What the Bible Has to Say About Forgiveness
This content may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. Learn more at the bottom of this page or read my full disclosure policy.
If someone were to ask us what the Bible says about forgiving others most of us would likely find ourselves reiterating Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:14-15.
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
For the person who has been hurt, that is hard instruction to swallow. That could be for a number of reasons. Sometimes the hurt just seems too big to let go of. Some people equate forgiveness to weakness while others see it as passive and unhealthy in terms of boundaries.
To be honest, I have been each one of those people at one point or another in my life. Forgiveness no matter what side of the equation you’re on is hard. I wouldn’t doubt that’s why Jesus made sure to teach and emphasize the importance of forgiveness in the Bible.
To put it simply, it matters. This blog post is all about the importance of forgiveness even when it’s hard.
Together, let’s explore scripture to discover why.
What Is Forgiveness and Why Is It Important?
I’ve sat through many teachings on forgiveness. I can point you to a lot of Bible verses about forgiving others, but if I’m honest with myself, it wasn’t those verses that taught me the value of forgiving.
I learned about the importance of forgiving by receiving unmerited forgiveness.
Forgiveness is the foundation of gospel-centered love. We can not love like Christ without forgiveness being active in our lives. Because of what Christ accomplished on the cross, you and I are forever on the receiving end of forgiveness. If God’s grace were ever to expire, and the gift of His forgiveness be revoked, we would left without hope, always striving to earn what we do not deserve, always falling short, never experiencing the fullness of life in Christ.
Forgiveness is as essential for us as it is for our neighbors. Our redemption doesn’t happen and love can not be expressed without forgiveness (see Ephesians 1:7-8).
Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.
Proverbs 17:9
That is exactly what happened when Jesus died on the cross and rose again; prospered. Our sins were forgiven.
When we withhold forgiveness, it not only separates us from others, it separates us from the Lord. So long as sin exists, we will have a two-fold relationship with forgiveness. We will either be receiving it or giving it.
It’s been said three types of forgiveness: exoneration, forbearance, and release. Whether or not these terms coincide with scripture isn’t 100% clear to me. That being said, there is still much we can determine about forgiveness from the pages of the Bible. That’s where our focus will be for this post.
So long as sin exists, we will have a two-fold relationship with forgiveness. We will either be receiving it or giving it. Share on XWhat Is The True Meaning of Forgiveness
To help you grasp the depth and meaning of forgiveness I thought I’d share some forgiveness Bible verses that describe what it looks like when God forgives us.
As far as the east is from the west so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:12I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake and remembers your sin no more.
Isaiah 43:25…Their sin and lawless acts I will remember no more.
Hebrews 10:17If you, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that you may be feared.
>Psalm 103:4Love covers a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:8
God’s forgiveness gives us a clean slate. It is how He extends love to and life to us despite the wrong we have done. It’s God’s way of saying, “I’m going to love you the same.”
If we’re going to be Christ-like in our actions we have to be able to adopt the concept of forgiveness even when it feels out of place, passive, or undeserved. That’s EXACTLY the love God showed us.
But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were sinners Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
When we forgive others, it doesn’t mean they won’t have to endure the consequences of their choices. When we sin, we still have to deal with consequences here on Earth. Boundaries change. When we extend forgiveness we’re telling the world we are not going to let the actions of other people shape the way we love. We will always love like Christ.
If you’re not sure what that looks like start with this simple prayer:
God, help me to forgive those who hurt me. Teach me what that looks like right here, right now, in this situation. Show me how to extend your love even while I’m healing. Give me the strength and willingness to love even though I’m hurting.
We’ve got a few more things to cover but stick with us because in just a moment we’ll work through the questions “what does the Bible say about to forgive and forget” and how to forgive when you can’t forget.
