Forgiveness in Marriage — Love’s Highest Call

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:7-8 "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." 

Forgiveness is one of the greatest demonstrations of love in marriage. Not because it is easy, but because it reflects the heart of Christ. Scripture commands us to forgive, not as a favor to our spouse, but as an act of obedience and love toward God.

Forgiveness is not…

• Pretending it didn’t hurt. “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted” (Psalm 34:18). God never asks us to deny our pain; instead, He meets us in it. A wound ignored only festers — but acknowledged and surrendered, it begins to heal.
• A sign of weakness. Forgiveness is strength under control — the power to let go of what we are justified to hold against another. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
• Saying what they did is okay. God doesn’t call evil good, and neither should we. Forgiveness is not minimizing the gravity of what was done, but releasing it into God’s hands — the perfect Judge. “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19)
• Waiting for an apology. Christ forgave us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). Forgiveness is not earned, it is given. It flows from the grace we have received.

But does forgiveness mean I forget?
No. God’s promise to “remember our sins no more” (Hebrews 8:12) is not divine amnesia but divine choice — a decision not to hold our sins against us. In marriage, forgiveness means choosing not to weaponize past wrongs. It means remembering in a way that leads to wisdom, not resentment.

So, what is forgiveness between a couple?
Forgiveness in marriage is the constant, sacred decision to release your spouse from the debt of their wrong. 

It is the refusal to let yesterday’s pain define today’s love. 

It is choosing mercy over memory — not because your spouse deserves it, but because love compels it.

Forgiveness doesn’t erase consequences or silence boundaries, but it keeps bitterness from building walls where God designed bridges.

Forgiveness is the soil where grace grows — where two imperfect people become safe enough to heal, grow, and be fully known.

Let me wrap up with 1 Peter 4:8 "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." 

May we love this way. May we forgive this way. Because that is the way Christ loves us.

#BeBetter #LoveBetter #DoBetter #MarriageWorks