29 Powerful Bible Verses About Forgiveness and Healing
Forgiving others is the right thing to do, but it can be very difficult. This is especially true when a family member or close friends do something hurtful to you. It can take a long time to go through the healing process needed to reach true forgiveness. Reading Bible verses about forgiveness and healing can be a huge step towards walking in brotherly love with someone who has wronged you.
Whether you’re working to forgive yourself or others, reading scriptures can help you cleanse your heart of hateful thoughts and move forward. For your own sake, you should make every effort to let go of hurt and pain so you can experience true healing and peace.
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What does the Bible say about true forgiveness?
In the simplest terms, the Bible defines true forgiveness as forgiving everyone of their wrongdoing every single time. It means no matter what someone has done, you make the deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment towards them. You also agree not to act in vengeance, even if you don’t feel the person is truly deserving of your grace.
By doing this, you are acknowledging the sacrifice that God made for you by sending his son to pay for the sins of the whole world. Showing someone this great mercy is no easy feat. In fact, it takes a lot of intention to be able to grant someone forgiveness. But, if you are a Christian, you must acknowledge the forgiveness of your sins and show your fellow brethren that same love that has been shown to you.
This book has 99 Bible verses on forgiveness.
How do you truly forgive somebody?
Mayo Clinic states that in order to truly forgive someone, you must acknowledge your feelings. I wholeheartedly agree. Forgiveness is not about ignoring that you’ve been hurt or done wrong. To forgive someone, you have to recognize that the offense occurred. If you try to ignore those feelings, it only prolongs the healing process.
I share several tips for letting go of the hurt in this blog post about forgiving someone who continually hurts you.
Bible verses about forgiveness and healing
There are several powerful Bible verses that remind you of the grace our heavenly father has shown us. These may help you work to experience the power of forgiveness. There is great power in words and I believe that referencing a forgiveness Bible verse will help you stay focused as you work to truly let go of the hurt.
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.
Matthew 6:15: But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
2 Corinthians 2:10: Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake
1 Kings 8:50: And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their captors to show them mercy;
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.
2 Chronicles 7:14: if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Genesis 50:17: This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.
2 Kings 5:18: But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.”
Numbers 14:19: In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.”
2 Chronicles 6:21: Hear the supplications of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive.
Psalms 79:9: Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.
Daniel 9:19: Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.
Luke 5:21: The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Exodus 34:9: “Lord,” he said, “if I have found favor in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance.”
1 Samuel 25:28: “Please forgive your servant’s presumption. The Lord your God will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my lord, because you fight the Lord’s battles, and no wrongdoing will be found in you as long as you live.
1 Kings 8:36: then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.
2 Chronicles 6:30: then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive, and deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know their hearts (for you alone know the human heart),
Job 7:21: Why do you not pardon my offenses and forgive my sins? For I will soon lie down in the dust; you will search for me, but I will be no more.”
Jeremiah 5:1: “Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city.
Jeremiah 5:7: “Why should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I supplied all their needs, yet they committed adultery and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.
Jeremiah 31:34: No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
Ephesians 1:7: In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
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.
Acts 2:38: Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Exodus 34:7 : maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”
Colossians 1:13: For He has rescued us and has drawn us to Himself from the dominion of darkness, and has transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son
Numbers 14:18: ‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’
Acts 26:18: to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
Nehemiah 9:17: They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them…
If you are worthy of God’s forgiveness, then so is any other unrighteous man. Just as our sins have been tossed into the depths of the sea, we should extend that same grace to others. The important thing to remember when thinking of letting go of hurt is that you do not have to allow the people who have hurt you back into your lives. You are simply doing what you need to do to live in perfect harmony and move on in a loving way.
Stories of forgiveness in the Bible
In addition to the several verses in the Bible that mention forgiveness, there are several stories that provide tons of guidance and examples of true forgiveness. Here are references to some of my favorite examples of unfailing love in the Bible:
- The story of Joseph’s brethren
- God forgiving Israel in the wilderness
- The parable of the unmerciful servant
- The story of Jesus restoring Peter
- King David forgiving Saul who wanted to kill him
Each of these stories has a forgiveness show that will make the act of forgiving seem more realistic. I often feel more empowered to offer forgiveness to someone after being reminded of stories like these.
How to tell if you haven’t really go of past hurt
It would be really nice if it was easy to just move on after someone hurt you. But the bottom line is, it’s not. And sometimes even after you’ve acknowledged your feelings, meditated, studied Bible verses and prayed, you still feel some type of way about the person who did you wrong.
You may think you have reached the point of forgiveness, but then you think about the person and those feelings begin to fester inside you. Here are some ways to tell if you if you haven’t reached true forgiveness:
- It’s hard to be around the person without feeling anger or other negative feelings.
- You try to convince others to feel negatively about the person who did you wrong.
- Revenge is constantly on your mind when you think about the person or situation that hurt you.
- You go out of your way to avoid the person that wronged you.
- Your friends are tired of you talking about the person that hurt you.
Things to remember when it comes to forgiveness:
The severe pain associated with the emotional hurt cannot be ignored. If you are struggling to forgive someone to the point that it’s affecting your mental health, seek the guidance of a professional. There is no expectation for you to achieve healing on your own. There is no shame in seeking help to get you to your place of healing.
The act of forgiving someone takes time and effort. That’s why it’s called an “act”. You must do something. Don’t just sit around and expect the negative feelings to go away. It takes hard work to get to a place where you feel like a new creation who is ready to walk in love.
Old quarrels can have a negative effect on new relationships and friendships. Let go of the mistakes of others. Don’t take that baggage into your new relationships. The people in your life do not deserve to pay for the actions of others.
Full forgiveness of our sins by Christ Jesus should be reason enough for us to forgive others. Don’t waste time pondering IF you should forgive someone. The good news is the more you forgive others, the better you will feel. You’ll be more at peace and you’ll be closer to healing.
Science Direct says little children are the most forgiving creatures. Be like little children and show others a little love when they do wrong.
Forgiveness affirmations
- As I forgive others, I am forgiven.
- I release all judgment, guilt, and shame.
- I forgive my enemies.
- Forgiveness allows me to let go of negative energy and thoughts.
- Being angry at others hurts me more than anyone else.
- I forgive and I am transformed.
- I choose love and forgiveness.
- I let go of the past to move forward.
- I set my past free and forgive my participation in it.
- I forgive others as I forgive myself: with ease, sincerity, and loving compassion.
If you are a Christian, remind yourself of this: It is the will of my Father for me to walk in love with my brothers and sisters.
