The Savior Wants to Forgive You: There Is Always a Way Back

Sometimes we may wonder whether we have made too many mistakes to be forgiven.

We may believe that Jesus Christ is willing to forgive other people but struggle to believe that His mercy extends to us. Perhaps we have repented before, only to stumble again. After enough failures, a painful thought can begin settling into our minds:

Maybe I have used up all my chances. Maybe God is disappointed in me. Maybe there is no way back.

That thought does not come from Jesus Christ.

The message of the scriptures is that Christ is not searching for reasons to reject us. He is continually inviting us to return. His arms of mercy remain extended. He wants to forgive, cleanse, heal, and transform us.

Our repeated weakness does not make the Atonement of Jesus Christ run out. If we sincerely turn to Him again, He will help us stand again.

Christ Wants Us to Return

God did not send His Son into the world hoping that some of us would fail. Jesus explained:

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” —John 3:17

Christ’s purpose is salvation, not condemnation. He came to seek those who are lost, heal those who are spiritually wounded, and bring wandering children home.

He promised:

“Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” —John 6:37

There is no hidden exception attached to that promise. Christ did not say, “I will receive everyone except the person who has failed too many times.” He said that whoever comes to Him will not be cast out.

The Book of Mormon gives the same invitation:

“Mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive.” —3 Nephi 9:14

Christ’s arm is extended toward us before we have completely repaired ourselves. We do not have to become whole before approaching the Healer. We come because we need Him to make us whole.

Christ Is Happy When We Repent

In Luke 15, the Savior gave three parables: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. Each story ends with rejoicing over something—or someone—that had been lost and was found.

When the prodigal son finally returned home, his father did not stand at the doorway with folded arms, demanding an explanation. The father saw him while he was still far away, ran to him, embraced him, and welcomed him home.

The father declared:

“For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” —Luke 15:24

That father represents our Heavenly Father. The parable shows us heaven’s response to sincere repentance. God is not irritated when we return. He rejoices.

Elder Dale G. Renlund taught:

“Our Savior wants to forgive because this is one of His divine attributes. And, like the Good Shepherd He is, He is joyful when we choose to repent.”

Repentance does not burden Jesus Christ. It allows Him to accomplish the very work He came to perform.

What If I Have Made the Same Mistake Repeatedly?

One of the clearest promises in all scripture was given by the Lord to Alma:

“Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me.” —Mosiah 26:30

Moroni described the same pattern among the early members of the Church:

“As oft as they repented and sought forgiveness, with real intent, they were forgiven.” —Moroni 6:8

These verses do not excuse deliberate sin or teach that we can plan to sin now because we intend to repent later. Real repentance includes godly sorrow, honesty, confession when needed, a genuine desire to change, and renewed effort to follow Christ.

But these verses do teach something wonderfully hopeful: stumbling again does not mean we are forbidden from turning back again.

Elder J. Devn Cornish taught:

“If we will sincerely repent, God really will forgive us, even when we have committed the same sin over and over again.”

A repeated struggle does not automatically mean that every previous effort to repent was false. Sometimes repentance is an event, but overcoming a deeply rooted weakness may also be a process.

Christ does not ask us to wait until we are strong before seeking His help. His grace is what helps us become stronger.

Brother Bradley R. Wilcox explained:

“Repentance is a process, and worthiness is not flawlessness.”

God does not merely wait at the finish line to reward people who successfully repaired themselves. Through the grace of Jesus Christ, He walks beside us and gives us strength while we are learning to change.

He Forgives and Remembers No More

The Lord gave this promise in modern revelation:

“Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.” —Doctrine and Covenants 58:42

God’s statement that He remembers our sins no more does not mean that He loses knowledge. It means that forgiven sins will no longer be held against us. Through Christ, they no longer determine our standing before God or the possibilities of our future.

The Old Testament uses beautiful imagery to describe this cleansing:

“Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” —Isaiah 1:18

The Psalmist testified:

“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” —Psalm 103:12

Micah declared that God “delighteth in mercy” and will cast our sins “into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18–19).

When Christ forgives, He does not leave a permanent stain that His Atonement was unable to remove. His cleansing is complete.

Christ Wants to Heal Us

Forgiveness is more than having a mark removed from a heavenly record. Christ wants to heal the wounds, desires, habits, fears, and false beliefs beneath our sins.

He pleads:

“Will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?” —3 Nephi 9:13

The Savior does not say, “Heal yourself, and then return to Me.” He asks us to return so that He can heal us.

Alma taught that Christ took upon Himself not only our sins but also our pains, sicknesses, infirmities, and sorrows:

“And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy.” —Alma 7:12

Because Christ descended below all things, He understands the entire experience of trying, struggling, falling, grieving, and trying again.

