One of Christ’s last declarations from the cross was, ‘It is finished.’ That phrase is made up of just one word in Greek: tetelestai, meaning ‘paid in full’. It was the word that merchants wrote on a bill when it was cancelled. It was also the word stamped on a document announcing that a prison sentence had been reduced. Jesus paid the price in full for every sin you’ve ever committed! ‘There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 8:1 NIV). The question is, if God forgets your sin the second you confess it, don’t you think you should forget it too? How long do you think about a bill that you’ve paid? You forget it the minute you’ve paid it. And as Christ has paid your bill in full, you don’t need to remember it anymore. Paul, who once described himself as ‘chief among sinners’ (see 1 Timothy 1:15), wrote, ‘Forgetting what is behind…I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards’ (Philippians 3:13-14 NIVUK). We can short-circuit God’s power in our lives by not trusting that He’s truly forgiven us, or by deciding not to forgive ourselves. Why do we do that? Sometimes it can be because of how we were raised. Some of us might have parents who told us, ‘I forgive you,’ but then they constantly bring up the issue. But there is good news: your heavenly Father is different from your earthly parents. When He forgives your sin, He expunges your record, cancels your past, can’t remember it, doesn’t talk about it, and will never bring it up again. So, today accept His forgiveness. And if you need to, forgive yourself and move on.
