15 Bible Verses About Repentance and Forgiveness
Repentance can best be described as turning away from sin and turning toward God. It is a call to transformation and a new way of living, empowered by God. Today, we’ll examine 15 Bible verses about repentance and God’s forgiveness.
We’ll also explore some practical ways to turn away from sinful cycles and turn toward God in obedience.
Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you embrace a lifestyle of repentance and step into God’s healing freedom.
15 Bible Verses About Repentance
Let’s begin by seeing what Scriptures says about repentance and forgiveness.
Bible Verses About Repentance and Forgiveness
1. 2 Peter 3:9, ESV
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
God wants all people to turn from sin and turn toward him
The voice of temptation is a liar. This voice promises that we will enjoy the indulgence of sinful choices. The outcomes of these choices might be enjoyable for a moment, but they will ultimately lead to destruction in our lives.
God does not call us to repentance to ruin our fun or steal our joy. He wants us to turn away from sin and turn toward him because this is the only way we will have true peace and joy in life.
2. Acts 3:19
Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out . . .
When we repent, God is faithful to forgive our sins. He goes beyond forgiveness and washes them away, not holding them against us or even remembering them.
3. Matthew 4:17
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
When Jesus ministered on earth, his message was a message of repentance.
Jesus came to draw hearts into God’s love. His message remains the same today: Turn away from the destructive words, attitudes, and actions that are tearing you down, and turn toward God. Let his love heal you.
4. Acts 5:31
God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
All who receive Jesus as the Savior and Leader of their lives are forgiven.
Jesus took the punishment we deserve for sinning against God when he died on the cross. God poured his wrath out on Jesus, who had never sinned, instead of pouring it out on us.
When we repent of our sins, we are forgiven because of what Jesus did on the cross.
5. Luke 15:10
Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
God wants all people to come to saving faith through Jesus.
There is great joy in heaven when a person repents and turns toward God.
6. 2 Corinthians 7:10
For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
There’s a difference between repentance and regret.
Regret is feeling badly about what we’ve done but failing to change.
Repentance is feeling badly about what we have done and changing our ways with God’s help. At the end of today’s post, we’ll talk about some practical ways to turn away from sin and turn toward God.
7. 2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
These words were spoken over ancient Israel, and they are still true for us today.
When God’s people turn away from sin and turn toward him with repentant hearts, he forgives and heals them.
More Bible Verses About Repentance
8. 1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Because Jesus paid the price for our sins, if we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive us.
We don’t need to walk in shame or condemnation. We are fully forgiven and healed.
9. Proverbs 28:13
Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
We can’t hide from God. No word, attitude, or action is ever hidden from his sight.
Have you been hiding any sinful behaviors from him?
What is he asking of you?
Will you bring it into the light with him by confessing it today? Ask God to help you change. He will guide you on the journey.
10. Romans 2:4
Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
God is patient and kind. He gives us second chances.
God wants all people to repent. If you sense him calling you to turn away from sin and turn toward him today, follow him. He wants to liberate you and heal you.
11. Revelation 2:5
Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
We all face the possibility of drifting away from God.
When these times comes, we can trust that as we return to God, he will heal and restore us.
12. Isaiah 30:15
For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”
When we return to God, we find rest and salvation. When we trust in him, we find strength.
Do you need to turn to God for rest and strength today?
This process begins with repentance.
13. Luke 17:3-4
“Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
God commands us to forgive others as he has forgiven us.
Do you need to forgive anyone so that you can be healed and made right with God today?
14. 2 Chronicles 30:9
For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.
God disciplined his people by allowing them to be taken to foreign lands and exiles. However, he also promised that he would restore them and return them to their land if they repented and returned to him.
At times, God allows natural consequences to draw us back to him. What is he showing you about turning to him today?
15. James 4:8
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
This is a wonderful promise.
When we draw near to God in repentance, he draws near to us in forgiveness and mercy.
Applying These Bible Verses About Repentance to Our Lives
Let’s now apply these Bible verses about repentance to our lives as we aim to find freedom from patterns of sin that are holding us back.
Most of us have patterns of sin in our lives.
These patterns might involve something you eat, something you drink, or something you imagine.
It might involve a TV series you can’t seem to resist, a social media feed you check far too often, or something that’s good in moderation but destructive in excess.
We all need space to let God speak into these areas of our lives.
God doesn’t speak into these areas of our lives to steal our fun or take away our comforts; he speaks into sinful patterns because he wants us to live in freedom, joy, and abundance.
What does repentance look like?
1. Repentance begins by acknowledging our sin and asking God for help.
We all need God to transform us from the inside out. This process begins by humbling ourselves, looking to God, and admitting that we cannot change on our own.
