What Does The Bible Say About Forgiveness?

            To the question, “What has God done for you?”, the devout believer really should reply, “Everything!” Unquestionably, God is involved in so many aspects of our lives, and even the most average of us is blessed in so very many ways. Of course, one of the greatest gifts God gives is forgiveness—something we each need every day because we each fall short of perfection every single day!

            Not surprisingly, the New Testament says much more about forgiveness than does the Hebrew Bible (or “Old Testament”). Nevertheless, notice some of what both Testaments say about forgiveness, why we need it, how we can obtain it, and why we owe others this greatest of all gifts.

            Without offering much in the way of detail, the psalmist declared: “How far is the east from the west? The Lord has taken our sins further away than that! He no longer says that we are guilty [of our sins]. As a father is kind to his children, the Lord is kind to us. He is kind to people who worship him.” (ERB Psalm 103:12-13) Though vaguely stated, King David states in this hymn (which he is said to have composed) that forgiveness is granted to those who “worship” God. Not only are they forgiven, but their sins are taken as “far away” as “the east is from the west.” This is superlative language which just means that God doesn’t hang onto what He has forgiven—just in case we slip up again. No! He totally removes what He has forgiven, as though our former sins never happened, no longer exist, and are no longer remembered by Him. This is grace at its best. And all David says that we must do is to “worship” or “reverence” God.

            Proverbs chapter 10 describes the process of gaining forgiveness of sin in this way: “Love covers over all sins.” (EEB Proverbs 10:12) Rather than complicating matters, we’re old that forgiveness is quite easy. Love God (and others) and your sins will be “covered,” forgiven, or remitted. It is worth nothing that the Hebrew word for love (used in this verse) is ’a-hă-ḇāh, which can be used for the typical love we have for someone or some “thing.” However, it is the same Hebrew noun that is used to describe “God’s love for His people.” That being the case, we are most likely being invited by this verse to develop a God-like love for others and, in so doing, God will then wipe away our sins and shortcomings. Not the easiest thing to do, but definitely part of God’s will for each of us.

            To the Saints in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul declared: “Christ sacrificed his life's blood to set us free, which means our sins are now forgiven. Christ did this because of God’s gift of undeserved grace to us.” (CEV Ephesians 1:7-8) What Paul is trying to convey is that forgiveness is never obtained through our personal works or developed goodness. Rather, salvation is through Christ—always through Christ; and is evidence of His “undeserved grace to us.” Paul is not preaching “cheap grace” here. He certainly knows that we need to accept Christ and that we should strive to be faithful to Him. Nevertheless, even if we do that perfectly, we will still need His grace in order to obtain forgiveness because none of us could ever do enough good “works” to save ourselves. For, “All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory” and forgiveness. (CEV Romans 3:23) Thus, Paul tells believers at Ephesus that you’ll need Jesus to resolve this “mess” that you’ve “gotten yourself into.”

            In this same epistle, the Apostle Paul counseled: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (ESV Ephesians 4:32) In other words, God has forgiven you of your sins and shortcomings. How then can you withhold forgiveness from others? Jesus taught this same principle in His parable, often referred to as the parable of the “Unmerciful Servant” (Matthew 18). In it, Jesus tells of a man who owed someone ten thousand talents (i.e., approximately 3 billion dollars), but he couldn’t pay back the debt. So, the man’s creditor forgave him this astronomical amount. However, that same man—now forgiven of his debt—was owed 100 pence (i.e., approximately 5 thousand dollars) by someone else and, when that debtor couldn’t pay him back, the man previously forgiven 3 million dollars refused to forgive the five-thousand-dollar debt. Though himself forgiven of an incomprehensible debt, he “cast into prison” the person who owed him comparatively nothing. (Matthew 18:23-35) Jesus ended the parable with these words: “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” (NIV Matthew 23:35; See also Matthew 6:14-15; Luke 6:37; Colossians 3:13) And so, we return to the Apostle Paul’s counsel: “Forgive one another, as God, in Christ, has forgiven you!” Forgiveness is always reciprocating!

