Does God forgive every sin?

Yes. God forgives every sin a person truly repents of, no matter how serious it is or how many times it happened. The Catholic Church teaches that "there is no offense, however serious, that the Church cannot forgive" (CCC 982). The only sin that stays unforgiven is refusing to be forgiven. If you want God's mercy, it's already waiting for you.

Is there any sin God won't forgive?

Jesus did speak of one: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:28–29). But he said it in the same breath as a promise that "all sins will be forgiven." The Church explains that this sin means deliberately refusing God's mercy by refusing to repent. "There are no limits to the mercy of God," the Catechism says, but a person who rejects that mercy shuts himself off from forgiveness (CCC 1864).

So the problem is never the size of the sin. It's a closed door. And if you're reading this hoping to be forgiven, your door is open. We explain this fully in what is the unforgivable sin.

The Catechism quotes an older catechism to make the point: "There is no one, however wicked and guilty, who may not confidently hope for forgiveness, provided his repentance is honest" (CCC 982). Murder, adultery, abortion, abuse, years of hatred for God. All of it can be forgiven. You are not the exception.

How do I receive God's forgiveness?

God offers forgiveness freely, but he doesn't force it on anyone. St Augustine put it simply, and the Catechism repeats him: God created us without us, but he did not will to save us without us (CCC 1847). Your part is to turn back. Here is how that happens.

1. Be sorry and turn back. Repentance means regretting the sin and meaning to change. It doesn't mean being sure you'll never fall again.
2. Tell God. Right now, in your own words, or with an Act of Contrition. You don't have to wait for the perfect moment.
3. Go to Confession. For Catholics, confessing your serious sins to a priest and receiving absolution is the ordinary way to be reconciled with God and the Church (CCC 1497). The priest's words, "I absolve you from your sins" (CCC 1449), are spoken with Christ's own authority.
4. Do your penance. It's usually a short prayer or small act, and it completes the sacrament.

If you can't get to Confession right away, pray with sorrow that comes from love of God. This is called perfect contrition, and it obtains forgiveness even of mortal sins, as long as you intend to confess as soon as you can (CCC 1452). Our page on perfect and imperfect contrition explains how.

If you've never been baptized, Baptism forgives every sin you've ever committed (CCC 1263). A priest at any parish will be glad to talk with you about it.

Smaller, everyday sins are forgiven in many ways: honest sorrow, prayer, and receiving Communion. The Church still recommends confessing them, because the sacrament helps you grow (CCC 1458).

Three people Jesus forgave

The prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32)

A young man takes his inheritance early, wastes it and ends up feeding pigs. He comes home with a speech prepared, asking only to be treated as a hired worker. His father sees him from a long way off, runs to him, embraces him and kisses him (Luke 15:20). The son barely gets through his apology before his father calls for a robe, a ring and a feast.

Notice what the father doesn't do. He doesn't make his son earn his way back. He doesn't lecture him about the money either. Jesus told this story so you would know what God is like.

Peter's denial

On the night Jesus was arrested, Peter denied three times that he knew him. Then "the Lord turned and looked at Peter" (Luke 22:61), and Peter went out and wept bitterly. After the Resurrection, Jesus asked him three times, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" and each time gave him a task: feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep (John 21:15–17). One question for each denial. Peter's worst failure became the place where Jesus trusted him most.

The good thief (Luke 23:39–43)

Two criminals were crucified with Jesus. One mocked him. The other admitted he deserved his punishment and asked, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus answered, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." The man had no time left to make up for anything. He turned to Jesus at the very end, and it was enough.

Jesus summed it up himself: "there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance" (Luke 15:7).

Does God forgive the same sin over and over?

Yes. Peter once asked Jesus how often he should forgive his brother, as many as seven times? Jesus answered, "not seven times but seventy-seven times" (Matthew 18:21–22). If he asks that of us, he doesn't ask less of himself.

Falling into the same sin again is discouraging, but it doesn't use up God's patience. Keep going back. Each time, mean it: being sorry includes intending to change, even when you're afraid you'll fall again. That intention, with God's help, is enough to begin. Over time, honest Confession and small changes in your daily life do loosen old habits. If a mortal sin is weighing on you, read can mortal sins be forgiven.

What if I don't feel forgiven?

Forgiveness doesn't depend on your feelings. When you've repented and received absolution, you are forgiven, whether you feel lighter that day or not. "As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12).

If guilt keeps returning after Confession, it helps to talk with a priest about it. Our page on how to forgive yourself has practical steps too.

Watch for one thought in particular: that you're too far gone. The Church calls this despair, giving up hope of God's forgiveness (CCC 2091). It's a temptation, and you can answer it with the stories above. A runaway son, a friend who denied Jesus to save himself, a criminal in his last hour. None of them was beyond reach, and neither are you.

If it's been a long time, the first step is the simplest one. Look up the Confession times at the nearest parish, pick one, and go. Tell the priest how long it's been, and he'll help you with the rest. You don't need to have everything figured out. The father in the story ran to meet his son before he'd said a word.