The Bible says that God freely forgives everyone who confesses their sins and turns to him, because Jesus paid for those sins on the cross. Having been forgiven so much, Christians are called to forgive others in the same way: from the heart, without keeping count, and leaving justice in God’s hands.
Top 10 Bible Verses About Forgiveness
1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive.
Ephesians 4:32: Forgive each other just as in Christ God forgave you.
Psalm 103:12: As far as the east is from the west, so far He removes our sins.
Matthew 6:14–15: Forgiving others and being forgiven by God belong together.
Colossians 3:13: Bear with one another and forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Matthew 18:21–22: Peter asks how many times to forgive, and Jesus says stop counting.
Isaiah 1:18: Sins like scarlet become as white as snow.
Luke 23:34: Jesus prays for those crucifying him: Father, forgive them.
Micah 7:18–19: God casts all our sins into the depths of the sea.
Mark 11:25: When you stand to pray, forgive anything you hold against another.
Forgiveness in the Bible is never cheap. It is grounded in costly grace, honest about human pain, and deeply connected to healing. The 34 passages below move from God’s forgiveness of our sins to forgiving others, how often to forgive, forgiving yourself, what forgiveness does and does not mean for trust, and the freedom it brings. Every verse is quoted in full from the Berean Standard Bible.
Wherever you are coming from, whether you are carrying guilt, struggling to forgive someone who hurt you, or wondering whether God could really forgive what you have done, start with this: forgiveness begins with God. He forgives first, fully and at great cost, and that is where the power to forgive others comes from.
God’s Forgiveness of Sins
Everything the Bible says about forgiving others grows out of this first truth: God forgives sinners. His forgiveness is not cheap. It cost the life of his Son, whose blood was “poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). Because it was paid for in full, it is offered in full to everyone who turns to him.
Psalm 103:10–12 (BSB)
He has not dealt with us according to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
David piles up pictures of how completely God deals with sin. He has not “repaid us according to our iniquities,” and his love is as high as the heavens. Then comes the famous line: east and west never meet, and that is how far God has removed our transgressions. Once removed, they are not brought back.
1 John 1:9 (BSB)
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
This is the plainest promise in the Bible for anyone carrying guilt. The condition is confession, honestly naming what we have done, not earning our way back. The promise is double: God will “forgive us our sins” (the debt is cancelled) and “cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (the stain is removed). And it rests on his character: he is “faithful and just.”
Isaiah 1:18 (BSB)
“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool.
God speaks to a nation deep in sin, and instead of a lecture he offers an invitation: “Come now, let us reason together.” He does not ask for grovelling. Scarlet and crimson were dyes that would not wash out, yet God promises a change as complete as snow and wool.
Isaiah 43:25 (BSB)
I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.
Notice the reason God gives: “for My own sake.” He does not forgive because we have earned it, but because forgiving is true to who he is. When the Bible says he “remembers your sins no more,” it does not mean God forgets facts. It means he chooses never to hold those sins against his people again. That is the biblical heart of forgive and forget.
Micah 7:18–19 (BSB)
Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance— who does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion? He will again have compassion on us; He will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast out all our sins into the depths of the sea.
Micah ends his book in wonder: “Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity?” No one else forgives on this scale. God “delights in loving devotion,” and he does not keep his anger forever. The picture of sins cast “into the depths of the sea” is a picture of total disposal, out of reach for good.
Ephesians 1:7–8 (BSB)
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
Paul names how forgiveness happens: “In Him we have redemption through His blood.” Redemption is the language of buying someone free. God’s grace was not handed out sparingly; he “lavished” it on us. Forgiveness is not a reward for the good, but a gift to the guilty.
Colossians 1:13–14 (BSB)
He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Forgiveness is part of a rescue. God has moved us out of “the dominion of darkness” and into the kingdom of his Son. In Christ we have “redemption, the forgiveness of sins” as something already given, not something we hope to earn someday.
Acts 3:19–20 (BSB)
Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus, the Christ, who has been appointed for you.
