I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins. Isaiah 43: 25, NRSV.
Dear God we are so grateful that You forgive and forget. Please help us to be willing to do the same with those who trespass against us. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
I have often heard people say “you must forgive and forget.” I believe that we should. I have also heard quite a few interpretations of what it means to forget. I am not quite sure what it means myself. Some have said it means that when you remember the offense, you do not remember it with the pain you felt at first. I am not too convinced that such a definition is enough for me. There is a passage in the book of Micah that gives me, what I believe, is probably a glimpse at the way God forgets, when He forgives. However, before we look at that passage, let us look at the way Jesus forgave, and taught forgiveness, and see if we can follow in His footsteps.
The limitless forgiveness of Jesus. “Then Peter came to Him and said, ‘ “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” ‘ Jesus said to him, ‘ “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” ‘ ” (Matthew 18: 21, 22). Most of us remember this conversation between Jesus and Peter. Peter must have felt really “holy,” offering to forgive seven times. Imagine his surprise when Jesus said, “No Peter, that is not enough. You need to keep on forgiving until you lose track of how many times they have sinned against you!” Jesus kept on forgiving to the very end! While He was hanging on the cross, one of the last messages He uttered to those who were crucifying Him, was one of forgiveness: “Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23: 34).
Jesus’ use of forgiveness in healing. Throughout His ministry He was constantly offering forgiveness to those who were considered the outcasts of society. Listen to how He expressed His forgiveness to the woman taken in adultery: “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (John 8: 11b). To the paralytic: “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you” (Matthew 9: 2b). This is what he said of, and to, Mary Magdalene: Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven” (Luke 7: 47, 48). Because Jesus knew how important forgiveness was to the human heart, and how effective forgiveness is in the healing of body, mind, and spirit, He never hesitated to whisper to a sin-sick soul, “I forgive you!”
As I have studied the phenomenon of forgiveness in the Bible, especially the unbelievable forgetfulness in God’s forgiveness, one feature in the process, that speaks to my heart in a very special way, is the fact that God removes our sins from His sight – when He forgives us! Listen to this: “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7: 18, 19, emphasis provided).
God does not keep our sins before Him. He puts them out of His sight! There is a saying: “Out of sight, out of mind.” Perhaps there is some valuable truth in that saying that we could use to our advantage, in the process of forgiveness. By God’s grace, the next time someone offends us, let us remove from our sight, everything that brings that offense to our mind. Who knows, by God’s grace, we may soon learn how to forgive and forget!