What does it mean to truly repent? What if I recommit the sin I repented of?

The word “repent” means to turn away. When a person repents, he or she turns away from all sin and turns to God. Repentance can be accompanied by great sorrow for the sin that we have committed against God and others (2 Corinthians 7:10-11).

Grief and sorrow don’t always prove that we have truly repented. But they are good indicators of our emotional state when we realize what sin has done to our relationship with God and others. When we have turned away from our sin and turned to God, we don’t want to sin anymore.

So what do we do with things like the entangling sin (Hebrews 12:1) and when we recommit or do the same sins again? Continue to ask for forgiveness and repent. The rest of Hebrews 12:1 tells us to throw off the entangling sin and run after God.

We will sin from time to time. But it must not become a regular occurrence or a continuous sin. Jesus always forgives us as we walk in his light and presence. We must be patient with ourselves and continue to throw off the sin.

Continue to be obedient to the Holy Spirit and he will work on the character that doesn’t conform to Christ, the character flaws that rationalize sin that we continue to return to. Let God do his work in you through obedience and service to him.