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40-Minute Bible Studies
Forgiveness: Breaking the Power of the Past
Unleash the Healing Power of Forgiveness
As imperfect people living in an imperfect world, we eventually confront in nearly every relationship the need to extend or receive forgiveness. But when the wounds run deep, forgiveness doesn’t come easy.
This eye-opening study deals with the difficult questions of forgiveness, including How can I forgive when the pain is so great? Does forgiving mean I have to forget the past? and What if I choose not to forgive? As you dig into what the Bible says on this vital topic, you’ll encounter the depths of God’s own mercy and discover how choosing forgiveness can free you from a painful past and propel you toward being all that God intends you to be.
As imperfect people living in an imperfect world, we eventually confront in nearly every relationship the need to extend or receive forgiveness. But when the wounds run deep, forgiveness doesn’t come easy.
This eye-opening study deals with the difficult questions of forgiveness, including How can I forgive when the pain is so great? Does forgiving mean I have to forget the past? and What if I choose not to forgive? As you dig into what the Bible says on this vital topic, you’ll encounter the depths of God’s own mercy and discover how choosing forgiveness can free you from a painful past and propel you toward being all that God intends you to be.
- GenresChristian
96 pages, Paperback
First published August 21, 2007
About the author
Kay Arthur
475 books265 followersKay Lee Arthur was an American Christian author, Bible teacher, and co-founder of Precept Ministries International. Renowned for her accessible and inductive approach to Bible study, she helped millions engage deeply with Scripture. Arthur began her ministry informally, teaching teenagers in her living room alongside her second husband, Jack Arthur. Their work soon grew into a global outreach, headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee, under the name Precept Ministries International. She hosted the daily Bible teaching program Precepts for Life and became a respected voice in evangelical circles. Arthur authored numerous books and was a four-time winner of the ECPA Christian Book Award for titles such as A Marriage Without Regrets and The New Inductive Study Bible. Her ministry was rooted in a personal reawakening to faith in the early 1960s, following a divorce and a return to religious life. She and Jack also served briefly as missionaries in Mexico before founding their ministry. Arthur remained active in public faith-based initiatives into her later years and was known for her firm stances on social issues. She passed away on 2025 leaving behind a lasting legacy in Christian education and publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 3, 2012
3 or 4 stars for the last two chapters (or "studies," since this is designed to be split into 6 Bible studies).
1 Star for the first 4 chapters.
Why such starkly different opinions? Because, what is taught in the last two chapters is so starkly different from the first 4!
FIRST 4 SECTIONS
For the first four chapters, we see the idea of "forgiveness" treated as the shallow, worldly, and ultimately meaningless thing that it often is in Christian circles. It's all about freeing yourself (not the person who you are forgiving). Here, "forgiveness" is equated with not seeking vengeance and leaving justice to God. But that's not forgiveness. That's not biblical forgiveness. That's not forgiveness the way that normal people would use it day to day. If two friends have some falling out over something one of them did, and the offended party was not willing to, at the very least, let the other rebuild their trust and restore the relationship, it doesn't take the presence of God's Holy Spirit to realize that that person hasn't forgiven the other. And yet, by the way it is defined throughout most of the book, the offended party may have "forgiven" the other if they do not seek revenge, leaving it up to God, and no longer let themselves be weighed down with bitterness. Unfortunately, and to the detriment of the body of Christ, that is what "forgiveness" seems to mean for many Christians, allowing them to feel good about themselves without actually having to show any mercy or make any emotional or material sacrifices.
Now, putting aside bitterness and letting God repay those who have wronged you (unbelievers, that is) are good things, but they aren't forgiveness. The Bible tells us not to seek vengeance, but only because God will repay those who have wronged us (who don't repent, of course) (Romans 12:19). Now, when angels tell God's people in Revelation 18 and 19 to rejoice in God taking vengeance over Babylon and the wicked, can anyone say that those who rejoice have forgiven them? Not in any meaningful way. And if forgiveness just means leaving it up to God (who will repay) and not being bitter, then we have no hope. After all, God "forgives" us as well, and more importantly, how He forgives us is the standard by which we forgive others (Ephesians 4:32). If that is it means for us to forgive, and the Bible says that God forgives us in that way...
The thing is, at numerous times, passages like Ephesians 4:32, as well as the depth of God's forgiveness of us, are appealed to. It's like 2 and 2 are not put together. We are to forgive as God forgives us...except, we aren't.
As I said before, "forgiveness" is played with in a way that ultimately makes it meaningless. At the end of the 4th lesson, we see how this all plays out. Jesus "forgave" everyone, all sins, on the cross...but those who don;t repent will go to Hell. Literally, this is what is said: "Jesus bore sin in His body and consequently forgave when He hung on the cross, but all unrepentant sin will be judged by God (Hebrews 10:27-27; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9). In other words, if people don't repent and believe in Him, they will go to hell" (pg. 59-60). Now, if sins are forgiven, why would someone then be eternally condemned?
WEEKS 5-6
I liked these two much more than the first four, but only because, as I said, they take a totally different attitude towards forgiveness.
For example, in the end of Week 5, the study participant is told that if they "forgive" someone, yet want nothing to do with them, they need to examine their hearts and pray to see why they have trouble loving that person and how they can solve the problem. In other words, forgiveness as any normal person would take it. None of that self-righteous, pseudo-religious bull where someone "forgives" someone who has wronged them while rejoicing that God will avenge (which the Bible does more or less tell us to do). (One of the things that angers me most is when the religious victim of a crime "forgives" the assailant in court, yet does nothing to get the person leniency, and sometimes even, while "forgiving" them, is seeking severity - it also really upsets me when people loudly "pray" in front of somebody in order to express their dissatisfaction with them, but I digress) In this lesson, however, forgiveness means something. Romans 5 is looked at, and how love and reconciliation go hand in had with forgiveness.
