“I’ve repented, but I still feel so much guilt. How can I have peace?” Liahona, December 2018
To the Point
I’ve repented, but I still feel so much guilt. How can I have peace?
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. It can center our thoughts on Jesus Christ and lead us to real repentance and change. Shame, on the other hand, centers our thoughts on ourselves and hinders our progress.
The Book of Mormon gives us good examples of how we can repent and then enjoy peace in Jesus Christ:
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Remembering his past sins caused Ammon to praise the Savior and His mercy, bringing him joy instead of suffering (see Alma 26:17–20).1
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After Alma’s “mind caught hold upon [the] thought” of Jesus Christ and His Atonement, he “was harrowed up by the memory of [his] sins no more” (Alma 36:17–19). Though the memory was there, he was no longer tortured by it.2