Repentance of sin is central to the Christian life.It is an act of turning away from sin and returning to God. Hymns of repentance have helped countless believers express sorrow for sin, seek forgiveness, and rejoice in God’s mercy. Many of these hymns are prayers in song, crying out with contrite hearts and finding hope in the cross of Christ.

Below is a collection of timeless hymns about repentance that remind us of God’s grace to the brokenhearted.

1. Hymns of Invitation and Coming to Christ

1. Savior, I am Coming – A humble approach to Christ for mercy.

2. Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy – A classic gospel hymn urging sinners to come as they are.

3. Come, Ye Disconsolate – Offers comfort for weary and penitent souls.

4. Just as I Am, Without One Plea – A timeless altar call hymn of repentance and surrender.

5. Behold a Stranger at the Door – Christ knocking on the sinner’s heart, calling them to repent.

6. Come Weary Souls, With Sin Distressed – A gentle invitation to find rest in Christ.

7. Come to Christ Repenting – A clear call to repentance and faith.

2. Hymns of Confession and Sorrow for Sin

9. Nothing But Leaves – A convicting hymn about empty works without true repentance.

10. Desperate Resolution – Expresses the brokenness of sin before God.

11. We Stand in Deep Repentance – A congregational hymn acknowledging sin before the Lord.

12. Lord, I Come Repenting – A personal prayer-song of confession.

13. Lord, Help Me to Repent – A cry for God’s grace to turn fully to Him.

14. O That I Could Repent! – A desperate plea for genuine repentance.

15. Weeping, Lamenting, Vainly Repenting – A warning about false sorrow without true change.

16. Yes, From This Instant Now, I Will – A hymn of decision and repentance.

17. The Inconstant Heart – A hymn confessing human weakness and asking for renewal.

3. Hymns of Forgiveness and Cleansing

18. There Is a Fountain – A classic hymn about cleansing in the blood of Christ.

19. Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me – A prayer for mercy and cleansing from sin.

20. Create in Me a Clean Heart – Based on Psalm 51, a direct prayer of repentance.

21. Out of the Depths I Cry to Thee – Drawn from Psalm 130, a hymn of deep repentance.

22. Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness – Rejoicing in the forgiveness found in Christ.

23. Christ the Believer’s All – A hymn exalting Jesus as the answer to sin.

24. En Jesús, Pues, Confía – A Spanish hymn of trust in Christ for cleansing.

25. En Jesús, Mi Señor – Another Spanish hymn celebrating forgiveness through Christ.

4. Hymns of Warning and Urgency

26. Beware! O Soul, Beware! – A solemn warning to repent while there is time.

27. God Calling Yet! Shall I Not Hear? – A hymn reminding us not to ignore God’s call.

28. Did You Repent, Fully Repent? – A probing question about the sincerity of repentance.

29. Over the Sinner Repenting – A reminder that heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents.

30. God Hath Commanded All Men Everywhere to Repent – Taken directly from Acts 17:30.

31. Do You Not Know – Calls believers to realize the urgency of turning from sin.

32. Burdened With a Heavy Load – Expresses the weight of unrepented sin.

5. Hymns of Mercy at the Cross

33. Jesus of Nazareth Passeth By – A moving hymn about Christ’s saving compassion.

34. Life in a Look – Based on looking to Christ on the cross for salvation.

35. Oh, Cease My Wandering Soul – A call to return to the Savior.

36. Oh, the Cross, the Savior Dying – A hymn pointing to the cross as the place of repentance.

37. Were You There When They Crucified My Lord? – A reflective hymn stirring sorrow for sin.

38. Jesus, Lover of My Soul – A plea for refuge in Christ’s mercy.

39. When the Comforter Came – A hymn about the Spirit bringing conviction and renewal.

40. Spirit, Bear Fruit in My Life – A prayer for true repentance shown in transformed living.

Why Repentance Hymns Matter

These hymns remind us of the words of Jesus in Luke 13:3:

“Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” (KJV)

Through singing, the church not only confesses sin but also finds assurance in Christ’s mercy. Repentance hymns lead worshippers from brokenness to hope, from guilt to grace, and from sorrow to joy, not for salvation but to fix our fellowship with God.