2 Peter 1:9
“For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.”
Sin has created great damage. It’s ruined lives, destroyed relationships and separated us from God. The result of it made Adam and Eve ashamed. They attempted to hide that shame with leaves. A silly fix. So, they attempted to hide from God (Genesis 3:8).
We also seek to hide our sin. This is destructive to us and to those around us. This is burying our problems. Much like Adam’s solution was to hide.
We need to confess our sins before The Lord whenever we fall (1 John 1:9). To skip this step is choosing to be blind. Peter says when we act this way we are forgetting the purification from our former sins.
Our minds naturally focus on the present. Our appetites are reminding us to satisfy them. Our interests and responsibilities also require our attention. It takes purposeful resolve to remember things. Jesus instituted communion for the purpose of remember His sacrifice. We will never have the emotion and remorse of the first time. However, we are to reflect upon His great sacrifice and the time we first accessed it.
Some churches do communion weekly and others do it monthly. We can do it privately. We don’t need the elements (cracker and juice) to remember.
We don’t want to dwell on our sins. However, we don’t want to forget them. We should have a gratitude for His forgiveness. Many of us are years and decades away from our initial forgiveness. It becomes more difficult to remember. It’s a healthy exercise to recall those things.
Lord, thank You for the cross. Help us always remember the great forgiveness you’ve freely provided.