Will God forgive my past sexual sins? Can I truly start over?

John 4:17-19“I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband—for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!” “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet.”

John 4:28-39The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” . . . Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!”

The woman at the well had a long history of broken relationships with men. Yet in the Gospel of John, she is the first person to whom Jesus openly reveals himself as the Messiah. Jesus chose her—and because of her witness, many people came to know and believe in God’s Good News. No matter what we have done, Jesus can work through our lives, too.

Luke 15:30“‘When this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’”

1 Corinthians 6:9-11Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

It is impossible to love God wholeheartedly while living in sexual disobedience to him. But as we can see in Scripture, if we repent, a sexual past is never a barrier to fully following Jesus. In the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus describes the son committing sexual sin specifically, yet the father still celebrates his son’s return with open arms. If you have a sexual history, even sexual sin after you became a believer, know that God still wants you like the father longed for his lost son.

Acts 13:38-39“Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is made right in God’s sight—something the law of Moses could never do.”

1 John 1:8-9If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

God will forgive any sexual sin if there is sincere repentance. Repentance involves acknowledging that what we did was wrong, showing a desire for God’s forgiveness, and working toward change.

Romans 1:24So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies.

God will not forgive sin when we persist in that sin and are not sorry about it. Engaging in persistent, willful sin shows that we care more about pleasing ourselves than pleasing God.

Psalm 51:1-17Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. . . . Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. . . . You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

King David famously committed adultery with Bathsheba and then tried to cover it up by committing murder. It was a shocking and horrific series of sins from someone known as a man after God’s own heart. David could not undo the damage he had done, and there were terrible consequences for his actions. However, he did what he could do—he repented, asking God to change his heart. And God answered. Sin isn’t something we have to overcome on our own strength before we can approach God. When we are dirty and broken, weighed down with guilt, God is the first person we should turn to. If we truly desire it, he can and will create a clean heart within us and give us a fresh start.