Peter preached this to the crowd in Jerusalem soon after Pentecost. Repentance means turning back to God, and the result is that sins are “wiped away,” like writing cleaned off a slate. The forgiven do not just get a clean record; “times of refreshing” come from the presence of the Lord.
Hebrews 8:12 (BSB)
For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.”
Hebrews quotes the new covenant promise of Jeremiah 31:34 and shows that it is fulfilled in Christ. Under this covenant, God says, “I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.” Your past sins no longer define your standing with him.
Psalm 130:3–4 (BSB)
If You, O LORD, kept track of iniquities, then who, O Lord, could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be feared.
If God kept a record of every wrong, no one could stand before him. “But with You there is forgiveness.” Surprisingly, the psalmist says this leads to reverence, not carelessness: forgiveness on this scale makes us fear and love God more, not take him lightly.
Bible Verses About Forgiving Others
If God’s forgiveness is the foundation, forgiving others is the building. It is one of the hardest things Jesus asks of us, and he asks it plainly. Scripture never pretends this is easy. Joseph wept when he finally faced the brothers who sold him (Genesis 45:1–2). But forgiving is not mainly about willpower. It is the overflow of having been forgiven.
Ephesians 4:31–32 (BSB)
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.
Paul first tells us what to put off: “bitterness, rage and anger,” slander and malice. Then he says what to put on: kindness, a tender heart, and forgiveness. The standard is “just as in Christ God forgave you,” which was freely, at great cost, and before we deserved it.
Colossians 3:12–13 (BSB)
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Forgiveness here is something we “clothe” ourselves with, alongside compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. “Bear with one another” admits that people will keep being difficult. The measure is the same as in Ephesians: “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Not your own strength, but the grace you have received.
Matthew 6:12 (BSB)
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to ask for forgiveness and to forgive in the same breath. Sin is pictured as a debt. Every time we pray this prayer, we remember both how much we owe God and that we are called to release others who owe us.
Matthew 6:14–15 (BSB)
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.
Right after the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus adds this sobering word. It is not that we earn God’s forgiveness by forgiving. It is that a heart that refuses to forgive shows it has not truly taken in God’s mercy. The two belong together like a mirror: the heart that receives grace learns to give it.
Mark 11:25 (BSB)
And when you stand to pray, if you hold anything against another, forgive it, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your trespasses as well.”
Jesus links prayer and forgiveness. When we come to pray and remember a grudge, he tells us to deal with it there and then: “forgive it.” Bitterness that we hold onto gets in the way of our relationship with God. Bringing it to him in prayer is often where forgiveness begins.
Luke 6:37 (BSB)
Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Judging, condemning and forgiving are linked in one chain. The person who refuses to forgive often stays bound to the hurt. “Forgive, and you will be forgiven” describes the generous way of life that God’s children are called to, and the mercy that comes back to them.
Luke 23:34 (BSB)
Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up His garments by casting lots.
Jesus prayed this from the cross, while he was being crucified and his clothes were being gambled away. He did not wait for his executioners to apologise before praying for their forgiveness. Here is forgiveness at the moment of greatest injustice, the pattern for all Christian forgiveness.
Struggling to forgive someone, or yourself? Ask Abby for Scripture that speaks to your situation.
Peter asked the question many of us have asked: is there a limit? Jesus answered with a number and then a story.
Matthew 18:21–22 (BSB)
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!
Peter probably thought seven times was generous. Jesus answered, “not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!” (some translations read seventy times seven, and the Greek can be taken either way). Either way, the point is not to keep count until 77 and then stop. It is to stop counting. Forgiveness is not a one-time event; it may need to be renewed every time a memory resurfaces or the wound aches again.
Matthew 18:23–27 (BSB)
Because of this, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlements, a debtor was brought to him owing ten thousand talents. Since the man was unable to pay, the master ordered that he be sold to pay his debt, along with his wife and children and everything he owned. Then the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Have patience with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ His master had compassion on him, forgave his debt, and released him.
