Spanish 
English 
Arabic 
Portuguese 
Chinese 
Russian 
French 
Italian 
German 
Japanese 
Dutch Category 1: God’s Divine Forgetting and Forgiveness
These verses focus on the foundational truth that our freedom from the past begins with God’s conscious, loving act of wiping the slate clean through His grace.
Isaías 43:25
«Yo, incluso yo, soy el que borra tus transgresiones, por mi propio bien, y no recuerda más tus pecados».
Reflexión: This is a profound declaration of divine initiative. The healing of our past begins not with our strenuous effort to forget, but with God’s sovereign choice to “blot out” the transgression. It addresses the deepest human fear: that our past mistakes have irrevocably stained us. Here, God declares that He, for His own sake, cleanses the record. This isn’t divine amnesia; it’s a redemptive refusal to hold our brokenness against us, freeing our hearts from the prison of perpetual guilt.
Jeremías 31:34
“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sin no more.”
Reflexión: The promise to “remember no more” is a deeply relational one. It doesn’t mean God develops a cognitive deficit, but that He will never again use our past against us. He will not bring it up in His relationship with us, nor will it color His affection for us. This provides a secure attachment to God, where we are not constantly bracing for judgment, but can rest in the emotional safety of His unchanging grace.
Salmo 103:12
«En la medida en que el este es del oeste, hasta ahora nos ha quitado nuestras transgresiones».
Reflexión: This verse offers a powerful spatial metaphor for a complex emotional reality. The east and west can never meet. This isn’t just forgiveness; it’s removal. The guilt and shame we carry are not just covered over, but relocated to an unreachable distance. Meditating on this image helps to restructure the mind, severing the obsessive connection between our present identity and our past failures.
Miqueas 7:19
“He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.”
Reflexión: The imagery here is one of decisive, almost violent, grace. Our sins are not just forgiven; they are conquered (“tread underfoot”) and disposed of (“hurled into the depths”). This is a comfort to the soul that feels its past is too big, too monstrous to be dealt with. It assures us that God’s power is infinitely greater than our deepest regret, and He acts with finality to liberate us.
Hebreos 8:12
«Porque perdonaré su maldad y no me acordaré más de sus pecados».
Reflexión: Quoting Jeremiah, the author of Hebrews places this promise at the heart of the New Covenant in Christ. This affirms that the deepest longing of the human spirit—to be free from the condemning memory of our past—is the central work of Jesus. It is not an afterthought of the faith, but its very engine. Our forward momentum is fueled by the settled reality that God has settled our past.
Isaías 1:18
«Venid ahora, resolvamos el asunto», dice el Señor. «Aunque tus pecados sean como el escarlata, serán tan blancos como la nieve; aunque sean rojos como el carmesí, serán como la lana.»
Reflexión: This is an invitation to a moral and emotional realignment. The scarlet stain represents a deep, seemingly permanent defilement that shapes our self-perception. The promise of becoming “white as snow” is not just about being pardoned, but about being purified. It speaks to a change in our very nature, assuring the wounded conscience that what was once a source of deep shame can be transformed into a testimony of profound cleansing.
Category 2: The Call to Press Forward
These verses highlight our active, intentional participation in moving away from the past and into the future God has prepared.
Filipenses 3:13-14
«Hermanos y hermanas, todavía no me considero que me haya apoderado de ella. Pero una cosa hago: Olvidando lo que hay detrás y esforzándome por lo que está por venir, sigo adelante hacia el objetivo de ganar el premio por el que Dios me ha llamado hacia el cielo en Cristo Jesús».
Reflexión: This is the Bible’s most potent directive on intentional forward-living. Paul models a healthy and holy focus. “Forgetting” here is not a passive lapse of memory but an active refusal to be defined or paralyzed by past successes or failures. The posture is one of athletic “straining,” a conscious channeling of all one’s energy toward the future. It is a call to orient our entire being—mind, will, and emotions—toward our ultimate purpose in Christ.
Isaías 43:18-19
«Olvídate de las primeras cosas; No te detengas en el pasado. ¡Mira, estoy haciendo algo nuevo! Ahora brota; ¿No lo percibes? Estoy haciendo un camino en el desierto y arroyos en el páramo».
Reflexión: This is a divine command coupled with a glorious promise. We are instructed to “forget” and “not dwell,” which are active mental disciplines. Dwelling on the past is like trying to find life in a wasteland. The cure is to “see” and “perceive” the “new thing” God is doing now. It shifts our focus from the familiar landscape of our regrets to the surprising, life-giving work of God in our present and future. It’s an invitation to hope.
