Part One / The Forgetting

Rick McNally, August 27, 2025

Philippians 3:13-16 / Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

Room for Growth

In the passage above, Paul describes his own means of growing and progressing in his relationship with Christ.  He does not consider that he has “arrived” or that he is “all that,” but recognizes his weaknesses.  He is not all that he should be.  We are not all that we should be.  I am not all that I should be.

This recognition is key.  If we think we have “arrived,” we will never get on the bus of spiritual growth.  There would be no reason to.  Perfection is hard to add to.

Paul considered himself, at the end of his race, to be the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15).  He did not state at this time that he “used” to be the foremost sinner, but rather that he is — present tense, in real time, the worst.  Such a person has room to grow.

I, Lord, too am a sinner.  Help me grow.

Singular Focus / “This one thing I do“

Paul’s growth strategy goes beyond the recognition of his need; it has a single-minded focus which is actually a two-pronged attack.  Forgetting and Straining.  He says he does “one thing” but that one thing has two parts.  Both are significant.  Both are necessary.

Forgetting what Lies Behind

This is the hard one.  Many of us have checkered pasts.  Some due to our own sin, some due to the sins of others.  Some of us have pushed others around; some of us have been pushed around.  Some of us have persecuted our fellow believers; some have been persecuted.  Some have lied; some have been lied to.

Paul himself, the chief of sinners, was a scoundrel.  He was a moralist, a very religious man who was a persecutor of those who thought differently than himself.  He had skeletons in his closet that we cannot imagine.  He had ghosts whispering his name.  He could have easily plunged into self-loathing, self-hatred, and despair.  I’m sure he had some sleepless nights.

Paul tells us here that he “forgets what lies behind.”  The Greek word here is epilanthanomai, yes, it’s a mouthful.  It is “forgetting,” it is the ability to “not recall,” it is a picture of “neglecting,” it is the “overlooking.”

Paul is not encouraging us to neglect or forget all of our past sins without confession and attempts at reconciliation.  Those things need to be done.  They should be done.  Sometimes they are hard to do because of the continued sin of others, which short-circuits attempts at such things.  Paul is not speaking about this.

Paul is, however, encouraging us not to dwell on the evils of the past.  Note: if a person who has done you wrong with no repentance asks you to “forget the past,” that is manipulation and abuse. This is about you and me coming to the point of our own free will to let go of things that have been done by others and ourselves.  That is two different things. People trying to avoid accountability is not the same as you “getting past” things that are keeping you down.

I have gone through some difficult years.  In the middle of these things, my mind would race in circles trying to sort out what was happening, respond to what was happening, and battle what was happening.  My mind went on many a journey through the issues and experiences I lived — this nursing, this over-thinking, this rehearsing did me no good.

I didn’t let go soon enough.  I still struggle letting go.  I still, somewhere deep inside, desire to fix the issues and bring things to a more just resolution.

I have not let go.  I have not overlooked.  I have not “forgotten.”  In order to get there, I need to do a few things, I am sure.

First, I need to “want” to forget.  I need to want to let go of the past.  I think today, I am finally there.  Well, that’s something.

Second, I need to immerse myself in this idea, this attitude, of forgetting and moving forward.  What does the Scriptures tell us about the forgetting and the moving forward elsewhere?

Here are some things for me to consider.  From the verses below, I realize: God is about moving me forward into a better future with Him, God is about making me a new creation, God wants me to look forward (not back), God wants my anger and bitterness to be put away, God removes my sins with confession.  I can start new.

• Isaiah 43:18-19 / “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 / “ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
• Luke 9:62 / Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
• Proverbs 4:25 / Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.
• Ephesians 4:31-32 / Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
• Psalm 103:12 / As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.
• 1 John 1:9-10 / If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

I will, by God’s help, neglect the past.  I will forget it.  I will not dwell on it.

Next post in series… here