God's Glory Church

“For I will forgive their guilt, and I will no longer remember their sin.” — Jeremiah 31:34

One December morning in 1992, I was driving down the road in my grandfather’s pickup truck when suddenly the rear wheels began to skid. I didn’t see the icicles, but I felt them well. The car began to be thrown from side to side: one skid, the second, the third – and here I was in the air, thrown off a five-meter embankment. Пам’ятаю, як подумав: “Це круто, ось тільки вмирати не хочеться”. In a moment, the car landed on a steep slope and, overturning, rolled down. I climbed out of the wrecked cabin, fortunately completely unharmed.

God had mercy on me. What about grandfather? He didn’t say a word to me about the car, which was beyond repair. He did not scold, did not make material claims, nothing. I was just smiling, glad that I was alive and well.

Grandpa’s forgiveness reminds me of God’s mercy, as the prophet Jeremiah says. Despite the indisputable guilt of the Israelites, God promised to restore relations with His people, saying: “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jer. 31:34).

I’m sure grandpa remembered until the end of his days who crashed his pickup truck. But he did the same as God, without mentioning it, without reproaching and without demanding compensation for damages. Like the Lord, Grandpa chose to act as if what I did never happened.

How does God’s forgiveness affect your perception of your own sins? How can you show mercy to others?

Heavenly Father, thank you for your forgiveness. When guilt robs me of peace of mind, help me to remember that in Christ You will not remember any of my sins.

Author: Adam Holtz