“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah 43:25
One definition of the word, “forget” means, “to omit mentioning.” The word “forget” does not always mean the person forgetting has an inability to recollect past events or that they cannot retrieve information. For example, when someone uses the phrase, “forget about it,” they could mean, “don’t mention it, don’t be concerned about it; it’s taken care of.”
When God forgives, He forgets, meaning He chooses not to bring up a past sin with the intention of holding you bound to it. He would not use a past offense to dominate you or to emotionally blackmail you. He would not use a past transgression to cause you sorrow, pain, guilt, shame, or fear. He would not use past sin as a reason to keep distance from you or to withhold His goodness from you. God is not a manipulator. He has never manipulated us to do something against our will. Because we are His children, God wants us to want to choose to be with Him, not force us to be with Him. We aren’t slaves. We aren’t robots. We’re His children, His offspring.
God has not erased His memory. He can remember an event, but not hold us to it For example, King David sinned against God by using his position of spiritual and civil authority to bring a married woman, Bathsheba, into his palace and to have an affair with her while her husband was fighting as a soldier in David’s army. When King David learned Bathsheba was pregnant, he was concerned about his exposure. David decided to put Uriah on the front lines of battle so he would be killed. This story contains sins of murder, adultery, and a cover up by the leader of a nation. According to Jewish Law, David’s offense was to be punished by death. If you mentioned this story to God, He would know the story, but God would not mention this story to David to harm him or bring him shame. In fact, the story did not end in shame; the story ends in forgiveness, restoration, and grace. The bloodline of Jesus Christ goes through Solomon, a son that David had with Bathsheba after David repented of his sin.
God wants you to be free, completely free. Complete freedom means you do not struggle with a residual effect of sin that causes you to be distraught in spirit, soul, or body. He wants you free in your thoughts, your desires, and your emotions.His forgiveness releases you. His forgetfulness releases you. Be free, and forget about it!
Application: Do you struggle with past sin or failure? Let God be your example. Forgive yourself, and then choose to forget. Remembering empowers your past to keep you bound. You may even have to sever some ties to that past if they keep you from God’s grace. Be free!