Forgiveness is a central theme in the Bible. It is mentioned over 80 times in the New Testament alone, and it is one of the most important messages that Jesus taught. Forgiveness is about letting go of anger, bitterness, and resentment. It is about choosing to love and to be merciful, even to those who have hurt us.
The Pentateuch (4 Times)
The Pentateuch, or the first five books of the Bible, is full of verses about forgiveness. In Exodus 34:7, God tells Moses that he is “keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” This verse shows that God is a merciful and forgiving God, who is willing to forgive even the most serious of sins.
- Exodus 34:7: “Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”
- Numbers 14:19: “I have pardoned according to thy word; but surely as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.”
- 1 Kings 8:34: “And forgive our sin, for we have sinned against thee; and give unto thy servants, who trust in thy name, grace, mercy, and favour, according to thy great goodness.”
- 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
The verses in the Pentateuch about forgiveness show that God is a merciful and forgiving God who is willing to forgive even the most serious of sins. These verses also show that forgiveness is conditional on repentance and turning away from sin.
Psalms (25 Times)
The Psalms are full of verses about forgiveness. These verses show that God is a merciful and forgiving God who is willing to forgive even the most serious of sins.
Some of the most famous verses about forgiveness in the Psalms include:
- Psalm 25:18: “The LORD is gracious and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.”
- Psalm 32:5: “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.”
- Psalm 34:18: “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”
- Psalm 51:1: “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.”
- Psalm 51:7: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
- Psalm 51:14: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
- Psalm 65:3: “Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.”
- Psalm 69:13: “For my iniquities are gone over my head: as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.”
- Psalm 79:9: “O remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low.”
- Psalm 85:2: “Thou wilt cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”
- Psalm 103:12: “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
- Psalm 103:32: “As a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.”
- Psalm 106:23: “For he remembered his holy covenant, and the words which he had spoken unto his servants, the prophets.”
- Psalm 107:1: “O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”
- Psalm 107:2: “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.”
- Psalm 107:11: “For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.”
- Psalm 107:13: “He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.”
- Psalm 107:14: “He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”
- Psalm 119:64: “I have not forgotten thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me.”
- Psalm 119:71: “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.”
- Psalm 126:1: “When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.”
- Psalm 130:4: “I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.”
- Psalm 130:7: “But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.”
- Psalm 130:8: “I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.”
These verses show that God is willing to forgive our sins when we repent and turn to him. They also show that forgiveness is a gift from God, and that we should be grateful for his mercy.
The Psalms are a powerful source of hope and comfort for those who are struggling with the pain of sin and the burden of guilt. They remind us that God is a forgiving God who is willing to cleanse us from our sin and give us a new start.
Proverbs (2 Times)
The book of Proverbs is full of wisdom about how to live a good and godly life. It also contains some verses about forgiveness.
- Proverbs 19:11: “The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.”
- Proverbs 28:13: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
The verses in Proverbs about forgiveness show us that forgiveness is a powerful force for good. When we forgive someone, we are not only showing them mercy, but we are also setting ourselves free from the burden of anger and bitterness. Forgiveness is a gift from God, and it is something that we should all strive to practice in our lives.
Ecclesiastes (1 Time)
For example, in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, the author writes about the different seasons of life, and how we should embrace each one. He says, “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: … a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; … a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.”
Isaiah (5 Times)
The book of Isaiah is a prophetic book that contains many messages about God’s judgment and redemption. It also contains some verses about forgiveness.
- Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
- Isaiah 43:25: “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.”
- Isaiah 55:7: “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”
- **Isaiah 59:2: “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”
- Isaiah 64:8: “But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.”
These verses all speak to the importance of forgiveness in our relationship with God. They remind us that God is willing to forgive us for our sins, no matter how great they may be. They also remind us that we need to be willing to forgive others, if we want to be forgiven by God.
The verses in Isaiah also suggest that forgiveness is not just about letting go of our anger or bitterness. It is also about a change of heart. When we forgive someone, we are essentially saying that we no longer believe that they are our enemy. We are also saying that we are willing to give them another chance.
Daniel (1 Time)
The book of Daniel is a prophetic book that tells the story of Daniel and his friends who were taken captive to Babylon. The book also contains some verses about forgiveness.
- Daniel 9:9: “O Lord, the great and dreadful God, who keepest covenant and mercy with them that love him, and with them that keep his commandments;”
This verse is part of a larger passage in Daniel where he is praying for the forgiveness of the people of Israel. He is asking God to forgive their sins and to restore them to their former glory.
Hosea (5 Times)
The book of Hosea is a prophetic book that tells the story of Hosea’s marriage to Gomer, a prostitute. The book uses this marriage as an analogy for God’s relationship with Israel.
