Bible Study on Forgiveness: 4 Passages for Women to Start With

A good Bible study on forgiveness for women starts with a few key passages, read slowly and prayerfully, with honest questions about your own heart. The four passages below are a gentle place to begin, whether you are sitting alone with your coffee or leading a small group.

If you are struggling to forgive someone, you are in good company. Scripture never treats forgiveness as easy. It treats it as worth the work.

What does the Bible say about forgiving someone?

The Bible says forgiveness flows from the forgiveness we have received. It does not ask us to call wrong things right. It asks us to release the debt, as God has released ours.

That is a different thing from excusing, forgetting, or trusting someone again right away. Keeping that distinction in mind will make each passage below easier to read.

Passage 1: What can Joseph teach us in Genesis 50?

Joseph had every reason to hold a grudge. His brothers sold him into slavery, and years later they stood before him afraid. Here is what he said:

"But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." (Genesis 50:20, KJV)

Joseph does not say what they did was fine. He names it as evil. He also trusts that God was at work in it.

Reflect:

• Where do you see both real harm and God's hand in your own story?
• What would it look like to name the hurt honestly, without being ruled by it?

Passage 2: How often must I forgive in Matthew 18?

Peter asked what many of us have wondered:

"Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven." (Matthew 18:21-22, KJV)

Jesus then tells the story of a servant forgiven an enormous debt who refuses to forgive a small one (verses 23-35). The point is not a number to count. It is a posture of mercy that remembers how much we have been forgiven.

Reflect:

• Is there a "small debt" you are holding that looks different next to what God has forgiven you?
• What makes forgiving the same wrong again and again so tiring?

Passage 3: What does Ephesians 4 say about bitterness?

Paul is practical here. He names what needs to go and what should take its place:

"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:31-32, KJV)

Bitterness rarely arrives all at once. It grows quietly through replayed conversations and rehearsed arguments. Paul's list gives you words for what may be sitting in your heart.

Reflect:

• Which word in verse 31 feels closest to what you carry right now?
• What is one small act of kindness that would be a step in the other direction?

Passage 4: What does Colossians 3 ask of us?

Paul writes to believers who are living closely together, which means they are bound to disappoint one another.

"Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." (Colossians 3:13, KJV)

Notice the phrase "if any man have a quarrel." Paul assumes there will be real grievances. He does not deny them. He points to Christ as both the pattern and the power for forgiving.

Reflect:

• What does it mean to "forbear" someone in your situation?
• How has Christ's forgiveness of you changed the way you treat others, even a little?

How do I study these passages on my own?

A simple weekly rhythm works well. Take one passage per week and move through these steps:

1. Pray first. Ask God to show you what is true, not just what is comfortable.
2. Read the passage twice. Once for the big picture, once slowly, noticing repeated words.
3. Write down what it says. Observation comes before application. If you want a fuller method, see inductive Bible study, explained simply.
4. Answer the reflection questions in a notebook, honestly and without editing.
5. Close with a short prayer. It can be as plain as "Lord, I am willing to be made willing."

How do I lead this study with a group?

Keep the format simple and the atmosphere safe. Forgiveness is tender ground, and no one should feel pressed to share more than she wants to.

• Open with a short prayer and a ground rule: no names and no details about the people who hurt us.
• Read the passage aloud, then let two or three women share what stood out.
• Choose one or two reflection questions, not all of them.
• Leave a few quiet minutes for silent prayer before closing.
• Remind the group that forgiveness is not the same as staying in an unsafe situation. Some women may need to talk with a pastor or counselor, and that is wise, not weak.

If you are still gathering a group, how to start a women's Bible study group covers the practical first steps.

What if I can't forgive yet?

Then begin where you are. Tell God plainly that you want to forgive and can't seem to. He already knows, and He is patient with honest prayer.

Some women find it helps to write a prayer each day for a week, even a two-line one. If you have never kept one, how to make a prayer journal when you don't know where to start is a gentle guide. Forgiveness is often less a single moment than a path walked a little at a time.

Is there a ready-made study to follow?

If you would rather not build the sessions yourself, we put together Forgiveness: a 4-Week Women's Bible Study. It follows a similar pace of one passage a week, with reflection questions and space to write. You can browse our other study guides and prayer journals as well.

Whether you use a guide or just these four passages and a notebook, the aim is the same: to sit with Scripture long enough for it to soften what has grown hard.