Rick Smith

In the story of the sinful woman Jesus told Simon the Pharisee a parable:  “There was a money lender that had two debtors.  One owed him $500,000 and the other $50,000.  When neither could repay the debt, he forgave both.  Now, which of the two will love him more?”  Simon said, “I assume that the one who owed the most.”  Jesus commended him saying, “You are correct.” In defense of the woman, Jesus said of the woman, “I tell you that her sins, which are many, are forgiven her, because she loves much.  But to him who is forgiven little, loves little.” Paul, a Pharisee himself, was able to say that he was the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15).  In Colossians 2:13-15, Paul spoke in a celebratory way of all that Jesus has done for us.  In a few short words Paul said that our debt of sin has been  paid in full by Jesus.  And just like this sinful woman and Paul are forgiven much, therefore, we love the Lord that forgave us and paid our debt in full.

Let’s consider the debt we owed.  The Bible says that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23a).  Death is the only way that our sin debt can be paid.  Now, we know that we are sinners and our consciences agree with God that we ought to die to pay our for our sin, both that inherited from Adam and those that we have willfully committed ourselves.  When you have a debt there is usually a note that you sign agreeing to pay the debt.  The law of God tells us that we ought to pay for our sins and we agree to it with our conscience.  God confronted Adam, “Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?”  Now, God confronts us with His Word the Bible and our conscience.  And what is our plea?  Guilty, as charged.  What is our debt?  Death.  We are “…dead in (our) sins and the uncircumcision of (our) flesh (v. 13a).”  We owe the debt of death to God.

Now, consider Who our Creditor is.  The One we owe is God.  If we look back to the parable that Jesus told to the Pharisee God the Father is the money lender.  The debt is real and God ought to be paid, but we cannot pay and live.  And it does not matter whether you are the one owing $500,000 or $50,000, because you can’t pay the debt.  That is the reason Paul, the self-righteous Pharisee could say that he was the chief of sinners.  Paul realized that his sin debt to God was beyond Paul’s ability to pay.  So everybody has to die?  No, because God wants “…all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4).”  Thankfully, it is God that we owe the debt, because He is merciful.  God sent His Son to die for sinners.

Let’s look now to our Benefactor.  Someone had to pay the debt of sin which is death (Romans 6:23).  That person is God’s Son Jesus.  God has given us life together with Jesus.  God has “quickened  (us) together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses… (v. 13b).”  How did this happen?  The ordinance of baptism illustrates what God has done for us through Jesus.  “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead (Colossians 2:12; cmp. Romans 6:4).”  The good news of Jesus Christ has been summed up for us in 1  Corinthians 15:1-6 as involving the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.  When we trust in Jesus His death becomes our death; so the debt to God is paid by Jesus.  But we are alive, because we are raised with Jesus in His resurrection.

So we now can rejoice and celebrate what Jesus has done for us.  That debt that we owed is paid in full.  The note has been wiped clean like a chalkboard.  More than that, those rules that condemned us are nail to the cross.  Those that accuse us, Satan and his demons, have been put to open shame by the resurrection of Jesus (v. 15).  What we could not do, God did through His Son Jesus for us.  Why?  Because, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”  Is your debt paid in full?  It can be.  Turn from your sin and put your faith in Jesus Who died and rose again to pay your debt in full.

If you have any questions, we invite you to visit with us this Sunday.   Worship at 10:50 A.M.  We are located at 711 West Washington Ave.  Check our sermon videos on Youtube @ricksmith2541.  Send comments and prayer requests to prayerlinecmbc@gmail.com.