147 Bible verses about the Importance of Forgiveness

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

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

bearing with 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 to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will 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-seven times.

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 anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you.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.

Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.

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

For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.

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

Pay attention 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 the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back.Remember Lot’s wife.Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep 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 corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘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 person has great power as it is working.

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.

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

then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds 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 the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

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 burning coals 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 you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.

Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

Whoever 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 still sinners, Christ died for us.

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

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogantor rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

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

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!

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

For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. 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 domain 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 a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it 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 others would do to you, do also 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 recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased 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 with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

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, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, 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 kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,

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

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.But whoever 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 name’s 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 anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. 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 become plain that they all are not of us.He is the propitiation 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, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

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

By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil.

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

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

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

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

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

let him turn away from evil and do good; 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 compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

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

Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ,so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

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

See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.

“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 selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in 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.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.For it is shameful 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 says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,making the best use 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 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 master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”

To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on 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 did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order 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 pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds 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 people, 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 brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,even when we were dead in 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 from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.Anyone who does not love does not know God, because 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, impartial and sincere.

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

So now faith, hope, and 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 power through his Spirit in your inner being,so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

For as high as the heavens are 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 did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

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

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count 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 do not have 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 have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

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

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by 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, along with all malice.

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

But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone 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 that God has assigned.

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 endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,

I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever 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, pick up your bed and go home.”

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through 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 go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; 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 wise in your own sight.

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

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so 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 alienated 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 above reproach before him,

casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for 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.

As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,