Forgiveness is a gift we can give ourselves. Forgiveness is the only way to restore our faith in ourselves, learning from past mistakes, and gain independence from negative emotions. Forgiveness enables us to love and be loved again, accept help from others, and fully enjoy life. If we are unable to forgive others, we will not be able to love ourselves or accept the love of others. Forgiveness is one of the most important themes in the New Testament. Jesus’ greatest example of forgiveness was his death on the cross, yet He demonstrated His willingness to forgive before He died. The apostle Paul commended forgiveness in all relationships, including government and authority. included within the scope of this work How Many Times Is Forgiveness Mentioned In The Bible
It is essential that we understand the full meaning of forgiveness. The God who loves us and sent His Son to die for us wants nothing more than for us to be truly happy, but apart from Him we can never have this true joy. Now is the time for you to draw near to Him, receive His love and make Him your personal Lord and Savior. the subject of this article Bible Verses About Forgiving Others Who Hurt You
First, the FORGIVENESS NEW TESTAMENT is a type of literature. The distinguishing element of the FORGIVENESS NEW TESTAMENT lies in forgiveness. Essentially, the FORGIVENESS NEW TESTAMENT is about thinking about things from another person’s perspective and formulating a response of forgiveness which is relevant in that particular situation. In addition to this point, there are several ways to look at forgiveness. The material I have provided takes three main approaches to the idea of forgiveness and relates them to the FORGIVENESS NEW TESTAMENT and provides some insights into its use.
Forgiveness New Testament
Years ago, as a young adult, I was trying to turn left into shopping center. Both lanes of oncoming traffic stopped and waved me to turn left in front of them, which I did and was then hit by a third driver into my passenger door. I made the youthful mistake of not calling the police, thinking that I must have been wrong since I was making the left turn. The driver later sent me a bill, which I paid. Only afterwards when I went back to the shopping center did I realize that the reason I was hit by this car is because that driver had driven into the bicycle lane in order to go around the two lanes of traffic. So, was that fully my fault? I paid for it.
Another time, I was in a parking lot driving around looking for an open space, when a woman backed out of her space and hit my front right bumper pretty hard. She jumped out of her car screaming at me that it was my fault. Insurance disagreed with her since she was driving in reverse. As I think back to that incident, though, I wonder: was she fully at fault for that accident?
When there’s an accident, it seems to me like drivers, police, insurance agencies, and even bystanders are all trying to determine who’s at fault, but the older I get, the less I’m inclined to think that this is about Truth and Justice and the more I’m inclined to think that this is just about deciding who’s going to pay for the damages.
Or what about marriages that fail? It’s really easy to hear someone’s story and figure out who’s fault it is, right? Perhaps the one who was unfaithful or the one who cheated. But when people are telling me their stories and in humility, they fully discloses to me what had been happening over the years of their marriage, I often find it difficult to make such clear cut assumptions. It takes two to tango, doesn’t it? Relationships are complicated and there are always two sides, two positions, two partners. Now, I’m not trying to assign blame here, just the opposite, but just to recognize that relationships are always more complicated than they seem at the surface level. And, when long term relationships break down, often, someone is asking who’s at fault and who’s going to pay to make things “right.”
In our scripture for today, Jesus gives us a ridiculous commandment: to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who curse us, and to pray for those who abuse us. Jesus suggests that if someone strikes us on the cheek that we should offer them our other cheek and if anyone takes our coat from us, that we should not withhold our shirt.
I say that this is ridiculous because in this day and culture, people often wore coats and underneath their full-length coats, they would wear a long shirt. It’s not far off to think of their shirts as their underwear. So, if someone were to steal their coat, it would be like leaving them in their underwear. And if Jesus suggests to give them our shirt as well as our coat, then we’d be left standing in the buff. Surely the disciples who were listening to Jesus were thinking that he was out of his mind, right?
After all, what Jesus is saying is fundamentally unjust, isn’t it? How are we supposed to love our enemies and to give to someone who has already taken from us? Why would he ask us this?
To respond, I would first like to remind us all, that when Jesus call us to love our enemies, this does not include helping others to avoid the consequences of their actions. Helping people to face the consequences of their own actions is usually the most loving choice we could make.
Recently, Katherine and I were watching a television show in which a cop finds herself having to decide whether to arrest her best friend’s son for a terrible crime. The mom was trying to love her son by keeping him out of juvenile detention, prison. But if she succeeded, I’m not convinced his life would have gone well. He would have been harboring the guilt of this dirty secret for ages. He would be constantly remembering what a terrible thing he did, he would be always afraid of someone finding out his secret, he would have to live in hiding not being able to truly confide in another or be fully transparent to friends, he would likely act out his guilt and shame through addiction, depression, or by fully giving into evil. When we protect others from consequences and we refuse to confront bad behavior, we often unintentionally curse them to never get resolution or growth from their actions.
