By Lisa Wilmore
Greetings to All,
Have you ever encountered persons who declare that “I’ll forgive them, but I won’t forget?” Their hurt is so deep until everything the individual has done to them comes out in their conversation in such a negative manner, one would question if they truly have forgiven the individual. As they talk about past hurt, they get angrier and angrier. Have you witnessed this type of reaction in individuals? Perhaps, this is the place you find yourself in during your season of forgiving but not forgetting.
The question to ponder is what if Jesus forgave us but did not forget what we had done? What would happen when the next time we sinned and asked Jesus for forgiveness and He brought up all our prior sins? Thank God! He does not capture our sins, place them in a bottle and pour them out every time we mess up. In fact, God says to the believers in Jesus Christ, “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (Hebrews 8:12 NIV).
Once we have accepted Jesus as our personal Savior, we are clean and holy before God because of the Righteousness of His Son. Psalm 103:12 expresses, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. When we understand God’s forgiveness, our sins are no longer charged to us. We have been justified (just if I have never sinned).
When we accept Jesus as our Savior, our sins are forgiven and forgotten. Therefore, what gives us the right to “spray” the words, “I’ll forgive them, but I won’t forget?” This type of thinking should never be in our hearts due to what God has done for us through Jesus.
Listen, God forgives and forgets our sin. Isaiah 43:25 declares, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remember your sins no more.” 2 Corinthians 5:2 says, “God made him who had no sin (Jesus) to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” In this manner, God “forgets” our sins.
Furthermore, 1 John 1:9 affirms, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 2 Corinthians 5:19 states, “For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sin against them. And he gave this wonderful message of reconciliation. (NLT)
As Christ forgives and forgets, we must also forgive and forget.
