Forgive and forget

c. 198–203 · Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata, or Miscellanies 2.18

The Lord enjoins to ease and raise up the beasts of enemies when labouring beneath their burdens; remotely teaching us not to indulge in joy at our neighbour’s ills, or exult over our enemies; in order to teach those who are trained in these things to pray for their enemies. For He does not allow us either to grieve at our neighbour’s good, or to reap joy at our neighbour’s ill. And if you find any enemy’s beast straying, you are to pass over the incentives of difference, and take it back and restore it. For oblivion of injuries is followed by goodness, and the latter by dissolution of enmity. From this we are fitted for agreement, and this conducts to felicity.

391–430 · Augustine of Hippo, Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament (Sermones 51-147) 33.8

What then is to be done? Let us reprove with words, and if need be with scourges; but let us withal forgive the sin, and cast away the remembrance of it from the heart. For therefore did the Lord add, “from your hearts,” that though through affection discipline be exercised, gentleness might not depart out of the heart.

c. 1714 · Zech. Merrill, Commentary on 1 Peter 4.7-11

It is the property of true charity to cover a multitude of sins. It inclines people to forgive and forget offences against themselves, to cover and conceal the sins of others, rather than aggravate them and spread them abroad. It teaches us to love those who are but weak, and who have been guilty of many evil things before their conversion; and it prepares for mercy at the hand of God, who hath promised to forgive those that forgive others, Matt. vi. 14.

1871 · A. R. Fausset, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on 1 Peter 4.8

charity shall cover the multitude, &c.—The oldest manuscripts have "covereth." Quoted from Pr 10:12; compare Pr 17:9. "Covereth" so as not harshly to condemn or expose faults; but forbearingly to bear the other's burdens, forgiving and forgetting past offenses.

1875 · Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Spurgeon's Sermons, Volume 21 (1875) 1262

I would not like to live an hour at enmity with any man living, be he who he may! Nor should any Christian, I think. You should, by the Grace of God, feel that however treacherous, dishonorable, unjust and detestable the conduct of your enemy may have been to you, yet, still, it is forgiven, quite forgiven in your heart and, as far as possible, forgotten, or in which remembered, remembered with regret that it should have occurred. But with no resentment to the person who committed the wrong.

1880 · Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Spurgeon's Sermons, Volume 26 (1880) 1558

To feel that you have forgiven every enemy if you have any—that you do not bear a recollection of an injury—this also is a brave easement of the heart. As the tablets of the Romans, when they had written upon the wax, were afterwards rolled over with a hot iron to produce a complete erasure, so by Grace we are enabled to smooth out of the soul every angry line and to begin life anew as to our fellow men!

1885 · Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Spurgeon's Sermons, Volume 31 (1885) 1841

Alas, such is poor human nature that even fathers, when they have forgiven a wayward child, will, perhaps, throw the offense in his teeth years after when he again offends. But it is never so with Christ. He says, "Your sins shall not be mentioned against you any more, forever." He has done with the sins of His people in so effectual a way that not a whisper concerning them shall ever come from His mouth so as to grieve them. They will, themselves, remember their sins with deep repentance, but the Lord will never challenge them on account of their past rebellions. Blessed be the name of Christ for such complete forgiveness as this! The Lord Jesus Christ forgives His people in a continuous manner. He forgave us long ago—He still forgives us. He does not forgive and afterwards accuse.

1885 · Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Spurgeon's Sermons, Volume 31 (1885) 1841

Pray for a short memory as to all unkindnesses. I bless God that I know a man who finds it easy to forgive and to forget all offenses against himself. He takes no credit for so doing, for no one ever offends him in a way which is worth remembering. That man has been reminded again and again of the misbehavior of unreasonable and unkind men, but he has honestly said, "I had quite forgotten it."

1905–1910 · Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture: 2 Samuel 2.1-11

Reconciling death had swept away all memories of Saul’s insane jealousy, and he owned a brother in every one who showed kindness to the unfortunate king. If the Jabesh-Gileadites are a pattern of long-memoried gratitude, David’s commendation of them is a model of love which survives injuries, and of forgivingness which forgets them.

c. 1400 · Thomas a Kempis, The Imitation of Christ 4.7

If a man does what he can and is truly penitent, however often he comes to Me for grace and pardon, “As I live, saith the Lord God, I desire not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live”; I will no longer remember his sins, but all will be forgiven him.

1605–1610 · Johann Arndt, True Christianity 2.2

Ezek. 18:21, 22. This is the divine act of oblivion, solemnly declared in favor of all returning sinners, without exception. 4. Now the cause or reason why God promises that he will not remember sin any more, is no other than the all-sufficient satisfaction and reconciliation wrought by Christ. For whatever is entirely paid, yea, over and above paid, should be altogether buried in an everlasting oblivion. Now, God being once perfectly reconciled and satisfied by the most holy and most complete sacrifice of Jesus Christ, he can no longer be angry, nor perpetuate the remembrance of our transgressions.

