Because of Jesus Christ's infinite Atonement, your guilt can be swept away if you fully repent. But people sometimes still feel flashes of guilt over the memory of their sins even though they've repented. Guilt, or “godly sorrow” (2 Corinthians 7:10), can be helpful.
Guilt promotes changes in your behavior and allows you to reach out for help if you need it. Hiding sins from God never elicits true repentance (see Alma 39:8). It can't. Repentance is only possible through your Redeemer (see 2 Nephi 10:24; Mosiah 16:13; Alma 13:5).
Sometimes it doesn't fully go away. A person who makes a mistake may continue to feel guilt throughout life, even if they apologize, fix the damage, and are forgiven for the harm they caused. Therapy can help address these feelings. Having self-compassion can also help.
Because of Jesus Christ's infinite Atonement, your guilt can be swept away if you fully repent. But people sometimes still feel flashes of guilt over the memory of their sins even though they've repented. Guilt, or “godly sorrow” (2 Corinthians 7:10), can be helpful.
The Bible tells us we should confess our sins (1 John 1:9) and believe He has cleansed us from our guilty conscience (Hebrews 10:22). Even when someone else is responsible for bringing you shame, the scriptures urge us not to be ashamed but to glorify God instead (1 Peter 4:16).
Real repentance is typically accompanied by transparency. We have a willingness and eagerness to make amends. We will do whatever it takes to make things right and to demonstrate we have changed.
Jesus Christ has the power to forgive your sins. The process of repenting is not complicated, but it can sometimes be painful and difficult. The Lord has promised, “He who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more” (D&C 58:42). Repentance is a personal experience with Jesus.
There is no forgiveness without repentance. God does not forgive unrepentant sinners.
Some of the more common causes of excessive guilt include: Mental health conditions: Excessive guilt is a symptom of several mental health conditions, including obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression. Similarly, people with anxiety tend to reevaluate past behaviors, which can lead to a guilty feeling.
Guilt is often a mask for other feelings, like inadequacy, low self-esteem or even jealousy or resentment. It can also be a product of our limiting beliefs: If you often feel unnecessary guilt, you may believe you don't deserve to be happy – that you are a bad person, rather than someone who made a mistake.
Guilt, Fishkin says, is associated with activity in the prefrontal cortex, the logical-thinking part of the brain. Guilt can also trigger activity in the limbic system. (That's why it can feel so anxiety-provoking.)
Repentance is painful when it leads only to shame.
Mistakes are embarrassing but laughable. Unconfessed, unrepentant sin, however, is grave and dangerous. Godly repentance isn't an exercise in shame for sin.
Third, true repentance involves a change of heart and not just a change of behavior. Fourth, part of this mighty change of heart is to feel godly sorrow for our sins. This is what is meant by a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
It's okay to regret the things we've done in the past that took us away from the path of God, but we can't dwell in this regret. Instead, we have to do something about it. We have to repent. Repentance is what gives us the strength to forgive ourselves and continue striving for the kingdom of Heaven.
Repentance is always available, even if you've made the same mistake again. The Lord has said, “As often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me” (Mosiah 26:30).
One eternal or unforgivable sin (blasphemy against the Holy Spirit), also known as the sin unto death, is specified in several passages of the Synoptic Gospels, including Mark 3:28–29, Matthew 12:31–32, and Luke 12:10, as well as other New Testament passages including Hebrews 6:4–6, Hebrews 10:26–31, and 1 John 5:16.
There are two things to remember here: (1) God's mercy is indeed infinite, and (2) true repentance means forsaking your sins. On the one hand, because of the infinite Atonement of Jesus Christ, repentance is available to everyone, even those who have made the same mistakes many times.
As we repent, the Atonement of Jesus Christ becomes fully effective in our lives, and the Lord forgives our sins. We become free from the bondage of our sins, and we find joy.
Some have promoted the idea of a second chance after death. But the Bible does not indicate that people get an opportunity to repent or to put faith in Jesus after they die. Hebrews 9:27 says, “People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.”
To be forgiven by God means that your sins have been removed, and restoration has taken place. By God's gracious gift of forgiveness through Christ, any wrong you have done is not held against you. God is eager to forgive and provides forgiveness to you through faith in Jesus Christ. It's your choice to receive it.
Regret can draw us to salvation. Paul tells us that “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10) and that it is God's kindness that brings us to repentance (Romans 2:4). Looking back at failures or missed opportunities should make us feel a sense of loss.
Excessive irrational guilt has been linked to mental illnesses, such as anxiety, depression, dysphoria (feelings of constant dissatisfaction) and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD)2. It can cause sufferers to believe they're a burden to their loved ones and those around them.
The degree of one's perceived responsibility for the event. Perceived insufficient justification for the event's occurrence. Perceived violation of one's values in the course of the event. Having beliefs that the event was either foreseeable or preventable.