Titus 3:3

God saves us, but He does not make us safe. I’m not addressing the question of eternal security. I’m talking about the reality that life is risky and at times even dangerous. Being a Christian does not remove risk or danger from our life. Anyone who tells you that it does is either deluded or deceitful. Christians get sick and die just like non-Christians. I have seen, and you have seen, the bumper sticker that says, “God is my copilot.” Well Christians have accidents, even if God is their copilot.

Just as Christians are not safe from the physical dangers of life, they are also not safe from the emotional and mental risks that come with everyday living. In fact, when it comes to ordinary emotional behaviors, Christians share much more in common with non-Christians than we like to admit. Partly that is because we are all human, and partly it is because, to be different, would require us to make a concerted effort to change.

Forgetting history, or remembering it falsely, is a common human risk. Forgetting history is dangerous. Christians are not safe from that risk, but with God’s help, we can guard against it. Paul reminds us that, “we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.” It is understandable that we would not want to remember ourselves as being that way. However, if we fail to remember who we were, we risk not appreciating what God has done for us. We risk becoming judgmental and self-righteous. A faulty belief that I was not that bad, allows me to believe I’m better than those sinners who are.

We should not wallow in our sinful past, but we cannot risk forgetting it. Our past reminds us of what God has saved us from, and where He has brought us to. Our world is dangerous, but as long as we walk with Jesus, we will be eternally safe.