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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 who are listening, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you,bless those who curse you, pray for those who are cruel to you.
But you should do this: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. Doing this will be like pouring burning coals on his head.”
Yes, if you forgive others for their sins, your Father in heaven will also forgive you for your sins.But if you don’t forgive others, your Father in heaven will not forgive your sins.
Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ.
Bear with each other, and forgive each other. If someone does wrong to you, forgive that person because the Lord forgave you.
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they don’t know what they are doing.” The soldiers threw lots to decide who would get his clothes.
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, when my fellow believer sins against 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 forgive him even if he wrongs you seventy times seven.
If someone does wrong to you, do not pay him back by doing wrong to him. Try to do what everyone thinks is right.Do your best to live in peace with everyone.
Do not do wrong to repay a wrong, and do not insult to repay an insult. But repay with a blessing, because you yourselves were called to do this so that you might receive a blessing.
If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink.Doing this will be like pouring burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.
But God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners.
If people say, “I love God,” but hate their brothers or sisters, they are liars. Those who do not love their brothers and sisters, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have never seen.And God gave us this command: Those who love God must also love their brothers and sisters.
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without hoping to get anything back. Then you will have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God, because he is kind even to people who are ungrateful and full of sin.
“I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other as I have loved you.All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other.”
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud.Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done.Love takes no pleasure in evil but rejoices over the truth.Love patiently accepts all things. It always trusts, always hopes, and always endures.
You are God’s children whom he loves, so try to be like him.Try to learn what pleases the Lord.Have nothing to do with the things done in darkness, which are not worth anything. But show that they are wrong.It is shameful even to talk about what those people do in secret.But the light makes all things easy to see,and everything that is made easy to see can become light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper! Rise from death, and Christ will shine on you.”So be very careful how you live. Do not live like those who are not wise, but live wisely.Use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times.So do not be foolish but learn what the Lord wants you to do.Do not be drunk with wine, which will ruin you, but be filled with the Spirit.Speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord.Live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave himself for us as a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice to God.
My friends, do not try to punish others when they wrong you, but wait for God to punish them with his anger. It is written: “I will punish those who do wrong; I will repay them,” says the Lord.
Most importantly, love each other deeply, because love will cause people to forgive each other for many sins.
Do not be bitter or angry or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Never do anything evil.Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God 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 stand up against an evil person. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other cheek also.
But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done.
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so God can heal you. When a believing person prays, great things happen.
Try to live in peace with all people, and try to live free from sin. Anyone whose life is not holy will never see the Lord.Be careful that no one fails to receive God’s grace and begins to cause trouble among you. A person like that can ruin many of you.
Whoever forgives someone’s sin makes a friend, but gossiping about the sin breaks up friendships.
So be careful! “If another follower sins, warn him, and if he is sorry and stops sinning, forgive him.This is how it will be when the Son of Man comes again.“On that day, a person who is on the roof and whose belongings are in the house should not go inside to get them. A person who is in the field should not go back home.Remember Lot’s wife.Those who try to keep their lives will lose them. But those who give up their lives will save them.I tell you, on that night two people will be sleeping in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left.There will be two women grinding grain together; one will be taken, and the other will be left. [Two people will be in the field. One will be taken, and the other will be left.]”The followers asked Jesus, “Where will this be, Lord?” Jesus answered, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”If he sins against you seven times in one day and says that he is sorry each time, forgive him.”
When you are praying, if you are angry with someone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven will also forgive your sins. [
God has chosen you and made you his holy people. He loves you. So you should always clothe yourselves with mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.Bear with each other, and forgive each other. If someone does wrong to you, forgive that person because the Lord forgave you.
Love each other like brothers and sisters. Give each other more honor than you want for yourselves.
“Don’t judge others, or you will be judged.Or if your children ask for a fish, would you give them a snake?Even though you are bad, you know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask him!“Do to others what you want them to do to you. This is the meaning of the law of Moses and the teaching of the prophets.“Enter through the narrow gate. The gate is wide and the road is wide that leads to hell, and many people enter through that gate.But the gate is small and the road is narrow that leads to true life. Only a few people find that road.“Be careful of false prophets. They come to you looking gentle like sheep, but they are really dangerous like wolves.You will know these people by what they do. Grapes don’t come from thornbushes, and figs don’t come from thorny weeds.In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit.A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit.Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.You will be judged in the same way that you judge others, and the amount you give to others will be given to you.