Forgiveness, Boundaries, and Christ-like Love
God encourages boundaries. Did you know that? One of the myths associated with forgiveness is that we have to continue to live with the person or people who hurt us as if the hurt didn’t happen. I don’t believe that’s what God expects of us. Sometimes the most loving thing you can do for other people is set boundaries.
God models this thoroughly throughout the Bible. He knows in addition to hurting us individually, sin also affects our relationship with Him. So He sets boundaries that help protect our relationship with Him guide us away from wrongdoing.
When Adam and Eve sinned against God and opened the world to sin, God set a boundary. He didn’t allow them to return to the Garden of Eden because He didn’t want them to have access to the Tree of Life and prolong the presence of sin in the world (Genesis 3:22).
After Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt he was tasked with establishing a new government and way of living among the Hebrews. When people began to turn their backs on God and accept the practices of surrounding pagan nations, God gave them the 10 commandments. It was their guide to honoring the Lord, each other, and walking in righteousness.
In the New Testament, all the laws have been simplified to these two:
- Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength.
- Love your neighbor as yourself.
Forgiveness allows us to keep giving the love we’d be so tempted to hold back due to our hurt and offense. Boundaries keep us walking in wisdom as we love.
Forgiveness allows us to keep giving the love we'd be so tempted to hold back because of our hurt and offense. Share on XWhat Does Jesus Teach About Forgiveness?
Jesus models forgiveness all the way around. When teaching His disciples how to pray he includes the topic of forgiving others just as God forgives us.
And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
Matthew 6:12
Shortly after this teaching, He reminds us that our choice to forgive directly affects God’s willingness to forgive us of our wrongdoing (Matthew 6:14-15).
A few chapters later, Peter (one of Jesus’ disciples) brings up the topic of forgiveness again asking Jesus how many times they are expected to forgive (see Matthew 18:21). Jesus answers him with a parable that reflects how God views forgiveness and opens our eyes to how we should view forgiveness. In this parable, a King wanted to “settle accounts with his servants” (Matthew 18:23). As he began working through their accounts he came across one servant who owed him ten thousand dollars. When the servant couldn’t pay the debt it was commanded that he, his wife, his children, and all that he had be sold to compensate for the debt. But the servant pleaded with him guaranteeing that he would pay the debt if he could only have more time. “Then the master of the servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.” Matthew 18:27
This portion of the parable represents the depth and the power of forgiveness God extends to us. It covers our every fault. This next part of the parable is key.
The servant went out that same day to a man that was indebted to him one denari. When the man couldn’t pay, the servant had him thrown in prison. This report made it back to his master who just forgiven him of a ten thousand dollar debt. Matthew 18:32 shows us how the master responded to the servant’s unforgiveness,
…You wicked servant! I forgave you all your debts because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you? And his master was angry and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
This portion of the parable illustrates the importance of forgiveness. It shows us the cost of withholding forgiveness from others is far greater than any reason we have to hold onto our hurt and offense. That doesn’t make forgiving others easy; nevertheless, it is essential to our Christian walk.
Bible Stories About Forgiveness
We talked about God’s teaching about forgiveness, but what about his examples of forgiving others? Even before the cross, Jesus modeled love and forgiveness. Here’s a quick list of Bible stories about forgiveness that you can look up and study for yourself.
- Jesus forgives the paralytic (Matthew 9:1-8). What I love about this story is that the paralytic and his friends didn’t come to Jesus seeking forgiveness. They came expecting Jesus to heal him but God knew what the bigger priority was. This man needed forgiveness. Jesus, in His mercy, gave it.
- Jesus forgives the woman caught in adultery (John 7:53-8:11).
- Jesus forgives the men on the cross (Luke 23:32-46).
- Jesus prayed, asking for forgiveness from God on the behalf of those persecuting Him (John 23:33-34)
- Jesus forgave us. This message is on repeat throughout the entire Bible, but verses to lean on: Psalm 103:12, 1 John 1:9, Ephesians 1:7-6.
