If God Doesn't Remeber Them, Do They Even Count?

By Michaelbrent Collings

It is said that "God forgets what He forgives." Indeed, this is a truism that is well-established in modern day revelation, as well as ancient scripture. And so some point to this fact and reason to themselves that it makes no real difference if we sin a little, so long as that sin is followed by a sincere repentance. After all, if God doesn't remember the sin, doesn't that mean that our eternal progression won't be hindered?

This line of reasoning suffers from several flaws. On a basic level, it fails to take account of lost opportunity. In other words, just because God doesn't remember our bad moments doesn't mean we'll ever get them back again. A moment of sin is a moment when we can never do right again. Moments are brief pieces of our existence, and once expended they are never returned.

God, of course, experiences time differently than do our finite minds. However, in spite of this we are assured that time does continue in the hereafter. Brigham Young's statements to the effect that it takes a thousand times longer to accomplish things after we die would seem to indicate this fact strongly, and so we must hesitate when deciding to sin. The fact that God doesn't remember the sins we repent of doesn't change the fact that sins hinder our progression by putting us far behind where we would like to be. If, in fact, the point of all of this is to become like the Lord, then that means the goal is to be perfect, even as He is. And any sin - even one repented of - will stand in the way of that, at least inasmuch as it will mean we enter into the post-mortal existence at a starting point that is behind where He would like us to be.

But beyond that fact, there is another item that would counsel against our committing sins. It is this: God has promised that he will remember our repented-of sins no more... but Lucifer makes no such promise!

What does that mean? Lucifer, we are told, has no power or capacity to actually control our hearts against our will. But he can and certainly does observe our actions, and so tailors temptations accordingly. So let us say that I sin. For example, I wear pink socks, though I know that the Lord has made it clear that is a grievous sin (I'm engaging in a hypothetical situation to make a point, here). And then I repent, and the Lord will not remember that I wore pink socks last Thursday. But Satan will. And being Satan, he will know that I have a weakness for pink socks, and a desire to wear them that has overcome me in the past. So all of a sudden, I find that everywhere I turn, there are pink socks waiting for me. God does not remember my sin, but my life is forever complicated and changed because of it. At best, I will probably have to spend an inordinate amount of time resisting this temptation, and at worst will be overcome by it once more. Not the best plan if one wishes to pass one day into God's rest.

No, the best plan is and always has been that of the Son: to go, and never sin. We are given the great Grace of the Atonement, for we all will fall. But that does not mean the fall is without price or repercussions.

We are blessed, for we have hope in Christ.

But hope that things will be better is never as good as satisfaction that things have already gone well.