- Hosea 1:2: “And the LORD said unto me, Go again, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine.”
- Hosea 2:14: “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly unto her. 15 And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.”
- Hosea 6:1-3: “Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. 2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. 3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the latter rain, that watereth the earth.”
- Hosea 14:2: “Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.”
- Hosea 14:4: “Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.”
These verses all speak to the importance of forgiveness in the relationship between God and his people. They remind us that God is willing to forgive us for our sins, no matter how great they may be. They also remind us that we need to be willing to forgive others, if we want to be forgiven by God.
Joel (4 Times)
The book of Joel is a prophetic book that speaks about the coming Day of the Lord. The book also contains some verses about forgiveness.
- Joel 2:12-13: “Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.”
- Joel 2:14: “Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God?”
- Joel 2:17-18: “So return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.”
- Joel 3:21: “But I will spare them, as a shepherd spares his flock when he finds one of his sheep straying from the flock. I will return and have compassion on them, as a shepherd has compassion on his flock.”
The verses in Joel also suggest that forgiveness is not just about letting go of our anger or bitterness. It is also about a change of heart. When we forgive someone, we are essentially saying that we no longer believe that they are our enemy. We are also saying that we are willing to give them another chance.
Malachi (4 Times)
The book of Malachi is the last book in the Old Testament. It is a prophetic book that speaks about the coming of the Messiah. The book also contains some verses about forgiveness.
- Malachi 2:16: “For the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I hate divorce, and I hate the man who covers his garment with violence. So take heed to yourselves and do not be faithless.”
- Malachi 3:6: “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.”
- Malachi 3:16-17: “Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another, and the LORD listened and heard them. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name. They will be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.”
- Malachi 4:6: “And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a curse.”
Forgiveness is not always easy, but it is always worth it. When we forgive, we free ourselves from the burden of anger and bitterness. We also open ourselves up to the possibility of healing and reconciliation.
The New Testament (80 Times)
The New Testament is full of verses about forgiveness. Jesus himself taught extensively about forgiveness, and his followers have continued to teach about it ever since.
Some of the most famous verses about forgiveness in the New Testament include:
- Matthew 6:12: “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
- Matthew 18:21-22: “Then Peter came to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.’”
- Matthew 26:28: “For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
- Mark 11:25-26: “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”
- Luke 6:37: “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
- Luke 11:4: “And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.”
- Luke 17:3-4: “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
- Luke 23:34: “Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’”
- John 20:23: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
- Acts 2:38: “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.’”
- Acts 7:60: “And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’”
- Acts 10:43: “To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
- Romans 3:25: “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished.”
- Romans 4:7: “Just as David also speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.’”
- Romans 5:11: “But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man’s trespass, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound for the many.”
- Romans 6:14, 15: “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!”
- Romans 8:1, 2: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”
- 1 Corinthians 1:30: “But by his grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is the gift of God.”
- 1 Corinthians 5:11: “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a person.”
- 1 Corinthians 6:11: “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
- 2 Corinthians 2:10: “For whoever forgives anyone, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ.”
- Ephesians 1:7: “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.”
- Ephesians 4:32: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
- Ephesians 5:3, 25-27: “But fornication and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
- Philippians 3:13: “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
- Colossians 1:14: “In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
- Colossians 3:13: “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
- 1 Thessalonians 4:9: “But concerning brotherly love, you have no need for me to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.”
- 2 Timothy 1:9: “Who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.”
- 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
- 1 John 2:12: “I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.”
- 1 John 4:19: “We love because he first loved us.”
- 1 John 5:16: “If anyone sees his brother sinning, a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those who sin not in order to die, but whose sin leads to spiritual life.”
- Jude 24: “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,”
- 2 Corinthians 5:19: “In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”
These verses show us that forgiveness is a central theme in the New Testament. Jesus taught that forgiveness is essential for our relationship with God, and that we should forgive others as we have been forgiven.
The New Testament also teaches that forgiveness is not always easy. It can be difficult to forgive those who have hurt us, but it is important to do so in order to experience the peace and freedom that forgiveness brings.
The verses in the New Testament about forgiveness show us that forgiveness is a gift from God. It is something that we cannot earn, but that we can receive by faith in Jesus Christ. When we forgive others, we are following the example of Jesus and we are showing the love of God to the world.
Conclusion
Forgiveness is not always easy, but it is always worth it. When we forgive, we free ourselves from the burden of anger and bitterness. We also open ourselves up to the possibility of healing and reconciliation. If you are struggling to forgive someone, I encourage you to read the verses in the Bible that talk about forgiveness. Let these verses speak to your heart and help you to find the strength to forgive.