VERSES ABOUT FORGIVENESS

Forgiving others brings such freedom. It's like taking off a heavy backpack you've been carrying for way too long. There's a real beauty to forgiveness, and anyone who's experienced both giving and receiving it knows what I mean. God is our ultimate example, right? He shows us how it's done and calls us to practice it every single day.

So, I encourage you to forgive, just as Christ forgives you – every single day. It's time to let go and be free. Let's be real, in this life, someone is bound to hurt or offend you. But even then, we're called to learn to forgive and love again. Get that bitterness out of your system. Trust me, it'll help you grow and move forward. It'll even strengthen your relationship with God.

As children of God, we rejoice because we've received forgiveness for our sins through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. But it's important to remember that just as we've been forgiven, our hearts need to be ready to forgive others. Mark 11:25¹ says, "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses." As long as we repent and are faithful in forgiving others, God will completely forgive us. And that's when we can truly have a fresh start!

But I tell you, love your enemies   and pray for those who   persecute you,

‘But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you,bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

But If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head.   ,

‘For if you forgive others their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well.But if you don’t forgive others,   your Father will not forgive your offences.

And be kind  and compassionate  to one another, forgiving  one another, just as God also forgave you  in Christ.

bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive.

Then Jesus said, “Father,   forgive   them, because they do not know what they are doing.”   , And they divided his clothes and cast lots.

Then Peter approached him and asked, ‘Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? As many as seven times? ’ ‘I tell you, not as many as seven,’ Jesus replied, ‘but seventy times seven.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil.  Give careful thought to do what is honourable  in everyone’s eyes.If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

not paying back evil for evil  or insult for insult but, on the contrary, giving a blessing,  since you were called for this, so that you may inherit a blessing.

Don’t gloat when your enemy falls, and don’t let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,

If your enemy is hungry, give him food 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.

Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

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

But God proves  his own love for us  in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and yet hates his brother or sister,  he is a liar.  For the person who does not love his brother or sister  whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.And we have this command from him: The one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.

But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High.   For he is gracious to the ungrateful and evil.

‘I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another.By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love   one another.’

Love is patient,  love is kind. Love does not envy,  is not boastful, is not arrogant,is not rude, is not self-seeking,  is not irritable,  and does not keep a record of wrongs.Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth.It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures  all things.

Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children,testing  what is pleasing  to the Lord.Don’t participate in the fruitless  works of darkness, but instead expose them.For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret.Everything exposed by the light is made visible,for what makes everything visible is light. Therefore it is said: Get up, sleeper,  and rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk #– #not as unwise people but as wise #– #making the most of the time,  , because the days are evil.So don’t be foolish, but understand  what the Lord’s will  is.And don’t get drunk  with wine,  which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit:speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord,and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us,  a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.

Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay,   , says the Lord.

Above all, maintain constant love  for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins.   ,

Hatred stirs up conflicts, but love covers all offences.

Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice.And be kind  and compassionate  to one another, forgiving  one another, just as God also forgave you  in Christ.

‘You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.   ,But I tell you, don’t resist   an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

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

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.

Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness   #– #without it no one will see the Lord.Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and defiling many.

Whoever conceals an offence promotes love, but whoever gossips about it separates friends.

Be   on your guard. If your brother sins,   rebuke   him, and if he repents, forgive   him.It   will be like that on the day the Son of Man is revealed.On that day, a man on the housetop, whose belongings are in the house, must not come down to get them. Likewise the man who is in the field must not turn back.Remember Lot’s wife!Whoever tries to make his life secure   , will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.I tell you, on that night   two will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left.Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.’ ‘Where, Lord? ’  they asked him. He said to them, ‘Where the corpse is, there also the vultures   will be gathered.’And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and comes back to you seven times, saying, “I repent,” you must forgive him.’

Therefore welcome one another,  just as  Christ also welcomed you, to the glory of God.

And whenever you stand   praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive   him, so that your Father   in heaven   will also forgive   you your wrongdoing.’

Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved,  put on compassion, kindness,  humility,  gentleness,  and patience,bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

A person’s insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offence.

Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters.  Take the lead in honouring one another.

‘Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged.Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?If you then, who are evil,   know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him.Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. ‘Enter through the narrow gate.   For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction,   and there are many who go through it.How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.‘Be on your guard against false prophets   who come to you in sheep’s   clothing   but inwardly are ravaging wolves.You’ll recognise them by their fruit.   Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit.A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit.Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.For you will be judged by the same standard with which you judge others, and you will be measured by the same measure you use.

See to it that no one repays evil for evil  to anyone,  but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.

This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life  for us.  We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Love does no wrong to a neighbour. Love, therefore, is the fulfilment of the law.

Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them.