1651 · Thomas Manton, Works, vol. IV A Practical Commentary, or an Exposition with Notes on the Epistle of James, Chapter V

Suitable expressions are those of ‘remembering our sins no more,’ Isa. xliii. 25, and ‘casting them behind his back,’ Isa. xxxviii. 17. God will remove them out of the sight of his justice. They are in their own nature clamorous for revenge, and earnest inducements to wrath; but God will take no notice of them. There are yet higher forms of expression, of ‘removing them as far as the east is from the west,’ Ps. ciii. 12, which chiefly respects the feeling of our consciences. We dread them, and God will set them at distance enough. So of ‘casting them into the depths of the sea,’ Micah vii. 18. That which is in the depths of the sea is lost and forgotten for ever. The ocean is never like to be drained or dried up. All these words doth the Lord use to persuade us that sins once pardoned are as if they were never committed. Men forgive, but not easily forget; if the wound be cured, the scar remaineth. But God accepteth as if there were no breach.

1660 · Thomas Watson, The Beatitudes 12

God passes an act of oblivion (Jeremiah 31:34). He forgives and forgets. So the meek spirit not only makes a show of forgiving his neighbour, but he does it from the heart (Matthew 18:27).

1675–1680 · Stephen Charnock, Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God 13

When sin is pardoned, it is perfectly pardoned. “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us” (ver. 11, 12). The east and west are the greatest distance in the world; the terms can never meet together. When sin is pardoned, it is never charged again; the guilt of it can no more return, than east can become west, or west become east.

1692 · Thomas Watson, The Lord's Prayer 5

By virtue of this pardon God will no more call sin to remembrance. ‘Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.’ Heb 8: 12. He will pass an act of oblivion, he will not upbraid with former unkindnesses. When you fear that God will call your sins again to remembrance after pardon, look into this act of indemnity, ‘Their iniquities will I remember no more.’

1712 · Matthew Henry, Commentary on Isaiah 43.22-28

Observe here, [1.] How the pardon is expressed; he will blot them out, as a cloud is blotted out by the beams of the sun (ch. xliv. 22), as a debt is blotted out not to appear against the debtor (the book is crossed as if the debt were paid, because it is pardoned upon the payment which the surety has made), or as a sentence is blotted out when it is reversed, as the curse was blotted out with the waters of jealousy, which made it of no effect to the innocent, Num. v. 23. He will not remember the sin, which intimates not only that he will remit the punishment of what is past, but that it shall be no diminution to his love for the future. When God forgives he forgets.

1712 · Matthew Henry, Commentary on Micah 7.14-20

He will confirm this good work, and effectually provide that his act of grace shall never be repealed: Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depth of the sea, as when he brought them out of Egypt (to which he has an eye in the promises here, v. 15) he subdued Pharaoh and the Egyptians, and cast them into the depth of the sea. It intimates that when God forgives sin he remembers it no more, and takes care that it shall never be remembered more against the sinner. Ezek. xviii. 22, His transgressions shall not be mentioned unto him; they are blotted out as a cloud which never appears more. He casts them into the sea, not near the shore-side, where they may appear again next low water, but into the depth of the sea, never to rise again. All their sins shall be cast there without exception, for when God forgives sin he forgives all.

1767 · John Gill, A Body of Doctrinal Divinity Chapter 7. Of The Pardon of Sin

God forgives and forgets; having once forgiven them, he thinks of them no more; they are out of sight and out of mind; his thoughts are thoughts of peace, and not of evil; he remembers not former iniquities, but his tender mercies, which have been ever of old.

1855 · Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Spurgeon's Sermons, Volume 1 (1855) 24

“I have trusted him before with money,” says the father to himself, “and he robbed me, and it makes me afraid to trust him again.” But our heavenly Father says, “I will not remember thy sins.” He not only forgives the past, but trusts his people with precious talents. He never suspects them. He has never one suspicious thought. He loves them just as much as if they had never gone astray. He will employ them to preach his gospel; he will put them into the Sunday-school, and make them servants of his Son: for he says, “I will not remember thy sins.”

1871 · A. R. Fausset, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on Isaiah 43.25

"Blotted out" is an image from an account-book, in which, when a debt is paid, the charge is cancelled or blotted out. not remember … sins—(Jer 31:34). When God forgives, He forgets; that is, treats the sinner as if He had forgotten his sins.

1884 · Dwight Lyman Moody, The Way to God and How to Find It 7

But the next day he says: “Papa, I wish you would forgive me for the wrong I did yesterday.” I should say: “Why, my son, that thing is settled; and I don’t want it mentioned again.” “But I wish you would forgive me: it would help me to hear you say, ‘I forgive you.’” Would that be honoring me? Would it not grieve me to have my boy doubt me? But to gratify him I say again, “I forgive you, my son.” And if, the next day, he were again to bring up that old sin, and ask forgiveness, would not that grieve me to the heart? And so, my dear reader, if God has forgiven us, never let us mention the past. Let us forget those things which are behind, and reach forth unto those which are before, and press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let the sins of the past go; for “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John i. 9).

