Collinsville-Troy CHURCH OF CHRIST

When God Forgets

Renn Ferguson

The omniscience of God is a topic frequently discussed and taught in scripture. For example, John stated that God knows everything (1 John 3:20), the apostles stated that He knows the heart of every man (Acts 1:24), and Jesus said that He even knows how many hairs are on our head (Matthew 10:30). God knows everything and, therefore, should remember everything. Yet some passages of scripture teach that God does forget.

One such passage is Hebrews 8:12 which reads, "For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more." (ESV). This verse has caused many people to wonder how God could forget our sins if He is truly omniscient. The answer to this question largely lies in range of usage of the words "remember" and "forget."

Words can often have various meanings or be used in various senses. The word "ball", for example, can refer to an object or a formal dance. Context determines the usage. For God, the terms "remember" and "forget" do not have to do with God's knowledge of a thing but rather His actions concerning it.

Often, God is described as having remembered the covenants He made with man (Genesis 9:14-16, Leviticus 26:40-42, Psalm 105:8-9, Luke 1:54-55, 72). This does not mean that in the interim the covenants escaped His memory but that He was acting concerning the promises made. God "forgetting" something is just the opposite. When God forgets He will not act. In Hosea 4:6, God declares "And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children." Here He is saying that He would not care for the children of Israel as part of the punishment for their sins.

In the same way, when the Hebrews writer quotes Jeremiah in Hebrews 8:12, he is declaring that God will not act in judgment against our sins. He knows them but He will not punish them. Christians can rest assured that God will remember the promises made to us (Numbers 23:19, Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18-19).

Truancy (Chronic Absenteeism)

Joe Slater

You aren't supposed to call it truancy anymore. It's “chronic absenteeism.” Most schools don't have truant officers anymore. Now they're “Professional Student Advocates.” The new title supposedly helps parents to be less defensive when approached about their children's non-attendance at classes. I feel better already!

I read that in Connecticut a student who misses 18 or more days out of 180 (ten percent or more) is considered chronically absent. Hmmm. What if we used that kind of standard for church attendance?

A typical year has 52 Sundays. How many of us miss fewer than five of them? I shouldn't have to re-state the obvious, but to prevent any hurt feelings let me make it clear: this has nothing to do with absences due to health or other legitimate reasons.

Absence by choice has been problematic for as long as I can remember and has only grown worse post-pandemic. In far too many cases absenteeism far exceeds ten percent, and that's if we count only the Sunday morning assembly. Add the Sunday evening service and Bible classes (as we should) and the picture is even more dismal.

"Professional student advocates” are focusing less on enforcement and more on determining why children are skipping school and then remedying the issues. I can only imagine the reasons they're hearing: Johnny doesn't like his teacher; Susie doesn't enjoy Biology; the cafeteria doesn't serve what my children like. Truth be told, they probably don't understand the importance of education. Maybe their parents don't either.

Why are some Christians chronically absent? I've heard a freight car load of excuses with abundant finger-pointing and blaming. But the bottom line remains the same: failure (or refusal) to see the importance of it. What about you?

What other benefits can you list?

- Joe Slater serves as minister of the Church of Christ in Justin, TX. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: justinchurchofchrist.com
- Article obtained from www.bulletingold.com