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147 Bible verses about the Importance of Forgiveness
Yes, if you forgive other people for the things they do wrong, then your Father in heaven will also forgive you for the things you do wrong.But if you don’t forgive the wrong things people do to you, then your Father in heaven will not forgive the wrong things you do.
Don’t be angry with each other, but forgive each other. If another person does something wrong against you, then forgive that person. Forgive other people because the Lord forgave you.
“Don’t judge other people, and you will not be judged. Don’t condemn (find guilty) other people, and you will not be condemned. Forgive other people, and you will be forgiven.
But if we confess (admit) our sins, then God will forgive our sins. We can trust God to do this. God does what is right. God will make us clean from all the wrong things we have done.
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, when my brother won’t stop doing wrong to me, how many times must I forgive him? Should I forgive him as many as seven times?”Jesus answered, “I tell you, you must forgive him more than seven times. You must continue to forgive him even if he does wrong to you seventy-seven times. {\cf2\super [256]} ”
“So when you offer your gift to God, think about other people. If you are offering your gift before the altar, {\cf2\super [64]} and you remember that your brother has something against you,then leave your gift there at the altar. Go and make peace with that person. Then come and offer your gift.
When you are praying, and you remember that you are angry with another person about something, then forgive that person. Forgive them so that your Father in heaven will also forgive your sins.”
A person \{in your group\} has caused sadness. He caused this sadness not to me, but to all of you—I mean he caused sadness to all in some way. (I don’t want to make it sound worse than it really is.)The punishment that most of your group gave him is enough for him.But now you should forgive him and encourage him. This will keep him from having too much sadness and giving up completely.So I beg you to show him that you love him.
If you forgive a person who does wrong to you, then you can be friends. But if you continue to remember the wrong that he did, then it will hurt your friendship.
Master, you are good and merciful.\par Your people call to you for help.\par You really love those people.\par
“This king did the same as my heavenly Father will do to you. You must truly forgive your brother or sister, or my heavenly Father will not forgive you.”
So be careful!If your brother does something wrong to you seven times in one day, but he says that he is sorry each time, then you should forgive him.”
Always tell each other the wrong things you have done. Then pray for each other. Do this so that God can heal you. When a good person prays hard, great things happen.
Forgive the sins we have done,\par the same as we have forgiven the people\par that did wrong to us.\par
In Christ we are made free by Christ’s blood (death). We have forgiveness of sins because of God’s rich grace.
And God has taken our sins\par as far away from us\par as the east is from the west.\par
My friends, don’t try to punish people when they do wrong to you. Wait for God to punish them with his anger. It is written: “I am the One who punishes; I will pay people back,” {\cf2\super [132]} says the Lord.
This wine is my blood. My blood (death) begins the new agreement \{from God to his people\}. This blood is given for many people to forgive their sins.
Love is not rude, love is not selfish, and love does not become angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it.
Jesus said, “Father, forgive these people \{that are killing me\}. They don’t know what they are doing. {\cf2\super [377]} ”
A person is very happy. {\cf2\super [195]} \par when his sins are forgiven.\par \{That person is very fortunate\}\par when his sins are erased. {\cf2\super [196]} \par
Don’t do wrong to a person to pay him back for doing wrong to you. Or don’t say something bad to a person to pay him back for saying something bad to you. But \{ask God to\} bless that person. Do this, because you yourselves were called to receive a blessing.
If you forgive people’s sins, then their sins are forgiven. If you don’t forgive people’s sins, then their sins are not forgiven.”
Say only good things to those people that do bad things to you. Say good things to them and don’t curse them.
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat. If your enemy is thirsty, give him water to drink.If you do this, then you will make him ashamed. It is like putting burning coals on his head. And the Lord will reward you because you were good to your enemy.
The Lord says, “Come, let’s discuss these things. Your sins are red like scarlet, {\cf2\super [11]} but they can be \{washed away and you will be\} white like snow. Your sins are bright red, but you can become white like wool.
And I will forgive the wrong things they do against me,\par and I will not remember their sins.”\par \i (Jeremiah 31:31-34)\i0 \par
Lord, if you really punished people\par for all of their sins,\par no person would be left alive.\parLord, forgive your people.\par Then there will be people to worship you.\par
There is no God like you.\par You take away people’s guilt.\parHe will come back and comfort us again.\par He will crush our guilt\par and throw all of our sins\par into the deep sea.\par
A person that hides his sins will not be successful. But a person that confesses his sins and stops doing wrong will receive mercy.
But Christ died for us while we were still sinners. In that way God showed us that he loves us very much.
