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 say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,bless those who curse you, pray for those who are abusive to you.

“But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”

For if you forgive other people for their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.But if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your offenses.

Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also.

[But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”] And they cast lots, dividing His garments among themselves.

Then Peter came up and said to Him, “Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me and I still forgive him? Up to seven times?”Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven times.

Never repay evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all people.If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people.

not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you would inherit a blessing.

¶Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not 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 is merciful.

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

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

If someone says, “I love God,” and yet he hates his brother or sister, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.

But love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil people.

I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another.By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.”

Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant.It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered,it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;as you try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.Do not participate in the useless deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.”So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise,making the most of your 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, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord;and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written: “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our wrongdoings from us.

Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.

Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all offenses.

All bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice.Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’But I say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and 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. A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish much.

Pursue peace with all people, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;

One who conceals an offense seeks love, But one who repeats a matter separates close friends.

Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.On that day, the one who will be on the housetop, with his goods in the house, must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one in the field must not turn back.Remember Lot’s wife.Whoever strives to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will keep it.I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left.There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left.[Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.”]And responding, they *said to Him, “Where, Lord?” And He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered.”And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us, for the glory of God.

And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you for your offenses.

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience;bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also.

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

A person’s discretion makes him slow to anger, And it is his glory to overlook an offense.

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor,

“Do not judge, so that you will not be judged.Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?So if you, despite being 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! “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets. “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they?So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.A good tree cannot bear bad 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 in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.

For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all who call upon You.

See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek what is good for one another and for all people.

We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters.

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law.

Treat people the same way you want them to treat you.

When a person’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He causes even his enemies to make peace with him.

Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus.

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

Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’

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

Cease from anger and abandon wrath; Do not get upset; it leads only to evildoing.

and while being abusively insulted, He did not insult in return; while suffering, He did not threaten, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Turn from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.

Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their wrongdoings against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

“And their sins and their lawless deeds I will no longer remember.”

My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”

The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, skillful in teaching, patient when wronged,with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.

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

When they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

“He must turn away from evil and do good; He must seek peace and pursue it.

A fool’s anger is known at once, But a prudent person conceals dishonor.

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

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves;

and we labor, working with our own hands; when we are verbally abused, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;

¶The Lord is gracious and compassionate; Slow to anger and great in mercy.

The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

But as for you, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or you as well, why do you regard your brother or sister with contempt? For we will all appear before the judgment seat of God.

“For I will be merciful toward their wrongdoings, And their sins I will no longer remember.”

Brothers and sisters, even if a person is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you are not tempted as well.

Now go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, rather than sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

A merciful person does himself good, But the cruel person does himself harm.

but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ,

But now you also, rid yourselves of all of them: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene speech from your mouth.

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil person out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.

“Blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth.

One who pursues righteousness and loyalty Finds life, righteousness, and honor.

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.

So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.

You know this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Now everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials,for a man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness of God.

Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace

For you have been called for this purpose, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you would follow in His steps,He who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth;and while being abusively insulted, He did not insult in return; while suffering, He did not threaten, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;

Therefore you have no excuse, you foolish person, everyone of you who passes judgment; for in that matter in which you judge someone else, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be as wary as serpents, and as innocent as doves.

and may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you;so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.

First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made in behalf of all people,but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness.But I do not allow a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve.And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a wrongdoer.But women will be preserved through childbirth—if they continue in faith, love, and sanctity, with moderation.for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

For, “The one who desires life, to love and see good days, Must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.“He must turn away from evil and do good; He must seek peace and pursue it.

But one whom you forgive anything, I also forgive; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did so for your sakes in the presence of Christ,so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.

And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’

Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not just please ourselves.Again he says, “Rejoice, you Gentiles, with His people.”And again, “Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, And let all the peoples praise Him.”Again Isaiah says, “There shall come the root of Jesse, And He who arises to rule over the Gentiles, In Him will the Gentiles hope.”Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.And concerning you, my brothers and sisters, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.But I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again, because of the grace that was given to me from God,to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to God.For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed,in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and all around as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Love must be free of hypocrisy. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good.

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.”

All that you do must be done in love.

So if I, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.For I gave you an example, so that you also would do just as I did for you.

Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God is opposed to the proud, but He gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time,

Let love of the brothers and sisters continue.We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the Holy Place by the high priest as an offering for sin are burned outside the camp.Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood.So then, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.Through Him then, let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips praising His name.And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.Obey your leaders and submit to them—for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account—so that they may do this with joy, not groaning; for this would be unhelpful for you. Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.And I urge you all the more to do this, so that I may be restored to you more quickly.Do not neglect hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.

For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Beloved, let’s love one another; for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice, mend your ways, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or trouble, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?Just as it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We were regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

Do not say, “I will repay evil”; Wait for the Lord, and He will save you.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;

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

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to form the smallest law courts?For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

¶Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it.

Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

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

For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”

Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us,For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble,and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is impaired may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.Pursue peace with all people, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;that there be no sexually immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.For you know that even afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind,and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words, which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them.looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all time; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.So you too, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.Therefore sin is not to reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,and do not go on presenting the parts of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead, and your body’s parts as instruments of righteousness for God.For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under the Law but under grace. What then? Are we to sin because we are not under the Law but under grace? Far from it!Do you not know that the one to whom you present yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of that same one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were entrusted,and after being freed from sin, you became slaves to righteousness.I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented the parts of your body as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your body’s parts as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. Far from it! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.

that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self,so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

Therefore you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?”And he said, “The one who showed compassion to him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by people. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;

For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;in the future there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

The Lord is my shepherd, I will not be in need.He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For the sake of His name.

Since you have purified your souls in obedience to the truth for a sincere love of the brothers and sisters, fervently love one another from the heart,

being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.

for it is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure.

but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect;

And they brought to Him a paralyzed man lying on a stretcher. And seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man who was paralyzed, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.”

God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

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

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

We know that no one who has been born of God sins; but He who was 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 in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),

And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, 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 you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful.

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

“The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.In all your ways acknowledge 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, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Prayer