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124 Bible verses about Offense, offending
When you face hurts, you can find real comfort and guidance in Scripture. God's word reminds us that He is our refuge and strength, especially when things get tough.
Facing hurts with humility and forgiveness can truly heal your wounds and restore relationships. Loving your neighbor is a fundamental command, and that includes loving your enemies and blessing those who persecute you. I know it's a challenge, but it's part of what God calls us to as His followers.
The Bible teaches us that offenses are just a part of life. But it also encourages us to handle them in a way that honors God and leads to reconciliation. In Matthew 18:21-22, Jesus gives us key instruction on forgiveness: "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’"
This passage tells me that Jesus wants us to have hearts that don't hold onto bitterness and resentment. He wants us to forgive others, just as our Heavenly Father has forgiven us.
For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”
So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you,
leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.
Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their taunt back on their own heads, and give them over as plunder in a land of captivity.
and no longer will I let you hear the insults of the nations, no longer shall you bear the disgrace of the peoples; and no longer shall you cause your nation to stumble, says the Lord God.
and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.
Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under their tongues are mischief and iniquity.
Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
just as the sons of Jacob came in from the field. When they heard of it, the men were indignant and very angry, because he had committed an outrage in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter, for such a thing ought not to be done.
David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord who has judged the case of Nabal's insult to me, and has kept back his servant from evil; the Lord has returned the evildoing of Nabal upon his own head.” Then David sent and wooed Abigail, to make her his wife.
As with a deadly wound in my body, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me continually, “Where is your God?”
“If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.
Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing.
It is zeal for your house that has consumed me; the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you;
but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another.
Insults have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.
Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive.
—it will be like that on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.
On that day, anyone on the housetop who has belongings in the house must not come down to take them away; and likewise anyone in the field must not turn back.
Remember Lot's wife.
Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it.
I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.
There will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken and the other left.”
Then they asked him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”
And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive.”
Return sevenfold into the bosom of our neighbors the taunts with which they taunted you, O Lord!
You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger;
My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy,
for your anger does not produce God's righteousness.
“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged.
Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake?
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it.
For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles?
In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.
One who forgives an affront fosters friendship, but one who dwells on disputes will alienate a friend.
Those with good sense are slow to anger, and it is their glory to overlook an offense.
it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble.
If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man's wife, will he return to her? Would not such a land be greatly polluted? You have played the whore with many lovers; and would you return to me? says the Lord.
“The king shall act as he pleases. He shall exalt himself and consider himself greater than any god, and shall speak horrendous things against the God of gods. He shall prosper until the period of wrath is completed, for what is determined shall be done.
I have heard the taunts of Moab and the revilings of the Ammonites, how they have taunted my people and made boasts against their territory.
Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.
because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for those services that you could not give me.
Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.
The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God.”
Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?”
Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.
Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice,
Those who are hot-tempered stir up strife, but those who are slow to anger calm contention.
As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander.
The beginning of strife is like letting out water; so stop before the quarrel breaks out.
“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.
If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all.
And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient,
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.
We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
and again he says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people”;
and again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him”;
and again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse shall come, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles shall hope.”
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I myself feel confident about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.
Nevertheless on some points I have written to you rather boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God
to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to boast of my work for God.
For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed,
by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and as far around as Illyricum I have fully proclaimed the good news of Christ.
Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor.
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.
And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.
If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
An ally offended is stronger than a city; such quarreling is like the bars of a castle.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;
Do not say, “I will do to others as they have done to me; I will pay them back for what they have done.”
Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.
but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you;
yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame.
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.
My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted.
Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ.
And we do this so that we may not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.
One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and one whose temper is controlled than one who captures a city.
For “Those who desire life and desire to see good days, let them keep their tongues from evil and their lips from speaking deceit;
let them turn away from evil and do good; let them seek peace and pursue it.
Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!
Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions.
But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.
Jesus said to his disciples, “Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come!
Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.
“If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea.
A violent tempered person will pay the penalty; if you effect a rescue, you will only have to do it again.
I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter;
for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
In fact, to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?
But you yourselves wrong and defraud—and believers at that.
And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors!
Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but one who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
That is not the way you learned Christ!
For surely you have heard about him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus.
You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts,
and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another.
Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
and do not make room for the devil.
Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy.
Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.
making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but the prudent are restrained in speech.
“All things are lawful,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.
Do not seek your own advantage, but that of the other.
Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.
When the ways of people please the Lord, he causes even their enemies to be at peace with them.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling.