Does god forget sin?

If we don’t think about the consequences of this question, we might think, of course God forgets sin! However, ideas and beliefs have consequences. This is especially true if we are talking about God. For example, if I think that God can change, I’m not rightly thinking about God and this will change how I live. When I struggle with sin or lack in prayer, I might begin to think that God is changing His mind about me. Perhaps I have lost my salvation. See how grave the consequences of my thoughts about God were! I could simply look at Hebrews 13:8 which says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” to remedy my incorrect thinking. Sometimes we’re faced with more difficult issues in our thinking and theology that need more reinforcement. What I mean is that a question like “does God forget sin?” may not be able to be answered by one Scripture reference. In general, we would be wise to consult the whole counsel of God as we seek to think and speak correctly about God. We may also read what Christians before us have written about God after their study of the Scriptures.

Yes sin is forgiven, but God does not forget. When the language of “forgotten” is used in the Bible, it anthropomorphizes God. This is what happens when the Bible speaks of God’s arm, eyes, mouth, etc. God is immutable meaning He is unchanging. In his Reformed Dogmatics, Herman Bavinck said of God, “He is who he is, the incorruptible who alone has immortality, and is always the same. Unchangeable in his existence and being, he is so also in his thought and will, in all his plans and decisions. He is not a human that he should lie or repent” (153). So if God were to change, He would not be God. If we consider our original question, “does God forget sin?” we are faced with a dilemma. Either we say yes and create a God of our own liking who can change, or we take God for who He has revealed Himself to be (Ps 102:26-28; Isa. 41:4; 43:10; 46:4; Deut. 32:39; John 8:58; 1 Tim. 1:17; 6:16; Heb. 1:11-12). 

If God does not forget our sins, then how can we be saved? Rather than forgetting our sins, God doesn’t hold them against us. But how can that be? Simply look to the cross of Christ. Christ took on our sin and the wrath of God, so that when we repent of our sin and trust in Him as Lord and Savior, we are found in Christ. It is as if we "put on" Christ as a cloak and God looks at us and sees His Son. No, God does not forget our sin but does not act against us because of the work of His Son. 

As I write this, I have a certain response letter in mind. In this response letter, the author decided to say that a man’s sins were forgiven and forgotten by God. It would appear to me that the thinking is that since God has forgotten this man’s sins, so must you. Friends if you know what I am referencing, please consider the implications of this and see it for what it is. This is manipulative language that simply is not true. If the author of the letter truly believes that God can forget, then this puts them outside of orthodoxy. Any way you look at it, this is very poor theology and very poor leadership. As you consider what I have written above, go read individuals like Thomas Aquinas, Augustine of Hippo or Stephen Charnock. Or if you would like a more modern work on God’s existence and attributes, read Jen Wilken or Matthew Barrett. These matters are extremely important as you seek to worship God rightly.