Forgiveness feels impossible when the wound is still bleeding. Someone betrayed your trust, shattered your heart, or damaged your life in ways that can’t be undone. The anger feels justified because the hurt is real. Maybe you’re the one who needs forgiveness, carrying guilt so heavy you can’t imagine God or anyone else could truly let it go. Either way, forgiveness seems like too much to ask.
The Bible doesn’t sugarcoat the difficulty of forgiveness. It never tells you to pretend the hurt didn’t happen or to immediately trust someone who broke your trust. Forgiveness isn’t excusing sin or bypassing the grief process. It’s releasing the right to vengeance, choosing to let God handle justice, and refusing to let bitterness poison your future. It’s one of the hardest things God asks us to do, which is why He offers so much grace to help us do it.
These verses reveal a God who forgives lavishly and completely, then calls us to extend that same mercy to others. They show us that forgiveness is both a gift we receive and a gift we give, often through gritted teeth and with divine help.
Bible Verses About Forgiveness
1. Ephesians 4:32 – Be Kind and Compassionate to One Another
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
New International Version (NIV)
2. Colossians 3:13 – Bear with Each Other and Forgive
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.
English Standard Version (ESV)
3. Matthew 6:14-15 – If You Forgive Others Their Sins
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.
New King James Version (NKJV)
4. Luke 6:37 – Do Not Judge, and You Will Not Be Judged
Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.
New Living Translation (NLT)
5. 1 John 1:9 – If We Confess Our Sins
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
6. Psalm 103:12 – As Far as the East Is from the West
As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
7. Isaiah 43:25 – I, Even I, Am He Who Blots Out Your Transgressions
I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
King James Version (KJV)
8. Micah 7:18-19 – Who Is a God Like You?
Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of your possession? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in showing clemency. He will again have compassion upon us; he will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
9. Matthew 18:21-22 – How Many Times Shall I Forgive?
At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, “Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?” Jesus replied, “Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.”
The Message (MSG)
10. Acts 3:19 – Repent, Then, and Turn to God
So repent (change your mind and purpose); turn around and return [to God], that your sins may be erased (blotted out, wiped clean), that times of refreshing (of recovering from the effects of heat, of reviving with fresh air) may come from the presence of the Lord.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
11. Proverbs 17:9 – Whoever Would Foster Love Covers Over an Offense
The one who forgives an offense seeks love, but whoever repeats a matter separates close friends.
New English Translation (NET)
12. Luke 23:34 – Father, Forgive Them
Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided His clothes and cast lots.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
13. Psalm 32:5 – I Acknowledged My Sin to You
Then I finally admitted all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, “I will confess them to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
14. 2 Chronicles 7:14 – If My People Will Humble Themselves
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
New International Reader’s Version (NIrV)
15. Mark 11:25 – When You Stand Praying, Forgive
And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.
New King James Version (NKJV)
16. Jeremiah 31:34 – I Will Forgive Their Wickedness
No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.
New International Version (NIV)
17. Hebrews 8:12 – I Will Remember Their Sins No More
For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.
English Standard Version (ESV)
18. Romans 12:19 – Do Not Take Revenge
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
New King James Version (NKJV)
19. Psalm 86:5 – You, Lord, Are Forgiving and Good
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
New Living Translation (NLT)
20. Daniel 9:9 – The Lord Our God Is Merciful and Forgiving
Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord our God, though we have rebelled against him.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
21. Matthew 6:12 – Forgive Us Our Debts
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
22. James 5:16 – Confess Your Sins to Each Other
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
King James Version (KJV)
23. Luke 17:3-4 – If Your Brother Sins, Rebuke Him
Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
24. Psalm 130:3-4 – If You Kept a Record of Sins
If you, God, kept records on wrongdoings, who would stand a chance? As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit, and that’s why you’re worshiped.
The Message (MSG)
25. 2 Corinthians 2:7 – You Ought to Forgive and Comfort Him
So [instead of further rebuke, now] you should rather turn and [graciously] forgive and comfort and encourage him, to keep him from being overwhelmed by excessive sorrow and despair.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
26. Isaiah 1:18 – Though Your Sins Are Like Scarlet
Come, let’s consider your options,” says the LORD. “Though your sins have stained you like the color red, you can become white like snow; though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet, you can become white like wool.
New English Translation (NET)
27. Leviticus 19:18 – Do Not Seek Revenge
Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself; I am Yahweh.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
28. Acts 10:43 – Everyone Who Believes in Him Receives Forgiveness
Everyone who has faith in Jesus will have their sins forgiven in his name.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
29. Proverbs 19:11 – A Person’s Wisdom Yields Patience
A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.
New International Version (NIV)
30. 1 Peter 4:8 – Love Covers Over a Multitude of Sins
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
English Standard Version (ESV)
31. Matthew 5:23-24 – Leave Your Gift and Be Reconciled
Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
New King James Version (NKJV)
32. Psalm 25:7 – Do Not Remember the Sins of My Youth
Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth. Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O LORD.
New Living Translation (NLT)
33. Romans 3:23-24 – All Have Sinned and Fall Short
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
New International Version (NIV)
34. Ephesians 1:7 – In Him We Have Redemption
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.
English Standard Version (ESV)
35. Luke 15:20 – But While He Was Still a Long Way Off
So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
New International Version (NIV)
Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Forgiveness
Forgiveness is central to the Christian faith because we serve a God who specializes in it. Every single one of us stands as a debtor who could never repay what we owe, yet God cancels the debt completely through Christ’s sacrifice. When we grasp the magnitude of what we’ve been forgiven, it transforms how we approach forgiving others. It doesn’t make it easy, but it makes it possible.
What challenges me most about Scripture’s teaching on forgiveness is its radical nature. God doesn’t just forgive, He forgets. He doesn’t keep a running tally or bring up past sins. He separates our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west. That’s the standard He calls us to pursue with others, not through our own strength but through His Spirit working in us.
Forgiveness isn’t a feeling but a decision we make repeatedly, sometimes daily. It’s choosing to release bitterness even when justice hasn’t been served. It’s trusting God enough to let Him handle vengeance while we focus on healing. The freedom forgiveness brings isn’t primarily for the offender but for us, releasing us from the prison of resentment and opening space for God’s peace to flood our hearts.
Say This Prayer
Heavenly Father, forgiveness feels too hard right now. The hurt is real, and the anger feels justified. But I know You’ve forgiven me for so much more than I could ever forgive others for. Help me to extend the same mercy I’ve received, even when every part of me wants to hold onto this pain.
Lord, I confess my own sins before You. Thank You that when I come to You with genuine repentance, You don’t hold my past against me. You separate my sins from me completely and give me a fresh start. Help me to believe that Your forgiveness is total and that I don’t have to keep punishing myself for what You’ve already covered with Christ’s blood.
Give me the strength to forgive those who’ve hurt me. I release them to You and ask that You would heal both their brokenness and mine. Help me to let go of bitterness and trust You with justice. Where relationships can be restored, give wisdom. Where they can’t, give peace.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.