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Forgetting Begins with Remembering

Theme: Forgetting Begins with Remembering

The brain is an amazing organ of the body that God created. Neurologists tell us that by the time a person is 65 years old, they will have 265 quintillion memories stored in the brain. That is nineteen zeroes. Many memories are below consciousness but could be electrically stimulated and brought to consciousness. Contrary to what we often think experts tell us that age does not destroy memory but rather, slows the process. The real problem is the stimulation of the mind and the willingness to grow, learn, and change. We lose the ability or desire to remember because we become less interested in growth, learning, and changing. It is why I so respect some of our older students who rise to the challenge of taking classes and entering another level of ministry than ever before.  

If it is true that our need is to stimulate our minds and seek to remember in order to grow and mature, then it might seem strange to engage the instruction of the Apostle Paul in his letter to Philippians. He is a man closing in on sixty years of age toward the end of his life, sitting in a Roman prison or at least under house arrest.  In what started out to be what might be called a ”thank you” note to his long-time partners of the Gospel in the Philippian Church, Paul ends up penning some profound thoughts about the Incarnation of Jesus Christ and the enabling grace of God to give us the mind of Christ which facilitates growth to maturity spiritually and emotionally. Paul speaks a word to some folks who have exhibited the fruit of the Spirit in their generosity and the living out practical holiness and notwithstanding a couple of women in Chapter 4 who had a little spat going on between them, he speaks of the need for even Spirit-filled folks to grow in grace to maturity, perfecting holiness in their lives by doing “one thing” which appears to be anything but the stimulation of memory.  

Read with me in Philippians 3:10-16, (NIV): “I want to know Christ--yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. ...Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

“This one thing. . . forgetting what is behind. . .” Paul says maturity requires this act of forgetting what is behind. Without it our ability to mature in Christ our development of character – Christlike character is stunted. We become arrested in our emotional and spiritual development. You will never be any more spiritually mature than you are emotionally mature.

But how in the world do you forget? The memories never go away – they never out of mind entirely. They are always stored in the brain whether conscious or subconscious. Great confusion because it is physically impossible to remove memories from the storage of our brains in the physical sense. What in the world is Paul driving at? Is he suggesting the impossible with our memories?  

There are many notions and ideas of what this Scripture means. I heard various interpretations preached. Some would say it means to ignore the past and its effect on us – “just forget it and get over it and move on.” Is this what Paul is saying? Your past does not have to define you. That may be true but how do you get past your past?

I have found that there are at least two types of people who struggle most with memories from their past in coming to maturity in Christ. Those who have a great heritage in which they place high value and which gives them a great sense of worth and legacy and which makes sense of their world.

Secondly, those who have suffered traumatic experiences, especially in childhood, which have robbed them of their ability to rightly value who they are and what they have been given. How do you “forget” all this?

Some would say it means: Denying your past, suppressing your memories, and rewriting your own history. What happened to you is “Not that bad, it could have been worse or not as bad as what this person or that person experienced.” “

Some would say: Justify it – “everybody has a past, just need to get over it.”; Some would say defend it; Some would say “Learn to live with your past.” Some would say: “Dig up your past.” I don’t know about you but I have tried several of these. Led to great frustration – I could not forget! Sometimes, a memory would surface randomly at the most unwanted moment and sabotage what God was trying to do in my life. I grew weary of it. Out of desperation and frankly frustrated anger, I was led back to this passage in Philippians to discover what Paul actually was saying.

I discovered an amazing truth that set me free. The Greek word translating the word “forgetting” is a compound word. Greek for “forgetting”  - “epilanthanomai”. “epi” – “upon, before”

“lanthano” – “to be hidden, to be hidden from one, secretly, unawares, without knowing.” Translated: Before your memories become hidden, out of your awareness, and lost to your conscious memory examine everything that comes to mind and then choose to place it in the proper place in the file folders or cabinet of your mind where it will no longer surprise you and drive your thinking and your behavior. It is not neglected by ignoring, denying, defending, or justifying it or the behavior which it drives. The mind of Christ growing in maturity of character becomes evident.

But wait a minute this kind of sounds like so much psycho-babble, doesn’t it? How do we know that this is what Paul meant? What does this have to do with the context of seeking the righteousness of God through faith and not by works of the law as Paul was brought up to believe? Paul let us into his own emotional struggle and spiritual journey which was at least a three-year period after his dramatic conversion on the Damascus Road. He was in the category of those who had trouble forgetting and turning loose of his past heritage and everything that he had been taught to value with the highest esteem.

He brings it all to the table of conscious memory and spreads it out in full detail and examines in light of Christ and the new life and future that Christ brings. He writes in Philippians 3:5, (NIV): “I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin--a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.”  

