Free Bible Study On Forgiveness and Reconciliation: 10 Steps

Years ago, the Lord showed me that I was stuck in my faith walk. Bitterness and resentment had taken root in my heart and were spewing out of me. They were destroying my relationships, stealing the abundant life God had planned for me. That is where the journey toward this Bible study on forgiveness began.

How To Use This Bible Study On Forgiveness

In the beginning, when God was teaching me the power of forgiveness I was struggling. I looked high and low asking, “What is a good Bible study about forgiveness?” What I found, as usual, were things too written too high over my head, or too long ago that I needed a dictionary to understand them. There were bits and pieces that helped, but overall I was more frustrated. So I decided to create something any person at any education level or any level of Spiritual maturity could understand and practically apply!

This is a Free Bible study on forgiveness. The power of forgiveness in the Bible (Biblical forgiveness) is free for all and as such I wanted to make this simple and accessible for all!

To use the study:

1. Bookmark this page so you can easily find it for each day’s work.
2. From the top menu, click on “The Total Forgiveness and Reconciliation Study Guide”
3. Then click through each day’s teaching on forgiveness.
4. Use a journal to answer the forgiveness study questions on each day’s page.

Use A Journal

Now, my goal is to make this free printable Bible study on forgiveness, well… free.

But… you would get so much more out of it if you printed the guide (a small cost for ink and paper) or if you used a journal. You can find a good journal at the Doller Store.

Even with that minimal cost, this study about forgiving others is still affordable.

Bible Study On Forgiveness PDF Verse Guide

To go along with the teaching on forgiveness you can use each day, I have pulled the verses into a printable PDF. You can print this guide and use it to read the Scripture on your own.

I am a huge proponent of time alone with just you and God’s Word. So download this with the key verses to help guide your quiet time with the Lord.

Sunday School Lesson On Forgiveness

So many of you have asked, “How to teach forgiveness in Bible study?” That is why I have pulled all of the material together and put it on one page.

Each of these articles could easily be used as a Sunday School lesson on Forgiveness. I teach them from the perspective of a woman… because I am a woman. However, they are not specifically a Women’s Bible study on forgiveness. God’s forgiveness is for everyone!

Initially, I taught a much simpler version of this to wives as a way to help them get unstuck in marriage. We tend to get stuck where the hurt happens and forgiveness is how we find the freedom to get back on track!

Later, I used each of these as an individual Bible lesson plan on forgiveness while coaching and teaching in person at our local church. I learned they needed to go more in-depth and have more practical applications.

So, use them personally, but feel free to use them to teach from them as well. I only ask that you ask each participant to download the guide themselves… that gives them a chance to opt into the HopeJoyInChrist community where they will get more resources to help them grow in faith!

😉

Understand What God Teaches About Forgiveness

As Christians, Disciples of Jesus Christ, we must learn how to forgive! Every follower of Jesus must understand the concept.

God’s standard of true forgiveness is not too high for us to pull down and practically apply to our daily lives.

Understanding what God teaches about forgiveness, however, requires more than just a free Bible study about forgiveness.

Think about that. How often do you read something and move on with your day only to find you can’t remember what you read later in the day?

To understand and apply the Bible you have to make a commitment. You have to commit to practicing each principle in your own lives. You have to commit to try and fail and try again with God’s help. There has to be a willingness to humble yourself, Fellow Servant, before the LORD and agree beforehand to do this HIS way.

Just a note, God’s law (the forgiveness of sins) is only attainable through God’s power at work in us.  And thank you, Lord Jesus, for the promise of that power at work in our lives!

When we allow Him to work in and through us to accomplish the forgiveness process, there is a real peace that flows directly from the Kingdom of Heaven into our hearts! I deeply desired that peace for such a long time and thanks to the teaching of Jesus I know it intimately now.  You can know it as well!

Unforgiveness Bible Study

Really, we could have titled this an unforgiveness Bible study. The issue is often that we choose not to forgive or we push past the hurt and try to ignore it altogether. Unforgiveness at its core is simply not doing the work required to forgive.

