Jesus Quotes About Forgiveness

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you.”

Love is presented as an active obligation shaped by example, not merely a private feeling.

Source note: John 13:34, King James Version.

“If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.”

This passage does not equate forgiveness with silence about harm: it places honest confrontation and forgiveness in the same sequence when repentance follows.

Source note: Luke 17:3 in the King James Version.

“If he trespass against thee seven times in a day ... thou shalt forgive him.”

Repeated offence makes forgiveness harder, which is exactly the point of the passage: the moral demand is not limited to the first easy opportunity to forgive.

Source note: Luke 17:4 in the King James Version; the middle repetition is shortened with an ellipsis while preserving the verse’s instruction.

“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

The request for forgiveness is made in the middle of injury rather than after conditions become comfortable, giving the line its unusually demanding moral force.

Source note: Luke 23:34 in the King James Version.

“Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.”

The short instruction treats forgiveness as a practice rather than merely a feeling: release is something a person does in response to another person’s fault.

Source note: Luke 6:37 in the King James Version; excerpt from the verse’s instruction about judgment and forgiveness.

“Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much.”

The line links forgiveness with a transformed response of love, emphasizing that mercy changes the meaning of a person’s past rather than denying it.

Source note: Luke 7:47 in the King James Version; Jesus explains the woman’s actions during the meal at the Pharisee’s house.

“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any.”

The instruction makes unresolved resentment relevant even in a private act of prayer: a grievance cannot simply be separated from the way a person approaches reconciliation and mercy.

Source note: Mark 11:25 in the King James Version; excerpt from the verse.

“I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”

The answer rejects a small numerical limit on forgiveness, making repeated mercy the point rather than merely reaching a quota.

Source note: Matthew 18:22 in the King James Version; Jesus answers Peter’s question about how often a brother should be forgiven.

“If ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”

The emphasis falls on forgiveness that is more than outward compliance: the teaching demands a response rooted in the heart rather than merely performed.

Source note: Matthew 18:35, King James Version; the sentence concludes the parable of the unforgiving servant and returns to forgiveness between people.

“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you.”

The teaching moves beyond merely withholding retaliation and asks for active goodwill toward opponents, making forgiveness part of a transformed response to hostility.

Source note: Matthew 5:44, King James Version; Jesus commands love, blessing, and good action toward enemies within the Sermon on the Mount.

“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”

Mercy is presented as a virtue that shapes both how a person treats others and the kind of moral world that person hopes to inhabit.

Source note: Matthew 5:7 in the King James Version.

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”

Peacemaking is treated as active moral work: reducing conflict and restoring relationship rather than simply avoiding disagreement.

Source note: Matthew 5:9, King James Version.

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

The prayer links asking for mercy with practicing mercy toward other people, making forgiveness a reciprocal moral discipline rather than a one-sided demand.

Source note: Matthew 6:12 in the King James Version.

“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”

Forgiveness is framed as conduct expected from people who themselves depend on mercy, tying belief to the way injury is answered.

Source note: Matthew 6:14 in the King James Version.