I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. (Hebrews 8:12)
Because we know that God knows everything, everywhere, and at all times, what in the world does it mean He will remember our sins no more? Does God really forget our sins? Not exactly. God does know everything, everywhere, and at all times. But He chooses to leave our sins, all our sins, nailed to the cross. God simply refuses to bring up our past sins no matter what we do.
Listen, the memory of past mistakes, shortcomings, and sins can cause us to live in the past rather than learn from the past. Yet, God wants us to treat the past like a school. We are to learn the lesson, but not live there. It is Satan that whispers in our ears – remember what you did back then – how could you do that again – perhaps you are not even a child of God – all the while trying to shift our focus away from our Savior and put in on ourselves.
As a pastor, I often have people tell me in our coaching sessions, “I just can’t forgive myself.” That is one of Stan’s sharpest darts aimed at the heart of the believer. Do you see just how man-centered that statement is? It’s not about forgiving yourself. It’s about appropriating God’s promised forgiveness that has been secured by Jesus in His crucifixion and resurrection. When we sin and repent of our sin, that is the end of it. When we are in a saving relationship with Jesus, all of our sins are forgiven, past, present, and the ones still to come. What we need to do is have a good forgettery – and not let our past sins keep us in bondage to our sinful past.
So, how well is your forgettery working? Are you letting your past sins and failures drag you down into the mudflats of life? Look to the cross and rise above Satan’s strategy to keep you remembering your sins. Remember, God has chosen to forget them, all of them. This is to be the confession of our lives.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 