Over and Over Again – Repeating Sins

The thought of repeating sins has been on my mind a lot lately. I am talking about the same sin being committed over and over again. The main question that keeps coming to mind is, “Does God continue to forgive us if we commit the same sins over and over again?”

We have probably all had a sin that we repeatedly committed and repeatedly “repented” and asked for God’s forgiveness. Can we truly say we have repented if we continue to commit the same sin afterward?

Let’s look at Jacob…In the Bible, we see that Jacob made a lot of mistakes in his life. We see a man that is very good at deceiving people. Check out the following verses:

Genesis 27:18-19 – He went to his father and said, “My father.” “Yes my son,” he answered. “Who is it?” Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my food so that you may give me your blessing.”

Jacob took advantage of and deceived his own father to gain the blessing that rightfully belonged to his brother Esau. This is just one example of the deceitful methods Jacob practiced regularly. However, later we learn that Jacob faced the consequences of his sins and received God’s forgiveness. We see that God never abandoned Jacob, even though he continuously acted in greedy and selfish ways.

We may not struggle from the same sins that tangled up Jacob’s life, but we can still relate to his story and his character. Our lives here on earth will never be completely sin-free, but we can find peace in the fact that God will never give up on us, regardless the number of times we mess up.

God is faithful to His children…even when we aren’t faithful to Him.

I am still trying to work through the answers to the above questions…but I’d like to share some thoughts on what I am feeling right now:

• Regardless what sin we commit or how often we commit the sin, God hates it.
• As God’s children, we need to confess our sins to Him, repent, and try our hardest not to commit them again. We may fail at this, but we have God on our side.
• If we are genuine in our repentance, I believe God will help us stop committing sins over and over again.
• If we “repent,” but in our heads know we will commit the sin again, I don’t believe God forgives us during that particular conversation.
• We have to want to change and be genuine in our requests for forgiveness.
• We can’t go to God halfheartedly and expect Him to reward us.
• God knows everything, so we should just be real with Him.

What do you think? Do you agree? Do you disagree? Are there any repeating sins that you struggle handing over to God and turning away from it in your life? If so, I want to know! Let your story inspire and help someone else that is struggling today!