LOL, why didn’t I name it that? Grammerly tells me unforgiveness is not a word! Maybe in a few years, if I get my own way I will rename it, but until then we will call this the Total Forgiveness Study Guide with free PDF…

The Total Forgiveness Study Guide PDF which is really a Bible study on Forgiveness and Reconciliation

The Total Forgiveness and Reconciliation Study Guide

Someone asked me the other day, “What are the four steps of forgiveness.” Oh, if only it were that simple. Together over the next 10 days, we will learn how to truly forgive – heart deep. It will take more than four steps, however, and it will not be as simple as taking steps forward. Sadly, the pathway to forgiveness looks more like a hiking path than a straight line. You can’t do it in your own strength, but you can do it with the help of our Heavenly Father!

You have the Holy Spirit at work within you to empower you to find the freedom on the other side of forgiveness!

Week 1

During the first week of this Bible study about forgiveness, we will do some heart work. When unforgiveness is left to fester for too long it can cause calluses and stiffness to set up in the heart like a deep wound.

This heart work will prepare the heart to do the heavy lifting of forgiveness and reconciliation in week 2.

• Day 1:
  • What Is Forgiveness and Why Is It Important? How To Begin
    • This definition of forgiveness helped me begin the process!
• Day 2:
  • 7 Ways to Embrace the Power of Forgiveness
    • It is so tempting to keep a record of wrongs, but the Apostle Paul tells us that is a sin.
• Day 3:
  • Unforgiveness: What Happens When I Refuse To Forgive
    • We are not in the place of God, who through His great love forgives our own failures.
• Day 4:
  • The Ancient of Days, Meaning God Will Judge: The Way To Forgiveness
    • As children of God we know there will be a day of judgement.  Holding onto that promise is a big deal for this practice.
• Day 5:
  • How To Forgive Others: 5 Characteristics of Spiritual Maturity You Need
    • Jesus, the Son of Man, Son of God came with the good news that helps us mature.  That maturity helps us forgive!

Week 2

Now that you’ve done the heart work, you are ready to begin learning the steps to forgiveness. Remember, along this journey, there will be ups and downs. Forgiveness, when it is dealing with real hurts, serious injuries, or deep betrayals, will take time and patience. Give yourself grace as you work through the process.

As you make your way through this, an important point is that my way is not the only way to walk out this act of obedience.  

• Day 6:
  • How To Forgive Anyone In 7 Steps
    • I had a hard time at first because I felt the LORD call me to begin by forgiving family members from my past.  It was the right choice!  The idea of forgiveness was the greatest gift between me and my mom!  
• Day 7:
  • How To Forgive Without An Apology: Pre-Forgiveness
    • Then He showed me a difficult Spiritual perspective; there were my own sin issues I hadn’t forgiven even though the New Testament is clear that Jesus had forgiven them.  A best friend who had betrayed me made the list as well as some a past abusive relationship.  My damaged relationship with my husband was also filled with a lack of forgiveness.
• Day 8:
  • How To Begin Reconciliation in a Relationship: Real Talk
    • Let me share the good, bad, and ugly of reconciliation.
• Day 9:
  • 12 Stages of Reconciliation in a Relationship God’s Way
    • Reconciliation, like forgiveness, does not happen in a straight line. Be patient with yourself.
• Day 10:
  • 17 Simple Steps of Reconciliation in Any Relationship
    • These are practical and will apply all the Scripture we’ve studied so far!

What’s Next After Completing The Bible Study on Forgiveness?

You worked through the entire Bible study on forgiveness, or the Total Forgiveness Study Guide as I am affectionately calling it. Now what’s next?

There are several other Bible studies right here at HopeJoyInChrist. Why not skim the list and pick one that speaks to your season?

• 40 Day Fast Guide: Be Still and Know God More
• 40 Bible Verses to Overcome Anxiety: FREE Reading and Journaling Guide
• A 30 Day Marriage Challenge for Gratitude
• 40 Simple Reasons To Trust in God Today & Always
• How To Pray for Your Husband: 8 Ways and 55 Prayers (PDF)
• 46 Powerful Bible Verses About Suicide To Bring Hope
• FREE Bible Reading Plans For Every Month

in HIS Love,