How Could God Forget Sins If HE Is Omniscient?

             God is omniscient (Psalm 139:4; Acts 1:24; 1 John 3:20). God knows everything – the past, present, and future. The same God also forgives and forgets our sins (Isaiah 43:25; Hebrews 10:17). At its face value, these two doctrines may seem contradictory, but are they?

            This then is the dilemma. If God knows everything, how can HE not know (or remember) certain things? How do we resolve this apparent contradiction?

            Some theologians posit ‘God’s choice’ as a means to resolve this situation. They believe God “can choose not to remember something. In human relationships, we can choose to remember the offenses someone has committed against us, or we can choose to forget. To forgive someone, we must often put painful memories out of our minds. We don’t actually forget the sin, and it’s not that we are unable to recall the offense, but we choose to overlook it. Forgiveness prevents us from dwelling on past troubles.”¹

            Greater clarity is provided in another article on the website of The Gospel Coalition, “God ceasing to remember our sin is not voluntary amnesia. But, in his mercy, he does not act against us according to our sin. When the Lord forgives, he does not call our sins to mind to punish or berate us. He does not shake his head in disappointment as he whispers, “Shame on you.”

             Instead, God removes our sin from us as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12). “I will remember their sins no more” doesn’t mean our sin slips his mind, but that he doesn’t hold it against us (Heb. 8:12). He treats us as if we never sinned.

            And so God’s omniscience remains intact. He knows, but he doesn’t call to mind. He sees, but he doesn’t chide. He abounds in love and compassion for his wayward children...

            He forgives, but he doesn’t clear the guilty. He doesn’t treat us according to our sins, but sins must be punished. How can this be? We find the answer in the cross of Jesus Christ.

            Jesus Christ is the Son of God who became man. He lived a life completely free from sin, yet took on himself the wrath of God that we deserved. He died for sins and was raised to life in victory over death. When we trust in him to save us from judgment, he becomes our representative. He no longer remembers us according to our sin, but according to Christ’s perfection. His righteousness becomes our own.

            We do not serve a God whose memory is erased at the sound of human confession. Instead, we serve a God who sees the sin that hides in the darkened corners of our hearts as bright as midday—yet who chooses to offer us mercy in Christ. We serve a Savior who knows us fully and still loves us deeply, even to the point of death.

            We have a far greater hope than a God who forgets. Our hope is a God who forgives.”²

Endnotes:

¹https://www.gotquestions.org/does-God-forget.html

²https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/god-forget-sins/

Websites last accessed on 22^nd February 2022.