More Examples of Forgiveness In the Bible
- Joseph forgave his brothers for trafficking him. (Genesis 45:4-8).
- King David forgave Saul for attempting to kill him (1 Samuel 24:1-15).
- Stephen forgives those who stoned Him (Acts 7:58-60).
- The story of the prodigal son. This story of how the Father forgives his son for the various ways he dishonored and rebelled against Him (Luke chapter 15) is a perfect depiction of God’s love for us and how He celebrates our return to Him.
- Esau forgives Jacob for stealing the blessing and birthright (Genesis 33).
What Does the Bible Say About Unforgiveness?
Unforgiveness is a temptation we should not enter into. The cost is heavy. Equally as important as the cost is the damage it does to our Christian witness. If we truly believe God’s love covers sins we are doing ourselves and the world a great disservice by withholding that love. That’s essentially what unforgiveness does; it keeps us from loving like Jesus.
We talk a lot about the power of forgiveness in the Bible. Forgiveness is powerful because it is an extension of the unmerited love of the Lord.
According to scripture, there is only one sin that God will not forgive us for and that is the sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Jesus speaks to this in Matthew 12:23-33. While Jesus was teaching, a demon-possessed man had been brought to Him. Jesus healed the man right there in front of the crowds. The people were amazed but the Pharisees were disturbed. They accused Jesus of using the casting out the demon through the power of “…Beelzebul the ruler of the demons” (see Matthew 12:24 nasb). Jesus challenges them by saying, “If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will His kingdom stand?” (Matthew 12:26). He goes on to explain that there is no blending of the two kingdoms; they can only oppose each other. So even in spiritual matters, we are either with God or against Him. And though blaspheming against Jesus can be forgiven, blaspheming the Holy Spirit will not be.
Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
Matthew 12:32 (nasb)
Forgiveness and Letting Go
So we’ve talked about forgiveness and why it’s essential. The one question we haven’t’ addressed that I know you’re asking is what do we do with all that hurt we’ve been carrying? You and I both know forgiveness doesn’t necessarily take care of the hurt we are feeling. So what do we do with it?
This is a prime example of when the term, “let go and let God” comes into play. Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30,
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Forgiveness keeps others from dictating how we love. Surrendering our hurt to the Lord keeps others from dictating how we heal.
So in addition to the practical steps that we can take to heal (i.e. therapy, setting healthy boundaries, maintaining healthy relationships), you’ll also want to make sure you’re doing what you need to abide in the Lord. It is His love that heals and helps us to forgive. Learn more about what it looks like to let go and let God in this article.
Resources, Books, and Bible Studies About Forgiveness:
- A Free Forgiveness Challenge. My friend Tiffany at Hope and Joy In Christ is heading this one up! You definitely want to get in on this if hurt and forgiveness are areas you’re wrestling with.
- Choosing Forgiveness Bible Study by June Hunt.
- The Power of Forgiveness: Keep Your Heart Free by Joyce Meyer. What does the Bible say about forgiveness and letting go? Dig into the Power of Forgiveness Bible study book to find out.
- Let Go and Let God Prayer Journal. Journaling is such an awesome tool for processing hurts and working through them. I love that this journal leads aims to lead users closer to freedom in Christ. It’s not just about letting go, but about clinging to Jesus.
- (Free) Experts Weigh In on Forgiveness: Practical Tips for Giving and Receiving Forgiveness.
- I Find No Fault: The Liberating Power of Forgiveness by Linda Markowitz
- Forgiving What You Can’t Forget by Lisa Terkeurst
- The Forgiveness Journal: A Guided Journal to Forgiving What You Can’t Forget.
- (Free) How to Pray for Someone Who Hurt You I know it sounds counterintuitive, but praying for those who hurt you is one of the most loving choices you can make. It brings so much freedom. But more than that, it invites God’s love to reshape the people on the other end of your prayers. This is my experience with that. That opportunity is priceless.
