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Would God have us Remember or Revisit our Past Sins?

As I continue to read the Bible through systematically every year and some books multiple times in each year I find that there are things we believers believe that are not rooted in scripture. One of those is the thinking that God would never have us revisit or remember our past sins.

 

I dealt with this misunderstanding or misinterpretation of scripture in some detail in a sermon on Philippians 3:12-21 back in September of 2019, which you can find here: https://www.kingdomstreams.net/post/philippians-3-12-21-forgetting-what-lies-behind-9-22-19.  When Paul said, “…forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,” (vs. 13), he was not referring to his past sins. Though many continue to teach this error.

 

Today I want to draw your attention primarily to God’s way with His people in the Old Testament, which I do not believe has changed with His dealings with His people in the New Testament - at least as regards our attitude and remembrance of past sins.


The primary scripture that has caused believers to stumble in the Old Testament in this regard is probably Psalm 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” I’ve often heard or read teachers or preachers say something to the effect, “If God spreads our sins as far as the east is from the west, we then have no business thinking about them or dredging them back up.”

 

Is God referring to the memory of our transgressions or the guilt of our transgressions? I believe it is the latter. And one of the reasons I believe this is because of how often God reminds His people – even his choice leaders of their sins. He doesn’t do it to condemn them or shame them. He does it rather to keep them/us humble and to help us appreciate in greater ways His amazing grace and mercy. He also does it to keep we leaders tender towards His sheep. And He sometimes does it to help us see how great or serious our sins were which we don't often see adequately when we initially repent of them.

 

Let’s look at a few examples of this pattern. First have you ever thought about God’s dealings with Moses, the most humble man on earth (at that time) (see Num. 12:3)?  Remember how God assessed his life as seen in the last 3 verses of Deuteronomy?  “Since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew fact of face, for all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to preform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land, and for all the mighty power and for all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.”  (Deut. 34:9-12). He was one of the three God chose to meet with Jesus on the mount of transfiguration (see Matthew 17). He is spoken of highly in Hebrews 11:23f in regards to his great faith.  So why was God so “mean” with him at the end of his life for one act of disobedience? Consider God’s words to him, in Deuteronomy 32:48-52 “The Lord spoke to Moses that very same day, saying, “Go up to this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel for a possession. Then die on the mountain where you ascend, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron you brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, because you broke faith with Me in the midst of the sons of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of zin, because you did not treat Me as holy in the midst of the sons of Israel. For you shall see the land at a distance, but you shall not go there, into the land which I am giving the sons of Israel.” (cf. Numbers 27:12-14). God had forgiven him. And God did not condemn him. But God did not let him forget his disobedience, nor did He relent on His chosen punishment for his disobedience. Nor does God want us to forget His dealings with Moses and the seriousness of one sin as seen in God's punishment or discipline of Moses.

 

In your readings of Deuteronomy have you noticed how Moses from time to time reminded them of their rebellion and disobedience? I referred to Deuteronomy chapter nine in my sermon on Philippians 3 mentioned earlier. But what about “The Song of Moses”, which could be called his “Swan song” I guess in Deuteronomy chapter 32?  This song was meant to be rehearsed over and over to subsequent generations so they could learn from the sins of their fathers and not repeat them. In this 43 verse song Moses speaks of the goodness and faithfulness of God (such as in vs. 3,4, etc.) but he often also speaks to the disobedience and rebellion of God’s people. For instance in vs. 15-17 Moses reminds them, “But Jeshurun (Israel) grew fat and kicked – You are grown fat, thick, and sleek-Then he forsook God who made him, And scorned the Rock of his salvation. They made Him jealous with strange gods; With abominations they provoked Him to anger. They sacrificed to demons who were not God, To gods whom they have not known, New gods who came lately, Whom your fathers did not dread.”  Why not just keep reminding them of how blessed they are to be God’s chosen people?  Why not stay positive? There is already so much negativity in the world.....But the Holy Spirit led Moses to remind them of the depth and seriousness of their sins - never to be forgotten.

 

Was  Ezekiel not filled or led by the Spirit when he said to the people of Israel, “And you will know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the land which I swore to give to your forefathers. There you will remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for all the evil things that you have done.” Ezekiel 20:42, 43  Does not the goodness and kindness of God (ideally) lead us to repentance as Paul said in Romans 2:4? Is not the goodness and kindness of God best seen when reflecting upon how unworthy we are to be recipients of it? Can we really appreciate it if we don't see our sins and rebellion and disobedience and idolatry as God sees and feels about them?

 

Well I think I will bring this to a close with Jesus’s dealings with Peter – a man He chose to be in His inner circle of 3 out of the 12 disciples, and to whom He entrusted the leading of His newly birthed church in Jerusalem (and beyond). In John 21 after Jesus had just helped His disciples catch a record catch of fish, and then served them breakfast on the beach, He had a most interesting interchange with Peter. “So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My Lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes Lord; You know that I love you.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me/” And he said to Hi, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You. Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.” John 21:15-17  Had Jesus forgiven Peter’s 3 denials of Him?  Of course!  Did Jesus want Peter to feel more guilt or condemnation for those awful denials of the One who had invested so much in him over the last three and a half years? No! But did Jesus want Peter to ever forget that he had sinned so greatly against His master and Savior?  No!  Did Jesus want Peter to ever lose sight of the amazing grace and forgiveness and mercy that Jesus had showered upon him in light of his sins?  No He did not. You see it is very easy for we shepherds to be heavy handed or judgmental of the sheep when we lose sight of how unworthy we are (in light of our millions of sins) to be shepherding them.

 

So when the Holy Spirit chooses to remind you of some aspect of the sin and rebellion and debauchery of your past, please know He has every right to do that. He will never do it to condemn you. And He can teach us how to remember them without going into the detail that could cause us to further sin via the memory.


One of the reasons the Holy Spirit does this is to keep you and I centered on His great mercies toward us and how desperate our ongoing need is of those mercies. Another reason He does it is often when we initially repent of some sin, we do not at that time in life see the gravity of that sin. God bless you as you learn to never lose sight of how great your sin is/was and thus how great His mercy and grace toward you has been and ever more will be.

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