147 Bible verses about the Importance of Forgiveness

For if ye set men free from their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also set you free;

but if ye do not set men free from their trespasses, neither will your Father set you free from your trespasses.

and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God has forgiven you in Christ.

forbearing one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a quarrel against another: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

¶ Judge not, and ye shall not be judged; condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned; forgive, and ye shall be forgiven;

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

¶ Then Peter came to him and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? until seven times?

Jesus said unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times, but, Until seventy times seven.

Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there remember that thy brother has something against thee;

leave thy gift there before the altar, and go; first restore friendship with thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

And when ye are praying, forgive if ye have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in the heavens will also forgive you your trespasses.

¶ But if any have caused me grief, he has not grieved me, but in part, that I may not put a burden on you all.

Sufficient to such a one is this reprehension, which was inflicted of many.

So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with too much grief.

Therefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your charity toward him.

¶ He that covers a transgression seeks love, but he that repeats a matter separates very friends.

If it can be done, as much as is possible on your part, live in peace with all men.

For thou, Lord, art good and ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy unto all those that call upon thee.

So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you unless from your hearts ye forgive every one his brother their trespasses.

Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother should trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

In that day, he who shall be upon the housetop and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away; and he that is in the field, let him likewise not turn back.

Remember Lot’s wife.

Whosoever shall seek to save his soul shall lose it, and whosoever shall lose it shall cause it to live.

I tell you in that night there shall be two men in one bed: the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.

Two women shall be grinding together: the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Where the body is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

And if he trespasses against thee seven times in a day and seven times in a day turns again to thee, saying, I repent, thou shalt forgive him.

Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that ye may be whole. The effectual prayer of the righteous is very powerful.

And set us free from our debts, as we set free our debtors.

in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace,

As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our rebellions from us.

Not defending yourselves, dearly beloved; but rather give place unto the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

¶ Hatred stirs up strifes, but love covers all sins.

is not injurious, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil,

and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Then Jesus said, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment and cast lots.

¶ Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

not rendering evil for evil or curse for curse, but to the contrary, blessing, knowing that ye are called, that ye should possess a blessing by inheritance.

unto those whose sins ye release, they shall be released; and unto those whose sins ye retain, they shall be retained.

Bless those who persecute you: bless, and do not curse.

¶ If thy enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,

for thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee.

Then come, shall the Lord say, and we shall be even; if your sins were as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow; if they were red like crimson, they shall become as wool.

For I will reconcile their iniquities and their sins, and their iniquities I will remember no more.

If thou, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall endure?

Therefore there is forgiveness close to thee, that thou may be feared.

Who is a God like unto thee that pardons iniquity, and passes over the rebellion with the remnant of his heritage? He did not retain his anger for ever because he delights in mercy.

He will turn again, he will have mercy on us; he will subdue our iniquities; and will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

¶ He that covers his sins shall not prosper, but whosoever confesses and forsakes them shall attain mercy.

But God increased the price of his charity toward us in that while we were yet sinners the Christ died for us.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking be taken away from you, with all malice,

¶ Therefore, all things whatsoever ye desire that men should do unto you, so also shall ye do unto them, for this is the law and the prophets.

And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves; for charity shall cover a multitude of sins.

¶ Charity suffers long and is benign; charity envies not; charity does nothing without due reason, is not puffed up,

is not injurious, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil,

rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

¶ Therefore bear one another, as the Christ also bore us, to the glory of God.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

¶ Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy mercy; according unto the multitude of thy compassion eradicate my rebellion.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of thy saving health, and thy spirit of liberty shall uphold me.

Then I will teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

¶ Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

O Lord, open my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.

For thou dost not desire sacrifice or else would I give it; thou dost not delight in burnt offering.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion; build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

Then thou shalt be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, the burnt offering, the offering that has been totally consumed by the fire; then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

¶ The discretion of a man defers his anger, and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.

For judgment without mercy shall be done unto the one that has shown no mercy; and mercy boasts against judgment.

he himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness; by whose wound ye were healed.

Therefore go ye and learn what this is, I will have mercy and not sacrifice, for I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.

who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son,

in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the remission of sins,

For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God,

Not of works, lest any man should boast.

