Forgiveness is one of the most basic and fundamental Christian principles. Christ spoke on it, showing there are major effects of forgiveness (or the lack thereof). He commanded all of His disciples to forgive, saying that if we do not forgive, then we ourselves will not be forgiven (Matthew 6:14-15). We are also supposed to forgive often, just as the Lord continually forgives us.
However, forgiveness can be hard. Alexander Pope said it well; “To err is human; to forgive is divine”. It may take a divine act of the Holy Spirit to help a human forgive. This is because our natural instinct is to find our own vengeance and declare someone guilty on our own. Scripture says that we should not act this way because God deals with man’s sins, not the other way around. Deuteronomy 32:35 says, “Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay. In time their foot will slip, for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.” God does not let injustice go unserved. However, He does require us to forgive so that He may act.
What does God say about forgiveness? God says that we are to forgive our enemies and brothers, and if we choose to not forgive, then we may not be forgiven by God (Matthew 6:14-15, Ephesians 4:32). However, we are forgiven by God as we repent before Him and forgive others (1 John 1:9). Likewise, we are to forgive others as many times as they repent to us (Luke 17:3-4). The relationship of forgiving ourselves, forgiving others, and God’s forgiveness are all intertwined together.
As we can see, forgiveness is very important. That is why we have written this post, to help you on your journey of forgiveness. Guided meditations and meditating on Scripture about forgiveness will aid you on your journey.
Forgiveness Scripture to Meditate On
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
— 1 John 1:9
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, your Father will not forgive your sins.
— Matthew 6:14-15
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
— Ephesians 4:32
So watch yourselves. “If your brother or sistersins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.
— Luke 17:3-4
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.
— Mark 11:25
This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name… And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
— Matthew 6:9, 12
Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
— Luke 6:37
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.
— Ephesians 1:7
Christian Meditation on Forgiveness
This guided meditation and prayer is to submit our burdens to the Lord and to seek the life that Christ lived. The guide of the meditation reminds us that Jesus taught us how to forgive. Down to every last ounce of his existence on earth, Jesus forgave us. “Father forgive them, for they not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).
We are then are led to pray;
Lord Jesus we ask you to place in us a forgiving heart towards anyone who has ever wronged us. Let the Holy Spirit fill our entire being, so much so that we overflow with the same loving grace and mercy that Jesus had for us… we forgive each other as Christ forgave us. Above all of this, we put on love, binding everything together in perfect harmony.
This meditation is perfect for anyone dealing with unforgiveness and for anyone that wants to know Jesus’ heart for forgiveness. It is very theologically sound and is filled with Biblical truths. There is also a depth that this meditation goes into about forgiveness that can be very revelatory for the Christian mind.
Guided Prayer for Forgiveness
Although this is not a guided meditation, more of guided prayer, this video can still be used to guide one through a meditation on forgiveness.
The Bible is very clear on the idea of forgiveness. First of all, the fact that Jesus came to forgive us of our sins is one of the biggest concepts we could ever grasp. It is the key to Christianity; that God’s grace is overwhelming and meets us where we are at.
Jesus meets us where we are at, and forgives us as long as we come to Him. The guided meditation uses Bible verses to show that we are to forgive. It is so evident that we are to forgive as the Lord has forgiven. Allow the truth of forgiveness in this video to help cleanse your mind and convict you of your own unforgiveness. Let it lead you to forgiveness.
During the video, pray the guided prayer to release the benefits of forgiveness. True forgiveness brings love and peace.
Basic Training: Your Spiritual Survival Toolkit (Session 5)
In this podcast, the meditation guide introduces forgiveness as a spiritual discipline. It is something that needs to be practiced over and over again.
Consider this passage of Scripture;
“Then Peter came to Him and said, ‘Lord, how many times could my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’. ‘I tell you, not as many as seven,’ Jesus said to him, ‘but 70 times seven'” (Matthew 18:21-22).
We see here that Jesus never wants us to stop forgiving. Just as Jesus never stops forgiving us. We bring Him our sins, and He trades it with hope and gladness, due to His forgiveness on the cross.
The cross allowed forgiveness to be, and this was God’s grace. Meditating on the forgiveness of Jesus will allow us to forgive others.
Christian Meditation Podcast – Forgive as The Lord Has Forgiven You
The Scripture used in this meditation is Colossians 3:12-14;
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
I love this Scripture reference because it really shows the necessity of forgiveness, while also proclaiming our identity as “God’s chosen ones.” The meditation guides us to meditate on the word of God as the ultimate authority. We can have full confidence that the word of God will transform and renew our minds.
This guided meditation is about compassion towards others, just as Jesus had compassion on us. We are to have compassion for those we love and those we do not, and even to have compassion towards ourselves.
Through this compassion, we will find forgiveness for others. This is because at the root of love, lies compassion, and as we learn to be loved and to love others, we will be persuaded to forgive wholeheartedly.