What does the Bible say about forgiveness?
Forgiveness sounds simple until it’s your wound. Maybe you need to be forgiven and can’t believe God would. Maybe someone hurt you, and “just forgive” feels impossible. Both are real.
The Bible teaches that God forgives completely everyone who turns to Him through Jesus: He removes our sin as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). Because we’ve been forgiven, we are called to forgive others (Colossians 3:13). Forgiveness means releasing the debt someone owes you to God. It does not mean pretending it didn’t happen, trusting them again right away, or staying in harm’s way.
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Joseph forgave the brothers who sold him
Joseph’s brothers threw him in a pit and sold him into slavery. Years later, when he was second only to Pharaoh and they came begging for food, he had all the power to repay them. Instead he wept and said, “What you intended against me for evil, God intended for good” (Genesis 50:20). He forgave them, and he also tested whether they had changed before he trusted them (Genesis 42–44). Forgiveness and wisdom went together.
God’s forgiveness of you
You don’t earn it and you can’t outrun it. When you confess your sin, God is faithful to forgive (1 John 1:9). Jesus paid the debt on the cross, so forgiveness is not God overlooking sin; it is God having already dealt with it.
Forgiving people who hurt you
Jesus told Peter to forgive not seven times but seventy-seven times (Matthew 18:21–22), and then told a story about a servant forgiven a fortune who wouldn’t forgive a small debt. The point: the more we grasp how much we’ve been forgiven, the more we can release others.
Forgiveness is a decision before it is a feeling. You may need to make it again every time the memory comes back.
What forgiveness is not
It is not saying what they did was okay. It is not reconciliation without change. It is not staying in an abusive situation. You can forgive someone and still keep a boundary, or involve the authorities when someone has broken the law.
What the Bible says
- 01
When you need to be forgiven.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9 - 02
How far God removes your sin.
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
Psalm 103:12 - 03
Why we forgive others.
“Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Colossians 3:13 - 04
What Jesus said about forgiving.
“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 yours.”
Matthew 6:14–15 - 05
Letting go of bitterness.
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:31–32 - 06
How many times to forgive.
“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!”
Matthew 18:21–22
Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.
Write the name of one person you need to forgive. Pray: “God, I release what they owe me to You. I don’t feel it yet, but I choose it.” Say it again whenever the memory returns.
Common questions
Do I have to forgive someone who isn’t sorry?
Forgiveness releases your claim to repayment and hands it to God, which you can do whether or not they apologize. Reconciliation, rebuilding the relationship, does require them to change.
Is forgiving the same as forgetting?
No. You may always remember. Forgiveness changes what you do with the memory: you stop replaying it to punish them.
Can God forgive anything?
Yes. Every sin can be forgiven for anyone who turns to God through Jesus (Mark 3:28; Acts 13:38–39). If you are worried about the “unforgivable sin,” our answer on that question will help.
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