            Ancient Christians often engaged in corporate (or group) prayer, standing in a circle, joining their voices (and often their hands) together on behalf of those in need. In Mark chapter 11, Jesus references this practice, saying, “When you are praying and you remember that you are angry with another person about something, forgive that person.” (ERV Mark 11:25) Jesus informs His hearers that they need to do this, if they hope that God will forgive them. However, there is also a sense (in His teachings) that the prayer is negated or defiled by participating with an unforgiving heart. For, in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus commanded: “If you are about to place your gift on the altar”—a common place of prayer and sacrifice—“and remember that someone is angry with you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. Make peace with that person, then come back and offer your gift to God.” (CEV Matthew 5:23-24; See also James 5:16) Jesus wants us to understand that forgiving others, and reconciling with them, is a necessary part—not only of gaining personal forgiveness from God, but also of having God’s Spirit with us and having God accept our offerings, whether those be in the form of sacrifice or prayer. Thus, we should forgive not only to be forgiven, but also to be generally acceptable to God.

            The Gospel of St. Matthew records this famous exchange between Jesus and one of His closest of disciples: “Peter came up to the Lord and asked, ‘How many times should I forgive someone who does something wrong to me? Is seven times enough?’ Jesus answered: ‘Not just 7 times, but 77 times!’” (CEV Matthew 18:21-22) In some versions of this verse, Jesus says forgive “70 X 7.” Regardless, in ancient times, the number seven was typically understood to symbolize “fullness,” “wholeness” or “completion.” Thus, when Jesus commands Peter to forgive those who have “done wrong to him,” Jesus isn’t saying, ‘Forgive the person the first 77 times, or the first 490 times, that they harm you—and then you don’t need to forgive them anymore.’ Rather, by saying “77 times” or “seventy times seven,” Jesus is saying one must forgive “always,” “completely,” or “wholly.” Thus, Jesus taught: “Be careful what you do. Correct any followers of mine who sin, and forgive the ones who say they are sorry. Even if one of them mistreats you seven times in one day and says, ‘I am sorry,’ you should still forgive that person.” (CEV Luke 17:34) Jesus is simply informing us that God expects us to forgive all who harm or offend us. He is not saying that we have to be “buddies” with those who have abused us, but He is saying we need to let go of what they have done to us. Thus, the Apostle Paul taught: “My friends, don’t try to punish anyone who does wrong to you. Wait for God to punish them with his anger. In the Scriptures the Lord says, ‘I am the one who punishes; I will pay people back.’” (ERV Romans 12:19) In the end, if we don’t forgive, hanging onto those offenses will emotionally and spiritually eat us alive. Yes, Jesus repeatedly said to obtain forgiveness we must forgive. But most of us also know that to obtain peace, we must also forgive. Every time the harmed refuse to forgive, they hand their sense of well-being, peace, and tranquility over to the very person who has harmed them. Thus, for the sake of our own well-being and peace of mind, we must forgive wholly and move on completely. This is Jesus’ meaning behind His command to forgive “70 X 7.”

            Though more could be said, and many other scriptures could be examined, the essential message of the Bible is that forgiveness is a gift from God. We must give it to receive it. We must rely on God’s grace because we are undeserving of it. And we must fully forgive if we hope to enjoy “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding.” (KJV Philippians 4:7)

Bible Verses about Forgiveness

"How far is the east from the west? The Lord has taken our sins further away than that! He no longer says that we are guilty [of our sins]. As a father is kind to his children, the Lord is kind to us. He is kind to people who worship him." (ERB Psalm 103:12-13)

"Love covers over all sins." (EEB Proverbs 10:12)

"Christ sacrificed his life's blood to set us free, which means our sins are now forgiven. Christ did this because of God’s gift of undeserved grace to us." (CEV Ephesians 1:7-8)

"All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory" (CEV Romans 3:23)

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." (ESV Ephesians 4:32)

"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart." (NIV Matthew 18:35) See also Matthew 6:14-15; Luke 6:37; Colossians 3:13

"When you are praying and you remember that you are angry with another person about something, forgive that person." (ERV Mark 11:25)

"If you are about to place your gift on the altar and remember that someone is angry with you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. Make peace with that person, then come back and offer your gift to God." (CEV Matthew 5:23-24) See also James 5:16

"Peter came up to the Lord and asked, ‘How many times should I forgive someone who does something wrong to me? Is seven times enough?’ Jesus answered: ‘Not just 7 times, but 77 times!’" (CEV Matthew 18:21-22)

"Be careful what you do. Correct any followers of mine who sin, and forgive the ones who say they are sorry." (CEV Luke 17:3-4)

"My friends, don’t try to punish anyone who does wrong to you. Wait for God to punish them with his anger. In the Scriptures the Lord says, ‘I am the one who punishes; I will pay people back.’" (ERV Romans 12:19)

"The peace of God, which passeth all understanding." (KJV Philippians 4:7)