Are there any sins that God can’t forgive?

Despair is a terrible thing. Most people don’t think they have sinned in any serious way, but there are those who feel that they repeat the same sin so often that God may come to the end of His patience. Others have committed sins so shameful or serious that they can neither forgive themselves, nor do they believe God can forgive them.

The first thing to say is that the forgiveness we need is not forgiving ourselves. In fact, forgiving ourselves is never spoken of in the Bible.

We should seek the forgiveness of those we have wronged wherever possible, however humbling and hard it is to say, “I was wrong, please forgive me.” They may refuse. That is their responsibility. They may take time to come to terms with your regret and repentance. If you are truly sorry, you will respect their hesitation.

We should seek forgiveness from God. The only basis for forgiveness is found in Christ.

An old Christian hymn says,

He died that we might be forgiven,
He died to make us good,
that we might go at last to heaven,
saved by His precious blood.

But, is Christ’s death enough for each and every sin? One statement from the Bible puts it beyond doubt:

“If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

After  you become a Christian you will continue to sin. In fact, you will begin to think you sin even more. It is not so, but your conscience begins to work better. Sometimes you will do things you hate and you will not do what you know is right. Your conscience will be alarmed. You will feel shame and sadness. Come and confess that sin, and remember that statement from the Bible as you turn back to Christ and seek to be in a right relationship with Him again.