No matter what behavior we are trying to change—or whether we are aiming to become more Christlike—transformation happens when we turn to God and express our need for his grace. When God imparts his grace, he works in our lives to accomplish what we cannot do in our human strength.
Repentance is as simple as saying, “God, I want to stop committing this sin, but I don’t know how. Please help me.”
2. We ask God to renew our minds regarding our sins.
After looking toward God and expressing our need for his help, the next step toward freedom is asking God to renew our minds.
We need God’s perspective regarding the behaviors and attitudes we want to change. This includes asking God to align our hearts with his heart in such a way that we despise what he despises and embrace what he embraces.
If we’re going to change our behavior, we need to see it the way God sees it, and God detests sin. When I feel stuck in a hidden sin, I ask God to align my heart with his heart so that I no longer enjoy indulging in the sin. I want to despise it and see it as evil.
As God renews my mind in this way, I become more sensitive to the whispers of the Holy Spirit. I obey these promptings and do my best to turn away from tempting situations.
I don’t even entertain the idea of indulging in the behavior I’m trying to change. The more I pay attention to these nudges and obey, the stronger my resolve comes as I practice standing firm.
3. We refuse to entertain thoughts about indulging in the sin.
Repentance isn’t merely feeling remorse for our mistakes; repentance is turning away from our sins and turning toward God. Turning toward God includes turning away from even entertaining the idea of how you might indulge.
A wise mentor once told me that when you start making a plan for how you would hypothetically pull off your sin, you are just a breath away from actually falling.
If we’re going to find victory in our lives, we need to set boundaries in our minds and refuse to even entertain hypothetical ideas about our temptations. We need to cast down and cast out these temptations because indulging in the hypothetical plan puts you on sin’s doorstep every time.
4. We find healthier replacement activities.
In some cases, it’s also helpful to find a replacement activity. When I’m tempted to binge eat or binge watch a show, I go outside and sit on the deck, take a walk, make a cup of tea, or read a book instead. Having these activities in place helps me turn away from temptation.
5. We bring our secret sins into the light with others.
We also find freedom from our secret sins by bringing them into the light with others. When behaviors are hidden in the dark, Satan gets a foothold. The power of shame binds us, and we feel stuck and alone.
I’ve learned that one of the quickest ways to overcome a bad habit or destructive behavior is sharing it with a trusted friend. This strips the power of shame and offers me a safe place to find support when I feel tempted. We all need these safe places.
6. We persevere in the face of failure.
Lastly, overcoming secret sins takes time. The journey toward victory usually includes some failures.
Rather than seeing failure as final and giving up, we can see these moments as momentary setbacks that are part of a greater journey toward wholeness. Instead of giving up, we recognize that God’s mercies are new every morning, and we begin again.
Your Invitation to Draw Near to God in Repentance
I invite you to ask God to show you if there is a behavior from which he wants to set you free in your life today. Remember, God will not induce guilt; his desire for you is freedom.
Maybe you’ve been justifying a certain behavior in your life. In the deepest part of you, you know it isn’t pleasing to God. It’s not always easy to turn away from these sins, but the first step is acknowledging the need for change.
Take the first step today.
Confess the sin to God. If you have received Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, your sin is forgiven. Receive this forgiveness.
Now, ask God to help change your desires regarding this sin. Imagine yourself turning away from the sin as you turn toward God (this turning is the act of repentance).
Finally, follow where you sense him leading. Tell a friend. Make an appointment with a counselor or pastor. Throw away the object of temptation. Set a boundary.
Where is God leading?
Is God asking you to stop making plans to pursue this behavior? Where is he leading you?
Talk to him about what you are sensing. Commit to follow where he is leading.
Conclude with a time of thanking him for his desire to set you free. Thank him for his immense love for you.
Thank Jesus for paying the price for this sin when he died on the cross for you. Not only do we find forgiveness at the cross; we also find the power of the Incarnate Christ, who provides us everything we need to turn away from temptation and live godly lives. Thank him that though you are weak in this area of sin, his power is made perfect in your weakest places.
If your secret sin involves overeating, check out this post on healing your relationship with food.
If you’d like to learn to break bad habits with God’s help, read here for five ways to overcome sinful habits.
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If these Bible verses on repentance and applications blessed you today, I invite you to explore our family devotionals and library of free devotionals and eBooks below. May you experience the freedom of repentance!
Calling All Parents (and Grandparents)!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. You can find all three books here or read more below.
Attention All Boy Moms (and Dads)!
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find Our Family Devotionals Here
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
A Free Devotional to Help You Find Freedom From Sin
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