Jesus then tells the parable of the unforgiving servant. The first servant owed “ten thousand talents,” a sum no worker could ever repay in a lifetime. When he begged for time, the king did far more than he asked: he “forgave his debt, and released him.” That is a picture of what God has done for us.
Matthew 18:32–35 (BSB)
Then the master summoned him and declared, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave all your debt because you begged me. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should repay all that he owed. That is how My heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”
The forgiven servant went out and had a fellow servant thrown into prison over a hundred denarii, a tiny sum by comparison (Matthew 18:28–30). The king’s question is the point of the story: “Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?” Jesus ends with a serious warning to forgive “from your heart.” Whatever others owe us is small next to what God has forgiven us.
Luke 17:3–4 (BSB)
Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
Luke records a related saying. Jesus does not ask us to ignore sin: “If your brother sins, rebuke him.” But when the person repents, we forgive, even “seven times in a day.” Honesty about wrong and readiness to forgive go together.
Forgiving Yourself
The Bible never uses the phrase forgive yourself. But many people who know God has forgiven them still cannot stop condemning themselves. Scripture speaks to that directly: when God has forgiven you, his verdict is the one that stands. Receiving his forgiveness fully is the biblical answer.
Romans 8:1 (BSB)
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Paul says this right after describing his own struggle with sin in Romans 7. For those who are in Christ, there is “no condemnation,” not a little, not some. If God does not condemn you, holding yourself in condemnation is disagreeing with his judgment.
1 John 3:19–20 (BSB)
And by this we will know that we belong to the truth, and will assure our hearts in His presence: Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things.
John knew that our hearts can go on accusing us even after we have been forgiven. His answer is not to argue with our feelings but to look to God: “God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things.” He knows the worst about us and still assures us in his presence.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (BSB)
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!
Forgiveness in Christ does more than erase the past; it gives a new identity. “The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!” The person who keeps defining themselves by their worst moment is living by an old label God has already removed.
Philippians 3:13–14 (BSB)
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.
Paul had once persecuted the church, yet he refused to let his past hold him back: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.” He did not pretend it never happened. He simply would not let it be the thing that defined his future in Christ.
Forgiveness, Trust and Reconciliation
Forgiveness and reconciliation are related, but they are not the same thing. Forgiveness can be given by one person alone: you release the debt and your right to get even, and leave justice with God. Reconciliation, rebuilding a relationship, takes two people, and usually requires real repentance and change from the one who did the harm. Trust is rebuilt over time; it is not owed on demand.
The Bible does not say that forgiving someone means:
Reconciling with them straight away. You can forgive someone you no longer have contact with. Not every relationship can or should be restored.
Pretending it didn’t happen. David was forgiven but still lived with the consequences of his sin (2 Samuel 12:13–14). Joseph forgave his brothers, but first he tested whether they had changed (Genesis 42–44). Honesty and forgiveness can coexist.
No longer feeling pain. Forgiveness is a decision before it is a feeling. The emotions often follow slowly, and you may need to choose to forgive again when the hurt returns.
Staying in danger. Forgiveness never requires you to remain where you are being abused, threatened or harmed, or to keep silent about it. If you are not safe, get to safety and reach out to local emergency services, a trusted pastor or counselor, or someone you trust. Protecting yourself and others is not a failure to forgive.
Romans 12:17–19 (BSB)
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Carefully consider what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone. Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.”
Paul’s practical counsel: do not repay evil for evil, and do not take revenge. Releasing revenge is not weakness; it is trusting that justice belongs to God, whose justice is truer than ours. Notice also “If it is possible on your part.” Peace takes two, and sometimes the other person will not make peace. Your part is to forgive and not retaliate.
Genesis 50:19–21 (BSB)
But Joseph replied, “Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God? As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this—to preserve the lives of many people. Therefore do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones.” So Joseph reassured his brothers and spoke kindly to them.
After their father died, Joseph’s brothers feared he would finally take revenge. Instead he said, “Am I in the place of God?” He did not pretend their sin was small (“what you intended against me for evil”), but he saw God at work through it and chose to provide for them. Joseph’s forgiveness came after years of pain and after his brothers had shown a real change of heart.
