Transgressions Removed

It is amazing the God who knows all things determines not to remember the sins committed by those who have received atonement and forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ.  Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice for sins and His righteousness has been credited to those born again by the Gospel.  Hebrews 10:14-17 states, "For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. ¹⁵ But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, ¹⁶ "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them," ¹⁷ then He adds, "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more."  People agree no one is perfect, yet Christians certainly ought to affirm Jesus has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.  There will be no divine recall of our sins in the eternal state, for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ has purified us wholly from sin.

Because we remember wrongs done against us and are prone to hold grudges against others, perhaps we assume God will do the same concerning our transgressions.  We imagine God will trot out all our sins before us because we do not comprehend the extent of what Jesus accomplished on Calvary.  Those who are born again through faith in Jesus have entered into a new covenant in Christ's blood, and even the memories of our faults are washed away on the basis of Christ's atonement God remembers our sins no more.  In many cases we carry guilt for our past sins needlessly when we sin by holding a grudge against ourselves!  It is profitable to us to remember past mistakes so we will recognise and avoid them and do what is right, but in Jesus Christ we are free from all guilt before God.

Psalm 103:10-13 reads, "He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. ¹¹ For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; ¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."  The heavens above us stretch beyond we can see with the naked eye, and telescopes that peer beyond our solar system cannot see the end of an endless expanse of space.  God's mercy towards those who fear Him is infinitely greater than this.  It is insightful David did not say "As far as the north is from the south" because this is a fixed distance that can be measured on the earth.  There is a point on the globe when you reach the north pole you begin to travel south, but not so with east and west along the equator:  God has put our sins farther away from us than we can possibly measure--even if we shudder with shame upon their remembrance.

Better than remembering our sins with shame is rejoicing in our Saviour who has forgiven us and remembers our sins no more.  We connect past sins with guilty people so their character become synonymous with their sin:  we call someone a liar, thief or adulterer.  Jesus came to call sinners to repentance to save them.  We have all sinned and are sinners, but God remembers the sins of His redeemed no more because Jesus has provided atonement.  Being a sinner speaks of our need met by our Saviour Jesus Christ.  If God has removed our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west, what does it profit to cling to feelings of guilt in our hearts and minds?  How good it is for us to praise the LORD for forgiveness and give thanks by walking righteously.