¶ Brethren, if anyone is overtaken in a fault, ye who are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself lest thou also be tempted.

looking diligently that no one deviate from the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up impede you, and thereby many be defiled,

¶ Judge not, that ye be not judged.

Or if he asks for fish, will he give him a serpent?

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in the heavens give good things to those that ask him?

¶ Therefore, all things whatsoever ye desire that men should do unto you, so also shall ye do unto them, for this is the law and the prophets.

Enter ye in at the narrow gate, for the way that leads to destruction is wide and spacious, and those who follow it are many;

because narrow is the gate, and confined is the way which leads unto life, and there are few that find it.

¶ Keep yourselves also from the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit.

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.

For with the judgment with which ye judge, ye shall be judged, and with the measure with which ye measure, ye shall be measured again.

And all this by God, who reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

for certainly God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them and having placed in us the word of reconciliation.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, exercise yourselves in these things.

¶ So that now, there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ, Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

That the slave of the Lord should not be contentious, but be meek unto everyone, apt to teach, patient,

that with meekness they might teach those that resist, if God peradventure will grant unto them that they might repent and know the truth,

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

¶ My little children, I write these things unto you, that ye sin not; and if anyone has sinned, we have an Advocate before the Father, Jesus, the righteous Christ;

He that loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no occasion of stumbling in him.

But he that hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and does not know where he goes, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

¶ I write unto you, little children, that your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.

I write unto you, fathers, that ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, that ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, that ye have known the Father.

I have written unto you, fathers, that ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, that ye are strong and the word of God abides in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

Love not the world neither the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the charity of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

And the world passes away and the lust thereof, but he that does the will of God abides for ever.

¶ Little children, it is the last hour, and as ye have heard that the antichrist comes, likewise there are also beginning to be many antichrists, by which we know that it is the last time.

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us; but this happened that it might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

and he is the reconciliation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Therefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.

The Lord is near unto those that are of a broken heart and saves such as are of a contrite spirit.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the paralytic, Son, thy sins are forgiven thee.

was it not also expedient unto thee to have mercy on thy fellowslave even as I had mercy on thee?

¶ By mercy and truth iniquity is purged, and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.

¶ I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy slave; for I have not forgotten thy commandments.

Let love be without dissimulation, abhorring that which is evil, causing you to come unto that which is good;

For if ye set men free from their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also set you free;

And as ye desire that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

By this shall everyone know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

let him separate himself from evil and do good; let him seek peace and follow it.

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Now therefore there is certainly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather suffer the wrong? why do ye not rather be defrauded?

To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also; for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes I forgave it in the person of Christ,

lest Satan should deceive us, for we do not ignore his devices.

¶ A soft answer turns away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger.

See that no one renders evil for evil unto anyone, but always follow that which is good, both among yourselves and to all men.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.

Let no one seek his own good, but that of the other.

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in humility let each esteem others better than themselves,

because for the work of the Christ he was near unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me.

with each one not looking to their own things, but also to the things of others.

Look upon my affliction and my pain and forgive all my sins.

I, even I, am he that uproots thy rebellions for mine own sake and will not remember thy sins.

for all have sinned and are made destitute of the glory of God,

being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus, the Christ,

¶ Be ye therefore imitators of God, as dear children

approving what is well pleasing unto the Lord.

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

For it is a shame even to speak of those things which they do in secret.

But all these things when they are reproved by the light are made manifest, for the light is that which manifests everything.

Therefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead, and the Christ shall shine upon thee.

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Therefore, be ye not unwise, but understanding of what the will of the Lord is.

And be not drunk with wine, in which there is excess, but be filled with the Spirit,

speaking among yourselves with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and praising the Lord in your hearts,

and walk in charity even as the Christ also has loved us and has given himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.

¶ Remove the sin in me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Then his lord, after he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked slave, I forgave thee all that debt because thou didst beseech me;

was it not also expedient unto thee to have mercy on thy fellowslave even as I had mercy on thee?

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the lords of this age, rulers of this darkness, against spiritual wickedness in the heavens.

