BibleVerse

Bible Verses About Forgiveness

The Bible treats forgiveness in two directions at once, and its most demanding verses are the ones about extending it. Ephesians 4:32 gives both halves in one sentence — "forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you" — making the second half's standard the first half's experience. 1 John 1:9 covers the receiving side with unusual precision: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Matthew 18:22 answers the natural follow-up question — how many times? — with "until seventy times seven." Fifteen of those verses follow in full KJV text, for both sides of the exchange.

Quick answer: 1 John 1:9 is the clearest verse on receiving forgiveness: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." Ephesians 4:32 is the clearest on giving it: "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Psalm 103:12 provides the picture — sins removed "as far as the east is from the west" — and Micah 7:19 adds that they are cast "into the depths of the sea."

The 15 verses, in full text

01 · King James Version

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Ephesians 4:32

02 · King James Version

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Colossians 3:13

03 · King James Version

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

Matthew 6:14

04 · King James Version

But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Matthew 6:15

05 · King James Version

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

06 · King James Version

Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.

Micah 7:18

07 · King James Version

As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Psalms 103:12

08 · King James Version

I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

Isaiah 43:25

09 · King James Version

Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

Matthew 18:22

10 · King James Version

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

Luke 6:37

11 · King James Version

And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Mark 11:25

12 · King James Version

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

Acts 3:19

13 · King James Version

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Psalms 32:1

14 · King James Version

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

2 Corinthians 5:17

15 · King James Version

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Ephesians 1:7

When to read these verses

These verses are read after failure (1 John 1:9), in family fractures (Colossians 3:13), in marriages (Ephesians 4:32 was written into that context's household code), and in the long work of releasing a debt someone else owes you. A word of honesty: the Bible's forgiveness verses do not require calling harm acceptable, and they do not erase consequences — Matthew 18's fuller passage pairs forgiveness with honest confrontation ("go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone"). What they consistently refuse is the alternative of storing the debt forever. Read the list slowly; the verses about being forgiven (Psalm 103:12, Micah 7:18-19) usually need to come first.

How to use this list

Copy a verse to keep close during a season of either guilt or grievance — 1 John 1:9 and Psalm 32:1 are the standard starting points for the first, Ephesians 4:32 and Matthew 18:22 for the second. Each card toggles between the King James Version and the World English Bible; "forgiving one another" reads identically in both, but the surrounding words modernize helpfully. If a particular verse is doing work for you, the random verse tool above can surface others from this theme one at a time. The love and peace pages are natural companions to this list.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best Bible verse about forgiveness?
1 John 1:9 for receiving it — "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Ephesians 4:32 for extending it — "be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Between them they cover both directions the Bible consistently pairs.
What does Matthew 18:22 mean — seventy times seven?
"Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven." Peter had offered seven — a generous number by the standards of the day — and the answer multiplies it past the point where counting makes sense. The intended effect is to remove the ledger entirely, which the following parable (Matthew 18:23-35) illustrates with a servant forgiven an enormous debt who then chokes a fellow servant over a small one.
What verse says our sins are separated "as far as the east is from the west"?
Psalm 103:12: "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." The psalm picks the one pair of directions that never meets — east and west can travel forever without converging, unlike north and south, which meet at the poles. Micah 7:19 makes the companion image: sins "cast into the depths of the sea."
What does the Bible say about forgiving yourself?
The Bible's forgiveness verses are framed around God's forgiveness rather than self-forgiveness, and they consistently treat divine forgiveness as complete: Isaiah 43:25 — "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins." 1 John 1:9 says the one who confesses is cleansed "from all unrighteousness," and 2 Corinthians 5:17 makes the identity shift: "old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

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