“For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” Heb 8:12
There is a resistance deep in our heart that keeps us from believing God no longer remembers our sins. That my slate is clean. No one is looking over my shoulder pointing out my past failures.
This resistance goes beyond intellectual understanding. I remind brothers daily of God’s love. His mercy. His forgiveness. His forgetfulness. How they are God’s beloved son. And I mean it. Yet this resistance can still lurk in my own heart.
At times I wonder: Am I really loved? Am I really forgiven? I pull out my list. I review present struggles that link to repented sins from times past. I feel the pinches of guilt. A million pebbles rolling around in my shoe. I judge myself disobedient. The resistance whispers: it’s not true. You are still guilty.
Deep within our hearts lies a resistance to believe God’s forgetfulness. We resist because we still believe we can and must save ourselves. Like Paul, we cry out: who will save us from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. We are perfectly loved and forgiven (Rom 8:1). Because of what Christ has done, He remembers our sins no more.
This truth becomes real when we encounter Jesus in His forgiving love. It goes beyond convincing ourselves in our own strength. Take time today to sit at Jesus’ feet. Hear Him say: “I am merciful toward your iniquities, and I remember your sins no more.” He no longer remembers your sins. God forgets. So should you.
The Next Question.
– Can you imagine being completely known (every shameful thought, every hidden motive) and loved by God without condition?
– Do you really trust that God forgets?
– What would change if you started to believe the truth of God forgetting?