Lucas 9:62
«Jesús respondió: «Nadie que ponga una mano en el arado y mire hacia atrás es apto para el servicio en el reino de Dios».
Reflexión: Jesus uses a stark agricultural image to convey a vital truth. Plowing requires forward focus; looking back creates a crooked row and makes one ineffective. Spiritually, this warns against the destabilizing effect of a divided heart. A life constantly gazing backward at past hurts, sins, or even glories cannot fully engage in the fruitful work God has for us today. It is a call for wholehearted, present-moment commitment.
Hebreos 12:1-2
«Por lo tanto, como estamos rodeados de una nube tan grande de testigos, desechemos todo lo que obstaculiza y el pecado que tan fácilmente se enreda. Y corramos con perseverancia la carrera marcada para nosotros, fijando nuestros ojos en Jesús, el pionero y perfeccionador de la fe».
Reflexión: This verse gives us the ‘how’ of moving on. The past, whether sinful or simply burdensome, is a weight that “hinders” our progress. We are to “throw it off” actively. The key to this release is not navel-gazing but “fixing our eyes on Jesus.” By shifting our gaze from the internal chaos of our past to the external reality of Christ, we find the motivation and the power to run our race without being entangled by what lies behind.
Efesios 4:22-24
«Se te enseñó, con respecto a tu antigua forma de vida, a despojarte de tu antiguo yo, que está siendo corrompido por sus deseos engañosos; para ser hecho nuevo en la actitud de sus mentes; y vestirse del nuevo yo, creado para ser como Dios en verdadera justicia y santidad».
Reflexión: This passage frames forgetting the past as a change of clothes. The “old self” is a garment that no longer fits; it’s corrupted and deceitful. “Putting it off” is a decisive act of will. This change is powered by a renewal in the “attitude of our minds”—a cognitive and spiritual renovation. We are not just forgetting something, but becoming someone new, and this new identity has the strength and integrity to leave the old behind.
1 Corinthians 9:24
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”
Reflexión: This verse instills a sense of purpose and urgency. Our lives are not a casual stroll but a race. A runner’s focus is on the finish line, not on the stumbles in the first lap. To “run in such a way” is to adopt a mindset of determination that sees the past as part of the track that has already been covered. Its only value is the lesson it taught us to run better now. This reframes past mistakes not as a final verdict, but as formative training.
Category 3: Embracing a New Identity in Christ
This group of verses shows that the most effective way to forget the old is to fully embrace the new person we have become in Christ.
2 Corintios 5:17
«Por lo tanto, si alguien está en Cristo, la nueva creación ha llegado: ¡Lo viejo se ha ido, lo nuevo está aquí!»
Reflexión: This is perhaps the most powerful declaration of personal transformation in all of Scripture. It is an ontological statement: our very being has been remade. The “old” is not just forgotten or forgiven; it has “gone.” The “new” is not something we are striving for; it “is here.” Grasping this truth severs the root of shame. We don’t have to forget the ‘old you’ because that person, fundamentally, does not exist anymore. We are free to live from this new, healed, and whole identity.
Gálatas 2:20
«He sido crucificado con Cristo y ya no vivo, pero Cristo vive en mí. La vida que ahora vivo en el cuerpo, la vivo por la fe en el Hijo de Dios, que me amó y se entregó a sí mismo por mí».
Reflexión: This verse provides a profound psychological and spiritual re-framing of the self. The “I” who was defined by past sins and failures has been “crucified.” It is a death of the old, ego-centric identity. The new life-force, the new operating system, is Christ Himself. This alleviates the pressure of self-improvement and replaces it with a reliance on an indwelling source of strength and love, making the past’s grip powerless.
Romanos 6:4
«Fuimos sepultados con él por el bautismo hasta la muerte, para que, así como Cristo resucitó de entre los muertos por la gloria del Padre, también nosotros vivamos una nueva vida».
Reflexión: Baptism is presented here as a deep, symbolic funeral for our old self. We are “buried.” This powerful imagery helps the mind and heart process the finality of the break with the past. But it doesn’t end in death; it leads to resurrection into a “new life.” This means we are not just forgiven sinners trying to behave, but resurrected people empowered to live in a completely new way, unburdened by the corpse of our former life.
Romanos 8:1
«Por lo tanto, ahora no hay condenación para los que están en Cristo Jesús».
Reflexión: This is the emotional and legal cornerstone of a life free from the past. “No condemnation” is an absolute verdict of acquittal. It silences the inner prosecutor that uses past failures to inflict shame and anxiety. For the soul haunted by its past, this verse is a shield. It declares our present standing before God is not based on our past performance but on our present position “in Christ,” which is a place of absolute safety and acceptance.