Be sure that no one pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to do what is good for each other and for all people.
This is how we know what real love is: Jesus gave his life for us. So we should give our lives for our brothers and sisters.
When people live so that they please the Lord, even their enemies will make peace with them.
A gentle answer will calm a person’s anger, but an unkind answer will cause more anger.
People insulted Christ, but he did not insult them in return. Christ suffered, but he did not threaten. He let God, the One who judges rightly, take care of him.
Our fight is not against people on earth but against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness, against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly world.
All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between us and himself, and God gave us the work of telling everyone about the peace we can have with him.God was in Christ, making peace between the world and himself. In Christ, God did not hold the world guilty of its sins. And he gave us this message of peace.
But God’s mercy is great, and he loved us very much.Though we were spiritually dead because of the things we did against God, he gave us new life with Christ. You have been saved by God’s grace.
“This king did what my heavenly Father will do to you if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, a good teacher, and patient.The Lord’s servant must gently teach those who disagree. Then maybe God will let them change their minds so they can accept the truth.
“Don’t judge others, and you will not be judged. Don’t accuse others of being guilty, and you will not be accused of being guilty. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
While we were God’s enemies, he made us his friends through the death of his Son. Surely, now that we are his friends, he will save us through his Son’s life.
When they continued to ask Jesus their question, he raised up and said, “Anyone here who has never sinned can throw the first stone at her.”
When you do things, do not let selfishness or pride be your guide. Instead, be humble and give more honor to others than to yourselves.
We work hard with our own hands for our food. When people curse us, we bless them. When they hurt us, we put up with it.
So why do you judge your brothers or sisters in Christ? And why do you think you are better than they are? We will all stand before God to be judged,
I will forgive them for the wicked things they did, and I will not remember their sins anymore.”
Brothers and sisters, if someone in your group does something wrong, you who are spiritual should go to that person and gently help make him right again. But be careful, because you might be tempted to sin, too.
Go and learn what this means: ‘I want kindness more than I want animal sacrifices.’ I did not come to invite good people but to invite sinners.”
No! Speaking the truth with love, we will grow up in every way into Christ, who is the head.
But now also put these things out of your life: anger, bad temper, doing or saying things to hurt others, and using evil words when you talk.
Good people bring good things out of the good they stored in their hearts. But evil people bring evil things out of the evil they stored in their hearts. People speak the things that are in their hearts.
The Lord is not slow in doing what he promised—the way some people understand slowness. But God is being patient with you. He does not want anyone to be lost, but he wants all people to change their hearts and lives.
My dear brothers and sisters, always be willing to listen and slow to speak. Do not become angry easily,My brothers and sisters, when you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy,because anger will not help you live the right kind of life God wants.
In Christ we are set free by the blood of his death, and so we have forgiveness of sins. How rich is God’s grace,
This is what you were called to do, because Christ suffered for you and gave you an example to follow. So you should do as he did.“He had never sinned, and he had never lied.”People insulted Christ, but he did not insult them in return. Christ suffered, but he did not threaten. He let God, the One who judges rightly, take care of him.
If you think you can judge others, you are wrong. When you judge them, you are really judging yourself guilty, because you do the same things they do.
“Listen, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as clever as snakes and as innocent as doves.
May the Lord make your love grow more and multiply for each other and for all people so that you will love others as we love you.May your hearts be made strong so that you will be holy and without fault before our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
First, I tell you to pray for all people, asking God for what they need and being thankful to him.Instead, they should do good deeds, which is right for women who say they worship God.Let a woman learn by listening quietly and being ready to cooperate in everything.But I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to listen quietly,because Adam was formed first and then Eve.And Adam was not tricked, but the woman was tricked and became a sinner.But she will be saved through having children if she continues in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.Pray for rulers and for all who have authority so that we can have quiet and peaceful lives full of worship and respect for God.
The Scripture says, “A person must do these things to enjoy life and have many happy days. He must not say evil things, and he must not tell lies.He must stop doing evil and do good. He must look for peace and work for it.
If you forgive someone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven—if I had anything to forgive—I forgave it for you, as if Christ were with me.I did this so that Satan would not win anything from us, because we know very well what Satan’s plans are.
In the same way, I tell you there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who changes his heart and life, than over ninety-nine good people who don’t need to change.
“Then the King will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, anything you did for even the least of my people here, you also did for me.’
