Repentance

It’s worth asking: Can anyone truly never commit a sin again? We will always fall short in some way (1 John 1:8). Therefore, if repentance means complete cessation of sin, no one could ever claim forgiveness! Biblical Christianity solves this by teaching that repentance is ongoing – a continual humble posture of turning back to God every time we sin, confident in Christ’s blood that cleanses us even as we struggle. The LDS approach risks leaving people in despair or self-deception—either you despair that you can’t stop sinning, or you convince yourself you’ve stopped when you haven’t.

Repentance is not about abandoning sin. It’s about abandoning any trust in our own works. Repentance, through and through, is turning completely away from trust in one’s goodness to trust in Jesus’ perfection for us.

Repentant people don’t think they have to quit sinning to remain in God’s good graces. God knows they can’t. Repentant people remain trusting completely in what Jesus has already done for them. So much so that they can remain confident of God’s favor even when they do sin.

In Mormonism, repentance is often a scary, shame-ridden process of proving oneself. But when you trust that Jesus has already paid for your sin, repentance becomes a gift – an opportunity to be honest with God and to throw yourself again at his loving mercy, which never runs out.

For a Christian, repentance is not a one-time hurdle but a continual practice of humility—and it’s actually freeing. We have the confidence that when we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us (1 John 1:9). So we aren’t afraid to admit our failures daily and live in transparent repentance. In fact, there is joy in repentance because every time we turn back, we experience God’s grace afresh.