Colosenses 3:9-10
«No se mientan unos a otros, ya que se han quitado su antiguo yo con sus prácticas y se han puesto el nuevo yo, que se está renovando en conocimiento a imagen de su Creador».
Reflexión: This passage links our new identity to new behaviors. The act of “taking off” the old and “putting on” the new is a past-tense reality that should inform our present actions. The reason we can leave old patterns behind is because we are no longer the same person. The new self is in a continual process of being “renewed,” meaning our identity in Christ is not static, but a dynamic, growing reality that moves us further and further from who we once were.
Ezequiel 36:26
«Os daré un corazón nuevo y pondré en vosotros un espíritu nuevo; Te quitaré tu corazón de piedra y te daré un corazón de carne».
Reflexión: This beautiful Old Testament promise diagnoses the core human problem: a “heart of stone,” hardened and unresponsive from sin and hurt. God’s solution is not mere behavior modification, but a spiritual heart transplant. He gives us a “new heart” and a “new spirit.” This internal transformation is the only thing that can truly allow us to move on from the past, because it changes the very core of our desires, emotions, and responses. We are made new from the inside out.
Category 4: Healing from Past Wounds and Sorrows
These verses offer comfort and hope specifically for the pain, trauma, and grief of the past, distinct from the guilt of sin.
Salmo 147:3
«Él cura a los quebrantados de corazón y ata sus heridas».
Reflexión: This verse is a tender balm for the emotionally wounded. It acknowledges the reality of a “broken heart” and “wounds” that are not necessarily our fault. God’s posture is not one of judgment, but of a gentle physician. He “heals” and “binds up,” actions of intimate, personal care. This assures us that our emotional pain matters to God and that He is the primary agent in our psychological and spiritual recovery.
Apocalipsis 21:4
«Enjugará cada lágrima de sus ojos. No habrá más muerte, ni luto, ni llanto, ni dolor, porque el viejo orden de las cosas ha pasado».
Reflexión: This is the ultimate promise of healing. While offering future hope, it validates the reality of present tears, mourning, and pain. It projects a future where the lingering trauma of the “old order” is completely and finally erased by the gentle hand of God. Holding onto this future reality can provide profound strength to endure present pain, knowing that our hurts do not have the final word.
Isaías 61:3
«[Él] les otorgará una corona de belleza en lugar de cenizas, el aceite de alegría en lugar de luto, y una prenda de alabanza en lugar de un espíritu de desesperación».
Reflexión: This is a verse of divine exchange. It recognizes the tangible realities of grief: ashes, mourning, despair. God doesn’t just take these away; He replaces them with something better: beauty, joy, praise. This speaks to the concept of post-traumatic growth, where the experience of profound loss can, through God’s redemptive work, lead to a deeper and more resilient sense of joy and purpose. Our deepest wounds can become the source of our greatest beauty.
Salmo 30:5
«Porque su ira dura solo un momento, pero su favor dura toda la vida; El llanto puede durar toda la noche, pero el regocijo llega por la mañana».
Reflexión: This verse offers a profound perspective on the temporality of pain. It gives us permission to “weep for the night,” validating our season of sorrow without letting it define our entire existence. It frames suffering within the larger context of God’s lifelong favor. The promise that “rejoicing comes in the morning” is a rhythmic anchor of hope, assuring the grieving heart that night is not permanent and a new day of joy is part of God’s design.
Lamentaciones 3:22-23
«Por el gran amor del Señor no nos consumimos, porque sus compasións nunca fallan. Son nuevos cada mañana; grande es tu fidelidad».
Reflexión: Written from a place of deep national and personal trauma, this verse is a defiant act of hope. In the face of devastating memories, the author chooses to focus on a greater truth: God’s compassion is a daily, fresh resource. For the person trapped in yesterday’s pain, this is a lifeline. It means today is not just a continuation of yesterday. At sunrise, a new allotment of God’s mercy and strength is available to face the day, unburdened by the failures of the one before.
Salmo 34:18
«El Señor está cerca de los quebrantados de corazón y salva a los que están aplastados por el espíritu».
Reflexión: This verse counters the feeling of isolation that so often accompanies deep hurt. When our hearts are broken and our spirits crushed by the past, we often feel most distant from God and others. This promise declares the opposite is true: in those very moments, God draws “close.” His presence is the beginning of our salvation from the depths of despair. It is a powerful comfort to know that our deepest pain is the very thing that attracts God’s compassionate proximity.