We who are strong in faith should help the weak with their weaknesses, and not please only ourselves.The Scripture also says, “Be happy, you who are not Jews, together with his people.”Again the Scripture says, “All you who are not Jews, praise the Lord. All you people, sing praises to him.”And Isaiah says, “A new king will come from the family of Jesse. He will come to rule over the non-Jewish people, and they will have hope because of him.”I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace while you trust in him. Then your hope will overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit.My brothers and sisters, I am sure that you are full of goodness. I know that you have all the knowledge you need and that you are able to teach each other.But I have written to you very openly about some things I wanted you to remember. I did this because God gave me this special gift:to be a minister of Christ Jesus to those who are not Jews. I served God by teaching his Good News, so that the non-Jewish people could be an offering that God would accept—an offering made holy by the Holy Spirit.So I am proud of what I have done for God in Christ Jesus.I will not talk about anything except what Christ has done through me in leading those who are not Jews to obey God. They have obeyed God because of what I have said and done,because of the power of miracles and the great things they saw, and because of the power of the Holy Spirit. I preached the Good News from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, and so I have finished that part of my work.Let each of us please our neighbors for their good, to help them be stronger in faith.
Brothers and sisters, 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.
The man answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.” Also, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash each other’s feet.I did this as an example so that you should do as I have done for you.
In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and will praise your Father in heaven.
In the same way, younger people should be willing to be under older people. And all of you should be very humble with each other. “God is against the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.”Be humble under God’s powerful hand so he will lift you up when the right time comes.
Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters.We have a sacrifice, but the priests who serve in the Holy Tent cannot eat from it.The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place where he offers this blood for sins. But the bodies of the animals are burned outside the camp.So Jesus also suffered outside the city to make his people holy with his own blood.So let us go to Jesus outside the camp, holding on as he did when we are abused.Here on earth we do not have a city that lasts forever, but we are looking for the city that we will have in the future.So through Jesus let us always offer to God our sacrifice of praise, coming from lips that speak his name.Do not forget to do good to others, and share with them, because such sacrifices please God.Obey your leaders and act under their authority. They are watching over you, because they are responsible for your souls. Obey them so that they will do this work with joy, not sadness. It will not help you to make their work hard.Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience, because we always want to do the right thing.I especially beg you to pray so that God will send me back to you soon.Remember to welcome strangers, because some who have done this have welcomed angels without knowing it.
The whole law is made complete in this one command: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
Dear friends, we should love each other, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has become God’s child and knows God.
Now, brothers and sisters, I say good-bye. Live in harmony. Do what I have asked you to do. Agree with each other, and live in peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.
Can anything separate us from the love Christ has for us? Can troubles or problems or sufferings or hunger or nakedness or danger or violent death?As it is written in the Scriptures: “For you we are in danger of death all the time. People think we are worth no more than sheep to be killed.”But in all these things we are completely victorious through God who showed his love for us.
Don’t say, “I’ll pay you back for the wrong you did.” Wait for the Lord, and he will make things right.
My dear children, I write this letter to you so you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a helper in the presence of the Father—Jesus Christ, the One who does what is right.
You should know that your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit who is in you. You have received the Holy Spirit from God. So you do not belong to yourselves,Surely you know that God’s people will judge the world. So if you are to judge the world, are you not able to judge small cases as well?because you were bought by God for a price. So honor God with your bodies.
Brothers and sisters, I know that I have not yet reached that goal, but there is one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead,I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ to the life above.
We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him. They are the people he called, because that was his plan.
I was put to death on the cross with Christ, and I do not live anymore—it is Christ who lives in me. I still live in my body, but I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself to save me.
So you must show mercy to others, or God will not show mercy to you when he judges you. But the person who shows mercy can stand without fear at the judgment.
“Father, if you are willing, take away this cup of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want.”
We are surrounded by a great cloud of people whose lives tell us what faith means. So let us run the race that is before us and never give up. We should remove from our lives anything that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds us back.Our fathers on earth disciplined us for a short time in the way they thought was best. But God disciplines us to help us, so we can become holy as he is.We do not enjoy being disciplined. It is painful at the time, but later, after we have learned from it, we have peace, because we start living in the right way.You have become weak, so make yourselves strong again.Keep on the right path, so the weak will not stumble but rather be strengthened.Try to live in peace with all people, and try to live free from sin. Anyone whose life is not holy will never see the Lord.Be careful that no one fails to receive God’s grace and begins to cause trouble among you. A person like that can ruin many of you.Be careful that no one takes part in sexual sin or is like Esau and never thinks about God. As the oldest son, Esau would have received everything from his father, but he sold all that for a single meal.You remember that after Esau did this, he wanted to get his father’s blessing, but his father refused. Esau could find no way to change what he had done, even though he wanted the blessing so much that he cried.You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire. You have not come to darkness, sadness, and storms.You have not come to the noise of a trumpet or to the sound of a voice like the one the people of Israel heard and begged not to hear another word.Let us look only to Jesus, the One who began our faith and who makes it perfect. He suffered death on the cross. But he accepted the shame as if it were nothing because of the joy that God put before him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne.
