The Lord, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, tells us of yet another of His generous attributes:
25 “I, even I, am he who blots out
your transgressions, for my own sake,
and remembers your sins no more. Isaiah 43:25 (NIV)
It is almost too good to be true that the all-powerful God of the universe tells us, I will remember your sin no more! He does this because wants us to be with Him in holiness.
I first heard this verse many years ago, as quoted in the New Testament book of Hebrews (10:17), and it still amazes me. God not only forgives all of my sins, but He deliberately puts them out of His mind, forever.
When we take our sin to the Lord in repentance, He truly forgives us. He blots them off of our record, then scrubs them out of His own mind as an act of His will. This is not just a temporary forgetting that will come back to haunt us later, but a permanent ending of God ever remembering anything about them.
God tells us that He does this for His own sake. In doing this, He is both proclaiming His grace and making a way to fellowship with His creation throughout eternity. Our sin no longer excludes us from being in His Holy Presence – it simply no longer exists.
This expunging of our sinful record was made possible by the loving sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. It is the centerpiece of God’s history – the salvation of people of faith, sealed for Him throughout eternity. All of the Old Testament’s prescribed sin sacrifices before Jesus’ crucifixion were looking forward to it, and all communion celebrations since then are looking back to that sacred hour when Jesus died, then three days later, was raised from the dead.
When I stop to examine my own life, I am often confronted by memories of selfish thoughts, words, or actions that I have taken, or hurtful decisions made. These can replay over and over in our minds. But when we take these to the Lord in prayer to seek His forgiveness, then, ideally, make amends the best we can for any harm that we have done, we no longer need to feel any shame or fear about facing God over them. He has forgotten them. One day, if we bring them up in His eternal presence, He will tell us about them, “I have no idea what you are talking about.” It is a promise that He has made to remember our sins no more.
Reflection
Are there memories of hurtful words or actions in your past that continue to haunt or torment you? When we honestly confess these to God, He has promised to blot them out from our record for good. All He asks is that we come to Him in repentance, then try to extend to others who have harmed us the same quality of forgiveness that we are seeking from Him. That second part is not easy, but so worth it, for it brings His blessings of peace and joy.
Lord, it is remarkable that when we bring our sins and shortcomings to You, that You will blot them out and remember them no more. I bring them all to You now and call upon your eternal grace, mercy, and love. I specifically spell these out for you. Help me to love and forgive my neighbor in return for Your generous forgiveness. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Have a beautiful day walking in peace with our gracious Lord today.
21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight. Colossians 1:21-22 (NKJV)
Daily Meditations from the Genealogy of Jesus 