[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World whiteboard.]

How God Forgives Our Repeat Sins: 2 Biblical Steps Explained

You can be forgiven of repeated sins if you do these two things.

The Bible says when we confess our sins to God, He is “faithful and just to forgive us” (1 John 1:9).

But if we commit the same sin over and over again, will God continue to forgive us? Let’s see what the Bible says.

But before we get into it, if you are new to this channel, we make these videos to explain Bible topics in an easy-to-understand way. We believe the Bible is the foundation of truth, and everyone can benefit from learning it. So give us a like, and help spread the word.

Step 1: Repent (True Repentance Defined)

But back to the question. Does God forgive repeated sins? The answer is yes, if we are taking two necessary steps.

1. The first step is to truly repent.

If a sin is being repeated, it raises the question: Have we sincerely repented?

Real repentance means changing from our way of breaking God’s laws (that is, sin) to obeying His Commandments (1 John 2:3-4).

• Repentance is more than just avoiding one sin. It is about surrendering our entire way of life to a life of obedience to God (Romans 6).

How to Stop Sinning (Godly Sorrow Explained | 2 Corinthians 7:10)

• Repentance is driven by what is called a “godly sorrow”.

2 Corinthians 7 explains:

Your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner… For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation… but the sorrow of the world produces death… What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves… what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication (2 Corinthians 7:9-11).

Godly sorrow creates in someone a powerful desire to change, while worldly sorrow leads to guilt and shame but no lasting transformation.

Having a powerful desire to change means modifying our life to overcome that sin. It includes not making “provision[s] (or preparations) for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:14).

But what happens when we try to change, and we find ourselves still repeating the same sin? That is a good question—and here are some things to consider:

• Are we only sorry because we don’t like the guilt and shame we feel after committing the sin?
• Or are we sorry because we sinned against the God of the universe who loves us so much He allowed His Son to die for us?

Removing Triggers: How to Stop Sinning the Same Sin

We must honestly ask:

• Are we really and truly repenting?
• Or are we just asking for forgiveness so we feel better?

One leads to change while the other does not.Are we making the necessary changes in life to overcome (Romans 13:14)?

• Or is our life set up and prepared to commit the same sin again in the future?

For example: if we’re repenting of smoking cigarettes, do we keep a pack in the drawer just in case? Or have we thrown them out entirely?

If we’re repenting of using pornography, are we removing the triggers? Are we making it easier to overcome or more difficult by what we view online?

Jesus taught His disciples to take serious steps in changing their lives to get rid of all sin. Figuratively speaking, He said:

“If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you” (Matthew 5:29-30).

We must ask:

• Is this sin part of a totally wrong way of life we’re living?

For example, are we spending time with all the wrong people and keeping a lifestyle that lends itself to the same sin we keep repeating?

• Or is this sin committed in weakness?
• Are we imploring God on our knees, even with tears sometimes, to change our heart and mind?
• Do we ask Him for strength to overcome and never commit that sin again?
• Or is our prayer just routine and lacking sincerity?
• Or an even more important question—do we even pray about it at all?

Real repentance involves continual overcoming even if we fall down again and again in a sin that has ruled our life for years and often even from childhood.

Overcoming is a constant fight. Some battles will be lost, while others will be won. Repetitive sins are not easy to overcome.They are often a result of some form of addiction. But with God’s strength and a will to overcome, the war can eventually be won.

For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).

These addictive struggles can sometimes take years to overcome—and sometimes even a lifetime. The time to begin repenting is always right now. Peter said:

Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).

Essentially, before God forgives us of a repeated sin, He wants to see that we're sincerely and deeply sorry for the sin and that we're zealously trying to overcome it.

Step 2: Understand Jesus’ Sacrifice (Past Sins vs Future Sins)

And this brings us to the second step regarding forgiveness of repeated sins.

2. Truly understand the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Roman 3:25 Explained: Past Sins

Romans 3:25 shows that the blood of Jesus Christ only covers “the sins that were previously committed.” In other words, it covers our past sins.

So the justification that comes through Jesus Christ is not a ticket to continue to sin in the future. God certainly “will not be mocked” (Galatians 6:7).

Hebrews 10:29 Explained: God’s Grace Can Be Abused

Treating the sacrifice of Jesus as a sort of genie in a bottle to pull out when we feel guilty because of a wrong way of life we’re living, or to sin with the thought in mind that we’ll just ask for forgiveness afterward, is equivalent to what the book of Hebrews calls “trampl[ing] the Son of God underfoot… [and] count[ing] the blood of the covenant… a common thing” (Hebrews 10:29).

God is full of mercy, so as long as we take the sacrifice of His Son seriously, and we continue to sincerely repent and overcome with His help, He will continue to forgive us of the sin we are overcoming.

We see in Matthew 18.

Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21-22).

In other words, Jesus was telling his disciples not to limit how many times they forgave others so God would be able to continue to forgive them as they needed forgiveness.

In this scenario, one could question whether or not the person we’re continuing to forgive is actually repenting. The same goes for us when we repeat sins against God in weakness.

With this in mind, we’re simply not in a position to NOT forgive others, because even as we grow in overcoming our sins, it is very likely we fall down in weakness, even against the strongest desires to not sin.

In fact, we’re not alone in this. The apostle Paul said:

For what I will to do [that is to obey God], that I do not practice [or at least all the time]; but what I hate [that is, sin], that I do” (Romans 7:15).

Why Do I Keep Sinning If I’ve Repented?

Having repeated sins is something that everyone has dealt with. It is not an excuse to continue breaking God’s law, but something we must overcome—and with God’s help, we can.

We must take the necessary steps to change and obey God in all parts of our life.

We must never take repentance lightly or forgiveness for granted. If we fall down a thousand times, we must continue to fight and get back up a thousand and one times.

A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again (Proverbs 24:16).

So here is the clear answer to the question: Does God forgive repeated sins?

If our attitude is right and we commit to change our life as hard as it might be and as long as it might take, God will absolutely continue to forgive us of repeated sins when we confess to Him and continue to come to Him for His forgiveness.

For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:11-12).

There’s actually only one sin that cannot be forgiven—and repeated sins are not it.

To know what that sin is, watch our video, “The one sin that cannot be forgiven.”

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Questions this video answers

• Does God forgive sins you continue to repeat?
• What is repentance?
• What is godly sorrow?
• How do you repent?
• What are tips on how to deal with triggers to sin?
• What are tips on how to stop sinning sexually?
• How do I repent?
• Did Jesus forgive sins past, present, and future?
• Hebrews 10 29 meaning
• Why Do I Keep Sinning?
• Does God forgive repeated sins?