forgiveness

In the Christian church, one of the central values of the Christian faith. Christians believe that when Jesus forgave those who crucified him while dying on the cross (Luke 23:34), he demonstrated what he expected from his followers. By his death on the cross, Christians believe that the sin of disobedience committed by Adam and Eve, which led to the existence of death, was forgiven. They believe that Jesus made amends (atonement) for all the sins of the world and gave them eternal life in the afterlife.

The Gospels state that Jesus taught the importance of the ability to forgive. In Matthew 18:21–22 Jesus was asked how many times a person should forgive another, and replied ‘seventy time seven’. As it is impossible to keep count to that degree, the expression ‘seventy time seven’ indicates that Christians should never stop forgiving.

Christians are expected to follow Jesus' example and forgive those who have offended them, even their enemies and persecutors. Jesus taught that a person who expects to be forgiven must also be able to forgive.