Will not remember thy sins

'Will not remember thy sins'

— Isaiah 43:25

God cannot lie. He cannot break his covenant. He cannot forsake his people. He cannot be unjust. He cannot deny himself. And God cannot remember the sins of his people. I do not suggest that God is not aware of the fact that we have sinned, are sinning and will sin. He is. But in so far as the law and justice of God are concerned our sins do not exist. The blood of Christ has blotted them out, washed them away and removed them from us: ‘As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us’ (Ps. 103:12). Because God himself has removed our sins, he cannot remember our sins. This is his promise to every believer: ‘I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins’ (Isa. 43:25). What can this promise of grace mean? It means at least these four things.

1. God will never remember our sins so as to treat us any the less graciously because of our sins.

2. God will never remember our sins so as to bring them up and require payment from us for our sins while we live.

3. God will not remember our sins when we stand before him in the Day of Judgment. ‘In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve’ Jer. 50:20).

4. God will not remember our sins in the distribution of his heavenly gifts, crowns and rewards. All the limitless bounty of heaven’s eternal glory will be given to all of God’s elect, because all will be perfect, blameless, sinless and holy through the righteousness and shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Happy, the man to whom his GodNo more imputes his sin;But, washed in the Redeemer’s blood,Hath made his garments clean!