Jeremiah 31:34 and Hebrews 8:12 (Both NIV) - “For
I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
In both scriptures above, God is
speaking. The author of Hebrews is actually quoting Jeremiah. This scripture forms the basis for the
assertion that one should forgive and forget. After all, if God does both,
shouldn’t we?
There are multiple problems with
this prescription. First, let me say that I do not for one moment believe that
God literally forgets human sin. The phrase “never again remember” can also be
translated “wipe the slate clean.” The
idea being conveyed here is that when God forgives, the books are erased. God chooses to eliminate the possibility of
the offense being used against the forgiven again. The scripture is trying to communicate that
God doesn’t hold grudges. Human beings
need not worry that God is going to say to us someday, “remember that day you
used my name in a profane way; it’s time for you pay for that.” God chooses not to “remember” sins in that
punitive way.
Furthermore, even if God did, in
fact, forget offenses, to do the same would be a very bad idea for humans. A
parent who forgets that a child has a pattern of repeatedly making the same
mistake would not be able to help the child adopt a different and healthier
pattern. Because Dad knows the Junior
has snuck cookies from the pantry many times before, Dad might choose to put
the cookies out of reach. Even if it
were possible for Dad to forget about the cookie theft, to do so would be to
invite more cookie theft. It’s good for
Dad to forgive Junior, but it’s irresponsible to forget.
“Forgetfulness” of this sort could
even be dangerous. Indulge me in this
thought experiment. Imagine a young girl named Sara that has no short-term
memory. Five minutes after something
happens, Sara cannot remember it. Now imagine
Sara is bullied by an older girl Mara at the bus stop each morning. Mara has learned about Sara’s condition and
takes great advantage of it. Sara
arrives at school each morning with no explanation for the bruises on her arms
and her missing lunch money. Because
Sara has “forgotten” what happened, each day she returns to the bus stop for
more cruelty.
While Sara’s victimization is fictitious
and the details are unlikely, it illustrates the problem with “forgive and
forget.” While Sara can forgive Mara, it
would be much safer and healthier for her to forgive and remember. The Hebrew idea of remembrance is to bring the
past into the present again. It is
precisely this idea that we invoke when during communion, a pastor quotes the
words of Jesus, “do this in remembrance of Me.”
These words are meant to bring what Christ did for humanity in the cross
into the present again. His broken body
and His shed blood are tangibly brought into the present in the bread and wine/juice. While this a powerful use of “remembering,” doing
the same with past offenses perpetuates the pain. When Jesus, on the cross, asks God to “forgive”
those who put Him there, He is asking God to “remember their sins no more.” The slate is wiped clean. God has not forgotten our sin. He simply chooses not to use it against us. The sin is “dismembered” instead of “remembered.” This is what our goal in forgiving is as
well, but we’ll talk about that at a later date.
Question: What does
it mean to you that God has chosen to “remember your sins no more?”
Prayer: Lord, you
know all of my mistakes. I marvel that
knowing all of that, you still love me as if I had never sinned. Thank you for choosing not to use my past
against me. Help me live into a much
better future where I more closely follow your perfect ways. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray
for victims of unjust violence today.
Song: East to West –
Casting Crowns
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