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Repentance is the act of admitting wrong-doing and saying sorry. It involves someone understanding how their actions have caused pain and suffering to another person.

Forgiveness is the act of pardoning an offender. In the Bible, the Greek word for forgiveness literally translated means 'to let go', as when a person does not demand payment for a debt.

Jesus reminded people that God was ready to forgive anyone who repented of their sins and asked for forgiveness. Here are some examples:

• The Lord’s Prayer(Matthew 5:9-14) - Jesus gave his followers this prayer as an example of how to pray . In it he includes the phrase, “Forgive us the wrongs we have done, as we forgive the wrongs that have been done to us.” It might seem almost impossible to forgive a really serious crime, such as rape or murder, but Jesus says that everyone needs God’s forgiveness and should therefore be prepared to forgive others.
• The parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35) - This parable teaches that God will forgive a person who genuinely repents, but this person should also be prepared to forgive others. A servant owed a king millions of pounds which he could never repay, but the king cancelled the debt. However, the forgiven servant failed to learn from the king’s example. When he met a fellow servant who owed him a few pounds, he had him thrown in jail. When he heard of this, the king was furious and had the first servant thrown in jail. Jesus ended this parable with the words, “This is how my heavenly father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”
• The parable of the lost son (Luke 15:11-32) - In this story, the younger son left home with his share of the inheritance and wasted it. When he lost everything he went home so that he could ask his father for forgiveness. Before he reached home, his father was so pleased to see him approaching that he ran out to meet him and organised a big celebration. This parable teaches Christians that God's love is unconditional and that he loves us even when we sin. It also teaches that Christians should forgive others, unlike the elder brother in the story who was angry and jealous when the younger son was welcomed back by the father.