(by Dustin Smetona)
One of God’s most important qualities—especially for sinners like us—is His forgetfulness. Where would we be if God were not a forgetful God?
Our Unintentional Forgetfulness
We use the word forget to refer to something we lose track of unintentionally. In 3rd grade I competed in a spelling bee at the new school I had started attending that year. In the later rounds as the numbers were whittling down, I was starting to feel confident that I might be able to win. I came up to the mic and the judge said, “Please spell the word forgetful.” I began to spell, “F-R…” and immediately stopped as the auditorium erupted in laughter. I was devastated and embarrassed, but I’m better now. That mental spasm demonstrates precisely what we mean when we say “forget.” We don’t typically desire to forget things, but we do because of our lack of capacity to remember.
God’s Intentional Forgetfulness
God, on the other hand, only forgets when He intends to. This is because His capacity to remember is infinite. He can’t forget anything! That is, of course, unless He means to.
So if God can only forget on purpose, what does He forget? Consider the following three verses:
Isaiah 43:25
“I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”
Jeremiah 31:34
“And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Ezekiel 33:16
“None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he shall surely live.”
The only thing that God willfully forgets is sin. But how does He actually do that? If His capacity to remember is infinite and infallible, how can He make something disappear from His memory?
He does not magically wish our sins away. Instead, He “remembered” your sins on Christ, and as a result He “remembers” Christ’s righteousness on you! This forgetful act on our behalf is the supreme display of His abundant love. It is incalculably wonderful to consider and to savor.
Heading into 2012
Since we are at the very beginning of a new year, I’m convinced this truth has special significance. I don’t know what 2011 was like for you. My guess is that there were some monumental achievements and some crushing defeats. If you are beginning 2012 with any guilt from sins committed this past year, I hope you will embrace the gospel again and be renewed. God has removed 2011′s sins “as far as the east is from the west” (Ps. 103:12) and you have complete assurance of that reality because they were nailed to the cross back in the 1st century. Find freedom, joy, and comfort knowing that God delights in you as a father does his precious child. His plans for your this year are for His glory and your good. Trust your loving, forgetful God as you move ahead into 2012.
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