The point may seem elementary; but all of us have a past. Somewhere in our lives, there are things we wish we could forget—things that, if we could find a way to do it, we’d simply make it go away, as though it had never happened. You may not be the not-so-proud owner of a rotting corpse in your closet, but perhaps you’d give anything to wipe away some incident of utter humiliation in your life; or you’d recall words of bitterness and hatefulness spoken in a moment of uncontrolled anger. Maybe in your past, you told a lie on someone that wounded that person deeply. No doubt, we can all think of moments that haunt our minds.
However, perhaps your past failures bear a more serious hue. You’d like to forget those things were ever a part of your life, but the thoughts of what you’ve done seem to constantly dog your steps, hounding your weary mind day after miserable day. Over and over, your thoughts are consumed by one thought, “How could I have been so foolish.”
Well, the good news is that for the child of God—those who have turned their back on their sins, and given their heart and life to Christ, there is the promise of complete forgiveness. God’s Word tells us that, “…the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7b). In verse nine of that chapter, we are assured that, “If we confess our sins, he [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Maybe you’re aware that God has promised forgiveness for your past sins, but you just can’t seem to rid yourself of the feeling that the “Hounds of Hell” are going to catch up with you one day. Again, the truth of God’s Word should help us here. The Bible says, “…and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19b). Speaking of the superior nature of Christ’s priesthood and His intercessions for sinners, the writer of the Book of Hebrews wrote, “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Heb. 10:17). Does God need to say anything more on this subject? But there is more. God further assures us with these words: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).
Allow me to conclude with the following true story.
In the 14th century, Robert Bruce of Scotland was leading his men in a battle to gain independence from England. Near the end of the conflict, the English wanted to capture Bruce to keep him from the Scottish crown. So they put his own bloodhounds on his trail. When the bloodhounds got close, Bruce could hear their baying. His attendant said, “We are done for. They are on your trail, and they will reveal your hiding place.”
Bruce replied, “It’s all right.” Then he headed for a stream that flowed through the forest. He plunged in and waded upstream a short distance. When he came out on the other bank, he was in the depths of the forest. Within minutes, the hounds, tracing their master’s steps, came to the bank. They went no farther. The English soldiers urged them on, but the trail was broken. The stream had carried the scent away. A short time later, the crown of Scotland rested on the head of Robert Bruce.
The memory of our sins, prodded on by Satan, can be like those baying dogs—but a stream flows, red with the blood of God’s own Son. By grace through faith we are safe. No sin-hound can touch us. The trail is broken by the precious blood of Christ. “The purpose of the cross,” someone observed, “is to repair the irreparable.” 1
You don’t have to be pursued by your past anymore. “Jesus paid it all/ All to Him I owe;/ Sin had left a crimson stain,/ He washed it white as snow.” 2
1 E. Lutzer, Putting Your Past Behind You, Here’s Life, 1990, p. 42.
2 “Jesus Paid It All,” Mrs. H.M. Hall and John T. Grape.
