147 Bible verses about the Importance of Forgiveness

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you;

but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;

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

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often shall 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.

So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,

leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any one; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

But if any one has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to you all.

For such a one this punishment by the majority is enough;

so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.

So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.

He who forgives an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter alienates a friend.

If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all.

For thou, O Lord, art good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on thee.

So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

Take heed to yourselves; if your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him;

so will it be on the day when the Son of man is revealed.

On that day, let him who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away; and likewise let him who is in the field not turn back.

Remember Lot's wife.

Whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it.

I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.

There will be two women grinding together; one will be taken and the other left.”

And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”

and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.

And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors;

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace

as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.

it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;

then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their misdeeds no more.”

And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.

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

Do not return evil for evil or reviling for reviling; but on the contrary bless, for to this you have been called, that you may obtain a blessing.

If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

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

for you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will reward you.

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

If thou, O Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?

But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

Who is a God like thee, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger for ever because he delights in steadfast love.

He will again have compassion upon us, he will tread our iniquities under foot. Thou wilt cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice,

So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.

Above all hold unfailing your love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful;

it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;

it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right.

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

Welcome one another, therefore, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy steadfast love; according to thy abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

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

Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners will return to thee.

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of thy deliverance.

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

For thou hast no delight in sacrifice; were I to give a burnt offering, thou wouldst not be pleased.

The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Do good to Zion in thy good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,

then wilt thou delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on thy altar.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!

Good sense makes a man slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy; yet mercy triumphs over judgment.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,

in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God—

not because of works, lest any man should boast.

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Look to yourself, lest you too be tempted.

See to it that no one fail to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” spring up and cause trouble, and by it the many become defiled;

“Judge not, that you be not judged.

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

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.

“Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.

For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

“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?

So, every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit.

A sound tree cannot bear evil 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 pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to every one, an apt teacher, forbearing,

correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth,

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

My little children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin; but if any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;

He who loves his brother abides in the light, and in it there is no cause for stumbling.

But he who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his sake.

I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father.

I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If any one loves the world, love for 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 of it; but he who does the will of God abides for ever.

Children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come; therefore we know that it is the last hour.

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out, that it might be plain that they all are not of us.

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

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.

And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “My son, your sins are forgiven.”

and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’

By loyalty and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil.

I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant, for I do not forget thy commandments.

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good;

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you;

And as you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

let him turn away from evil and do right; let him seek peace and pursue it.

let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

To have lawsuits at all with one another is defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?

Any one 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,

to keep Satan from gaining the advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all.

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

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

Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves.

for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete your service to me.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.

“I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.

since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus,

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.

and try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

For it is a shame even to speak of the things that they do in secret;

but when anything is exposed by the light it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light.

Therefore it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.”

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,

making the most of the time, because the days are evil.

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit,

addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart,

And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me;

and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’

For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation.”

No, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.”

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

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.”

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

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

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

Know this, my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience,

Then let us no more pass judgment on one another, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us,

even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God.

He who does not love does not know God; for God is love.

For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”

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

And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles;

lest the Lord see it, and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him.

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity.

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

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

and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

And you, who were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,

having canceled the bond which stood against us with its legal demands; this he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God;

The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

“Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;

blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not reckon his sin.”

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you;

for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself.

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice,

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer every one.

But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

For by the grace given to me I bid every one among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith which God has assigned him.

And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.

But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’

May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,

I acknowledged my sin to thee, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my trangressions to the Lord”; then thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin. Selah

He who conceals hatred has lying lips, and he who utters slander is a fool.

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

But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, take up your bed and go home.”

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.

Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!

Therefore come out from them, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you,

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

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

Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; never be conceited.

I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

And you, who once were estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,

he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him,

Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you.

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

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

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

Do not thou, O Lord, withhold thy mercy from me, let thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness ever preserve me!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,