We live in a sinful world where we are tempted now and then.
And despite our grievances and pain, we are faced with the arduous task of forgiving.
Despite our reservations, there are no two ways about it.
God says you must forgive and let go.
In some cases, you may have to forgive grievous crimes.
It could be stealing, gossip, murder, lying, fornication, physical assault, or dishonesty.
The Bible encourages us to be like God.
We’ve all sinned against him. Yet, he forgives us when we repent.
I have compiled bible verses about forgiving others to inspire you today.
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Bible verse about forgiveness (Yourself & Others)
I have compiled powerful bible verses about forgiveness. Read, educate yourself, and be blessed
1. Matthew 6:14-15 on forgiving others for our 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.
2. 1 John 1:9 on asking God to forgive us
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
3. Luke 17:3-4 on rebuking and forgiving those that sinned against you
Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
4. Matthew 18:21-22 on forgiving your brothers sin always
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”. Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times
5. Matthew 18:35 – God will punish us if we fail to forgive others their sins
This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart
6. Matthew 6:12-13 – The Lord’s prayer teaches us to forgive others who hurt you
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
7. Acts 2:38 on the new era of forgiveness from God
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
8. James 5:15 on forgiveness brings healing
And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
9. Luke 23:34 on forgiveness amid suffering
And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.
10. Isaiah 55:7 we should eschew unrighteousness through forgiveness
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.
11. Acts 3:19
Repent, therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out
12. Isaiah 1:18
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
13. Matthew 18:15
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.
14. Leviticus 19:17
You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.
15. Psalm 32:5
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.
16. Ephesians 4:32
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
17. Mark 11:25
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.”
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Forgiveness bible verses explained.
1. Matthew 6:14-15 on forgiving others for our own 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.
God knows we cannot wholly trust anybody. He knows that our friend and brother will sin against us. He only wants us to keep our trust in him. God knows that our friends can disappoint us in times of need.
The psalmist David said
Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me. Psalm 41:9
Nevertheless, we must forgive. Forgiving others are the bedrock for our salvation. Before the coming of Jesus Christ, we lived in a world of sin and had no hope.
We were all born into sin by the sin of Adam. But God created a path for us to draw closer to him again by sending his beloved Son (Jesus Christ) to die for our sins.
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned. Romans 5:12
He forgave us for our sins and expects that we should forgive others too when they offend us.
We’ve all sinned in God’s eyes. Some have committed murder, fornication, adultery, idolatry, homosexuality, and bearing false witness.
But God still sent his Son to die for our sins. That is the attitude Christ is telling us to put on as his followers
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32
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.” Mark 11:25
2. 1 John 1:9 on asking God to forgive us
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
We live in a sinful world, and though we always strive to be perfect in Christ, we may fall into sin. This is because even in birth, we were born into sin. And therefore, we must continue to beg God when we go against his instructions.
If we sin, we must confess to him about whatever we have done. There is no unforgiveness with God. Instead, he will cleanse us from all sins we have committed and bring us back into his fold.
From the moment we forgive others, God will set us free. The Power of God can clear all unrighteousness and sin.
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. Psalm 32:5
3. Luke 17:3-4 on rebuking and forgiving those that sinned against you
Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
The purpose of Christ coming is to set us free. He understood that we would continue to be influenced by the world. Though we try to be faithful and truthful to his ways, unexpectedly, we may sin.
In some instances, you may not commit grievous sins like murder or adultery, but you may have anger issues. While it is not a sin to be angry, being hot-tempered and mad for a long time is sinful.
Jesus Christ is saying, our brethren and friends will sin against us. He knows that already. He wants us to be confident to tell them about what they have done. Then, should they repent, you have to let go of their offense against you.
It does not matter how many times they have committed the same offense. It does not matter whether they have committed more grievous crimes in the past. Christ is teaching us to forgive always.
You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. Leviticus 19:17
4. Matthew 18:21-22 on forgiving your brothers sin always
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”. Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times
This passage is inspiring and motivational, especially when we are so concerned about those who have repeatedly hurt us. We may begin to feel some of our friends and brother do not deserve forgiveness by constantly sinning against you.
This bible verse shows that you need to forgive them all the time. You want to obey God’s instructions, not yours. So, forgiving those that have wronged you will please God and enable him to forgive you too.
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. Matthew 18:15
5. Matthew 18: 23- 35 – God will punish us if we fail to forgive others their sins
This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart
Before this statement from Jesus Christ, he made a parable of the unmerciful servant. The servant owed his masters and could not pay his master his debts. This angered his master, who decided to punish him by selling him, his wife, children, and all he had to repay the debt he owed.
But the servant fell on his knees, begging his master for patience and time to repay all debts. So the master pitied and forgave him his debt.
Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. Matthew 18:27
However, having been forgiven and set free, he saw one of his own servants that owed him far less than he owed his master. Yet, he held him by the throat requesting payment. But, unfortunately, he did not show mercy on his servant and instead threw him into prison.
The Master’s Wrath
When his master heard what he had done, he became annoyed and unhappy. So he sent him to Jail until he repaid all that he owed him.
Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. Matthew 18:32-34
This parable by Jesus Christ reveals how unhappy our Father in heaven will be when we fail to forgive those that have sinned against us. We continue to sin every day against our creator. Yet, he forgives us for all we have done. If we, therefore, fail to forgive others, God will hold us accountable for our sins.
6. Matthew 6:9-13 – The Lord’s prayer teaches us to forgive others who hurt you
Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
Before Christ died, he showed us personally the ways to serve his Father. One of those ways is through prayer. In the Lord’s prayer, he reminded us to forgive those that have sinned against us. He knew we should forgive them because our Father will hold us answerable to our own sins if we do not.
Therefore, forgiveness is critical while serving God. If we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), then we will not inherit eternal life if God fails to forgive us of our sins.
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. Matthew 18:15
7. Acts 2:38 on the new era of forgiveness from God
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
On the day of Pentecost, the holy spirit fell on the disciple of Christ. They started speaking in an unknown language that surprised all that listened. They were marveled at God’s power, and they asked Peter what they would do to be on God’s side.
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Acts 2:37
Peter replied (verse 38) that they must repent and be forgiven. Repentance is essential when asking for forgiveness from God. You must change your ways and follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.
If you commit fornication, adultery, lie, or murder, you must stop these evil acts. Only then will God understand that you’ve realized your sins and forgive you.
It is pretty easy to get forgiveness from God if we choose to repent from our sinful ways and stick to righteousness wholeheartedly.
Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out Acts 3:19
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 Isaiah 1:18
8. James 5:15 on forgiveness brings healing
And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
James, an apostle of Jesus Christ, knew the powers of prayer and forgiveness. When we pray, we tell God to forgive us of our evil ways. We beg him to accept us back into his fold.
Through forgiveness, God can change your situation in a minute. So, James is saying, when we pray for the sick, they will be healed, and God will cleanse all sins he has committed.
Sin takes us away from God, while forgiveness brings us closer to him again. This means, when we pray to him, he hears our prayer and grants us our wish.
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 James 5:16
9. Luke 23:34 on forgiveness amid suffering
And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.
Even in persecution, he did not curse the Jews. Instead, he prayed for them and asked that they be forgiven for their sins. He knew he would die, yet while in severe pain and humiliation, he Begged his Father to show them mercy.
We should also learn from Christ. We have all been in situations where we are severely disappointed or hurt. Sometimes, we get so angry that we find it difficult to let go and forgive.
We must be true Christians and act like Christ. We must show mercy to those who have sinned against us. God will indeed favor us if we do so.
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, Matthew 5:44
10. Isaiah 55:7 we should eschew unrighteousness through forgiveness
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.
Through the prophet Isaiah, God is saying that we can all be forgiven of our sins. All we need is to repent from our evil and sinful ways. If we repent and pray to God, our sins will be forgiven.
11. Matt. 12:32 Bible verse about forgiveness after death
Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
In this life or the next, or even after death, there is no forgiveness in deliberate acts against the Holy Spirit. This is why we must be careful with what we say. This is because some of our actions and words have serious consequences.
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At The Faithful Christian Blog, I create authentic and inspiring content. Although I am the main author, I occasionally use AI for minor language enhancements. This minimal AI usage ensures high-quality, trustworthy articles without compromising originality or sincerity, ultimately supporting our shared faith journey.
Warmly,
Dr. Akatakpo Dunn