The 6th lesson follows in the footsteps of the 4th, though with a greater focus on how God has forgiven us. Both it and the 5th Week are very good. I would almost say that they are 5-star worthy, though the emphasis on the importance of forgiving for your self (and not on compassion or love or the well-being of the person you forgive) is still considerable, and it very much turns me off.
CONCLUSION
Well, I like the last part of the book, but as a Bible study on the whole, I wouldn't really recommend it.
1 Star for the first 4 chapters.
Why such starkly different opinions? Because, what is taught in the last two chapters is so starkly different from the first 4!
FIRST 4 SECTIONS
For the first four chapters, we see the idea of "forgiveness" treated as the shallow, worldly, and ultimately meaningless thing that it often is in Christian circles. It's all about freeing yourself (not the person who you are forgiving). Here, "forgiveness" is equated with not seeking vengeance and leaving justice to God. But that's not forgiveness. That's not biblical forgiveness. That's not forgiveness the way that normal people would use it day to day. If two friends have some falling out over something one of them did, and the offended party was not willing to, at the very least, let the other rebuild their trust and restore the relationship, it doesn't take the presence of God's Holy Spirit to realize that that person hasn't forgiven the other. And yet, by the way it is defined throughout most of the book, the offended party may have "forgiven" the other if they do not seek revenge, leaving it up to God, and no longer let themselves be weighed down with bitterness. Unfortunately, and to the detriment of the body of Christ, that is what "forgiveness" seems to mean for many Christians, allowing them to feel good about themselves without actually having to show any mercy or make any emotional or material sacrifices.
Now, putting aside bitterness and letting God repay those who have wronged you (unbelievers, that is) are good things, but they aren't forgiveness. The Bible tells us not to seek vengeance, but only because God will repay those who have wronged us (who don't repent, of course) (Romans 12:19). Now, when angels tell God's people in Revelation 18 and 19 to rejoice in God taking vengeance over Babylon and the wicked, can anyone say that those who rejoice have forgiven them? Not in any meaningful way. And if forgiveness just means leaving it up to God (who will repay) and not being bitter, then we have no hope. After all, God "forgives" us as well, and more importantly, how He forgives us is the standard by which we forgive others (Ephesians 4:32). If that is it means for us to forgive, and the Bible says that God forgives us in that way...
The thing is, at numerous times, passages like Ephesians 4:32, as well as the depth of God's forgiveness of us, are appealed to. It's like 2 and 2 are not put together. We are to forgive as God forgives us...except, we aren't.
As I said before, "forgiveness" is played with in a way that ultimately makes it meaningless. At the end of the 4th lesson, we see how this all plays out. Jesus "forgave" everyone, all sins, on the cross...but those who don;t repent will go to Hell. Literally, this is what is said: "Jesus bore sin in His body and consequently forgave when He hung on the cross, but all unrepentant sin will be judged by God (Hebrews 10:27-27; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9). In other words, if people don't repent and believe in Him, they will go to hell" (pg. 59-60). Now, if sins are forgiven, why would someone then be eternally condemned?
WEEKS 5-6
I liked these two much more than the first four, but only because, as I said, they take a totally different attitude towards forgiveness.
For example, in the end of Week 5, the study participant is told that if they "forgive" someone, yet want nothing to do with them, they need to examine their hearts and pray to see why they have trouble loving that person and how they can solve the problem. In other words, forgiveness as any normal person would take it. None of that self-righteous, pseudo-religious bull where someone "forgives" someone who has wronged them while rejoicing that God will avenge (which the Bible does more or less tell us to do). (One of the things that angers me most is when the religious victim of a crime "forgives" the assailant in court, yet does nothing to get the person leniency, and sometimes even, while "forgiving" them, is seeking severity - it also really upsets me when people loudly "pray" in front of somebody in order to express their dissatisfaction with them, but I digress) In this lesson, however, forgiveness means something. Romans 5 is looked at, and how love and reconciliation go hand in had with forgiveness.
The 6th lesson follows in the footsteps of the 4th, though with a greater focus on how God has forgiven us. Both it and the 5th Week are very good. I would almost say that they are 5-star worthy, though the emphasis on the importance of forgiving for your self (and not on compassion or love or the well-being of the person you forgive) is still considerable, and it very much turns me off.
CONCLUSION
Well, I like the last part of the book, but as a Bible study on the whole, I wouldn't really recommend it.
March 14, 2026
A great look at Biblical forgiveness. Unfortunately I didn't go through this one with a group, but it still helped me understand the Biblical mandate for and process of forgiveness and helped facilitate forgiveness in an important area of my life.
October 8, 2017
Great book on the power of Forgiveness. Forgiveness comes through accepting the wrong and person has done and allowing the healing to begin. This book is essential in many people's lives.
June 30, 2014
This book meant a lot to me. I realized there were people I thought I had forgiven, but in this teaching I learned that there were layers down deep where I was still holding grudges and past hurts. I am grateful to Kay Arthur, I have read many of her books, and always come out with pearls of wisdom. This is a grat Bible Study to do alone or in a small group.
May 13, 2013
A bible study book, would be great to do chapters with a forgiveness focus group,
November 14, 2013
Nice material for bible study groups. Many lessons to learn, realizations to share, and corrections in life to make.
September 1, 2017
Many will agree intellectually with the importance of forgiveness, few practice it well. Rather than reading about it, I recommend this workbook which requires your own digging into the scriptural imperatives. The authority of the Biblical passages have constrained me from being able to squirm away from this issue. Kay Arthur, who set up this guide, is an effective Bible teacher who lives what she teaches. For further help addressing the emotional blockages inherent in this most difficult of issues see Chuck Lynch’s I Should Forgive But…
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews