Isaiah 43:18 says “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. In Philippians Paul writes about forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead” (3:13). The message seems to be, “Don’t look back. Forget the past.” Like the runner in a race is cautioned not to look over his shoulder, so we are told to keep looking forward. But can that be right? Are we to totally block out all past history? Haven’t we all heard the warning that those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it? Would God have us forget the past?

There is plenty in our past not worth remembering, a lot of things we would be better off forgetting. Everyone has embarrassing moments they wish they could forget. But there are also more serious matters we would rather not remember: all of the people we have hurt, the wrongs we have done, the times when our actions were evil rather than good. It would be better if we could forget things like that.

Just saying “Forget it” doesn’t help much. The kind of forgetting Paul and Isaiah were speaking of involves a replacement. You should replace remembering negatives with something positive. It is hard to concentrate on two things at one. If you are remembering the good things God has done and focusing on that, it will be easier to forget the bad things in your past.

God doesn’t want you to forget everything. Quite the contrary is true. Psalm 103:2 tells you “Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Moses told the people “be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery (Deuteronomy 6:12).” Some things are worth remembering.

Concentrate on the good things God has promised you in Christ. And that leads me to a crucial point: You cannot and should not forget God’s Word. You remember God by remembering what He tells you there. Remember the message of God’s love for you. And that message is most evident in the person of Jesus Christ. What God did for you in sending Jesus is something you should never forget.

You can and should forget the sins that have been forgiven. Once you have confessed those sins and repented of them, once you have heard God’s Word of forgiveness for them, forget the past. God won’t bring up your sins again. He has removed your transgressions from you as far as the east is from the west! This is because of what Jesus has done for you. He loves you. He died for you. He rose from the dead for you. He lives for you right now. He does not want you worrying over past sins. When you believe that Jesus paid for your sins, they are forgiven. Leave them behind and look ahead. Press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus has taken hold of you. Rejoice in His forgiveness.

Forget the past? If by that you mean your sins and your deserved condemnation, the answer is “absolutely!” But never forgegt the love that God has shown to you in sending His Son to be your Savior. (John 3:16)