Jesus is all knowing, and by His Spirit He dwells inside of you. He is with you 24/7. There is nothing about you that He doesn’t know. Yes, even your darkest secrets.
Yet, some grace teachers make light of His presence and imply that when you sin – Jesus sticks His own fingers in His ears, closes His eyes, and sings “La, la, la, la, la, la” to avoid hearing, seeing, and knowing.
- Watching porn, Jesus is there.
- Cheating on your spouse, Jesus is there.
- Stealing from your employer, Jesus is there.
- Afraid to step out in faith, Jesus is there.
- Not doing the good you know you ought to do, Jesus is there.
He knows, He CAN remember, but chooses not to hold it against you. Marked by the blood, that sin has been forever charged to His OWN account, and not yours.
Yet quoting Jeremiah 31:34, many grace teachers will say, “The Lord remembers our sin no more.”
This word “remember” in the original Hebrew is zāḵar - which means to mention, record, or keep in remembrance.
In scriptural context, the verse is speaking to 1) our relational access to God and 2) our eternal judgment. That sin has been stricken from the record, and it will not be used against you in terms of eternal judgment. And, our private access to God cannot and will not be denied even by our sin.
- But, that does not mean Jesus is unaware.
- But, that does not mean the devil won’t accuse you of unbelief.
Jesus certainly wants us to mature, that is what He shed His blood for. As replicas of Himself, Jesus desires to sow you and I into the field as mature sons of the kingdom (see parable of the weeds).
Yet, The Lord can’t desire our own maturity without first being keenly aware of our immaturity.
In fact, Paul says that Christ the “hope of glory” dwells INSIDE you and with great warning we are still to present everyone mature in Christ. Colossians 1:27-28
Which means, you can have Jesus IN you and still be immature.
And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Jeremiah 31:34