God Knows Everything: Forgiven but Not Forgotten?
Do we have a problem here? God is omniscient—that is, He knows everything to the nth degree. There’s nothing He is going to know that He doesn’t already. He has always been that way, and 10,000 years from now, there will be no change. There’s never going to be a day or time when we can look back and say that God knew less than He does now.
So, where’s the problem? Let’s discuss the thing no one wants to talk about: sin. #awkward.
We live with it—that nagging whisper, the memory that claws at the edges of our peace. That thing you said. That thing you did. That moment you hope no one ever finds out about. You’ve probably forgotten what you said, did, or thought three years ago today. God hasn’t.
The question is: does God sit in heaven with a front-row seat to all my mess, unable to forget it? If I skip up to God in 400 years’ time, will He still be mindful of what I had to repent of?
The answer to this conundrum starts here: God knows everything. Past, present, future. Every detail, every hidden thought, every secret motivation. He knows our words before they even leave our mouths (Psalm 139:4). He’s seen and heard it all.
But there’s some encouragement here: what happens when you bring your sin to Him? Is it forgiven but still lurking in the heavenly record book like a permanent blot? No. Not at all.
When Jesus hung on that cross, He wasn’t just dealing with sin in some vague, abstract way. He took your sin. Yes… even that one. And what of the wrath of God that should have been aimed squarely at you? It was taken by Jesus instead. Isaiah says, “The chastisement that brought us peace was upon Him, and with His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5, ESV).
Here’s the amazing truth: God not only forgives our sins, but He remembers them no more (Hebrews 8:12). No more. That’s stunning—and reassuring. This isn’t some divine amnesia—it’s God choosing not to hold your sin against you. That’s what forgiveness means. It’s erased from the charge list. Gone. No disclosure of previous offences is ever required.
So, what about those moments when the shame creeps in like a stalking black panther? When you feel like your past is still chained to your present? That’s not God speaking. That’s the enemy trying to drag you back into what Christ has already dealt with. It’s like double jeopardy: being tried again for the same offence. A wicked envoy of darkness is trying to steal your joy, peace, and comfort.
God knows everything for eternity, and here’s what He knows about your sin: it’s been paid for. Fully. Completely. He knows the incomprehensible and immeasurable depth of His Son’s sacrifice, and He looks at you with His piercing eyes through the lens of Jesus’ perfection.
Forgiven and forgotten? Yes. And no.
Forgiven? Yes. Every sin—past, present, future. Forgotten? Not in the sense that God is forgetful. He’s faithful. He doesn’t overlook or turn a blind eye to your (or our) sin; He dealt with it. Forever.
“Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens” (Psalm 119:89, ESV). God’s Word is established in heaven, and so is your forgiveness.
You don’t have to (nor should you) live under the shadow of your failures. Instead, reach out to Him and live in the light of His grace. Let your past remind you not of your sin, but of your Saviour, because the gospel is this: He knows you fully, loves you completely, and saves you eternally.
And that? That’s enough. If God has forgiven you, then worship, laugh, sing, and praise with a clean heart that knows no restriction or hindrance to growing in intimacy with Him.