His healing may include forgiveness, spiritual strength, emotional peace, changed desires, healthier relationships, or the capacity to endure difficulties that are not immediately removed. Physical healing remains subject to God’s wisdom and timing, but no sincere effort to come to Christ is ever wasted.

His Grace Can Change What We Are

The purpose of Christ’s Atonement is not merely to return us to our previous condition. His grace can make us into something new.

Paul wrote:

“If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” —2 Corinthians 5:17

King Benjamin’s people experienced this transformation. After turning to Christ, they said:

“The Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent … has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.” —Mosiah 5:2

This mighty change did not come through shame or self-hatred. It came through faith in Jesus Christ.

The Lord also gave Moroni this encouraging promise:

“If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. … Then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” —Ether 12:27

Our weaknesses do not surprise God. He knew about them when He invited us into His covenant. He reveals weakness not to prove that we are hopeless but to teach us humility and help us receive His transforming grace.

God Sees More in Us Than Our Mistakes

We often define ourselves by the worst things we have done. God sees us differently.

The Lord declared:

“Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.” —Doctrine and Covenants 18:10

The worth of a soul is not determined by recent performance. Worth is inherent because we are children of Heavenly Parents.

Sin can wound us, enslave us, and interfere with our relationship with God, but it does not erase our divine origin or destroy our eternal potential.

Moses learned this when God told him:

“Thou art my son.” —Moses 1:4

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught:

“God sees you not only as a mortal being … He sees you as His child. He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become.”

God sees our past with perfect clarity, but He also sees a future that we may not yet be able to imagine. Where we see a permanently broken person, He may see a future disciple, healer, parent, teacher, servant, and celestial being.

Our sins are things we have done. They are not the deepest definition of who we are.

Giving Our Whole Souls to Christ

True repentance involves more than feeling guilty. It means turning our hearts and wills toward Christ.

Amaleki pleaded:

“Come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him.” —Omni 1:26

Offering our whole soul does not mean presenting Christ with a flawless soul. If we were already flawless, we would not need a Savior.

We offer Him the actual soul we possess: our faith and fear, our strengths and weaknesses, our obedience and struggles, our hopes and regrets. We stop hiding the wounded portions of ourselves and place everything in His hands.

Lamoni’s father expressed this willingness when he prayed:

“I will give away all my sins to know thee.” —Alma 22:18

Giving ourselves to Christ means that when we fall, we do not run away from Him. We run toward Him.

Godly Sorrow Is Different from Destructive Shame

Godly sorrow tells us:

What I did was wrong. I need Jesus Christ. I will return to Him and allow Him to change me.

Destructive shame tells us:

I am permanently ruined. Christ does not want me. There is no reason to keep trying.

The first message leads to confession, change, hope, and renewed discipleship. The second leads to hiding, hopelessness, isolation, and spiritual paralysis.

The invitation to repent comes from Christ. The assertion that repentance is pointless does not.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught that we are God’s sons and daughters with divine potential and that we should not demean or vilify ourselves. Christ’s grace offers salvation not only from sin but also from persistent, destructive self-condemnation.

A Daily Practice for Believing Christ

If believing in forgiveness is difficult, consider studying one promise of Christ each day.

Read the passage aloud. Then write:

What does this scripture teach me about Jesus Christ?

Next, identify the condemning thought you usually experience and answer it with Christ’s words.

For example:

Fear: “I have failed too many times.”

Christ’s answer: “As often as my people repent will I forgive them” (Mosiah 26:30).

Fear: “Christ must be tired of me.”

Christ’s answer: “Mine arm of mercy is extended towards you” (3 Nephi 9:14).

Fear: “My past has destroyed my future.”

Christ’s answer: “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Fear: “I need to fix myself before approaching Him.”

Christ’s answer: “Return unto me … that I may heal you” (3 Nephi 9:13).

Repetition can help replace deeply embedded fear with revealed truth. We are not trying to convince ourselves of something imaginary. We are learning to believe what Jesus Christ has already declared.

A 12-Week Study Program: Learning to Believe in Christ’s Mercy

This program is designed to help us study Christ’s promises repeatedly until the truth of His mercy begins to settle more deeply into our hearts.

Read one selection each day. After reading, write one sentence beginning with:

“This teaches me that Jesus Christ…”

End by asking the Lord to help you believe what He has said.

Week 1: Christ Wants Me to Come Home

Day 1: Luke 15:1–7 — The shepherd searches for the lost sheep and rejoices when it is found.

