A Divine Righteousness
And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more. — Jeremiah 31:34
To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. — Acts 10:43
Author
Charles Spurgeon
Summary: When we come to know the Lord, we receive forgiveness for our sins and discover his grace. His promise not to remember them means that the atonement has removed them completely: he will not bring them up against us to punish us or love us any less because of them. In Christ, the believer is accepted and possesses a divine righteousness, surpassing the human righteousness of Adam in his innocence. Although we must grieve over our transgressions and shortcomings as long as we live, we can rejoice that they will not be held against us. This undeserved forgiveness moves us to hate sin and to be watchful in our obedience so that we do not offend the Lord.
When we come to know the Lord, we receive forgiveness of sins. We know Him as the God of Grace, who overlooks our transgressions. What a happy discovery this is!
But how divinely this promise is expressed: the Lord promises that He will remember our sins no more! Can God forget? He says He will, and He means what He says. He will regard us as though we had never sinned. The great atonement has taken away every sin so effectively that, to the mind of God, it is as though it had never existed. The believer is now as acceptable in Christ Jesus as Adam was in his innocence; indeed, more so, for the believer wears a divine righteousness, whereas Adam’s was merely human.
The great Lord will not remember our sins in order to punish us for them, or love us one bit less because of them. Just as a debt, once paid, ceases to be a debt, so the Lord completely cancels the iniquity of His people.
When we lament our transgressions and shortcomings—and this is our duty as long as we live—we should at the same time rejoice that they will never be brought up against us. This leads us to hate sin. God’s undeserved forgiveness leads us to be watchful so that we never again offend Him through disobedience.
Source: The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith. Translated by Allan Roman.
http://www.spurgeon.com.mx/chequera/meditames/abril.pdf