On the other hand, if the cop were to bring the son into juvenile detention, then there is no more secret. There’s no more hiding. He pays for his crime, and then he gets released. I recognize that sometimes the American prison system creates more criminals than it redeems, but I’m not preaching on our penal system today.
My point is that love doesn’t remove us from the consequences of our actions, love helps us to face our consequences with courage and dignity.
If this is the case, then why does Jesus tell us to bless those who curse us and to pray for those who abuse us? Why would Jesus want us to do this?
In the 1983 movie, War Games, Matthew Broderick plays a teenage computer hacker named, David, who uses 8-inch floppy disks and a land line modem to try and find the phone number of a computer game company that he wants to break into. (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086567/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) Accidentally, he instead finds the wrong number for a computer named, Joshua, that does have many games on it, including one called “Global Thermal Nuclear War.” What he doesn’t realize is that he’s accidentally broken into an artificial intelligence computer that is connected to the United States NORAD missile defense system. So, he thinks he’s playing a game, the computer thinks it’s playing a game. Unfortunately, as the computer plays the game, it conveys information to the military causing them to think that Russia is actually attacking by shooting all of their missiles at the United States all at once.
In a tense moment as the military is watching the screens showing thousands of missiles heading toward the United States and the general is getting ready to launch a counter strike with our own nuclear weapons pointed toward Russia, the creator of the computer rushes in to try and stop the madness. He says:
- Falken: General, are you prepared to destroy the enemy?
- General: You betcha.
- Falken: Do you think they know that?
- General: I believe we’ve made that clear enough.
- Falken: Then don’t. Tell the president to ride out the attack. General, do you really believe that the enemy would attack without provocation, using so many missiles, bombers, and subs so that we would have no choice but to totally annihilate them?
Thankfully, they do not launch any missiles and as they watch the screens showing the destruction of the United States, they hear the voices of the different outposts and realize that no one has died. The day has been saved.
Unfortunately, the computer—still thinking that the game is continuing—starts preparing a counter attack of its own and is actually connected to the real nuclear missiles.
In desperation, the teenage David tries desperately to teach the artificial intelligence computer a new lesson by forcing it to play repeated games of tic-tac-toe against itself until computer terminals start shooting sparks and blowing up and the whole system gets rebooted.
The computer having not launched the nuclear missile states the new lesson it has learned. It says:
“Greetings Professor Falken. A strange game. The only winning move… is not to play.”
Bringing this computer’s lesson back to our topic, when we talk about not playing, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t drive a car, or that we shouldn’t get married, or that we shouldn’t live. If we want to do those things, we should. And when I say we shouldn’t play the game, I am also not saying that we shouldn’t protect the innocent and the defenseless. We should live and we should live honorably.
When I suggest that we don’t play the game, I’m suggesting that we don’t play the “who’s at fault” game. I’m suggesting that we walk away from the judgement game, walk away from the blame game. Because any of these games may determine who should pay, but they never help us decide how we’re going to live.
This is why Jesus concludes by saying: “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you.” I believe it would be a mistake to assume that what Jesus is saying is that if we refuse to forgive, then God won’t forgive us; no. Instead, the only way we can do what Jesus asks is to not judge and not condemn. Perhaps the best way to read this scripture is to think of it this way: “Do not judge yourself, and you will not be judged; do not condemn yourself, and you will not be condemned. Forgive yourself, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you.”
The truth is God has already forgiven us. God doesn’t need to play the “who’s at fault game” because God has chosen instead to simply love us into our future.
And we can love ourselves into our own futures when we stop playing the judgement game because as long as we play the judgement game, we keep our name at the table. As long as we play the judgement game, we have to keep anteing up, we have to keep increasing how much of our lives we’re going to risk for the sake of being right and risking the possibility that we might be the ones who are wrong or condemned.
Only when we stop playing the game do we fully remove our name from the possibilities of judgement. And the way we stop playing the game is with the words, “I forgive you.”
The power of the words, “I forgive you” if directed at others and especially when we direct it toward ourselves, those words reveal the power of freedom, that the events of the past while never forgotten will have no hold or control over our future. And when we get that, then we understand that the true power of the words, “I forgive you” is to say, “I am free from my own condemnation.”