Matthew 5:23–24 (BSB)
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. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
Jesus treats broken relationships as urgent, important enough to interrupt worship. When you know someone has something against you, take the first step: “go and be reconciled.” Seeking peace where it is possible honours God.
Matthew 18:15 (BSB)
If your brother sins against you, go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.
Jesus gives a practical first step for when someone wrongs you: go to them privately, not to everyone else. The goal is to win your brother over. Forgiveness does not mean staying silent about wrong; it often begins with an honest conversation, when that is safe to have.
Proverbs 22:3 (BSB)
The prudent see danger and take cover, but the simple keep going and suffer the consequences.
This proverb is practical wisdom: the prudent “see danger and take cover.” Forgiving someone does not mean ignoring danger or walking back into harm. You can release bitterness toward a person and still keep wise, protective boundaries.
The Freedom of Forgiveness
Forgiveness is a command, but it is also a gift. Being forgiven lifts a weight from the soul, and forgiving others frees us from bitterness that would otherwise keep hurting us long after the original wrong.
Psalm 32:3–5 (BSB)
When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was drained as in the summer heat. Selah Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
David describes what hiding his sin did to him: “my bones became brittle” and his strength drained away like water in summer heat. The turning point was confession: “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and God “forgave the guilt of my sin.” The psalm opens by calling the forgiven person blessed (Psalm 32:1), and David speaks from experience.
Hebrews 12:14–15 (BSB)
Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many.
Unforgiveness can grow like a “root of bitterness” that springs up and causes trouble, and not only for us; it can “defile many.” The writer urges us to pursue peace and to make sure no one falls short of the grace of God. Forgiveness pulls bitterness up by the root.
James 5:16 (BSB)
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.
Forgiveness is not only a private matter. There is healing in confessing our sins to trusted believers and praying for one another. Many people find that the weight of guilt or resentment begins to lift once it is spoken aloud and prayed over with someone else.
Romans 12:21 (BSB)
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Paul closes his teaching on revenge with this line. Forgiveness is not passive. By refusing to repay evil and choosing to do good, we are not defeated by the wrong done to us; we overcome it.
Reflect, Pray, Act
Reflect: Is there someone you have been withholding forgiveness from, including yourself? What is it costing you to carry it?
Pray: Lord, thank you for forgiving me fully in Jesus. Help me to give others what I have received. I cannot do this in my own strength; let your grace flow through me. Amen.
Act: Write down the name of anyone you need to forgive. You do not need to send it to them. It simply makes the decision concrete. Pray over that name today, and again whenever the hurt returns. For more help, see How to Pray Effectively.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Bible say about forgiveness?
The Bible says God forgives everyone who confesses their sins and trusts in Christ: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9). Because we have been forgiven, we are called to forgive others “just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32), without keeping count (Matthew 18:21-22).
What does God say about forgiving others?
God commands it and connects it to our own forgiveness. Jesus said, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14). Paul says, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13). Forgiving does not excuse the wrong; it releases the debt and leaves justice to God (Romans 12:19).
Does forgiving someone mean I have to trust them again?
No. Forgiveness can be given by one person; trust and reconciliation take two, and usually require real repentance and changed behavior from the one who did harm. You can forgive and still keep wise boundaries. Forgiveness never requires staying where you are being abused or in danger: “The prudent see danger and take cover” (Proverbs 22:3).
How can I forgive myself?
The Bible never uses the phrase forgive yourself, but Scripture speaks to self-condemnation. If you have confessed your sin to God, he has forgiven it (1 John 1:9), and “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). When your heart still accuses you, remember that “God is greater than our hearts” (1 John 3:20). Receive his verdict over your own.
Is there a sin God won’t forgive?
Jesus said “every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven” (Matthew 12:31). Most Christians understand this as a settled, hardened rejection of the Spirit’s witness to Jesus, not a single sin someone stumbles into. If you are worried you have committed it, that worry is itself a good sign: a hardened heart does not ask whether it can be forgiven. Anyone who turns to God is welcomed.