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Bible verses about forgiveness

Forgiveness is the hardest arithmetic in the Christian life: releasing a debt someone truly owes. These passages show what God has forgiven, and how forgiven people learn to forgive.

8 passagesWorld English BiblePublic domain, quoted verbatim

The pattern: forgive as you were forgiven

“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.”Ephesians 4:31-32 · World English Bible

Bearing with each other, debt by debt

“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.”Colossians 3:13 · World English Bible

Why Jesus ties our forgiveness together

“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.”Matthew 6:14-15 · World English Bible

How far God removes forgiven sin

“He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us for our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his loving kindness toward those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”Psalms 103:10-12 · World English Bible

The God who hurls sin into the sea

“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; and you will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”Micah 7:18-19 · World English Bible

The promise for the one who confesses

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”1 John 1:9 · World English Bible

Release, and be released

“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.”Luke 6:37 · World English Bible

How many times? More than you can count

“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.”Matthew 18:21-22 · World English Bible

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