“Not forgiving is like drinking cat poison and then waiting for the rat to die.” – Anne Lamott
How well do you forgive others?
I have really started to think about how poorly I am at forgiving others. I hold on to a grudge for years. But I realize that I am not allowed to hold such a thing in my life as a christian. I have found 20 verses from Bible to change my attitude. God calls us to forgive others. How can we expect forgiveness to be lavished upon us if we don’t share the same sentiments on forgiving others?
Bible Verses on Forgiving Others
- Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. 2 Corinthians – 2:7
- When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, - 2 Corinthians 2:10
- Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. – Ephesians 4:32
- Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. – Colossians 3:13
- If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. -John 20:23
- Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. – Luke 6:37
- and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. – Matthew 6:12
- If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. – Matthew 6:14
- But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. – Matthew 6:15
- Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone[a]who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!Matthew 18:21-22
- Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you? – Matthew 18:32-33
- That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart – Matthew 18:35
- so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled: ‘When they see what I do, they will learn nothing. When they hear what I say, they will not understand. Otherwise, they will turn to me and be forgiven. – Mark 4:12
- But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. – Mark 11:25
- “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” - Luke 7:47
- and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation. – Luke 11:4
- So watch yourselves! “If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. – Luke 17:3
- Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive. – Luke 17:4
- If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. – John 20:23
- If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. – Romans 4:7
Forgiveness is such a key for living a peaceful and joyful life!
ReplyDeleteWOW!!! We really have to ask GOD to give us a forgiving heart daily.
DeleteI have struggled with the idea of...am I expected to forgive someone that has not asked to be forgiven? Now I just repeat to myself.."forgive them for the they know not what they do"..people may not have any idea what they have done.
ReplyDeleteWOW!!! AMEN!!!! You are so right Dianne! God Bless You!
DeleteIts nice to go through .... Highly recommended !!!
ReplyDeleteI will be using some of these in court against my kids step dad who molested my daughter
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful and very helpful I have a lot of hurt and anger in me toward someone that I love dearly and I know that the right thing for me to do is to forgive him. Thank you so much
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as if you have taken a positive and meaningful step to heal the situation you are in. When you condemn someone, then there is nothing they can do to make things better because you will not allow yourself to see the good in them.You have realised that you hold the key to resolution. That is so good to hear. It will not go unnoticed and it will be the saviour of your situation. Well done.
DeleteIt's so Weird how we as humans are expected to forgive Someone who done us so wrong. But for God it was so easy . I believe that is we strive to be like him more and more each day forgiveness is a big part of it.
DeleteWhy is it necessary to find good in them in order to forgive?......My father abused me in all the ways a person can, and today I am still suffering the physical scars.....loss of hearing, damage to my internal organs and spine.......I did realize later in life,that he was a tortured man, but never managed to find anyting to like or see good in him.....I forgave him copletely through praying at least nine times a day until it became reality........
DeleteWow...God is really working in you!!
DeletePraise the Lord
DeletePraise the Lord
Deletepraying and making godly choices is the key...we may not be able to stop people from hurting us either verbally or physically but what they cannot rob away from us is our response to those hurts...Jesus is more than able to heal us if we choose to let Him...thank God we are not alone in this battle...we have the Creator of heaven and earth to go through the valley with us....
DeleteHow do you forgive people who continuously hurt you, yet don't ask for forgiveness?
ReplyDeleteWe continually hurt God, & don't remember to ask forgiveness for every thing we do. Yet, He forgives us (the redeemed) repeatedly. Pray for Him to help you.
DeleteYou are not required to be with anyone who intentionally hurts you on a continuous basis but forgiving them releases you from that bondage. You are forgiving them for your own sake, not theirs.
DeleteI have been struggling with this same question. How true is it that I sin against my Heavenly Father daily, yet forget to ask forgiveness. Thank you for the reminder, Anonymous. Merry Christmas <3
DeleteHow would you forgive someone after they spread terriable things about you, yet they still want the friendship to go on, and so do you a little, but how would you forgive them and look past all the trouble they have caused amoung you and your friends? do you forgive them?