Day 2: Luke 15:11–24 — The father runs to meet and embrace his returning son.

Day 3: John 6:35–40 — Christ will never cast out those who come to Him.

Day 4: Alma 5:33–35 — The Savior’s arms of mercy are extended toward us.

Day 5: 3 Nephi 9:13–14 — Christ invites us to return, be healed, and be received.

Day 6: Jacob 6:4–5 — God extends His arm of mercy all day long.

Day 7: Read Elder Patrick Kearon’s “God’s Intent Is to Bring You Home.”

Week 2: He Will Forgive Me Again

Day 1: Mosiah 26:29–30 — As often as God’s people repent, He will forgive them.

Day 2: Moroni 6:8 — Those who repeatedly repented with real intent were repeatedly forgiven.

Day 3: Doctrine and Covenants 58:42–43 — The Lord forgives and remembers sins no more.

Day 4: Doctrine and Covenants 64:2–7 — Christ is compassionate and merciful.

Day 5: 1 John 1:7–9 — Christ cleanses us from all unrighteousness.

Day 6: Micah 7:18–19 — God delights in mercy and casts sins into the sea.

Day 7: Read Elder J. Devn Cornish’s “Am I Good Enough? Will I Make It?”

Week 3: He Remembers My Sins No More

Day 1: Isaiah 43:22–25 — God blots out transgressions for His own sake.

Day 2: Isaiah 44:21–22 — He removes sins like a cloud and invites us to return.

Day 3: Jeremiah 31:31–34 — The Lord promises to remember sins no more.

Day 4: Psalm 103:8–14 — God removes our sins as far as east is from west.

Day 5: Hebrews 8:10–12 — God is merciful and no longer holds forgiven sins against us.

Day 6: Doctrine and Covenants 117:13 — When sins are forsaken, the Lord remembers them no more.

Day 7: Read “Divine Forgiveness” by Elder Ronald E. Poelman.

Week 4: Christ Wants to Heal Me

Day 1: Isaiah 53:3–6 — Christ bears our griefs, sorrows, and iniquities.

Day 2: Psalm 147:3 — The Lord heals broken hearts and binds wounds.

Day 3: Alma 7:11–13 — Christ understands sins, pains, sicknesses, and infirmities.

Day 4: 3 Nephi 9:13–14 — Christ asks us to return so He can heal us.

Day 5: 3 Nephi 17:5–9 — Jesus compassionately heals everyone brought to Him.

Day 6: 1 Peter 2:21–25 — Through Christ’s wounds, we can be healed.

Day 7: Read Elder Neil L. Andersen’s “Repent … That I May Heal You.”

Week 5: Grace Can Change Me

Day 1: Romans 5:6–11, 20–21 — Where sin abounds, grace can abound more.

Day 2: Romans 8:1–4, 31–39 — There is no condemnation in Christ.

Day 3: Ephesians 2:4–10 — God is rich in mercy, and salvation comes through grace.

Day 4: Ether 12:27 — Christ can transform weakness into strength.

Day 5: Moroni 10:30–33 — We can be perfected and sanctified through Christ’s grace.

Day 6: Doctrine and Covenants 93:12–20 — Christ progressed from grace to grace, and we can receive grace for grace.

Day 7: Read Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s “The Divine Gift of Repentance.”

Week 6: My Soul Has Eternal Worth

Day 1: Doctrine and Covenants 18:10–16 — The worth of every soul is great to God.

Day 2: Moses 1:1–7 — Moses learns that he is a son of God.

Day 3: Moses 1:12–22 — Remembering his divine identity helps Moses resist Satan.

Day 4: Moses 1:39 — God’s work is to bring about our immortality and eternal life.

Day 5: Abraham 3:22–26 — We lived with God before birth and possess eternal potential.

Day 6: 1 John 3:1–3 — We are God’s children and may become like Him.

Day 7: Read President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s “You Matter to Him.”

Week 7: Christ Can Make Me New

Day 1: 2 Corinthians 5:14–21 — In Christ, we become new creatures.

Day 2: Mosiah 3:16–19 — Through Christ, the natural person can become a saint.

Day 3: Mosiah 5:1–9 — Christ can work a mighty change within the heart.

Day 4: Alma 36:12–24 — Alma’s torment is replaced by light and joy.

Day 5: Helaman 3:27–35 — Yielding our hearts to God brings sanctification.

Day 6: Titus 3:3–7 — God saves us through mercy, washing, renewal, and grace.

Day 7: Read Brother Bradley R. Wilcox’s “Worthiness Is Not Flawlessness.”

Week 8: Offering My Whole Soul

Day 1: Omni 1:25–26 — Offer your whole soul to Jesus Christ.

