A Clean Slate

One of the most wondrous aspects of God’s nature is that when He forgives, He does so completely and in full. The book of Micah states this truth beautifully:

“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:18–19, NIV)

Isn’t that beautiful? Every wrong thing that we have ever done — everything that could ever make us feel guilty, every accusation that the enemy could ever bring against us — God treads underfoot, then hurls it into the depths of the sea.

Someone has remarked that when God casts your sins into the sea, He puts up a notice that reads, “NO FISHING!” Don’t ever try to go back and resurrect something that God has buried. If God has forgiven you, you are forgiven. There are no further questions. God’s forgiveness is total. In Isaiah, God speaks to His people:

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.” (Isaiah 43:25)

When God forgives us, He blots out the record of our sins; our slates are clean. God does not have a poor memory, but He does have the ability to choose to forget. And when He forgives, He forgets!