“Do to other people the same things you want them to do to you. This is the meaning of the law \{of Moses\} and the \{teaching of the\} prophets. {\cf2\super [83]}
Love is patient, and love is kind. Love is not jealous, it does not boast, and it is not proud.Love is not rude, love is not selfish, and love does not become angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it.Love is not happy with evil, but love is happy with the truth.Love patiently accepts all things. Love always trusts, always hopes, and always continues strong.
What great blessings there are for the people that give mercy to other people!\par Mercy will be given to them.\par
God, be merciful to me,\par because of your great loving kindness,\par because of your great mercy,\par erase all my sins.\parGod, scrub away my guilt.\par Wash away my sins,\par Make me clean again!\par
If a person is wise, that wisdom gives him patience. And it is wonderful when he forgives people who do wrong to him.
Yes, you must show mercy to other people. If you do not show mercy, then God will not show mercy to you when he judges you. But the person who shows mercy can stand without fear when he is judged.
Christ carried our sins in his body on the cross. He did this so that we would stop living for sin and live for what is right. By his (Christ’s) wounds you were healed.
I will tell you something. Go and learn what it means: ‘I don’t want animal sacrifices; I want you to show kindness to people.’ {\cf2\super [106]} I did not come to invite good people. I came to invite sinners.”
God made us free from the power of darkness (evil). And he brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son (Jesus).The Son paid the price to make us free. In him we have forgiveness of our sins.
I mean that you are saved by grace. And you got that grace by believing. You did not save yourselves. It was a gift from God.No! You are not saved by the things you have done. So no person can boast \{that he saved himself\}.
The Lord is compassionate and merciful.\par God is patient and full of love.\parThe Lord does not always criticize.\par The Lord does not stay angry at us forever.\parWe sinned against God\par but he didn’t give us\par the punishment we deserved.\par
Brothers and sisters, a person in your group might do something wrong. You people who are spiritual should go to the person who is sinning. You should help to make him right again. You should do this in a gentle way. But be careful! You might be tempted to sin, too.
Be careful that no person fails to get God’s grace (kindness). Be careful that no person becomes like a bitter weed growing among you. A person like that can ruin your whole group.
“Don’t judge other people, and God will not judge you.If you judge other people, you will be judged in the same way you judge them. And the way you give to other people will be the way God gives to you.
So we think about the things we cannot see, not what we see. The things we see continue only a short time. And the things we cannot see will continue forever.
Brothers and sisters, continue to think about the things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected.
A servant of the Lord must not argue! He must be kind to every person. A servant of the Lord must be a good teacher. He must be patient.The Lord’s servant must gently teach those people that don’t agree with him. Maybe God will let those people change their hearts so that they can accept the truth.
My dear children, I write this letter to you so that you will not sin. But if any person sins, we have Jesus Christ to help us. He is the righteous (good) One. Jesus defends us before God the Father.Jesus is the way our sins are taken away. And Jesus is the way that all people can have their sins taken away, too.
I tell you that her many sins are forgiven. This is clear, because she showed great love. But the person that feels only a little need to be forgiven will feel only a little love when he is forgiven.”
When some people have troubles\par they stop being proud.\par The Lord is close to those humble people.\par He will save them. {\cf2\super [211]} \par
Jesus saw that these men had much faith. So Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”
So you should have given the same mercy to that other man that is a servant with you. You should have given him the same mercy that I gave you.’
True love and loyalty will make you pure. {\cf2\super [21]} Respect the Lord, and you will stay far away from evil.
I wandered away like a lost sheep.\par Come looking for me, Lord.\par I am your servant,\par and I have not forgotten your commands.\par
Yes, if you forgive other people for the things they do wrong, then your Father in heaven will also forgive you for the things you do wrong.
“I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other like I loved you.All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other.”
That person must stop doing evil\par and do good;\par that person should look for peace\par and try to get it.\par
Evil people should stop living evil lives.\par They should stop thinking bad thoughts.\par They should come to the Lord again.\par Then the Lord will comfort them.\par Those people should come to the Lord\par because our God forgives.\par
The lawsuits that you have against each other show that you are already defeated. It would be better for you to let someone do wrong against you! It would be better for you to let someone cheat you!
If you forgive a person, then I also forgive that person. And what I have forgiven—if I had anything to forgive—I forgave it for you, and Christ was with me.I did this so that Satan (the Devil) would not win anything from us. We know very well what Satan’s plans are.
Be sure that no person pays back wrong for wrong. But always try to do what is good for each other and for all people.
