God's forgiveness is a free act of grace that cannot be earned, but it does require two critical steps. We cannot receive forgiveness unless we repent from our sins (Acts 2:48) and accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to pay the death penalty for sin (Hebrews 9:22). Once we have believed in Jesus' redeeming power and make the commitment to "go and sin no more" (John 8:11), there is a simple way to pray for forgiveness based on confessing your sins to God (1 John 1:9). We do not need to recite a specific formulaic prayer or construct a lengthy eloquent prayer to be forgiven. Instead we should honestly tell God what we've done and ask forgiveness from the heart, like the tax collector from Jesus' parable who humbled himself and cried out, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner" (Luke 18:13).

Regretting our sins and even changing our behavior is not enough on its own.

Forgiveness begins with the realization that we have done something wrong that has to be set right with God, and, as the apostle Paul put it, "Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted" (2 Corinthians 7:10). To repent literally means “to turn away.” When we pray to God for forgiveness we must commit to doing our part in turning away from our sinful behavior, and toward Him. That does not mean we will always be successful in not sinning again, which would be ideal, but rather that we will take on the mindset of not wanting to sin again. And that we will earnestly fight against our carnal desire to sin (Romans 7:22-25).

Regretting our sins and even changing our behavior is not enough on its own. This is made clear in Hebrews 9:22, which says that "without the shedding of blood there is no remission [of sin]." The penalty for our sins must be paid in order for us to be forgiven because God requires justice; however, in His great mercy, God allows the death of Jesus Christ to count in place of the death that we deserve for our sins. This is why John the Baptist described Jesus as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the whole world" (John 1:29), and only the shed blood of Jesus makes forgiveness possible.

Once we are convicted by the monumental truth of Jesus' sacrifice, then, with our sincere repentance, we can ask God for forgiveness with confidence through faith in His promise that He will indeed forgive us. As the apostle John explained, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). The final step in receiving forgiveness is to "confess our sins." This means that we must talk to God in prayer, admit to Him the wrong that we have done and repented of, and ask that our sins be forgiven by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

For further reading and a more in-depth study of God's forgiveness, see our free Bible study aid, Forgiveness Is Possible.