Sojourner #010: Washed Away

"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” (Hebrews 8:10-12, ESV)

Reading in Hebrews this morning I am overwhelmed by Hebrews 8:12.

It says, “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” This statement speaks to the profound nature of God's grace and forgiveness, revealing a divine reality that far exceeds human comprehension.

The question arises: how can an infinite God, who is all-knowing, choose to "forget" our sins?

For us, as finite creatures, it seems almost impossible to truly forgive and forget. When wronged, we may extend forgiveness, but the memory of the offense lingers. Yet, God’s act of forgiveness is not bound by the limitations of time or memory as we know them.

His “forgetting” is not a loss of recollection but a deliberate, merciful decision to no longer hold our sins against us. In His perfect justice and infinite mercy, He chooses to separate us from our transgressions.

While we may struggle to fully grasp this mystery, we cling to the truth of the gospel: that through the blood of Christ, our sins are fully atoned for and forgiven. The cross is the ultimate expression of God's commitment to our reconciliation, and it is by faith in Christ's redemptive work that we are justified before Him. My salvation does not depend on the adequacy of my understanding, but on the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice.

"My salvation does not depend on the adequacy of my understanding, but on the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice."

This is the mystery and the beauty of the gospel: that despite our inability to comprehend the depth of God’s mercy, we are assured of its reality.

In faith, we rest in the promise that our sins are forgiven, forgotten, and washed away in Christ.

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About the Author: Logan Johnson is an active member of Meadowbrook Church in Rainbow City, AL, USA. Outside of his role as a professional firefighter, he devotes time to his wife and two sons. After nearly a decade of agnosticism, Logan experienced a profound personal transformation through God's power, which significantly impacted his life. Today, he writes about biblical truths with the goal of advancing the Kingdom, leveraging the reach of social media to spread His message.

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