Day 2: Psalm 51:1–17 — Ask God for cleansing, renewal, and a clean heart.

Day 3: Alma 22:15–18 — Become willing to give away every sin to know God.

Day 4: 3 Nephi 12:19–20 — Come to Christ with a broken heart and contrite spirit.

Day 5: Doctrine and Covenants 64:34 — The Lord requires the heart and a willing mind.

Day 6: Doctrine and Covenants 97:8 — Honest and contrite hearts are accepted by God.

Day 7: Pray about what it means to offer Christ your whole soul at this point in your life.

Week 9: I Can Approach Christ with Confidence

Day 1: Hebrews 4:14–16 — Approach the throne of grace boldly to obtain mercy.

Day 2: Doctrine and Covenants 45:3–5 — Jesus Christ stands before the Father as our Advocate.

Day 3: 1 John 2:1–2 — When we sin, Christ pleads our cause.

Day 4: Romans 8:31–39 — Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ.

Day 5: 2 Nephi 4:16–35 — Nephi acknowledges his weakness but continues trusting God.

Day 6: Doctrine and Covenants 6:33–37 — Look to Christ, doubt not, and fear not.

Day 7: Read Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s “Be Ye Therefore Perfect—Eventually.”

Week 10: Repentance Brings Joy

Day 1: Enos 1:1–8 — Faith in Christ brings forgiveness and peace.

Day 2: Mosiah 4:1–12 — The people receive remission of sins, joy, and peace of conscience.

Day 3: Alma 36:17–24 — Alma’s pain is replaced with marvelous light and joy.

Day 4: Luke 7:36–50 — Christ forgives a repentant woman and sends her away in peace.

Day 5: Acts 3:19 — Repentance brings conversion and spiritual refreshing.

Day 6: Moses 5:9–12 — Adam and Eve rejoice in Christ’s redemption.

Day 7: Read Elder Dale G. Renlund’s “Repentance: A Joyful Choice.”

Week 11: Christ Will Not Abandon Me

Day 1: 1 Nephi 21:14–16 — The Lord cannot forget us; we are engraven upon His hands.

Day 2: Doctrine and Covenants 50:40–42 — Christ calls us His little children and promises that we will grow.

Day 3: Doctrine and Covenants 121:7–9 — God knows our suffering and promises peace.

Day 4: John 10:10–16 — The Good Shepherd knows His sheep and gives His life for them.

Day 5: Psalm 130 — With the Lord there is forgiveness and plentiful redemption.

Day 6: 3 Nephi 10:4–6 — Christ repeatedly seeks to gather His people.

Day 7: Read Sister Tamara W. Runia’s “Your Repentance Doesn’t Burden Jesus Christ; It Brightens His Joy.”

Week 12: My Future Is Still Divine

Day 1: Moroni 7:41–48 — Hope in Christ leads toward purification and becoming like Him.

Day 2: Moroni 10:30–33 — Come unto Christ and be perfected through His grace.

Day 3: Doctrine and Covenants 93:19–20 — Faithful disciples may eventually receive Christ’s fulness.

Day 4: 1 John 3:1–3 — We are children of God and may become like Him.

Day 5: Revelation 21:3–7 — God will wipe away tears and make all things new.

Day 6: Moses 6:57–62 — Christ’s plan includes redemption, justification, sanctification, and eternal life.

Day 7: Reread the scripture from the program that affected you most. Record what you now believe about Jesus Christ that you struggled to believe twelve weeks ago.

After completing the twelve weeks, consider beginning again. The purpose is not merely to finish a checklist. It is to allow Christ’s words to become more powerful in our minds than the condemning thoughts we have repeated for years.

There Is Always a Way Back

Jesus Christ does not minimize sin. He suffered its full weight. Because He understands its seriousness perfectly, He also possesses the power to remove it completely.

His invitation is not to remain where we are. It is to arise and come home.

Elder Patrick Kearon taught:

“The Father’s design, His plan, His purpose, His intent, His wish, and His hope are all to heal you, all to give you peace, all to bring you … home.”

No matter how many times we have fallen, the next faithful step is still available. We can confess. We can seek help. We can make restitution. We can surrender a little more of our hearts. We can turn toward Christ again.

His mercy is not weaker than our weakness.

His grace is not exhausted by our need.

His Atonement is not only for everyone else.

It is for us.

“Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me.” —Mosiah 26:30

Jesus Christ wants us to believe Him. He wants to forgive us. He wants to heal us. He wants to make us whole and, through His grace, prepare us to return to the presence of God.

There is always a way back because Jesus Christ is the Way.