WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8
13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.
Colossians 2:13-14 (NLT)
MIGHTY GOD: DEBT FORGIVENESS
There is a story of a woman who was in the mall doing her Christmas shopping. She was tired of walking through every aisle of every store to find just the right present. She was stressed out by the mounting debt on her credit card. She was tired of fighting the crowds and standing in lines for the registers. Her hands were full and when the elevator door opened, it was full. “Great!” she muttered and the occupants of the elevator, feeling her pain, graciously tightened ranks to allow a small space for her and her load. As the doors closed she blurted out, “I think whoever came up with this Christmas junk ought to be found, strung up and shot!” A few others shook their heads or grunted in agreement. Then, from somewhere in the back of the elevator came a single voice that said, “Don’t worry. They already crucified him.”
You cannot separate the birth of Jesus from the crucifixion of Jesus. He was a baby that was born for the purpose of dying for our sins. The Bible uses the picture of spiritual debt to describe everyone’s sin. The cost of our spiritual debt is eternity in hell separated from God. When Jesus died on the cross, the Bible uses the picture of a canceled debt to illustrate our forgiveness. The forgiveness of our sin is only made possible by the power and ability of God.
Reflection
Christianity is the only major world religion that offers forgiveness of sin as a gift from God that we receive by faith. Jesus did all the work and we are simply the recipients of the greatest Christmas gift ever given. Is it difficult for you to believe that God is willing to forgive you of every sin you’ve ever committed?
Praise
Thank God for forgiving your sin debt.