And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Therefore, if thine enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

And almost all things are by the law purged with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

But he was wounded for our rebellions; he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and by his stripes healing was provided for us.

All we like sheep have become lost; we have turned each one to his own way; and the Lord transposed in him the iniquity of us all.

Therefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven unto men.

Who forgives all thine iniquities; who heals all thy diseases;

who redeems thy life from destruction; who crowns thee with mercy and compassion;

¶ Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;

¶ Clothed, therefore, (as the elect of God, holy and beloved) with bowels of mercies, with kindness, with humility, with meekness, with tolerance,

Let us, therefore, not judge one another any more, but judge this rather: that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.

¶ But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great charity with which he loved us,

even as we were dead in sins, he has made us alive together with the Christ (by whose grace ye are saved)

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless those that curse you, do good to those that hate you, and pray for those who speak evil about you, and persecute you;

¶ Beloved, let us love one another, for charity is of God. Anyone that loves is born of God and knows God.

He that does not love does not know God, for God is charity.

For we know who he is that has said, Vengeance belongs to me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy strength and with all thy understanding, and thy neighbour as thyself.

¶ Do not rejoice when thy enemy falls, and do not let thy heart be glad when he stumbles

lest the Lord see it and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, modest, benevolent, full of mercy and of good fruits, not judgmental, unfeigned.

Cease from anger and forsake wrath: let not thy wrath in any wise cause you to become evil.

And now abide faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

For the mountains shall be removed, and the hills shall tremble; but my mercy shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be changed, said the Lord that has mercy on thee.

that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man,

that the Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye, being rooted and grounded in charity,

¶ And you, being dead in sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he has quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses,

blotting out the bill of the decrees that was against us, which was contrary to us and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross, {Gr. stauro – stake}

For as the heavens are high above the earth so does he increase his mercy over those that fear him.

As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our rebellions from us.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on his name,

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

This is my commandment, That ye love one another as I have loved you.

saying, Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute sin.

And taking the cup and having given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;

for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Let us, therefore, come boldly unto the throne of his grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

¶ The merciful man does good to his own soul, but the cruel man troubles his own flesh.

¶ Justified therefore by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus, the Christ,

Then the lord of that slave was moved with compassion and loosed him and forgave him the debt.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with which ye are sealed for the day of redemption.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking be taken away from you, with all malice,

Let your word be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer each one.

Therefore there is forgiveness close to thee, that thou may be feared.

Therefore I say through the grace given unto me, to all those that are among you not to obtain more knowledge than is prudent to know, but to obtain knowledge with temperance, each one according to the measure of faith that God has dealt.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God, reconcile me, a sinner.

¶ Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be unanimous among yourselves according to Christ Jesus,

I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and I have not hid my iniquity. I said, I will confess (against myself) my rebellions unto the Lord, and thou shalt forgive the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

¶ He that hides hatred has lying lips, and he that utters a slander, is a fool.

Submit yourselves, therefore, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

But that ye may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins (then said he to the paralyzed man), Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

For the things that were written beforehand were written for our instruction that we, through patient endurance and through the comfort of the scriptures, might have hope.

Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents.

Be of good courage and strengthen your hearts, all ye that wait in the Lord.

Therefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and do not touch the unclean thing; and I will receive you

¶ Therefore if thy brother shall sin against thee, go and reprove him between thee and him alone; if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.

Be unanimous among yourselves, not high minded, but accommodating the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

I have undone, as a cloud, thy rebellions, and thy sins, as a mist, return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.

Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in the heavens.

and by him to reconcile all things unto himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross, {Gr. stauro – stake} whether they are the things in the earth or the things in the heavens.

And you, that were in another time alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now he has reconciled you

in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight

casting all your cares upon him, for he cares for you.

For the wages of sin is death, but the grace of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The thief comes not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy the sheep; I am come that they might have life and that they might have it in abundance.

let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts purified from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water;

¶ Do not withhold thy tender mercies from me, O Lord; let thy mercy and thy truth continually preserve me.

¶ Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, the Christ, who according to his great mercy has begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus, the Christ, from the dead,

unto the incorruptible inheritance that cannot be defiled and that does not fade away, conserved in the heavens for you,