Paul here, personally demonstrates what he instructs us to do in Verse 13. Can you imagine radical change of mindset – the massive rewiring of the brain – the powerful renewing of the mind he went through here? It was not enough to have become a believer in Jesus Christ in a powerful conversion. He had some work to do with the Holy Spirit to renew, rewire his thinking, his brain to the radically different thinking of Christ.

The Book of Acts tells us that then, Saul started out living and preaching for Christ. He immediately went to the synagogue and began preaching Christ. But he was premature in his zeal. It was the same zeal that he had in chasing and persecuting Christians. But it was far from the maturity required to become a mature man in Christ. Scripture records that to protect him, the believers had to let him down over the city wall to escape. Paul’s letter to the Galatians tells us that he was sent away to the Arabia Desert for three years to examine his history, his memories, and to what I like to call, get his head screwed on straight about Christ – learn Christ. Three years of a relearning process and growing to maturity in Christ.

Incidently, Dr. Eldon Chalmers in his book “Healing the Broken Brain: Science and the Bible Reveal How the Brain Works” shares his research that it takes around three years for the brain to form new circuit boards, pathways in the brain to “new truth”. Scientific discovery is consistent with the principles of God’s Word revealed in Scripture.

Everything in his past had to be re-examined and compared and contrasted with Christ. In verse 7 we read: “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. Paul remembers, brings everything from his past into full view, and examines it in light of knowing Christ – the power of His resurrection that takes the dead things of our lives and brings them to new life and position for redemptive purposes. Participation in sufferings – abusive past, traumas of past and takes our worst nightmare and turns it for good purposes.

Forgetting is remembering and placing the memories in their proper place in the files of your mind. Let me summarize it:

Release your Memories for Evaluation.

He brought to mind and remembered his own history, his own past. He studied his motivations. He saw options. He faced his own pain. V. 8 – Paul says: “I count . . . .” That is the evaluation.

God said to Israel: Remember all the way the Lord led you! God who brought you out of Egypt. Passover was to be a memory jogger of God’s deliverance!

Refuse to watch reruns.

Older man said: “All my dreams are reruns.” Maybe so, but do you keep watching them.

This is the part of the word “forget” in this passage which is defined as neglecting the thoughts of the past which no longer fit. It is not recalled for reference points for present action or attitude. When it comes up, you process and know exactly what it is and where it is coming from and your place it back with its proper place. You tell yourself the truth about this. Truth that the Holy Spirit will use to set you free.

Remember – but refuse to allow the memory to have control over the present. Stop the past from controlling the conference room of the heart. “Yes it happened but no longer a voting member of the inner board of your heart and life.

Israel reviewed their experience in Egypt. Looked in the mirror and saw grasshoppers and concluded that everyone else saw them as grasshoppers. Kept playing this narrative over and over in their minds. They failed to enter the Promise Land God has promised them and was giving them.

Hannah Whiteall Smith: “Never indulge at close action self-reflective acts of any kind, self-congratulation or self-despair. Forget the past and leave it with God.”

Story of Administrative Assistant years ago. I kept coming into the office and smelling strong garlic. But then it would seem to fade away. I am checking my breath and recalling what I had for lunch. Is it me? I would come out of my office into the administrative office and the smell would hit me again. I am looking around for the source. Seemed stronger around the file cabinet. Checked all the drawers, but could not see anything. After several days, the smell did not go away. Finally, I went to the file cabinet and opened all the drawers again slowly and noticed that the closer I got to the bottom drawer, the stronger the smell was. Bottom drawer, pulled it all the way open and there it was – an opened bag of some kind of trail mix with plenty of garlic in it. Where in the world did it come from? Administrative Assistant came into the office later and I showed her the bag and asked her if she knew anything about it. The look on her face was panicked and then shaded over with guilt. She said: “Oh no, you found it!” Turns out that she and her husband were into body building and dieting to stay in shape. Craving for junk food. Could not eat it at home so was sneaking it to the office and thought she could hide it in the file drawer and no one would ever know. Busted!

A lot of people deal with the memories of their past like that. Bury it, hide it and even forget the details themselves and think that it has no effect on their present life. But the smell of their behavior betrays them.

But when we learn to bring everything out in the open and examine it in light of Christ and place it in its proper file folder in the past and consciously choose to not allow it to control my present, my future, and my behavior, this is the path to maturity in Christ emotionally and spiritually. This is how we learn to forget that which is behind – by remembering and examining. And as Paul would say it: “All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.” Amen!

- Rev. Leray Glendenning serves as Lead Pastor of the Greater Life Community Church of the Nazarene in Urbandale, IA and as adjunct professor at NBC. 

Published: 11/01/2024

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