Creator, Father, King #307

You, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

IN FEBRUARY 2019, THE national debt of the United States reached a record-breaking $22 trillion. Yes, that’s trillion with a T.

That’s an absurd amount of money. Remarkably, the government owes a large chunk of that money to itself. Sounds weird, but it’s true. (Too hard to explain here.) The remainder is owed to foreign countries, state and local governments, private businesses, and individuals.

Every four years during a new presidential election cycle, we hear promises from candidates vowing to cut the federal deficit. Yet nothing seems to change. It’s a massive problem that isn’t going away anytime soon.

Did you know the Bible says that each of us owes an immeasurable debt that we can never pay? This liability has nothing to do with money. The overwhelming deficit credited against us is our sins.

What’s It Mean?

A debt is something, typically money, that is owed. Carrying financial debt is sometimes necessary in life (a student loan, monthly car payments, a homeowner’s mortgage, etc.), but paying off debt is important. You can get into serious trouble if you default on your financial debts.

The problem with sin is that we can’t pay God back. The debt is humanly insurmountable (Matthew 18:24-27), and apart from divine intervention, the result is physical and spiritual death (Romans 6:23). There’s nothing we can do—good deeds or anything else—to atone for our unrighteousness. Romans 3 makes that abundantly clear.

Because of his justice, God can’t magically snap his fingers and make our sin-debt just disappear. It has to be paid for. So what are we to do? Are we without hope?

Not at all! This is where Jesus comes in.

As today’s Scripture passage says, God cancels all the sin-debt of everyone who trusts in Christ’s substitutionary death and resurrection on our behalf. Jesus paid for our debts so we wouldn’t have to. He bore all of our sin and shame on the cross. He shouldered God’s terrible, just wrath so you wouldn’t have to.

Through faith in Christ, we live debt-free before God!

(Politicians, take note . . .)

Now What?

Read the parable of the unforgiving debtor in Matthew 18:21-35.

Did You Know?

The Second Liberty Bond Act of 1917 created a “debt ceiling” for the nation. But it has been increased dozens of times since then.