
Hebrews warns that “if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment” (Hebrews 10:26-27). The context here is apostasy, the deliberate abandonment of Christ by those who had professed faith. This is the ultimate presumptuous sin: to know the truth, to experience the benefits of the Gospel, and to deliberately turn away.
Guarding Against Presumption
David’s prayer should be our own: “Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins.” We need God’s help to avoid them. The person who thinks they are immune to such sins is probably in the greatest danger. “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).
Cultivating a genuine fear of the Lord is essential. Not the cringing fear of a slave but the reverent awe of a child who loves his father and does not want to displease him. “The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil” (Proverbs 8:13). When we truly grasp who God is, His holiness, His justice, His worthiness of our obedience, we will not take sin lightly.
We also guard against presumption by staying close to God’s Word and God’s people. Scripture corrects our thinking and reminds us of God’s standards. Fellow believers provide accountability and can warn us when they see us drifting. Isolation is dangerous. The one who cuts themselves off from these protections is setting themselves up for a fall.
Finally, we remember what our sin cost. It cost Jesus His life. Every sin, even the smallest, required His death on the cross. To sin presumptously is to trample underfoot the Son of God and profane the blood of the covenant (Hebrews 10:29). When we understand the price that was paid, we will not treat sin casually.
“Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.” Psalm 19:13
