The Right To Be Forgotten

Isaiah 43:25-26 — I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.

Here in The United States the right to free speech is a cherished privilege. There’s a free speech right in Europe too, but now there’s a “right to be forgotten” as well — at least as far as the online world goes.
Do you have the right to be forgotten online? In May, the most Senior Court The European Union’s ruled that search engines like Google must consider requests to have links to damaging content removed from its search engines. The links must be removed unless there’s a public interest reason for them to stay a part of the search engine’s results.
Did you know you have a “right to be forgotten” with God too? God promises that He will wipe our sins off the register — not because we deserve it, but because He is impelled by His passionate love for us.
Do not make the mistake, though, of thinking that “forgetfulness” comes without a price. It is a special offer to those who have been “justified”. God offers to the Israelites that He will hear them — that they might convince Him of their righteousness.
For us it is, in a way, simpler. Paul writes to the Colossians:

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; (Colossians 2:10-14)

Jesus paved the way for us — He took any debt we owed, stamped it paid, and nailed it to the cross, leaving us just one step to take:

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; (Acts 3:19)

Of course God isn’t really forgetful — it’s more like He has a ledger in which our sins are written, and He wipes them out when we confess them and, admitting Jesus is God’s Son, take Him as our Lord.
God isn’t really forgetful. He remembers us, every one of us:

Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. (Isaiah 49:15-16)

God has a perfect memory. He remembers perfectly, and He forgets perfectly. You have a right to be forgotten … If you claim it!


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