What a relief that God doesn’t remind us of our sins. He reminds us that He has a better plan for our lives and He reminds us that He is a gracious God.
The Consequences of Our Sins
In today’s world, the topic of sin is sometimes sidestepped. If I had to speculate as to why, my guess would be that the world is trying to avoid the painful part: consequences. However, if we delve into what God says about sin, we are reminded of the vital truth that He handles it (consequences and all) in a loving and generous manner.
It is important to recognize that His attitude toward sin is not casual – sin matters. When we sin, we selfishly choose our wants before His wisdom and our passions over His loving purpose. So, yes, facing consequences is a crucial part of the repentance process as He changes our hearts to be more like His.
Forgiveness and Forgetfulness
But there are two other parts of the repentance process that I am thankful to be reminded of today. Forgiveness and forgetfulness!
1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” It’s that simple.
The forgiveness part is beyond-words wonderful enough. But Friend, the forgetting part seems even more than beyond-words wonderful…if there’s such a thing!
Psalm 103:12 says, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Our sins are as distant from us as humanly possible because God Himself puts them there. When we approach Him in repentance and say, “I’m sorry, God it’s me again…I screwed up again. Remember how I just can’t seem to stop this sinful behavior?” Our loving God says, “No, I don’t.” He is not interested in identifying us by or associating us with our sins in any way, shape, or form.
A Better Plan for Our Lives
God lovingly points, prods, and pulls us away from sin toward His perfect path. What a relief that God doesn’t remind us of our sins. He reminds us that He has a better plan for our lives when we sin, He reminds us that He is more than willing to help us move back to the path He has created for us, and He reminds us that He is a gracious God that provides new mercies every morning…but He doesn’t remind us of our sins.
Armed with that knowledge, we don’t have to sidestep the sin topic. In fact, we have great news to share about our loving God’s forgiveness…and forgetfulness.
Thank You, Lord. We are a blessed people.
“I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah 43:25
