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FORGETTING

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 9, 1869

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 33, No. 7.

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FORGETTING.

By John Nevins Andrews

“FORGETTING THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE BEHIND.”
When men are reminded of their past sins they sometimes answer that we are to forget the things that are behind. But these words have no reference to our wrong acts. They refer to those things in our experience that are right. If we have relieved the distressed, if we have comforted the mourner, if we have borne the cross of Christ, if we have denied self, if we have walked with God, we may safely forget these good deeds; for they all live in the book of God’s remembrance, and shall be made public enough at the last day. In fact, it is, to a certain extent, not only safe and right to forget such things, but it is even necessary to do it. If we keep these before our minds Satan will, by means of them, make us so well satisfied with our past good works and our present attainments that we shall have no energy nor zeal to reach forward after that higher piety that we must attain unto in order to gain Heaven.
Poverty of spirit is one mark of real piety. Not spiritual poverty, but lowly, self-abasing ideas of our own real condition in the sight of God. Oh! could we realize the character of Christ, we should see cause enough for the most profound self-abasement. Paul cultivated this spirit. How ought we to do it also. If you do good deeds to others immediately forget them. If others do good deeds to you, bear them in lasting remembrance. If others injure you forget it. But if you do wrong to others, never forget the fact. Correct the wrong with the utmost care and zeal. This is not a thing that it will do to forget. Our sins are what will sink us in perdition. Do not slumber over them. They must be confessed, repented of, corrected. Who shall stand in the Judgment? The man that has clean hands and a pure heart. Those only will thus appear who had washed their hands from every sinful act and cleansed their hearts by the most effectual repentance. I say again, it is very well to forget our own good deeds, but our bad ones must be remembered and corrected.
J. N. ANDREWS.