Into the Depths
Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!
- Micah 7:19
Some years ago I was scuba diving with some friends in Hawaii. We were staying about 15 feet under the surface, but as we went along, I noticed the bottom was getting further and further down. Eventually we came to a massive cliff, and beyond the point where it dropped off, I couldn't see anything. So I went out a few feet past the cliff, and as I looked into that vast nothingness, it unnerved me a little. I started thinking of Jonah and the whale. The theme from Jaws began playing in my mind. The sheer depth of the ocean was intimidating.
The Bible tells us that God casts our sin into the ocean's depths: "Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love. Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!" (Micah 7:18–19).
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When we believe in Jesus, we are given a clean slate, a fresh start. All evidence of sin and guilt is completely wiped out. When we believe in Jesus, we are forgiven. Have you ever done something you are ashamed of? I have. I have done things I wish I had not done and said things I wish I had not said. But when we are justified through faith in Christ, God forgives those things. He wipes them out.
God has taken our sins and has cast them into the depths of the sea. They are gone. They are forgiven. And not only are they forgiven, but they are forgotten. It doesn't mean that God has had a lapse in memory. He has simply chosen not to remember.
