“And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor, and each his brothers saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more.”
-Jeremiah 31:34
Oh, Jeremiah 31:34 is one of multiple verses in Jeremiah 31 that are absolutely glorious. This chapter promises a new covenant to come. It will be fulfilled in Jesus, who would make a way for us all to know God. See the picture here. Hear this. Wherever you are sitting, walking, riding a bike, whatever you’re doing right now, just let this soak in. You, where you’re sitting. Riding that car, riding that bike, whatever you’re doing, you right now, have the privilege of knowing God.
Knowing God. Now this isn’t just for the religious elite. No, this isn’t just for the pastor. This isn’t just for the theologian or the scholar. This isn’t just for … The Bible says from the least of them to the greatest. From the worst sinner. From the least likely to know God. You, right where you are right now, you have the privilege of knowing God through Jesus. Knowing God. Just think about that. Having a relationship with God.
Jeremiah 31:34 Demonstrates God’s Incredible Mercy
When you talk about a friend you know. We’re talking about God, who we know. And the way this is even possible is because he forgives all of our iniquity, and listen to this phrase, “I will remember their sin no more.” Let that soak in. I will remember their sin no more. This is God talking. The omniscient God of the universe. He knows everything. He knows all things. And yet, he chooses to not think about it at all. Not to bring to his recollection at all. Not to acknowledge your sin.
You think about all your sin. I think about all my sin, and just to think that right now, God says, “I’m not even bringing that to my recollection.” Yes, it’s not like God has amnesia that he can’t remember things I’ve done. He has the capacity. He knows all things. But he chooses to count none of my sin against me. Against you. Just let that soak in.
You know God and he doesn’t acknowledge, doesn’t remember your sin anymore. Oh God, this is too awesome to even imagine, and yet it is right here in your word and so we believe it. Oh, we believe this and we praise you for this reality. We praise for the privilege of knowing you.
God, I pray that you would help me in my life and every single person who’s listening to this right now to experience the fullness of knowing you. God, not to be causal with this reality. To be overwhelmed by this reality. And God, what grace that you remember our sin no more. This is how we can know you. Because you choose not to count any of our sin against us, not even to bring it up.
The Price Has Been Paid For Our Sin
Oh, God, we praise you. Jesus, we praise you for paying the price for our sin. For making this possible. So God, I pray in my own life, and I pray in others’ lives, God, help us not to live in slavery to past sin in our lives, just always thinking, just like the devil wants us to think. He’s the accuser of the brethren. He wants us to be beat up over past sin.
Yes, oh, God. Help us to learn from past sin and the hurt that it causes in our own lives, and others’ lives and to hate it. To want to run from it. But God, help us to realize, you don’t count it against us. You don’t count it against us. We have a relationship with you where we can know you and you don’t count our sins against us, because those sins have been covered by the blood of Jesus.
Oh, God, we praise you for Jeremiah 31:34, and its reality in our life right now. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.
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David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