When a person’s ways please the  Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation  for those in  Christ Jesus,  ,

‘This is my command: Love one another as I have loved   you.

Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you? ”

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

when he was insulted, he did not insult in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten but entrusted himself to the one who judges  justly.

For our struggle is not against flesh  and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,  against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil,  spiritual forces in the heavens.

Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world  to himself,  not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.

But God, who is rich in mercy,  because of his great love  that he had for us,made us alive  with Christ even though we were dead  in trespasses. You are saved by grace!

andI will never again remember their sins and their lawless acts.  ,

So also my heavenly Father will do to you unless every one of you forgives his brother or sister   from your heart.’

The Lord’s  servant must not quarrel,  but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach,  and patient,instructing his opponents with gentleness.  Perhaps God will grant them repentance  leading them to the knowledge of the truth.

‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged.   Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

For if, while we were enemies,  we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

When they persisted in questioning him, he stood up and said to them, ‘The one without sin   among you   should be the first to throw a stone at her.’

and let him turn away   from evil and do what is good. Let him seek peace   and pursue it,

A fool’s displeasure is known at once, but whoever ignores an insult is sensible.

with all humility  and gentleness, with patience,  bearing  with one another in love,

Do nothing out of selfish ambition  or conceit,  but in humility  consider others as more important  than yourselves.

we labour, working  with our own hands.  When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;

The second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself.   ,

But you, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgement seat of God.  ,

For I will forgive their wrongdoing, and I will never again remember their sins.   ,,

Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle  spirit,  , watching out for yourselves so that you won’t also be tempted.

Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice.   , For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.’

A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel person brings ruin on himself.

But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head   #– #Christ.

But now, put away  all the following: anger,  wrath,  malice,  slander,  and filthy language from your mouth.

A good person produces good out of the good stored up in his heart. An evil person produces evil out of the evil stored up in his heart, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.

Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth.

The one who pursues righteousness and faithful love will find life, righteousness, and honour.

The Lord does not delay his promise,  as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any  to perish  but all to come to repentance.

So then, let us pursue what promotes peace  and what builds up one another.

My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials,for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.

No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life   for his friends.

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

For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered  for you, leaving you an example,  that you should follow  in his steps.He did not commit sin,  and no deceit   was found in his mouth;   ,when he was insulted, he did not insult in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten but entrusted himself to the one who judges  justly.

Therefore, every one of you  , who judges is without excuse.  For when you judge another,  you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things.

‘Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love  for one another  and for everyone, just as we do for you.May he make your hearts blameless  in holiness  before our God and Father at the coming  of our Lord  Jesus with all his saints. Amen.

First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone,but with good works,  as is proper for women who profess to worship God.A woman is to learn quietly with full submission.I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; instead, she is to remain quiet.For Adam was formed first, then Eve.And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and transgressed.But she will be saved through childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and holiness,  with good sense.for kings and all those who are in authority,  so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness  and dignity.

For the   one who wants to love life and to see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit, and let him turn away   from evil and do what is good. Let him seek peace   and pursue it,

Anyone you forgive, I do too. For what I have forgiven #– #if I have forgiven anything #– #it is for your benefit in the presence of Christ,so that we may not be taken advantage  of by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his schemes.

I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven   over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who don’t need repentance.

‘And the King will answer them, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength,  and not to please ourselves.Again it says, Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people!   ,And again, Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; let all the peoples praise him!   , And again, Isaiah says, The root of Jesse   will appear, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; the Gentiles will hope in him.   , Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe,  so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. My brothers and sisters, I myself am convinced about you that you also are full of goodness,  filled with all knowledge,  and able to instruct one another.Nevertheless, I have written to remind you more boldly on some points  because of the grace given me by Godto be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles,  serving as a priest of the gospel of God.  God’s purpose is that the Gentiles may be an acceptable offering,  sanctified by the Holy Spirit.Therefore I have reason to boast in Christ Jesus  regarding what pertains to God.For I would not dare say anything except what Christ has accomplished through me  by word and deed for the obedience of the Gentiles,by the power of miraculous signs and wonders,  and by the power of God’s Spirit. As a result, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ from Jerusalem  all the way around to Illyricum.  ,Each one of us is to please his neighbour for his good, to build him up.

Finally  brothers and sisters, whatever is true,  whatever is honourable,  whatever is just,  whatever is pure,  whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable #– #if there is any moral excellence  and if there is anything praiseworthy #– #dwell on these things.

Let love be without hypocrisy.  Detest evil;  cling to what is good.

He answered, ‘Love the Lord your God   with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’   and ‘your neighbour as yourself.’   ,

Do everything in love.

So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.For I have given you an example,   that you also should do just as I have done for 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 in heaven.

