Bible Verses About Forgiveness
What Does The Bible Say About Forgiveness?
Being hurt by someone can be hard to get past. Often times, we are hurt so badly that we feel like we can never forgive being wronged. We hold onto our hurt, creating a physically and mentally painful state of being. Why should we forgive, and why should we let those that wrong us “get away with it?”
We Are All His Children, Worthy of Grace
Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Ecclesiastes 7:20 – Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
Ephesians 4:7 – But to each one of us, grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.
Titus 2:11 – For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.
It’s easy to feel like a person that has committed a wrongdoing toward us doesn’t deserve a second chance. God reminds us that at some point, we all are guilty of sin and wrongdoings. No one is exempt from hurting or being hurt, yet God tells us that grace is offered to all people. If we receive grace from God when we are undeserving, we must also be willing to give that same grace to His other children.
Jesus Forgave Us First
Colossians 3:13 – Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
1 Peter 2:1-2 – So put away all malice and deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation-if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
James 3:2 – For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.
Isaiah 43:25 – I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.
Daniel 9:9 – The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against Him.
Hebrews 10:17 – Then he adds, I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.
John 3:17 – For God did not send His Son to the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Jesus came to Earth specifically to die for our sins. Without that sacrifice, we would not be able to join God in heaven. Jesus paid the ultimate price of a horrible death in order to forgive us. He set the crucial example of forgiveness. The Bible tells us repeatedly that we will be forgiven for our own transgressions when we forgive others. God’s intention for us is to follow the example of Jesus by forgiving others.
How We Forgive Each Other
Mark 11:25 – And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Ephesians 4:32 – Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Matthew 18:21-22 – Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.”
Colossians 3:13 – Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.
Romans 12:17 – Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
Matthew 5:7 – Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
John 8:7 – When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
God doesn’t give us step by step instructions on a process to forgiveness, but he does provide us with a focus for our hearts. God tells us to focus our hearts to be tender toward others, and not to focus on seeking revenge. He also reminds us again that we have been forgiven by him, so we also owe the same grace to others. Our focus should remain that we are not without sin, so we cannot punish others for also sinning. Seek kindness within your heart, and allow God to rectify our hurts when His timing allows.
We Must Also Forgive Ourselves
Proverbs 10:12 – Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.
Proverbs 28:13 – Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
1 John 2:1 – My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Ephesians 2:8 – For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God
Psalm 103:10-11 – He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
Romans 8:31 – What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us.
Sometimes forgiveness is due to ourselves. We often find our faults and mistakes harder to forgive than the faults of others. We carry the weight of our own sins, feeling unworthy of grace from not only ourselves, but especially God. God reminds us that He has given us a gift of grace not because we have earned it, but because He loves us. If we confess our wrongdoings to God rather than hide them, He will forgive us. God releases us from our guilt, so we may also relieve the weight those burdens hold on us. He tells us that if He is for us when we feel unworthy, no one can be against us, not even ourselves.
25 Quotes About Forgiveness From The Bible
Psalms 130:4 But there is forgiveness with you, Therefore you are feared.
Daniel 9:9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness; for we have rebelled against him;
Colossians 1:14 in whom we have our redemption,{TR adds “through his blood,”} the forgiveness of our sins;
Mark 3:29 but whoever may blaspheme against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”
Ephesians 1:7 in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Mark 1:4 John came baptizing{To baptize means to immerse in (or wash with) water (or fire). This baptism is not just to cleanse the body, but as an outward sign of an inward spiritual cleansing and commitment.} in the wilderness and preaching the baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins.
