Leviticus 16-18

And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness. Leviticus 16:21-22

The representation of atonement is amazing - all we have in Christ today represented here in the Old Testament. How does God view forgiven sin? This goat is the vessel of an entire nation's sin that is taken and released in the wilderness. It is never to be seen by man again. It is not remembered or brought back before God or man.

That is the same exact way that God views our sin. Christ is our substitute to be our sin offering, and the entire world's sin was placed on Him. His death brought us a pleasing sacrifice, and therefore God chooses to remember our sin no more. We sometimes want to feel guilty or believe God surely will not forgive us because of all the times we sin, but in Christ as we confess our sin the Scripture tells us - He is faithful and  just to forgive us all our sin (I John 1:9).

 Atonement is so amazing that we often fail to realize that God chooses never to see or remember sin again. It is truly blotted out and God sees only Christ in us. It is not an excuse to live in sin, but the more we grasp the concept of what we have in Him it prompts us to live grateful, praising, and obedient lives. None of us deserves this unmerited favor, but He formed this plan before the world began for our forgiveness. Let us sing and live obedient lives in light of His marvelous grace!!!!!

Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, Ephesians 1:4-7