What great blessings there are for the people that work to bring peace!\par God will call them his sons and daughters.\par
No person should try to do the things that will help \{only\} himself. He should try to do what is good for other people.
When you do things, don’t let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble and give more honor to other people than to yourselves.Don’t be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of other people, too.
“I, I am the One who wipes away all your sins. I do this to please myself. I will not remember your sins.
All people have sinned and are not good enough for God’s glory.People are made right with God by his grace (kindness). This is a free gift. People are made right with God by being made free from sin through Jesus Christ.
You are God’s children that he loves. So try to be like God.Live a life of love. Love other people the same as Christ loved us. Christ gave himself for us—he was a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice {\cf2\super [37]} to God.
Use the hyssop plant and do the ceremony\par to make me pure.\par Wash me until I am whiter than snow!\par
“Then the master called his servant in and said, ‘You evil servant. You owed me much money, but you begged me to forgive your debt. So I told you that you did not have to pay anything.So you should have given the same mercy to that other man that is a servant with you. You should have given him the same mercy that I gave you.’
Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places.
Forgive us the sins we have done,\par because we forgive every person\par that has done wrong to us.\par And don’t let us be tempted (tested).’”\par
But you should do this: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if your enemy is thirsty, give him something to drink. In this way you will make that person ashamed. {\cf2\super [133]} ” {\cf2\super [134]}Don’t let evil defeat you. You should defeat evil by doing good.
The law says that almost everything must be made clean by blood. And sins cannot be forgiven without blood (death).
God sent his Son into the world. God did not send his Son to judge the world guilty. God sent his Son so that the world could be saved through his Son.
But he was given pain to suffer for the wrong things we did. He was crushed for our guilt. A debt we owed—our punishment—was given to him. We were healed (forgiven) because of his pain.But \{even after he did this,\} all of us wandered away like sheep. We all went our own way. \{We did this after\} the Lord \{freed us from our guilt and\} put all our guilt on him.
So I tell you, people can be forgiven of every sin they do. And people can be forgiven for every bad thing they say. But if a person speaks against (refuses to accept) the Holy Spirit, {\cf2\super [174]} then that person will not be forgiven.
God forgives us for all the sins we do.\par He heals all our sicknesses.\parGod saves our life from the grave.\par And he gives us love and compassion.\par
My dear brothers and sisters, always be more willing to listen than to speak. Don’t become angry easily.
God has chosen you and made you his holy people. {\cf2\super [18]} He loves you. So always do these things: Show mercy to people; be kind, humble, gentle, and patient.
So we should stop judging each other. We must decide not to do anything that will make a brother or sister weak or fall into sin.
But God’s mercy is very great, and God loved us very much.We were \{spiritually\} dead. We were dead because of the things we did wrong against God. But God gave us new life with Christ. You have been saved by God’s grace (kindness).
Dear friends, we should love each other, because love comes from God. The person who loves has become God’s child. And so the person who loves knows God.The person that does not love does not know God, because God is love.
We know that God said, “I will punish people \{for the wrong things they do\}; I will repay them.” {\cf2\super [139]} And God also said, “The Lord will judge his people.” {\cf2\super [140]}It is a terrible thing \{for a sinful person\} to fall into the hands of the living God.
The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God. You must love him with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ {\cf2\super [192]} Also, ‘You must love other people the same as you love yourself.’ {\cf2\super [193]} ”
Don’t be happy when your enemy has troubles. Don’t be happy when he falls.If you do, the Lord will see this, and the Lord will not be happy with you. Then the Lord might help your enemy.
But the wisdom that comes from God is like this: First, it is pure. It is also peaceful, gentle, and easy to please. This wisdom is always ready to help people who have trouble and to do good things for other people. This wisdom is always fair and honest.
Don’t be angry! Don’t get mad!\par Don’t become so upset\par that you also want to do bad things.\par
So these three things continue: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.
The Lord says,\par “The mountains may disappear,\par and the hills may become dust.\par But my kindness will never leave you.\par I will make peace with you,\par and it will never end.”\par The Lord shows mercy to you.\par And he is the One that said these things.\par
I ask the Father with his great glory to give you the power to be strong in your spirits. He will give you that strength through his Spirit. {\cf2\super [26]}I pray that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. I pray that your life will be strong in love and be built on love.
You were spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were not free from the power of your sinful self. But God made you alive with Christ. And God forgave all our sins.We owed a debt because we broke God’s laws. That debt listed all the rules we failed to follow. But God forgave us of that debt. God took away that debt and nailed it to the cross.
