Encouragement, Faith, Forgiveness, God's Plan, Grace, Love, Mercy, Music, Our Identity, Relationship to Christ, Repentance, Salvation, Sin, Thankfulness, Trust

Jesus Canceled Our Debt

Have you ever had the opportunity to have a debt canceled? I am sure if you have, you found a sense of relief, knowing you did not have to pay that debt. As Believers, we have a debt that has been paid, far more than any financial debt we may have. The debt of our sins was paid by Jesus on the Cross as payment for our sin debt. Our Bible Journaling Scripture today says, “And 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. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Colossians 2:13-15 ESV)

The sin debt has far more dire consequences than any financial debt we may have. With financial debt, we are required to pay off the debt within a time established by both parties and if the debt isn’t paid up, there may be fines or even jail time. It is rare when we can have a debt forgiven or canceled. I have had the opportunity to experience a debt cancellation, and the relief I felt was almost overwhelming. When my first husband had his first stroke and had to have brain surgery, the bills from the hospital, surgeon, and other entities kept stacking up to the point where I didn’t know how I was going to pay them off. He could no longer work, so we were on only my salary, and everything was hanging on by a shoestring. I finally had to go to a company that would help me with my debt. They suggested I write a letter to all the creditors, asking them to forgive me for what I owed them. It was such a relief when a good portion of the doctors and other companies agreed to cancel my debt with them, or at least take a cut in what I owed.  I felt like I could breathe! It was such a relief!

Jesus paid our debt of sin when He went to the Cross. The penalty for our sins was death, but Jesus loved us so much that He took our place and paid that price. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23 KJV) “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 KJV) Our verse in Colossians says we were dead in our sins before we asked Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. But Jesus took care of that for us! I am remembering an old chorus that our church sang, the lyrics tell the story. “I owed a debt I could not pay; He paid a debt He did not owe, I needed someone to wash my sins away. And now I sing a brand-new song, Amazing Grace! Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.”  

It is overwhelming to think that Jesus willingly paid our sin debt. The book of Colossians says that God made us come alive together with Jesus. The Enduring Word Website states in their commentary on Colossians, “The new birth (made alive) and cleansing (forgiven you all) go together as features of the New Covenant, as prophesied by the Old Testament (Ezekiel 36:25-27) and the New Testament (John 3:5).” When Jesus took upon Himself our sin, that began a New Covenant with those who choose to put their faith and trust in Him and did away with the Old Covenant (the Law) which was impossible for us to fully keep anyway. His sacrificial death on the Cross canceled the “record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.”(Colossians 2:14 ESV)

When God looks upon us, He doesn’t see our sins, He sees Jesus’ blood covering our sins, and He welcomes us into His family because of what Jesus has done for us. Jesus canceled our sins so that we could have a relationship with Him. God loved us so much that He had a plan all put together at Creation, and because of Jesus’ sacrifice, God can now call us His children. I am so grateful that my sin debt has been canceled! I can look forward to an eternity with Him, and be at peace as I walk the pathway He has chosen for me to walk.

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Donna Knuth Rice

I am trying a blog for the first time in my life, and frankly, I feel like I don't have a clue as to what I'm doing! But, here goes. I work at a Christian Television network in the Correspondence Department, where I write letters and emails to our viewers, pray with them for their needs, and send materials they request. I am a Christian. I was saved at the age of 11 during a youth meeting at my church. My pastor led me to the Lord, and to say the least, my life has been an adventure. I am a widow. My late husband, Allen, passed away after 34 1/2 years of marriage. He had been sick the last seven years of his life, and it was a struggle, for him and for me. We met as part of a singing group that was affiliated with a Christian Radio station, and we sang together all through our lives together. We both worked in television and radio all through our married life, mostly for Christian stations. Besides singing I also play flute. I had the luxury of having parents who started out as music teachers...so music was in our house constantly. Some people describe me as being a loud-mouthed lime type...can't disagree with that. I have a tendency to put my foot in my mouth more times than I can count! I also have a tendency to say exactly what's on my mind...which is why I get myself in so much trouble! LOL! Trust me, that's something me and God have been working on for a very long time. I have no children here on earth, although I have a baby in heaven. My baby here is my dog Jack. He's a black lab/ chow mix. He's a big boy....thinks he's a lap dog! Can't think of much else to say. The reason I started this blog is because a few months ago in church, a guest pastor came and delivered a message, and when he asked for those of us who wanted prayer to come forward, I did. When he came to me he asked me if I did any journaling. I told him no 'cause I wasn't very good at it. He told me to start, and prophesied over me that my journal thoughts would impact other people. I wasn't sure just how I was to go about doing this. In fact, I was a little hesitant at first. I started journaling at home, and our assistant pastor's wife asked me to submit something for our Senior newsletter. I didn't the first edition, but something I had heard on Christian radio a long time ago and has stuck with me all these years, came to mind so I submitted an article. That article will be my first post. I don't claim to have all the answers, and my thoughts may seem a little "out there", but I feel God has been prodding me to do this, and so here I am. I hope what I post will bring encouragement, and "Something to Think About".

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