25 Bible Verses About Forgiveness (For the Person You Cannot Yet Forgive, and the Grace You Have Already Received)

Forgiveness is one of the hardest things Scripture asks us to do, and also one of the most freeing. There is someone in your life right now that you have been trying to forgive — maybe for years — and you have not been able to close the loop. Or you are the one who did the wrong thing, and you have not been able to receive the forgiveness God has already extended. Either way, the Bible has something specific and honest to say to you. It does not treat forgiveness as a feeling you have to manufacture. It treats it as a real, costly, sometimes slow choice — one that God models before He asks it of us.

What follows are twenty-five verses on forgiveness — on the forgiveness God has already given you, on the calling to extend it to others, on what to do when you cannot yet, on what forgiveness actually costs, and on the freedom that opens on the other side of it. Read them out loud. Take the ones you need. And please read the third section carefully. God does not shame you for being partway through the work.

Verses on God’s Forgiveness of Us

Before we can be asked to forgive, Scripture starts here — with the forgiveness we have already received.

1. 1 John 1:9

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (NIV)

2. Psalm 103:12

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (NIV)

3. Isaiah 43:25

“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” (NIV)

4. Ephesians 1:7

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” (NIV)

5. Micah 7:19

“You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” (NIV)

Verses Calling Us to Forgive Others

Because the forgiveness we have received comes with a next verse.

6. Ephesians 4:32

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (NIV)

7. Colossians 3:13

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (NIV)

8. Matthew 6:14-15

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (NIV)

9. Mark 11:25

“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (NIV)

10. Matthew 18:21-22

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'” (NIV)

Verses for When You Cannot Yet Forgive

When the hurt is fresh, deep, or unrepaired.

11. Psalm 55:22

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” (NIV)

12. Romans 12:19

“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (NIV)

13. Psalm 147:3

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (NIV)

14. Luke 23:34

“Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.'” (NIV)

15. Acts 7:60

“Then he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he fell asleep.” (NIV)

Verses on What Forgiveness Actually Costs

Because Scripture never pretends forgiveness is cheap.

16. Isaiah 53:5

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (NIV)

17. Hebrews 9:22

“In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (NIV)

18. Romans 5:8

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (NIV)

19. 1 Peter 3:18

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (NIV)

20. 2 Corinthians 5:19

“That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.” (NIV)

Verses on the Freedom Forgiveness Brings

Because forgiveness is not just an obligation. It is a door.

21. Psalm 32:1-2

“Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them.” (NIV)

22. Acts 3:19

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” (NIV)

23. 2 Corinthians 5:17

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (NIV)

24. John 8:36

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (NIV)

25. Romans 8:1

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (NIV)

How to Pray These Verses

Pick the verse that fits where you actually are. If you are the one who has been hurt, do not force the language of instant forgiveness. Start with Psalm 55:22 and Romans 12:19 — let God carry it, and let God be the one who handles what was done. If you are the one who did the hurt, start with 1 John 1:9. Bring the specific thing to God. Do not spiritualize it into a general “forgive me” — name what you did and receive what He has already done about it.

And if you have been trying to forgive someone for a long time and you have not yet been able to — please read verses 11 through 15 slowly. Jesus prayed for forgiveness for His killers while they were killing Him, and Stephen prayed the same prayer for the people throwing stones. Neither of them waited until the feeling arrived. They spoke the words while the wound was fresh. Sometimes the feeling comes later, sometimes years later. Forgiveness is not less faithful when it starts as a decision rather than an emotion.

Related Reading

For a devotional on the man who prayed for his killers while they were killing him, see What Stephen Teaches Us About Praying for the People Who Are Hurting You. For the Father who runs to meet the wandering son and does not even let him finish the apology, see What the Prodigal’s Father Teaches Us About the God Who Runs to Meet You. And for the deeper healing that often comes alongside forgiveness, see our 25 Bible Verses About Healing.

A Closing Prayer

Father, thank You that You have forgiven me for so much more than I have ever been asked to forgive anyone else for. Thank You that You removed my transgressions as far as the east is from the west, and that You do not count them against me. Give me the courage to receive the forgiveness You have already extended, and the grace to extend it to the person You have put on my heart today. If I cannot yet, hold the wound with me while I get there. Free me from the second wound of unforgiveness. And let me, like Stephen, be someone who prays for the people hurting me before the feeling has caught up. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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