To forgive another is to release them, not your, of the burden so that reconciliation will be the result. The willingness to forgive is made effective because all stand in need of forgiveness and desire mercy and grace in that time of need. It is a universal need and fellow saints learn very early that we must handle our sin by confessing it and repenting of it. As this is done, there is a great need to confirm our love and support one another lest we become overcome with sorrow. Forgiveness is repeated as often as sin is committed. It is never good to hide our sin or ignore it by treating it lightly. Equally, forgiveness must also be taken seriously and granted without delay. Jesus uses this as an incentive when he explains that if we do not forgive, then, neither will we be forgiven.
Once granted, it is never used against them. Isaiah 43:25 describes God who does not remember our sins. It is in this sense that it is forgotten. No one should be made to feel like second-class citizens or that there is a log being kept of the sins of our past or their amount. Paul writes,
“…forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32b).
“…and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Colossians 3:13b).