So do you think we should continue sinning so that God will give us even more grace?Yes, when Christ died, he died to defeat the power of sin one time—enough for all time. He now has a new life, and his new life is with God.In the same way, you should see yourselves as being dead to the power of sin and alive with God through Christ Jesus.So, do not let sin control your life here on earth so that you do what your sinful self wants to do.Do not offer the parts of your body to serve sin, as things to be used in doing evil. Instead, offer yourselves to God as people who have died and now live. Offer the parts of your body to God to be used in doing good.Sin will not be your master, because you are not under law but under God’s grace.So what should we do? Should we sin because we are under grace and not under law? No!Surely you know that when you give yourselves like slaves to obey someone, then you are really slaves of that person. The person you obey is your master. You can follow sin, which brings spiritual death, or you can obey God, which makes you right with him.In the past you were slaves to sin—sin controlled you. But thank God, you fully obeyed the things that you were taught.You were made free from sin, and now you are slaves to goodness.I use this example because this is hard for you to understand. In the past you offered the parts of your body to be slaves to sin and evil; you lived only for evil. In the same way now you must give yourselves to be slaves of goodness. Then you will live only for God.No! We died to our old sinful lives, so how can we continue living with sin?
God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure he will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again.
I ask the Father in his great glory to give you the power to be strong inwardly through his Spirit.I pray that Christ will live in your hearts by faith and that your life will be strong in love and be built on love.
Then Jesus said, “Which one of these three men do you think was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by the robbers?”The expert on the law answered, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Then go and do what he did.”
Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Christ we could become right with God.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its salty taste, it cannot be made salty again. It is good for nothing, except to be thrown out and walked on.“You are the light that gives light to the world. A city that is built on a hill cannot be hidden.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.Now, a crown is being held for me—a crown for being right with God. The Lord, the judge who judges rightly, will give the crown to me on that day—not only to me but to all those who have waited with love for him to come again.
And this is the boldness we have in God’s presence: that if we ask God for anything that agrees with what he wants, he hears us.If we know he hears us every time we ask him, we know we have what we ask from him.
The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need.He lets me rest in green pastures. He leads me to calm water.He gives me new strength. He leads me on paths that are right for the good of his name.
Now that your obedience to the truth has purified your souls, you can have true love for your Christian brothers and sisters. So love each other deeply with all your heart.
You are joined together with peace through the Spirit, so make every effort to continue together in this way.
Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well.
because God is working in you to help you want to do and be able to do what pleases him.
But respect Christ as the holy Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to answer everyone who asks you to explain about the hope you have,
Some people brought to Jesus a man who was paralyzed and lying on a mat. When Jesus saw the faith of these people, he said to the paralyzed man, “Be encouraged, young man. Your sins are forgiven.”
so that you will live the kind of life that honors and pleases the Lord in every way. You will produce fruit in every good work and grow in the knowledge of God.
“They are blessed who realize their spiritual poverty, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
So faith comes from hearing the Good News, and people hear the Good News when someone tells them about Christ.
We know that those who are God’s children do not continue to sin. The Son of God keeps them safe, and the Evil One cannot touch them.
In the past you were full of darkness, but now you are full of light in the Lord. So live like children who belong to the light.Light brings every kind of goodness, right living, and truth.
We also have joy with our troubles, because we know that these troubles produce patience.And patience produces character, and character produces hope.
But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He is generous to everyone and will give you wisdom without criticizing you.
My God will use his wonderful riches in Christ Jesus to give you everything you need.
“I leave you peace; my peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world does. So don’t let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and he saves those whose spirits have been crushed.
Trust the Lord with all your heart, and don’t depend on your own understanding.Remember the Lord in all you do, and he will give you success.
I beg you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that all of you agree with each other and not be split into groups. I beg that you be completely joined together by having the same kind of thinking and the same purpose.