Foreword
Welcome to the what does the bible say about forgiveness article! This is a very important topic from the Bible. For ordinary people this may not mean much, but for believers this touches deeply. Jesus said that if we do not forgive, then we ourselves will not be forgiven either. ✚Matt. 6:14-15. So if you don’t forgive, then God won’t forgive either. A very serious matter. There are many Bible passages related to this topic and I will now tell more about them.
What does forgiveness mean?
Forgiveness means that you no longer remember the evil that was done to you. You do not repay evil with evil, but you bless. When you forgive, the matter is dealt with and you can start with a clean slate. You do not become bitter, and you do not accuse the one who did wrong. Instead you should love, yes even your enemy. 1. ✚1 Cor. 13:4–7, 2. ✚Matt. 5:43–45. So decide to love and live in continuous forgiveness. With the help of God’s Holy Spirit, if you are in faith you can do it. Forgive from your heart.
God’s promise to forgive when we confess our sins
God does forgive when we live in forgiveness and when we confess our sins ✚1 John 1:9. God is a merciful and forgiving God 1. ✚Ps. 103:8, 2. ✚Eph. 2:4–5. But you must remember that God is a judge 1. ✚Ps. 75:8, 5. ✚Rom. 2:6 and is severe toward wrongdoers 1. ✚Rom. 11:22. This is God’s nature. Because God forgives, He requires that the believer also forgives. Sometimes it may hurt and it is difficult to forgive, but you must. So if you cannot forgive, make a firm decision to forgive and pray that God would work in you.
Forgiveness through the blood of Christ
All of God’s forgiveness happens through the blood of Jesus that was poured on the ground. Jesus thus took the place of the evildoing human as completely sinless and paid our sin debt. That is why God forgives. ✚Eph. 1:7. God regretted making man, because man’s deeds are only evil. 1. ✚Gen. 6:6–7. God however had a plan for that and it was His sinless beloved son Jesus.
Jesus did God’s will perfectly and He is the only one whom God can fully trust. God did not destroy humans, even though He could have, but through His son He found a solution. That solution was to join all believers to Jesus through the body members, that is, through the believers. The result is a paradise where there is no pain, no crying, no lies, no suffering and through Jesus one receives eternal life!
So if you are not in faith, you can come to faith and be saved. You can enter God’s family and receive forgiveness of sins. After that you are on your way to eternal paradise. This life is not the only life but it continues either in hell 2. ✚Rev. 20:14–15 or in heaven and in the new heaven on the new earth. 1. ✚Rev. 21:1. What a wonderful situation for the believer!
Be kind and forgive one another
Here is another Bible passage that Apostle Paul spoke about ✚Eph. 4:32. He encourages to be kind and to forgive. This is repeated also through the apostle’s mouth, which tells how important this matter is. So decide to forgive by whatever means necessary.
Your sins will be washed white as snow
I myself committed really bad sin before coming to faith and also after that. I regret what I did especially after coming to faith, but God is merciful and then this happened to me ✚Isa. 1:18. The sins were wiped away and now I strive not to commit intentional sin. I cannot do it in my own strength, but if I walk in the Holy Spirit, I can more easily avoid committing intentional sin.
So the blood-red sins became snow-white. God makes a complete transformation for His own compared to what life was before coming to faith. It does not matter what you have done before coming to faith. All sins can be forgiven, except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit which will not be forgiven. 1. ✚Matt. 12:31–32.
So if you feel that you have committed such bad sin that you don’t believe you can be forgiven for them, you can take comfort in the fact that almost all sins can be forgiven. So don’t give up if you are in faith and if you are not then you can have all sins forgiven if you believe in Jesus.
Not seven times, but seventy-seven times
As you can see in this what does the bible say about forgiveness article, Jesus speaks here in figurative language. It practically means that you must forgive endlessly. ✚Matt. 18:21–22. So the number does not matter. If you are now in a situation where you are constantly being wronged, you can step away from that situation, but with a forgiving mind, if possible. Jesus said that one must forgive endlessly. It is humanly difficult to reach that, but if you live in the Holy Spirit, you can be joyful and believing in God live in continuous forgiveness.
