Bible Verses About Forgiveness
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Forgiveness in the Bible runs in two directions, and Scripture ties them together tightly. 1 John 1:9 promises that confessed sin is forgiven. Then Matthew 6:14-15 turns and asks the same of you, and Ephesians 4:32 sets the measure: forgive as you were forgiven. Peter asks whether seven times is enough and is told seventy times seven. These are the verses people reach for when they need mercy, and the ones they avoid when they are the one being asked for it.
12 verses about forgiveness
- Ephesians 4:32
- “And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.”
- The measure is set: forgive as God forgave you, not as the offence deserves.
- Colossians 3:13
- “bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.”
- Forbearance first, then forgiveness. Two different jobs, named in order.
- Matthew 6:14-15
- ““For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
- The hardest verse on the list, and part of the Lord's Prayer rather than a footnote.
- 1 John 1:9
- “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
- Confession and cleansing, stated as reliable rather than as hoped for.
- Luke 6:37
- “Don’t judge, and you won’t be judged. Don’t condemn, and you won’t be condemned. Set free, and you will be set free.”
- Judgement, condemnation and forgiveness treated as things that return to you.
- Matthew 18:21-22
- “Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I don’t tell you until seven times, but, until seventy times seven.”
- Peter offers seven times. The answer removes the counter entirely.
- Mark 11:25
- “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions.”
- Forgiveness attached to prayer itself: settle it as you stand praying.
- Psalm 103:12
- “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
- As far as the east is from the west — a distance chosen because it never closes.
- Micah 7:18-19
- “Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity, and passes over the disobedience of the remnant of his heritage? He doesn’t retain his anger forever, because he delights in loving kindness. He will again have compassion on us. He will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”
- Sins cast into the depths of the sea, by a God described as delighting in mercy.
- Luke 23:34
- “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” Dividing his garments amongst them, they cast lots.”
- Forgiveness spoken from the cross, over the people carrying it out.
- Isaiah 43:25
- “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake; and I will not remember your sins.”
- God blots out transgressions and remembers them no more, for his own sake.
- Romans 12:19
- “Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.””
- Vengeance handed over. This is not the wrong being excused; it is the case being transferred.
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (British Edition) (Public Domain).
How to use these verses
Start with the verses about being forgiven before the verses about forgiving. Psalm 103:12 and Micah 7:18-19 use distance and depth as pictures, and they are worth sitting with when guilt keeps returning to something already confessed. Matthew 18:21-22 is the passage for a wrong that keeps happening rather than one that happened once. Romans 12:19 matters for a serious injury: it does not tell you the wrong was small, it tells you whose job the reckoning is.
A moment to reflect
Forgiveness is often confused with three things it is not: forgetting, excusing, and staying. Scripture does not ask you to pretend the wrong was small, and it does not ask you to hand the same person the same access. Romans 12:19 gives the wrong to God rather than deletes it. If you are carrying something serious, the honest first step is usually not a feeling of warmth toward the person. It is the decision to stop being the one who collects the debt.
A verse worth keeping, each day
One short note — a verse, a line of context, and nothing else. Start where Ephesians 4:32 starts.
Frequently asked
What does the Bible say about forgiving others?
Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 3:13 both set the same measure: forgive others as God has forgiven you. Matthew 6:14-15 makes the link explicit inside the Lord's Prayer.
How many times does the Bible say to forgive?
In Matthew 18:21-22 Peter suggests seven times, and Jesus answers seventy times seven. The number is not a limit to reach but a way of saying that counting is the wrong instinct.
Does forgiving someone mean trusting them again?
Scripture does not equate the two. Forgiveness releases the debt, as Romans 12:19 describes, while trust is rebuilt over time through changed behaviour. The Bible speaks often of forgiveness and just as often of wisdom about company.