32 Empowering Bible Verses for Forgiveness

The following Bible verses about forgiveness offer guidance on how to release others from the harm they have caused. Forgiveness is one of the most precious gifts God has given to us. It is a key element of our Christian faith and a marker of our spiritual growth.

Forgiveness is the act of pardoning someone for an offense or sin that they have caused, absolving them from their guilt and shame. When it comes to receiving forgiveness from God, the Bible is clear that it is only through the grace of God that we are able to receive His forgiveness. Romans 3:23-24 states, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” This means that Jesus has paid the debt we owe because of our sin. Therefore when we confess our sins to God, He forgives us. He releases us from the consequences of our sinful actions.

Forgiving others can be extremely difficult, but it is essential for our spiritual health. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:14-15 to pray, “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Just as God forgives us by offering grace and mercy, we must also forgive those who have caused us harm.

The consequences of unforgiveness can be severe. Unforgiveness can lead to cycles of bitterness and resentment that can negatively impact our relationships and our spiritual life. It can also lead to physical ailments such as chronic pain, fatigue, and depression. No one wants that. God wants us to experience his grace in all of our relationships and that often comes through forgiveness.

No one is perfect. The mistakes we make don't have to end in broken relationships. The following Bible verses about forgiveness offer us a way forward in our relationships with God and others, helping us to let go of resentment and restore our relationships.

Bible Verses about Forgiving One Another

Ephesians 4:31-32

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

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.

Matthew 6:15

But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Matthew 18:21-22

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.”

Luke 6:37 

Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Colossians 3:13

Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Matthew 5:23-24 

So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Matthew 5:7

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Bible Verses about God’s Forgiveness

Isaiah 55:7

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.

Psalm 103:10-14 

He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

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.

Matthew 6:12

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Ephesians 1:7 

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.

Matthew 26:28 

For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

2 Chronicles 7:14

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

1 John 2:1

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Colossians 1:13-14 

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Micah 7:18-19

Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

Isaiah 53:5

But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

1 John 2:2

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Psalm 51:2-3

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 

The Role of Confession and Repentance in Forgiveness

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.

James 5:16 

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.

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 3:19 

Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out.

Acts 17:30 

The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

Acts 22:16 

And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.

Proverbs 28:13 

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

The Role of Love in Forgiveness

Luke 6:27

But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.

Proverbs 10:12 

Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.

Proverbs 17:9 

Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.

Proverbs 25:21

If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.

Christian Quotes on Forgiveness

Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it. - Mark Twain

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Forgiveness is the final form of love. - Reinhold Niebuhr

Forgiveness says you are given another chance to make a new beginning. - Desmond Tutu

The voice of sin is loud, but the voice of forgiveness is louder. - Dwight Moody