Remember to Forget

Have you ever done anything that you are ashamed of? Have you ever done things you wished you had not done? If you have repented of those sins and have turned your back on them, the Bible clearly teaches that you are forgiven.

There is something in us that wants to keep dredging up our sins. Maybe we feel that by doing so, we are somehow making amends for the wrong that we have done. Maybe by punishing ourselves, we think we are somehow appeasing God. But this is wrong and thoroughly unscriptural.

Acts 13:38–39 says, ” ‘Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is declared right with God—something the law of Moses could never do.’ “

Speaking of our sins, God said, “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins” (Hebrews 8:12). And Micah 7:18–19 says,

Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love. Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!

Have you ever lost anything in a lake or in the ocean? It is pretty much a lost cause. Once it goes down, it goes way down. God has taken your sin and has thrown it into the deepest part of the ocean. Simply put, it is gone. Therefore, we should not choose to remember what God has chosen to forget.