There was this certain king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owned him millions of dollars. He couldn’t pay so the king ordered that he, his wife, his children, and everything he had be sold to pay for his debt. But the man fell down before the king and begged his royal highness, “Sir, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.” Then the king was filled with pity for him, and he released the man who owed him millions and forgave his debt.
But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed the man by the throat and demanded instant payment. His fellow servant fell before him and begged for a little more time. “Please be patient with me and I will pay it,” his fellow servant pleaded. But his creditor couldn’t wait and had the man arrested and jailed until the debt could be paid in full.
The other servants had witnessed the incident, went to the king and report what had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, “Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?” Then the angry king sent the man to prison until he had paid every penny he owed the king.
Many among us are like the servant who owed millions to the king. We were pardoned but always fail to forget the transgressions of others. We are forgiven of our own wrong doings but we fail to do so on others. What if God says today you are forgiven of all your sins. Suddenly one day, He forgot He has pardoned you and declares you unforgiven?
Do you really think God forgets? God longs to forgive sinners! But in the minds of many people, this thought seems too good to be true. Countless sermons have been preached to convince us that it is true – that God really forgives the sinners! Many of these sermons emphasize the idea that God not only forgives the sinner, but He also forgets the sin. I’ve often said it myself without doubting its soundness and meaning.
Until one day, while talking to someone who asked, “If God forgives the sinners and forgets the sin, what if He suddenly remembers it?” Have you ever asked yourself the same question? Oh yeah! He forgets the sin but what happens if He suddenly remembers? In any case, only imperfection can forget, like the way I always forget to turn off the bathroom light in the morning before I leave home for work. And you forget to pray before you have your meal. Sometimes, we even forget friends whom we do not have contacts for quite a while. Or, even forget to pay our bills. These are simply imperfection. So what if one night you are praying to God and ask Him, “Dear God, do you still remember my prayer yesterday….” And God will say, “Oh, I am sorry my child, I forgot all about it.” Our God is perfect! So, it’s just impossible that He will forget! It’s simply a contradiction to His all-knowing character.
Since the Biblical basis of this statement is in question, let us turn our Bibles to Hebrew 8:12, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 10:16-17, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.”
God doesn’t say He’ll forget our sins – He says He’ll remember them no more. What does it mean? He’s not forgetting our sin. When He forgives us, He will not bring up our sins against us. His promise not to remember them ever again is stronger than saying He’ll forget them. Now isn’t that much more reassuring? Remember, God promises to forgive and never bring up your sin against you. Confess your sins to Him now. Don’t be like the unforgiving servant. Forgive those who have wronged you and never to bring it up against them by remembering it. This is what the heavenly Father will do to you.
But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed the man by the throat and demanded instant payment. His fellow servant fell before him and begged for a little more time. “Please be patient with me and I will pay it,” his fellow servant pleaded. But his creditor couldn’t wait and had the man arrested and jailed until the debt could be paid in full.
The other servants had witnessed the incident, went to the king and report what had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, “Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?” Then the angry king sent the man to prison until he had paid every penny he owed the king.
Many among us are like the servant who owed millions to the king. We were pardoned but always fail to forget the transgressions of others. We are forgiven of our own wrong doings but we fail to do so on others. What if God says today you are forgiven of all your sins. Suddenly one day, He forgot He has pardoned you and declares you unforgiven?
Do you really think God forgets? God longs to forgive sinners! But in the minds of many people, this thought seems too good to be true. Countless sermons have been preached to convince us that it is true – that God really forgives the sinners! Many of these sermons emphasize the idea that God not only forgives the sinner, but He also forgets the sin. I’ve often said it myself without doubting its soundness and meaning.
Until one day, while talking to someone who asked, “If God forgives the sinners and forgets the sin, what if He suddenly remembers it?” Have you ever asked yourself the same question? Oh yeah! He forgets the sin but what happens if He suddenly remembers? In any case, only imperfection can forget, like the way I always forget to turn off the bathroom light in the morning before I leave home for work. And you forget to pray before you have your meal. Sometimes, we even forget friends whom we do not have contacts for quite a while. Or, even forget to pay our bills. These are simply imperfection. So what if one night you are praying to God and ask Him, “Dear God, do you still remember my prayer yesterday….” And God will say, “Oh, I am sorry my child, I forgot all about it.” Our God is perfect! So, it’s just impossible that He will forget! It’s simply a contradiction to His all-knowing character.
Since the Biblical basis of this statement is in question, let us turn our Bibles to Hebrew 8:12, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 10:16-17, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.”
God doesn’t say He’ll forget our sins – He says He’ll remember them no more. What does it mean? He’s not forgetting our sin. When He forgives us, He will not bring up our sins against us. His promise not to remember them ever again is stronger than saying He’ll forget them. Now isn’t that much more reassuring? Remember, God promises to forgive and never bring up your sin against you. Confess your sins to Him now. Don’t be like the unforgiving servant. Forgive those who have wronged you and never to bring it up against them by remembering it. This is what the heavenly Father will do to you.
Bible passage to read: Matthew 18: 21-35; Hebrews 8
“TO ENJOY THE FUTURE,
ACCEPT GOD’S FORGIVENESS FOR THE PAST”
ACCEPT GOD’S FORGIVENESS FOR THE PAST”
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