What God wants for us, what Desert Mission wants for us, is to be free from the shackles of judgement and condemnation, so that we can take a deep breath and live a better today.
How Many Times Is Forgiveness Mentioned In The Bible
The word “forgiveness” appears in the Bible more than 700 times.
The word “forgive” appears more than 1,000 times.
The word “pardon” appears more than 100 times.
The word “mercy” is used more than 800 times in Scripture.
The word forgiveness is mentioned more than 200 times in the Bible. It’s a key concept throughout Scripture.
The first occurrence is found in Genesis 6:8: “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”
The second occurrence comes from Moses’ instruction to Israel in Deuteronomy 5:10: “And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”
In Psalms 51:1-4, King David pleads for forgiveness, saying, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.” (KJV). The word “transgressions” here means sins or offenses against God’s will. David is asking God to forgive him so he can have a right relationship with God.
Jesus clearly taught that forgiveness was necessary for eternal life (Mark 11:25). John writes, “If we confess our sins, he [God] who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Peter tells us that we must forgive others as God has forgiven us (Ephesians 4
The answer to this question is not easy to come by. The word “forgiveness” does not appear in the Bible, but a number of related words do. The Hebrew word for forgiveness (shalom) is used about 250 times in the Old Testament and fifty times in the New Testament. So we can say that forgiveness is mentioned at least 300 times in the Bible.
The Greek word translated as “forgive” occurs only twice in the New Testament:
Matt 6:14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Col 3:13 “Forbearing one another and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do”
Forgiveness is a biblical concept that is at the heart of Christianity. Jesus Christ said that forgiveness was one of the most important teachings in his Sermon on the Mount, and it remains central to Christian doctrine today.
The Bible mentions forgiveness over 100 times, but it’s also an essential part of Judaism and Islam. In the Old Testament, God forgives people for their sins, while in the New Testament, Jesus tells us to forgive others who sin against us.
Forgiveness is one of the most important aspects of Christianity, according to many Christians. It’s a requirement for salvation and eternal life in heaven with God (if you believe in such a place). Forgiveness means letting go of anger or resentment toward someone who has done something wrong against you — whether by accident or not — so that you can move forward in your life without being weighed down by anger or sadness from past events that have happened between you and another person.
In some cases, this can be difficult because forgiving someone doesn’t mean forgetting about what happened or condoning their behavior — it just means letting go of feelings related to what happened so that they don’t affect your present-day life anymore than they already do
The word forgive appears in the Bible 543 times. The word forgive is translated from the Hebrew word chata (khaw-tah’), which means to “let down,” “relax,” or “release.” It refers to letting go of someone who has wronged you so that you can live in peace with them.
The word forgive is also translated from the Greek words aphero (ap-heh’-ro) and aphesis (ap-ay’-sis). Aphero means “to send away,” while aphesis means “to release” or “to dismiss.”
Forgiveness is an important part of Christianity. If we don’t forgive others, then we can’t expect God to forgive us when we sin against Him. But if we choose not to forgive those people who have wronged us, then it will only cause more pain for both parties involved.
Bible Verses About Forgiving Others Who Hurt You
Here are some Bible verses about forgiving others who hurt you.
- Pray for those who hurt you, so that you can be healed of your pain.
- Forgiveness is the best way to heal the wounds caused by a friend or family member’s betrayal or wrongdoing: “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:25)
- Don’t let bitterness build up inside you over wrongs done against you by others: “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” (Luke 6:27)
- If someone has hurt you deeply, pray for them and ask God to help them see their wrong doing and repent of it: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” (Romans 12:20)
- Forgive those who have sinned against us as we have forgiven those who sinned against us: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14-15)
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not hear you, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they ask, it shall be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:15-20)
“But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” -Matthew 5:44
“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” -Matthew 6:12
“For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” -Matthew 6:14-15
“Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money to the poor and come follow me.’ When the young man heard this he went away sad because he had many possessions. Jesus said to his disciples ‘I tell you the truth it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.'” -Mark 10:17-25
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins against
Forgiveness is the answer to everything. It is the key to success, happiness and peace of mind. Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it’s a permanent attitude.
Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.
Always forgive your enemies – nothing annoys them so much.
To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.
Don’t waste time on regrets. You can’t change the past, and it’s gone forever. But you can change your future, starting now!
Matthew 6:12
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Luke 6:37
Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Mark 11:25-26
And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
Luke 17:3-4
Be on guard! If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. Even if he sins against you seven times in a day and returns to you seven times saying ‘I repent,’ forgive him.” The apostles said to the Lord “Increase our faith!” The Lord replied “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”