How many times does the Bible tell us to forgive? Yeshua (Jesus) said seventy times seven. That is 490 times. However, I think the point here is not to count how many times, but to continually forgive. 

Jesus *said to him,
“I do not say to you, up to seven times,
but up to seventy times seven."
Matt. 18:22

Forgiveness (at least in this article) is a personal thing. This has nothing to do with justice or with the courts. 

What is forgiveness? According to Merriam-Webster dictionary forgiveness is to give up on resentment for an offender or releasing debt. https://www.tomorrowsworld.org/commentary/the-benefits-of-forgiveness speaks about forgiveness...

“In psychology, forgiveness is a deliberate choice to let go of anger and resentment toward the individual who has caused you harm. Forgiveness is as if you forgave a debt.”

A few of the benefits of forgiveness (discussed in the above-linked article) are, lower blood pressure, less pain, and greater peace of mind.

Who benefits from forgiveness? Forgiveness may be helpful to the offending party, however, I believe it is more beneficial for the forgiver. 

What forgiveness is not. Forgiveness is not trusting. If someone has physically hurt you and/or abused you, then I still recommend forgiving that person, however, when possible, be careful not to put yourself in harm's way in the future. I want to say again… forgiveness is not saying "I trust you".

Another example would be If you loaned someone money and they don’t pay it back. You can choose to forgive them of their debt, but would you loan them money again? I would suggest that if you want the money back, then the answer is no. I would say that if you loan this person money again, that you would do so with the idea you will never see that money again and be okay with that. (You don't have to reveal this idea to the borrower.)

That all being said, this world would be a better place if more people chose to forgive. We still need justice for the people that have been harmed and as a deterrent for future crimes being committed. But when we forgive others, we become better people. The more individuals who chose this path, the better it is for everyone.

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All scripture quotations taken from the NASB©.
Copyright by The Lockman Foundation.