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61 Bible Verses about Forgiving Others
Unforgiveness is like a poison we take in small doses every day, but it eventually ends up poisoning us. It's so easy to hold onto those hurts, isn't it? But think about it: the Lord calls us to repent of our sins and seek His forgiveness. He also urges us to forgive those who offend or hurt us. It's a two-way street.
As children of God, we're called to practice forgiveness constantly. Imagine bringing your offering to the altar and suddenly remembering someone you've wronged, or someone who has wronged you. What do you do? Leave the offering right there, go and reconcile, and then come back and worship. It makes you think, doesn't it?
It's hypocritical to say we love the Lord but can't stand the people we see every day. Think about that for a second. God wants us, as the body of Christ, to practice the same kind of love He has for us – the kind of love that led Him to sacrifice His Son. That's powerful stuff.
Holding a grudge can be toxic, you know? It can eat away at you. Bitterness toward someone in your church isn't a sign of maturity, it's a sign that something needs to change in our hearts. We need to repent of any hypocrisy, drop the pretense, and be the unified church Jesus is coming back for: a pure church, without spot or wrinkle. That's what the Lord wants, and it's what we should strive for, too.
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.”
Above all hold unfailing your love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins.
but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;
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.”
Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say, “Spare thy people, O Lord, and make not thy heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ ”
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.
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.
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice,and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience,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.
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.
For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy; yet mercy triumphs over judgment.
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace
By this it may be seen who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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.
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.”
“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.
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,
I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me.
let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
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.”
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.”Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 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.
He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor requite us according to our iniquities.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.
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.
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.
Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
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 he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet;and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry;for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to make merry.
“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.But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses.If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
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,
If thou, O Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
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.
“I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.
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.
For thou, O Lord, art good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on thee.
For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”
“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.
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!
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
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.
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.Many are the pangs of the wicked; but steadfast love surrounds him who trusts in the Lord.Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
“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.
And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.
If any one says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.And this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should love his brother also.