The Forgetfulness of Grace (Part 1)
by D.G. Miles McKee
David was perhaps the greatest ever king of Israel. He wrote many of the Psalms. He was God’s choice over Saul (Acts 13:22). Yet he was a sinner. He coveted his neighbour’s wife and stole her for himself. After that, he lied to cover up his sin, and then had her husband murdered. Those are just the facts! (See 2 Samuel 11 and 12).
But in the New Testament, David is never remembered for his bouts of wickedness. In fact, the New Testament quotes heavily from the Psalms that bear his name. And yes, he was at times a philandering murderer, but that is not mentioned in the New Testament. What’s going on here? I’ll tell you what’s going on. It’s beautiful, marvelous, matchless grace. It’s the ‘Grace of Forgetfulness.’
What has happened? Why are his failures not mentioned? It’s because of what is written in Isaiah 43:25 where the Lord clearly says, “I, even I, am He that blots out your transgressions for My own sake and will not remember your sins.”
It’s also because of Hebrews 8:12 which says, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”
Listen to me, when God forgives, He forgets. He doesn’t bring our sins up again for, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).
God will never bring up our sin. It may take a lifetime of gospel bathing to get that truth planted deep in our hearts, but the fact is, God commits our sins to His forgetfulness.
God chooses to forgive us and to forget our sins! This doesn’t mean that God makes light of our sin. No, He never does. He hates sin! Remember, the Bible says that sins earn damnation, and that sin takes the sinner to destruction (Romans 6:23).
But when God brings us to change our mind about our sin (repentance) and to look by faith to the Lord Jesus for mercy, we take hold of that which has already been accomplished. By faith, we come to trust in Christ Jesus and His finished work (Hebrews 9:27-28). Our sins and iniquities He remembers no more.
It’s as if the Father says to the believer, “I have reckoned the doing, and dying of My Son to you. I have given you His righteousness and clothed you with this same righteousness so that, when you come before Me, you will be just as if you had never sinned.” That is called in the Bible, "justification" (Romans 4:23-25). In other words, God declares us sinless, not because we are sinless and not because we deserve this declaration but because of the death of Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). Christ’s doing and dying are imputed (reckoned) to us. What marvelous, matchless grace!
Don't ask me to explain it all. There is a mystery about the atonement that none of us understands. I only know that Christ died for me in my place, and in my stead. And because Jesus died and shed His blood my failures are no longer mentioned. Remember what He says? He says, ”I, even I, am He that blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and will not remember your sins." (Isaiah 43:25).
“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8:12)
And that’s the Gospel Truth!
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