Does God Forgive All Sins? What the Bible Says
Yes. God forgives every sin for those who repent and trust Christ (1 John 1:9). Jesus named one exception; here is what it means and what it does not.
Yes, with one warning
Yes. God forgives every kind of sin, however serious, for anyone who turns to him in repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus named one exception, blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, and its context shows it is not a sin a frightened believer commits by accident.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, KJV)
Notice the word “all.” John does not say God forgives the small sins and weighs up the large ones. Paul had hunted down Christians and approved the killing of Stephen, yet he wrote that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” (1 Timothy 1:15). If the chief of sinners was forgiven, no reader of this page is beyond reach.
What “forgive” means
The New Testament word for forgiveness, Greek aphesis, means a release or a sending away. It is the same word Jesus used in Nazareth when he said he was sent “to preach deliverance to the captives” (Luke 4:18). A forgiven sin is not hidden in a drawer. The psalm puts it in a picture.
“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12, KJV)
East and west never meet. God does not keep forgiven sin on file to bring out later.
Offered to all, received by turning
Christ’s death is enough for every sin, but forgiveness is not automatic. Peter told the crowd in the temple, some of whom had called for Jesus’ death, what to do with that guilt.
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;” (Acts 3:19, KJV)
To repent is to turn: to agree with God about the sin and come back to him. The prodigal son did not clean himself up first. He simply came home, and his father ran to meet him (Luke 15:20).
Psalm 103:12 — as far as east from west
The one sin Jesus called unforgivable
Jesus said all sins and blasphemies would be forgiven, except one. Mark adds the reason he said it at all.
“Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.” (Mark 3:28-30, KJV)
The scribes had watched Jesus cast out demons by the Spirit of God and said he did it by Satan. With the evidence in front of them, they called the Holy Spirit’s work evil. The warning is about that settled refusal of God’s own witness to his Son, not about a passing thought, a curse said in anger, or a season of doubt.
What this warning does not say
It does not say a believer can lose forgiveness through one bad word. Many Christians who fear they have committed this sin are the very people who have not, because the fear itself shows a heart that still wants God. Augustine described the sin as final impenitence, a refusal to repent that lasts until death, and many Protestant teachers follow a similar line. The Catholic Catechism (1864) says there are no limits to God’s mercy, but whoever deliberately refuses to accept it by repenting rejects forgiveness.
How the traditions say forgiveness is received
All the historic churches agree that forgiveness comes only through Christ, “in whom we have redemption through his blood” (Ephesians 1:7). They differ on the means. Catholics and Orthodox receive it in the sacrament of confession, reading John 20:23 as Christ giving his apostles authority to forgive in his name; the Catholic Church also distinguishes mortal sins, which must be confessed, from venial ones. Protestants confess directly to God through “one mediator between God and men” (1 Timothy 2:5), while still confessing faults to one another (James 5:16).
The thief who had nothing to bring
One of the men crucified beside Jesus had no time to make amends, be baptized or do a single good work. He asked only to be remembered.
“And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43, KJV)
Bring the sin you think is too big
Name the sin you have been sure God will not forgive. Confess it to him plainly, in those words. Then read 1 John 1:9 aloud as his answer, and trust his promise over your feelings.
Frequently asked questions
Is there any sin God will not forgive?
Only blasphemy against the Holy Ghost (Mark 3:29), which in context means calling the Spirit’s work Satan’s and refusing God to the end.
Can I lose my salvation by sinning again?
Christians differ: Reformed and many Baptists hold true believers are kept; Methodists and Catholics hold one can fall away. All trust Christ our advocate (1 John 2:1).
What is the sin unto death in 1 John 5:16?
It is debated: some read it as physical death as discipline, others as final apostasy. John does not name it; he tells believers to keep praying for others.
Do I have to feel forgiven to be forgiven?
No. 1 John 1:9 rests on God being “faithful and just,” not on our feelings. Forgiveness is his promise kept, whatever your conscience says that day.
Does God forgive the same sin over and over?
Jesus told Peter to forgive “until seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22). God’s own mercy is not smaller than the mercy he commands of us.
What does Hebrews 10:26 mean by sinning wilfully?
Most read it as deliberately turning from Christ after knowing the truth: reject the only sacrifice and none is left. It is not every sin a believer commits.
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Plain answers to Bible questions, from the King James Bible.
© 2026 JesusTruePath. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.