There is no Magical Eraser

~ "The spent word, like the fired arrow, is never coming back." Alistair Begg

~ This is pretty much true for any sin committed against someone... the sea of forgetfulness isn't a magical eraser.. it's a... you guessed it... a choice. God chooses to forget.. the knowledge of the sin is still there.. or else how will we sing a song for eternity about the redemption of our Savior.. a song the angels cannot sing.. the knowledge of our sin must still be there.. but God chooses to drop that thought any time it comes to mind.. TO NOT DWELL ON IT.. to take his thoughts captive and force them to go in the direction he wills..

that is what he asks of us. To follow his example.. no we never forget deep hurts or the price paid for them.. sin is crippling and devastating.. but when we refuse to dwell on things that are now set right.. we follow God's example and we choose to drop those thoughts. Huge part of forgiveness. And in that forgiveness God brings healing. Just consider the scars in the hands and feet and side of Jesus that he shows Thomas after his resurrection. The scars remain, even tho healing and the miraculous has occurred.

And yet, forgetting when things are not set right or when lies replace true repentance and sin continues under the mask.. that's denial. And denial, leads to infection and death. The woman caught in adultery had a repentant heart and Jesus forgave her.. the Rich Young Ruler that came to Jesus was denied because Jesus saw that his heart wasn't right. Saying ur sorry isn't the same as saying "I repent." One is often simply saying "oops, you got me, I am embarrassed I got caught doing that evil thing." The other is saying, "I am full of remorse, I acknowledge the pain I have caused, and I have resolved to change what needs changing in my life to keep it from ever happening again."