What does the Bible say about forgiveness?
The Bible treats forgiveness as central — God's free forgiveness of our sins through Christ, and our calling to forgive others as we have been forgiven.
The Bible's whole story is about forgiveness. God forgives sin freely through Christ, who «bore our sins in his body on the tree» (1 Peter 2:24). 1 John 1:9 promises that if we confess, he is faithful to forgive.
And believers are called to forgive others. Jesus put it in the Lord's Prayer: «forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.» Ephesians 4:32 calls Christians to be «kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.»
Forgiveness is not pretending the wrong didn't happen. It is releasing the offender to God and entrusting justice to him. It is hard, sometimes slow, and often requires returning to the cross again and again — but it is the way of Christ.
Original BibleDawn answer · reviewed 2026-06. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.