ReplyDeleteForgiveness is difficult to a natural man; but it is possible to a spiritual man by the devine grace of God. Nothing is impossible with God.
DeleteYes, you forgive them but you do not have to stay with anyone who mistreats you.
DeleteThere is a difference between forgiving someone and allowing them to continue to abuse you. When God forgave us, he said that the penalty for our sin, death, was paid. He said that He separated our sins from us -- as far as the east is from the west. Obviously, God has mitigated some of the ramifications of my sin, but I still suffer from the natural consequences of my sins -- years later. If we are to forgive the way God does, I guess we decide not to punish them for their sins. Pray and ask God to take the bitterness from your heart, because you can't do it on your own. It isn't a "natural" thing. Ask a close confidant, who isn't directly involved, to pray for you to have the grace to forgive.
ReplyDeleteI once heard someone of knowledge say that forgiveness is not for those who have wronged us, but rather for ourselves, so that we may have peace. It is hard to live with all the hate and anger. It can eat us alive, and cause us to be ill. I believe that forgiveness is more about acceptance of those who have wronged us and letting the hurt go. We can forgive, but that does not mean we need to continue to place ourselves in a position to be hurt or abused again. We just let go of the hurt, accept the person who wronged us as he or she is,hope that both they and you have grown from your experience, and then from a place of knowledge, must decide how much energy and trust to place in them in the future, without condemnation. It is a very difficult thing to do.
DeleteEvangeline Neufville. Sometimes forgiving somebody who hurt you can be a hard thing to do, but holding something against another is even a heavier load to carried. This very moment in my life I am dealing with hurt and regrette but God lead me to read these verses and now I am gonna be able to sleep because I have decided to forgive and let the hurt wash away from me. I am gonna give God the glory and honor because as christains, it is written that we are require to give God thing through all things. Even through the hurting pains. Thank Jesus.
ReplyDeleteIt is good to forgive
ReplyDeleteAll comments very true i have yet to come to the full acknowledgement of letting go and let god deal peace of mind and heart and move on forgive those who might not know what they are doing so i must be the bigger person to someones ignorance then continue from there then what continue letting it blow over when is enough enough til you stop forgiving and deal with it a manly way torn at the heart heavy with grudge help.
ReplyDeleteI have offended someone dear to my heart someone i can call my happiness,my joy and my benefactor. The person in question is my girlfriend and i have been pleading for forgiveness since Sunday, today is Wednesday. I haven't eaten or tasted anything since Sunday. I am still pleading, My mother also pleaded on my behalf but she wont listen. What do i do ?
ReplyDeleteRepent to God from your offense and pray fervently like you have never prayed before. You may lose her, you may not. Just keep showing her how remorseful you are about the offense and keep praying that she will be able to forgive you.
DeleteIn my experience if you have admitted and owned up to the wrong doing and are asking for the forgiveness for that wrong doing, it should be granted, however she may be more hurt than what you realize. Give her time, if she truly loves you she'll want to be released from the pain as well, forgiveness is the only release.
DeleteIm 25 years old and have been with my boyfriend for a year and a half. I have found myself struggling with anger throughout my life unfortunately my anger has now been effecting my relationship. My boyfriend is a wonderful man and has been very understanding and has show much forgiveness to me...is it fair in gods eyes that I continue asking for this forgiveness from god and my boyfriend?
ReplyDeleteThese bible verses have really helped me 2 forgive someone who really hurt me.When I forgive that person I physically felt a weight come off me.I know it's difficult 2 forgive but with God's help anything is possible.
ReplyDeleteI have been hurt very deeply and I really care about this person. he tells me he did what he had to do to help himself. I believe he did do for himself but I feel it could have been done in a way that I did not have to be hurt. so I been asking God to give me the strength to forgive him and move on with my life because I do not want to be stuck. what do u suggest that I do
ReplyDeleteYou are right.
