ARE OUR SINS BEING REMEMBERED?
The question has been raised regarding God remembering our sins no more. This question is related to scripture passages which seem to indicate that God does not remember our sins after we have confessed and accepted God’s grace and forgiveness.
We like to mention first that God’s way of saving us and dealing with our sins is revealed to us through the sanctuary system. The earthly one in the past as set up in the desert when Israel was involved in the Exodus from Egypt. This sanctuary was a type of the real heavenly sanctuary not set up by man but pitched by God, Hebr.8:1, 2
The earthly was a type of the heavenly one, Hebr.9:8, 9. Christ is now our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. Hebr.8:1, 2.
We read also in Psalms 77:13 that God’s way is in the sanctuary. When the Psalmist was in trouble trying to understand certain matters, he went into the sanctuary and he understood, Ps.73:17
The first text regarding God no more remembering our sins we find in Jer.31:34 “for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” This text with Jer.33:8 and 50:20 is based upon the new covenant which promises a complete restoration. The covenant spoken of in Jer.31:33 which is the context of Jer.31:34, is the new covenant the replacement of the old covenant. The apostle Paul writing to the Hebrew Christians in Hebr. 8:6-13 quotes from Jer.31:33, 34
As a result of the New Covenant which provides complete forgiveness based upon the shed blood of Christ on Calvary, complete restoration will take place and their iniquities will I remember no more. This is clearly a future promise.
We have not yet reached the place where they all know the Lord from the least of them unto the greatest of them.
As said before God’s way is in the sanctuary and as it happened in the sanctuary in the desert, which was a type of the heavenly one, so it is happening in the anti-typical sanctuary in heaven.
According to Leviticus chapters 1-4 confessed sins were transferred from the sinner to a sacrificial animal being the substitute for the sinner. The sinner put his hand on the head of the animal confessed his sin and killed the animal Lev.1:3-5. Then the priest took the blood and made atonement for the sinner in the sanctuary. Lev.1:5; 4:5, 16 The blood of the animal was now contaminated with the sin of the sinner and by transferring blood to the sanctuary the sanctuary became contaminated and in need of cleansing..
The sinner is free from his sin, but the sin is not yet fully and completely done away with, but is in the sanctuary before the Lord.
The annual Day of Atonement deals with the cleansing of the sanctuary and the taking of the confessed sins out of the sanctuary and put on the scapegoat, the Azazel, who would perish with these sins in the desert. This is explained in Lev.16, 23 and Numb.29
As the earthly sanctuary needed cleansing of the confessed sins of the faithful so the heavenly sanctuary is in need of cleansing as well, Hebr.9:23-28 This is done with the blood of Christ who is also the High Priest performing the cleansing. He is the true Lamb of God, John 1:29 He offered himself, Hebr.7:27. He was offered to bear our sins, Hebr.9:28 and by that blood we still find forgiveness and redemption.Eph.1:7. By that same process of transfer of sins and Christ bearing our sins, the heavenly sanctuary becomes contaminated and is in need of cleansing, Hebr.9:23.
When that cleansing process, which started in 1844, (Dan.8:14) is completed then all the confessed sins of the faithful will be loaded on the scape goat, Satan himself, as was done in OT times to the second, life, goat, and Satan will perish in his desert place. Azazel was the name for the scape goat, lev.16:8, 10, and 26 which was and still is associated with the devil.
When that happens and is completed then and only then will be fulfilled God’s promise that he will remember our sins no more.
There are a few more texts to be considered in this connection. In Micah 7:19 we read that our sins will be cast into the depth of the sea. This is a metaphor to show us that when sins are confessed to God and by the blood of Christ transferred into the sanctuary they are out of reach for the sinner. The depth of the sea is not the place where our sins are recorded and transferred to by the blood of Christ. The depth of the sea is not God’s sanctuary where He deals with our sins. It is the heavenly sanctuary where our sins are and which is in need of cleansing, Hebr.9:23
Then Psalms 103:12 our sins removed as far as the east is from the west. Again a metaphorical expression that our sins are out of reach for us once we have confessed them and they are being transferred into the sanctuary by the blood of Christ. God’s heavenly sanctuary is neither in the east nor in the west but where God’s dwelling place is on the side of the north, Ps.48:1, 2.
By remaining faithful to God and Jesus Christ our confessed sins will be removed not from the bottom of the sea, not from the east nor from the west but from God’s heavenly sanctuary. The cleansing of sins from the heavenly sanctuary is the same as blotting our sins out from the heavenly sanctuary.
The following statement by Ellen G.White may be helpful: When the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19), then the sins of the repentant soul who has received the grace of Christ and has overcome through the blood of the Lamb, will be removed from the records of heaven, and will be placed upon Satan, the scapegoat, the originator of sin and be remembered no more against him forever.
(3SM 355/6)
Does God not remember our sins? Not until they are removed from the heavenly sanctuary where they are currently recorded and covered by the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Pastor Jan T.Knopper
August 25, 2008; edited August 2010
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