1886 · Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Spurgeon's Sermons, Volume 32 (1886) 1923

"As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." He has cast them into the depths of the sea—and even that is not so good a figure as the scapegoat, for things that are at the bottom of the sea are still there—but the scapegoat soon passed away altogether and, as far as Israel was concerned, it ceased to be. The sins of God's people are absolutely and irrevocably forgiven! Never, never, never can they be laid to our charge! They are extinct, buried, blotted out, forgotten.

1890 · Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Spurgeon's Sermons, Volume 36 (1890) 2181

"I will cast their iniquities into the depths of the sea. They shall not be remembered against them any more forever." We forgive and yet feel some return of anger. You forgive, and mean it—but there are times when you get to chewing over the old offense and you feel grieved again. The offense sticks in your throat, does it not? It floats up again, though you thought you had drowned it.

1893 · Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Spurgeon's Sermons, Volume 39 (1893) 2316

God says, "I do not remember it." Nor does He remember it, for He laid it all on Christ and Christ suffered the penalty due for it and, therefore, it is gone! It is never to be recalled! It stands not in the Book of Remembrance and, as the Lord looks over this man's life, when He comes to the black pages, there is a blank—not a line of it is left—for He who died has made the scarlet sins as white as snow! "I will remember their sin no more."

1903 · Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Spurgeon's Sermons, Volume 49 (1903) 2852

The father says, "My dear Child, I love you so that I have freely forgiven you. I can forgive all, I can forget all and I have done so." The child says, "But I know if anyone had offended against me as I have done against you, I could not forgive and forget." "No," the father says, "but, my Child, my ways are not your ways, nor my thoughts your thoughts." The child still cannot believe that his father loves him so as to be ready to forgive him—but if he would believe that and just throw himself on his father's bosom with the cry, "Father, I have sinned," oh, what ease of mind he would at once feel!

1712 · Matthew Henry, Commentary on Isaiah 38.9-22

Note, [1.] When God pardons sin he casts it behind his back, as not designing to look upon it with an eye of justice and jealousy. He remembers it no more, to visit for it. The pardon does not make the sin not to have been, or not to have been sin, but not to be punished as it deserves. When we cast our sins behind our back, and take no care to repent of them, God sets them before his face, and is ready to reckon for them; but when we set them before our face in true repentance, as David did when his sin was ever before him, God casts them behind his back.

1882 · Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Spurgeon's Sermons, Volume 28 (1882) 1685

As for God's people, their case is otherwise—the Lord imputes not their iniquities to them and does not treasure them up against a day of wrath. Of course the Lord remembers their evil doings, in the sense that He cannot forget anything. But judicially as a Judge, He forgets the transgressions of the pardoned ones. They are not before Him in court, and come not under His official sight. In remembering, men also consider and meditate on things, but the Lord will not think over the sins of His people.

1882 · Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Spurgeon's Sermons, Volume 28 (1882) 1685

God's pardon of sin is so complete that He, Himself, describes it as not remembering our iniquity and transgression. I have said that there is an impossibility in it and so there is, because the Lord cannot, in strict accuracy of speech, forget anything—forgetfulness is an infirmity and God has no infirmities! The Lord does not exercise memory as you and I do. We recall the past, but He has no past—all things are present with Him. God sees everything at once by an intuitive perception—the past, the present, the future are before Him at a glance. We may not speak, except after the manner of men, of the Lord God as having memory, and yet how blessed it is that He should, Himself, use the speech which is current among ourselves and represent Himself after the manner of a man, and then say, "Your sins and their iniquities will I remember no more forever." He wishes us to know that His pardon is so true and deep that it amounts to an absolute oblivion—a total forgetting of all the wrong-doing of the pardoned ones!

1882 · Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Spurgeon's Sermons, Volume 28 (1882) 1685

The gracious Lord can never be refreshed in His memory concerning the sins of His people—they are gone past recall—"As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." Neither will there be a dark day when, all on a sudden, the Lord will say, "I have been treating this man graciously, but now I recollect what He did in former years and I must change My tone. I recollect that oath he swore, that criminal indulgence into which he fell, that drunkenness, that piece of dishonesty, that awful hypocrisy. And though I have been gentle with him, I must, in justice, change My course and punish him." No!

1905–1910 · Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture: 1 Timothy 1.15b

If God has forgiven my sin the more need for me to remember it. 'Thou shalt be ashamed and confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy transgressions, when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done.' If you, my brother, have any real and genuine hold of God's pardoning mercy, it will bow you down the more completely on your knees in the recognition of your own sin. The man who, as soon as the pressure of guilt and danger which is laid upon him seems to him to be lifted off, springs up like some elastic figure of indiarubber, and goes on his way in jaunty forgetfulness of his past evil, needs to ask himself whether he has ever passed from death unto life. Not to remember the old sin is to be blind. The surest sign that we are pardoned is the depth of our habitual penitence. Try yourselves, you Christian people who are so sure of your forgiveness, try yourselves by that test, and if you find that you are thinking less of your past evil, be doubtful whether you have ever entered into the genuine possession of the forgiving mercy of your God.