The parable of the unforgiving servant
In this passage it becomes apparent that one can act wrongly in forgiveness. In this case the unforgiving servant receives much forgiveness and then when he should forgive a small amount, he does not forgive. Here an injustice happens that God hates. So if you have received much forgiveness, you must also give much forgiveness. In this case he acted mercilessly. So if you have received much forgiveness, it is also expected of you that you can give much forgiveness.
If one repents you must at least forgive
This passage is a little difficult to understand. Jesus says that IF someone says “I repent”, you must forgive. ✚Luke 17:3–4. So this would suggest that if the other person does not repent, then you do not have to forgive. I myself would still forgive “just to be safe”, even if they did not repent. But here it clearly says about repentance as a condition for forgiveness. So especially if someone says “I repent”, then you must forgive immediately.
What if someone doesn’t know about forgiveness?
Forgiveness is absolute. You must remember that if someone has just come to faith, they do not know the scriptures. So they may commit any sin and if they have for example an old habit of doing evil, they are not yet sinning if they do not know. ✚Rom. 5:13. So if someone has just come to faith, you should be especially merciful toward them. If they sin and transgress, you can show them the place in the Bible where the law is shown and that they are sinning by transgressing. Only then can you expect them to follow Christ’s law, when they know about it.
So be especially merciful to “baby Christians” especially if they have not yet read the Bible. Their conscience can still tell them that they are doing wrong, but if they do not know the law, there is no transgression either.
Still judgment comes also to those who did not know the law, who do not believe in Jesus ✚Rom. 2:12. So no one can say that they knew nothing about the law. The conscience is what accuses or defends ✚Rom. 2:14–15. So for those who did not know the law, the conscience still makes them guilty.
So the point is that you should be merciful and especially forgiving toward “baby believers”. For those without faith, the conscience functions as the law.
What does the Bible say about forgiveness Summary
Forgiveness is absolute for those who believe in God. Jesus said that if you do not forgive you cannot receive forgiveness from God. This is absolute. Jesus said that one must forgive “endlessly”. If someone says “I repent” especially forgive.
God is merciful and forgiving. God is at the same time also a judge and severe toward those who fall.
So live in forgiveness and if you cannot forgive make a firm decision to forgive and pray if it feels impossible.
Frequently asked questions about forgiveness
- Is forgiveness mandatory for a believer? Yes. Jesus said clearly that if we do not forgive, we ourselves will not receive forgiveness from God either (✚Matt. 6:14-15). Forgiveness is absolute for a believer.
- What if I cannot forgive? Make a firm decision to forgive and pray that God would work in your heart. With the help of the Holy Spirit you can reach forgiveness, even if it feels humanly impossible.
- How many times must you forgive? Jesus said not seven times, but seventy-seven times (✚Matt. 18:21-22). This practically means endlessly.
- Must you forgive even if the other person does not repent? In the Gospel of Luke (✚Luke 17:3-4) Jesus mentions repentance as a condition. Especially if someone says “I repent”, you must forgive immediately. A forgiving attitude is however always a safe choice.
- Is there a sin that will not be forgiven? Yes. The only sin that will not be forgiven is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (✚Matt. 12:31-32). All other sins can be forgiven.
- Does forgiveness mean that you must return to the same situation? Not necessarily. You can step away from a situation where you are constantly being wronged, but do it with a forgiving mind.
- How does God forgive us? God’s forgiveness happens through the blood of Jesus Christ (✚Eph. 1:7). Jesus as sinless took man’s place and paid our sin debt.
- How should you relate to someone who has just come to faith and commits sin? You should be especially merciful toward someone who has just come to faith. If they do not yet know the Bible and its teachings, they may not know they are sinning (✚Rom. 5:13). You can show them from the Bible what is right and wrong.
- What does forgiveness practically mean? Forgiveness means that you no longer remember the evil that was done to you, you do not repay evil with evil but bless, and you do not become bitter. You can start with a clean slate and love even your enemy (✚Matt. 5:43-45).
- Can you be saved even if you have committed really bad sins? Yes. The Bible says that even blood-red sins become snow-white (✚Isa. 1:18). All sins can be forgiven by believing in Jesus, except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
Thank you for reading to the end!
Hi!
I am the founder and administrator of this website. I am a born-again Christian and have been in the faith for over 10 years. I write all the articles myself by hand, with the help of the Holy Spirit, for the glory of God.
If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact me through the site. I can also pray for you and send your prayer requests forward anonymously if you wish. Thank you for visiting the website!
