Forgiveness

No book of religion, except the Bible, teaches that God completely forgives sin. In the New Testament, God’s forgiveness is total because the blood of Christ cleanses from all sins (1 John 1:7). On the cross, Jesus received the curse of all breakers of the Law of God (Deuteronomy 28; Galatians 3:13). Having paid that penalty, he nullified the old contract and placed us under a new covenant of grace where we are justified not by our perfect performance (Ephesians 2:8), but by who we are: the sons and daughters of God (Galatians 3:15–29). Our forgiveness from God depends on our forgiveness of others (Matthew 6:14; 18:21, 22, 32–35; Luke 6:27, 36, 37).

Scriptures on Forgiveness

Ephesians 4:32

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Hebrews 10:17

Then he adds:
"Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more.”

Hosea 14:4

"I will heal their waywardness
and love them freely,
for my anger has turned away from them.”

Isaiah 43:25

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

John 16:27

“No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.”

John 6:37

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”

John 6:39

“And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.”

Prayer

Take this prayer and make it your own. It's also a good idea to close your prayer by confessing before God the names of the people you are forgiving, and to say what you are forgiving them for. Remember that forgiveness does not mean you have to forget what has been done to you--the people you forgive may still not be safe for you to be around--but forgiveness does mean letting go, moving on, and not trying to retaliate or hurt the individual who hurt you.

“Lord, I want to believe and accept your forgiveness. Please help me know and understand in my heart how deep your forgiveness and grace is. I know that in order to forgive other people, I need to receive your forgiveness for me. I want to honor you with my heart and character and attitudes. You have set us free from all of our debts. Holy Spirit, I want to cooperate with you as you transform my character to be in line with God’s. Help me have peace in these places, and patience for these people. If there is any wound in my heart that is keeping me from forgiving, I want to surrender it to you, and trust you to heal the broken places in me.”

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