April 15, 2019 – Click here to listen
I find forgiveness to be one of the most interesting subjects in the Bible. To forgive someone seems to be on a difficulty level akin to asking a Viking not to fight. And yet those of us who have asked for forgiveness for our terrible black sins have been forgiven. I admit that forgiving those who have greatly wronged me is very difficult. In some cases, I would prefer to bang their heads on the concrete, but I have read the Bible and know I should forgive and not bang heads anymore.
It is very easy however, to say, “I forgive you,” but forgetting what they did to you is entirely a different matter.
The Bible states in Hebrews 8:12 And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.” And in Isaiah 43:25 – I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.
Of course, it is impossible for me or you to truly forget sins that have been committed against us. We cannot selectively “delete” events from our memory. God’s “not remembering” is not what we usually think of as forgetfulness. God is omniscient. He knows everything, and He forgets nothing. However, He can choose not to remember something. In human relationships, we can choose to remember the offenses someone has committed against us, or we can choose to forget. To forgive someone, we must often put painful memories out of our minds. We don’t actually forget the sin, and it’s not that we are unable to recall the offense, but we choose to overlook it. Forgiveness prevents us from dwelling on past troubles.
The bottom line is forgiveness is a necessity for Christ followers. If we are to “forgive and forget” it requires that we choose to forgive the offender for the sake of Christ and move on with our lives, this is the wise and godly course of action. What wouldn’t you do for Christ? Would you forgive that person who abused you, divorced you, made fun of you, and otherwise did you harm for Jesus sake?
Philippians 3:13
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead . . .