“I Will Remember Their Sins No More”
Have you ever heard of hyperthymesia? It’s also known as highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM), a condition that leads people to be able to remember an incredibly large number of their life experiences in great detail. According to Wikipedia, it’s very rare, with fewer than 100 people in the world having been diagnosed with the condition.
You might think having HSAM would be like having a superpower. Someone could mention an event from your past, and you could recite the exact date, what you were wearing, and many other trivial details. Very cool, right?
Maybe not!
Most of those with HSAM consider it to be a curse. Not only can they recall everything about the good times, they can also remember all the minutia related to bad events, even when they don’t want to bring those things to mind. How would you like it if your brain forced you to recollect every sin, every mistake, every time you failed God.
The wonderful thing about being a Christian is that the blood of Jesus wipes away our sins and God “forgets them.” Of course, he doesn’t really forget them, but he treats them the same as if he had forgotten them. What a wonderful blessing!
We’re about to begin a new year, a time when many make New Year’s resolutions and think of ways to start fresh. In 1 John 1:7, the apostle tells us that for Christians who are walking in the light, the blood of Jesus continually cleanses them from sin; it constantly wipes their slate clean so they don’t have to ruminate over past failures. They’re forgiven! Or, as God tells us in Jeremiah 31:34, “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
I want to challenge you to approach the New Year as a forgiven child of God by meditating on that thought and these other scriptures:
- Isaiah 43:25 — “I will blot out your sins and never think of them again.”
- Psalm 103:10–12 — God removes our sins “as far as the east is from the west.”
- Romans 8:1 — “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 — “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”