God’s love for his followers\par is as high above us\par as heaven is above the earth.\parAnd God has taken our sins\par as far away from us\par as the east is from the west.\par
Some people did accept him. They believed in him. He gave something to those people who believed. He gave them the right to become children of God.
But you are chosen people. You are the King’s priests. You are a holy {\cf2\super [20]} nation of people. You are people who belong to God. God chose you to tell about the wonderful things he has done. He called (brought) you out of darkness (sin) into his wonderful light.At one time you were not God’s people. But now you are God’s people. In the past you had never received mercy. But now you have received mercy \{from God\}.
The sacrifice that God wants\par is an humble spirit. {\cf2\super [306]} \par God, you will not turn away a person\par who comes with an humble, submissive heart. {\cf2\super [307]} \par
“People are truly blessed (happy)\par when their wrongs are forgiven,\par and when their sins are covered!\parAnd when the Lord accepts a person\par like he was without sin,\par that person is truly blessed!”\par \i (Psalm 32:1-2)\i0 \par
Then Jesus took a cup of wine. Jesus thanked God for it and gave it to the followers. Jesus said, “Every one of you drink this.This wine is my blood. My blood (death) begins the new agreement \{from God to his people\}. This blood is given for many people to forgive their sins.
Who were those people who heard God’s voice and were against him? It was all those people that Moses led out of Egypt.
We have been made right with God because of our faith. So we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The master felt sorry for his servant. So the master told the servant he did not have to pay. The master let the servant go free.
When you talk, you should always be kind and wise. Then you will be able to answer every person in the way you should.
God has given me a special gift. That is why I have something to say to every person among you. Don’t think that you are better than you really are. You must see yourself like you really are. Decide what you are by the kind of faith God has given you.
Don’t let us be tempted (tested);\par but save us from the Evil One\par (the devil).’ {\cf2\super [77]} \par
“The tax collector {\cf2\super [288]} stood alone too. But when he prayed, he would not even look up to heaven. The tax collector felt very humble before God. He said, ‘O God, have mercy on me. I am a sinner!’
Patience and strength come from God. And I pray that God will help you all agree together the way Christ Jesus wants.
But then I decided to confess all my sins to the Lord.\par Lord, I told you about my sins.\par I did not hide any of my guilt.\par And you forgave me for all my sins!\par \i (SELAH {\cf2\super [200]})\i0 \par
A person who hides his hate might be telling a lie. But only a fool tries to find gossip he can spread.
Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us. Those things were written so that we could have hope. That hope comes from the patience and strength that the Scriptures give us.
“So come away from those people\par and separate yourselves from them,\par says the Lord.\par Touch nothing that is not clean,\par and I will accept you.”\par \i (Isaiah 52:11)\i0 \par
“If your brother or sister does something wrong to you, go and tell that person what he did wrong. Do this alone with that person. If that person listens to you, then you have helped that person to be your brother again.
So the life that I live now is not really me—it is Christ living in me. I still live in my body, but I live by faith in the Son of God (Jesus). Jesus is the One who loved me. He gave himself to save me.
Live together in peace with each other. Don’t be proud. Be willing to be friends with people who are not important to other people. Don’t be conceited.
Your sins were like a big cloud.\par But I wiped away those sins.\par Your sins are gone,\par like a cloud that disappeared into thin air.\par I rescued and protected you,\par so come back to me!”\par
In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that people will see the good things you do. Live so that people will praise your Father in heaven.
And through Christ, God was happy to bring all things back to himself again—things on earth and things in heaven. God made peace by using Christ’s blood (death) on the cross.At one time you were separated from God. You were God’s enemies in your minds, because the evil things you did were against God.But now Christ has made you God’s friends again. Christ did this by his death while he was in his body. Christ did this so that he could bring you before God. He brings you before God as people who are holy, {\cf2\super [6]} with no wrong in you, and with nothing that God can judge you guilty of.
When people sin, they earn what sin pays—death. But God gives his people a free gift—life forever in Christ Jesus our Lord.
A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came to give life—life that is full and good.
We have been cleansed and made free from feelings of guilt. And our bodies have been washed with pure water. So come near to God with a sincere (true) heart, feeling sure because of our faith.
So Lord, don’t hide your mercy from me!\par Let your kindness and loyalty protect me.”\par
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has great mercy, and because of his mercy he gave us a new life. This new life brings us a living hope through Jesus Christ’s rising from death.Now we wait to get the blessings God has for his children. Those blessings are kept for you in heaven. Those blessings cannot ruin or be destroyed or lose their beauty.