In the same way, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. All of you clothe yourselves with  humility towards one another, because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.   , Humble  yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand  of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time,

Let brotherly love  continue.We have an altar from which those who worship at the tabernacle do not have a right to eat.For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the most holy place by the high priest  as a sin offering are burned outside the camp.Therefore, Jesus also suffered outside the gate,  so that he might sanctify  the people by his own blood.Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing his disgrace.For we do not have an enduring city here; instead, we seek the one to come.Therefore, through him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.Obey your leaders  and submit to them, since they keep watch  over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.Pray for us, for we are convinced that we have a clear conscience, wanting to conduct ourselves honourably in everything.And I urge you all the more to pray  that I may be restored to you very soon. Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it.

For the whole law is fulfilled  in one statement: Love your neighbour as yourself.   ,

Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God  and knows God.

Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice.  Become mature, be encouraged,  be of the same mind,  be at peace,  and the God of love  and peace will be with you.

Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction  or distress or persecution  or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?As it is written: Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.   , No, in all these things we are more than conquerors  through him who loved us.

Don’t say, ‘I will avenge this evil! ’ Wait on the Lord,  and he will rescue you.

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 one.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Don’t you know that your body is a temple  of the Holy Spirit  who is in you,  whom you have from God? You are not your own,Or don’t you know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the trivial cases?for you were bought  at a price. So glorify God with your body.

When it is in your power, don’t withhold good  from the one to whom it belongs.

Brothers and sisters, I do not  consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind  and reaching forward to what is ahead,I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly  call in Christ Jesus.

We know that all things work together  for the good  of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

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

For judgement is without mercy to the one who has not shown mercy.  Mercy triumphs over judgement.

‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup   away from me #– #nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.’

Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses  surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance  the race that lies before us,For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but he does it for our benefit, so that we can share his holiness.No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit  of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees,and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated  but healed instead. Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness   #– #without it no one will see the Lord.Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and defiling many.And make sure that there isn’t any immoral  or irreverent  person like Esau, who sold his birthright in exchange for a single meal.For you know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, even though he sought it with tears, because he didn’t find any opportunity for repentance. For you have not come to what could be touched, to a blazing fire, to darkness, gloom, and storm,to the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of words. Those who heard it begged that not another word be spoken to them,keeping our eyes on Jesus,  the pioneer and perfecter  of our faith. For the joy that lay before him,  he endured the cross, despising the shame,  and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.’

What should we say then?  Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply?For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God.So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin  and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey  its desires.And do not offer any parts  of it to sin  as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God,  and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness.For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law  but under grace. What then? Should we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?  Absolutely not!Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone  as obedient slaves,  you are slaves of that one you obey   #– #either of sin leading to death  or of obedience leading to righteousness?But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin,  you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were handed  over,and having been set free from sin,  you became enslaved to righteousness.I am using a human analogy  because of the weakness of your flesh.  For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification.Absolutely not!  How can we who died to sin  still live in it?

I am sure of this, that he who started a good work  in you  will carry it on to completion  until the day of Christ Jesus.

I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches  of his glory,  to be strengthened with power  in your inner being  through his Spirit,and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love,

Be perfect,   therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

‘Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers? ’‘The one who showed mercy  to him,’ he said. Then Jesus told him, ‘Go and do the same.’

He made the one who did not know sin  to be sin  for us,  so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

‘You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty?   It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. ‘You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden.

Indeed, we have all received grace  upon  grace from his fullness,

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.There is reserved for me the crown  of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge,  will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved his appearing.  ,

This is the confidence we have before him: If we ask  anything according to his will, he hears us.And if we know that he hears whatever we ask,  we know that we have what we have asked of him.

Since you have purified yourselves by your obedience to the truth,  so that you show sincere brotherly love for each other,  from a pure  heart love one another constantly,  ,

making every effort to keep the unity  of the Spirit  through the bond of peace.

But seek first the kingdom of God   , and his righteousness,   and all these things will be provided for you.

For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.

but in your hearts regard  Christ  the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.

Just then  some men  brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, ‘Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven.’

God is spirit,   and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth.’

so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work  and growing in the knowledge of God,

‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven   is theirs.

So faith comes from what is heard,  and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.  ,

We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the one who is born of God keeps him,  , and the evil one does not touch him.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light  in the Lord. Walk as children of light   #– #for the fruit of the light  consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth   #– #

And not only that,  but we also boast in our afflictions,  because we know that affliction produces endurance,endurance produces proven character,  and proven character produces hope.

Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God #– #who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly #– #and it will be given to him.

And my God  will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

‘Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.

You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight.

For all have sinned  and fall short of the  glory of God;

Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction.

Prayer