Our Debt & What We Are to Do with It
“Then He said to her,
(The Gospel According to Luke 7: 48-50 NAS)
“Your sins have been forgiven.”
Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves,
“Who is this man who even forgives sins?”
And He said to the woman,
“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
As difficult as it is for us to admit, we are sinners. That’s right. Every person born has been conceived into a sinful body. In fact, as I hold my new grandson, I find it quite difficult that he could have a sinful bone in his whole body, but the Bible says we each have been conceived into iniquity. Therefore, if the Word of God states it so, then we must believe it is so. Just consider how an infant grows into a toddler who learns quickly how to lie to his parents. When mom or dad asks him a question such as this: “Did you dirty your diaper?”, the toddler replies with his version of truth: “No.” This answer is far from the truth because a parent can smell the stench of the dirty diaper. However, rather than running toward the parent, the toddler runs the other way, attempting to avoid the diaper change, the slowdown to his playtime.
This small boy told his parent his version of the truth rather than the whole truth.
- We learn rather quickly that even a toddler knows how to lie. &
- No one taught that toddler to lie; that action manifested from within him.
As humanity, we wrestle with the concept that we are sinners, and we find it quite difficult to believe our sin condemns us to death. Nonetheless, the Bible proclaims it so.
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
(The Letter of Paul to the Romans 3: 23 NAS)
In the parable Jesus told to a man named Simon, a Pharisee, we read how Jesus spoke of sin in terms of a debt we owe. A woman from the city came to the Pharisee’s house where she found Jesus reclining at the table. Immediately, she knew she needed to bring an offering of all she had to offer. The woman began to cry, and as she did:
“she began to wet His feet
(The Gospel According to Luke 7:38b-40 NAS)
[Jesus’ feet]
with her tears, and debt wiping them with the hair of her head,
and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume,
[the alabaster vial of perfume she had brought for that purpose]
Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself,
“If this man were a prophet He would know who and
what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.”
And Jesus answered him,
“Simon, I have something to say to you.”
And he replied,
“Say it, Teacher.”
Jesus began to tell a parable (a story), one that involved two debtors who owed a moneylender. Both debtors were unable to pay their debt, and so the moneylender forgave them both. Jesus then asked Simon which debtor was loved more by the moneylender, and naturally, Simon considered the man with the greater debt was loved more because he had been forgiven MORE debt.
Pause right there. Consider the term: MORE debt.
Now let us ask ourselves the question—What is the weight of the debt of my sin? &
What is the cost of payment Jesus Christ had to pay on the cross for my sin-debt?
- The weight—Our lives lead to death, and death separates us from eternal life with God.
- The cost—Our forgiveness cost Jesus His life on the cross, so that we might believe and thereby receive eternal life with God.
The woman from the city was a sinner with a GREAT sin-debt, one she could not pay. She knew how she had lived her life, and so when she came close to Jesus’ feet, she could only kneel and weep.
The man named Simon, the Pharisee, had spent his life in biblical study of the Mosaic law, attempting to walk with God and to live a sin-free life. He had invited Jesus to his house for a meal, and Jesus knew Simon could never live a “good enough” life to pay off his sin debt owed. Furthermore, Simon never dreamed that day how he would receive a beautiful lesson by the Teacher—Jesus, the Savior of the world.
- The woman brought all she had to wash Jesus’ feet—her tears.
- The woman knelt and kissed the feet of Jesus.
- The woman anointed Jesus’ feet with her prized possession of perfume.
- The woman gave all she had to Jesus.
Jesus said—
“For this reason I say to you,
(The Gospel According to Luke 7: 47-48 & 50 NAS)
her sins, which are many,
have been forgiven,
for she loved much;
but he who is forgiven little, loves little.
“Then He said to her,
“Your sins have been forgiven.”
. . .
And He said to the woman,
“Your faith has saved you;
go in peace.”
Yes, it is difficult for us to admit, we are sinners. As humanity, we wrestle with the concept, and we find it hard to believe our sin condemns us to death. Nonetheless, the Bible proclaims it so. So the question becomes: How do we escape the debt that accumulates from our conception, from our sin-debt? The answer is simple.
JESUS!
JESUS CHRIST!
THE SON OF GOD!
THE MESSIAH!
THE SAVIOR & REDEEMER!
Even though we are born into sin and acquire our debt of sin at our conception, mankind has received a beautiful gift, one that saves us from receiving the eternal damnation we deserve for this debt of our sinfulness. See with me, in closing, the LOVE OF GOD.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us,
(The Letter of Paul to the Romans 5:8 NAS)
in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us.”
Christ Jesus died on Calvary’s cross for your sins and for my sins.
He willingly gave His own life for our life!
- Jesus laid down upon the cross, stretched out His arms and His feet to receive the spikes into his flesh.
- Jesus died on the cross & was buried in the tomb.
- Jesus was dead for three days, but Hallelujah—RESURRECTION MORNING CAME!
JESUS CHRIST AROSE FROM THE DEAD—OVERCOMING DEATH FOR YOU & FOR ME!
& get this.
JESUS LOVES US— EVEN WHILE Our Debt of Sin is Large & EVEN WHEN We Do Not Know What to Do with It.
“When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
(The Letter of Paul to the Colossians 2: 13-14 NAS)
He made you alive together with Him,
having forgiven us all our transgressions,
having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us,
which was hostile to us;
and He has taken it out of the way,
having nailed it to the cross.”