DeleteForgive him,so that you can move ahead and enjoy the blessing of God.
Also, when you forgive you have peace within yourself; which means if you don't forgive, you will keep carrying hurt soul/mind around (might not be happy)
Bottom line; forgive him and am sure God bless you abundantly.
I know these Scriptures, and know them well. What I am having a hard time with is the actual application. I've encountered many situations in my life, requiring some hefty prayer and forgiveness. But they pale in comparison to that which I've undergone this past year. How do you deal with a full-grown man, who is so appallingly greedy, bold, and ignorant - and remains clueless to his ways? I know I must forgive him. What I do not know, is whether I can institute boundaries in order to quash his ridiculous sense of entitlement. I am referring to a situation with a grown stepchild, in which he seemed to believe he was entitled to a portion of my parent's inheritance. He called me, less than a month after I had buried my Mother, with the most absurd/rude/insensitive request "so, not to sound morbid or anything, but now that she's dead, isn't there some money coming your way? 'Cause we could use some help buying this house." Given how manipulative and needy he has been since he was a young child, I should have known better. But I had the flu when he called; I was still an emotional wreck from dealing with my Mother's untimely death (and he knew that.) Its a long, ugly story...but the butt of it is...he thought he was actually entitled to all I paid him and more, and after hurlilng some of the nastiest emails at me that I've ever read....he can't figure out why I want nothing to do with him.
ReplyDeleteSo how do you forgive a child stuck inside a man's body, who after 3 college degrees still cannot figure out his problem? How do you allow that person back into your life, when you know he is going to manipulate the rest of your family, and he is not cured of his problem? Can you truly forgive, and still keep a healthy boundary in place?
Id surely appreciate any response on this. I am so lost, hurt, angry and bitter now. I haven't taken communion for months because I would do it in an unworthy manner. help. please.
Im barely starting out being a christian and forgiving I find is very hard. I am very prideful person n I find dificulty forgiving but right now I feel as my heart is less guilty and I think once I forgive and humble myself it will bcome more natural to me
ReplyDeleteI've been bullied for the past three years, specifically by one girl who is intentionally being cruel. It's gotten so bad in the past that my parents have asked me about changing schools. I'm struggling hard to forgive her, but this is really helping. Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteThe quote for Romans 4:7 is not correct - it looks like you just duplicated the verse above, probably by mistake. Romans 4:7 says "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered."
ReplyDeleteI am praying for God to help me forgive the man that murdered my niece in a condo fire. How could someone light a 12 unit condo on fire for no reason.
ReplyDeleteMy husband cheated on me with a random chick gave me herpes 1. He show no remorse. I dont know if i forgive him i still love him and want us to over come this. But i cant have sex with him it makes me sick really just thinking of it. I Pray about it all the time. How do you forgive someone who cares less if you do or dont and not even showing hes sorry. I want to just dont know how
ReplyDeleteI think forgiveness is the key to growing in love and having better relationships. We are not perfect and we must forgive ourselves and each other.
ReplyDeleteI have been married almost 3years my husband strugggle with drug and alcohol addictions and I believe he has also been unfaithful in our marriage he stays away from home for days at a time and doesn't pay bills like he could and we continually are in financial bounds because of this and argue about this... how do I forgive him? I am deeply hurt about this and have feelings of anger and hatred towards him.. How can I heal or forgive him when there is no change
ReplyDeleteI am the worst on forgiving someone. I will hold a grudge for years. so many have told me to forgive because life is too short to be so bitter and mean. once someone has wronged me, it's like ok I'm done. I don't speak to them again. a year could pass by and I would still act like the situation just happened. even though they apologize over and over. how do I learn to start forgiving
ReplyDeleteForgiveness is the sweetest revenge
ReplyDelete– Isaac Friedmann
Lovely pictures, awesome these are looking so funny interesting but professional and artistic pics.
ReplyDeletebible verses about love