“We Are to Forgive and Forget”

There are many sayings, quotes, and truths that people think are in the Bible but actually are not. Some are harmless, but others can do great damage. This series will explore some of these and look at what the Bible says about them.

Notes

Transcript

Introduction

Quote: The Bible says that we are to forgive and forget

Dictionary — Forgive is to pardon, to cancel a debt, to stop being angry or resentful with someone for an offense or mistake

Bible — removal of guilt

Forget is to put out of one’s mind or to cease to think about/consider

Bible — means to no longer mention or no longer remember

Surface message it conveys

It is healthy to let offenses go so as to no longer affect one’s life

Problem messages it conveys

Remembering an offense—the inability to forget—is a sign of unforgiveness

Forgiving an offense means that the offender is off the hook and we no right to feel hurt or betrayed by their offense

Forgetting = forgiving Forgiving = acceptance of their actions

Measure against Bible

Forgiveness is a gift offered to everyone

Gifts—by their definition—are free, no strings attached.

Psalm 103:12 “as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.”

Isaiah 38:17 “Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.”

Micah 7:18–19 “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”

Daniel 9:9 “To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him” .

Isaiah 43:25 “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”

Luke 23:34 “And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.”

Ephesians 1:7 “In [Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,”

Hebrews 10:17 “then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.””

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Since we have been forgiven, we should offer forgiveness

The fact that we have received forgiveness should motivate us to offer forgiveness as well, especially since we know just how human we are.

2 Corinthians 2:5–11 “Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.”

Ephesians 4:32 “ Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Colossians 3:12–13 “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

1 Peter 3:8–9 “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.”

Forgiveness is commanded of God’s people

Not only should be motivated to forgive, but we are commanded to as well.

To a certain degree it seems our forgiveness is contingent upon our forgiveness of others.

Mark 11:25 “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.””

Matthew 6:12 “and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Matthew 6:14–15 “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Colossians 3:13 “bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

Forgiveness is a choice; forgetting isn’t

That doesn’t mean that things slip our minds; we all deal with that. But in real life, we cannot choose to simply forget something. We can only choose not to focus on it.

Recall verses from earlier. None of these indicate “wiped from memory”

removes sins as east from the west (Ps 103:12); cast sins behind back (Is 38:17), cast into depths of sea (Mic 7:19)

Any English translation that uses “forget” is really “non remember”, or to choose not to remember

The best I can tell, forgetting is not about wiping from our memory but about choosing to no longer focus on the memory

Hebrews 8:12 “12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.””

Hebrews 10:17 “then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.””

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 29.7 μνημονεύω; μιμνῄσκομαι; μνήμη, ης; μνεία, ας

μνημονεύωa; μιμνῄσκομαιa; μνήμη, ης f; μνείαa, ας f: to recall information from memory, but without necessarily the implication that persons have actually forgotten—‘to remember, to recall, to think about again, memory, remembrance.’

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Forgiveness does not necessarily remove the consequences

God forgave Moses, but Moses still did not enter the promised land

Deuteronomy 32:49–52 ““Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel for a possession. And die on the mountain which you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died in Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel. For you shall see the land before you, but you shall not go there, into the land that I am giving to the people of Israel.””

We reap what we sow, but God has been known to weed our gardens due to his kindness and mercy