“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.” (Colossians 2:13 (ESV)
Our forgiveness of other’s sins is based upon God’s greater forgiveness of our sin. Since we love Him because He first loved us (I John 4:19), then it stands to reason we forgive others because He has first forgiven us (Matt. 6:14-15; Eph. 4:31-32). Today’s text indicates God the Father, through God the Son Jesus Christ, has forgiven us all our trespasses or sins: past, present and future. This raises the question of how does the Bible define and describe sin? The Scriptures define and describe sin in three primary ways.
Frist, the Bible states sin is a crime. Sin is breaking God’s law and failure to do His will. The Scriptures use words like transgression, trespass, and iniquity. The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, “What is sin?” The answer is, “Sin is any want of conformity to, or transgression of, the law of God.”
Second, The Bible calls sin a debt. A debt is an obligation which has not been paid. The sinner becomes increasingly indebted to God with each sin. In this case, sin is a moral debt and an offense to the living and holy God. The sinner is incapable of paying their indebtedness to God except by spending an eternity in hell.
“If God imposes obligations upon us that we fail to perform, then we incur debt. At this point, God becomes a creditor. He is the One to whom we owe the debt. Jesus described us as debtors who cannot pay our debts,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
“It is one thing to be in debt and be able to pay it by means of a debt-retirement program, whereby we pay off our debt a little bit at a time. But the indebtedness that we have with respect to obedience to God is impossible for us to pay back by installment plan or any other means. Why? What is the ethical obligation that God imposes upon us, His creatures? How righteous are we required to be? How moral are we called to be by divine mandate? We are required to be sinless—nothing less than moral perfection is required.”
Jesus referred to this concept of sin in His Sermon on the Mount. When He instructed His disciples to pray, He said the following.
9 “Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:9–13 (ESV)
The Apostle Paul also spoke of sin as a debt in his Epistle to the Colossians. “13 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, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:13–14 (ESV)
The Apostle John recorded this scene at the cross. “28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:28–30 (ESV).
The exclamation “It is finished” (Τετέλεσται; tetelestai) means paid in full. “Papyri receipts for taxes have been recovered with the word tetelestai written across them, meaning “paid in full.” This word on Jesus’ lips was significant. When He said, “It is finished” (not “I am finished”), He meant His redemptive work was completed. He had been made sin for people (2 Cor. 5:21) and had suffered the penalty of God’s justice which sin deserved,” writes Edwin A. Blum in the Bible Knowledge Commentary.
The Bible says sinners are debtors and God the Father is the creditor. However, Jesus Christ is our surety or security (Heb. 7:22). He is the only One who could take upon Himself the requirement or payment of the sinner’s spiritual debt. By begin willing an able to do so, Jesus Christ is redeemer. His work of redemption is applied to the sinner by grace alone, through faith alone, in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone (Rom. 3:21-26).
Songwriters: Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty and Graham A. Kendrick express the idea of sin as debt, and Jesus Christ as redeemer, in the following lyrics.
My worth is not in what I own
Not in the strength of flesh and bone
But in the costly wounds of love
At the cross.
My worth is not in skill or name
In win or lose, in pride or shame
But in the blood of Christ that flowed
At the cross.
I rejoice in my Redeemer
Greatest treasure, wellspring of my soul
I will trust in Him, no other
My soul is satisfied in Him alone.
As summer flowers, we fade and die
Fame, youth, and beauty hurry by
But life eternal calls to us
At the cross.
I will not boast in wealth or might
Or human wisdom’s fleeting light
But I will boast in knowing Christ
At the cross.
I rejoice in my Redeemer
Greatest treasure, wellspring of my soul
I will trust in Him, no other
My soul is satisfied in Him alone.
Two wonders here that I confess
My worth and my unworthiness
My value fixed, my ransom paid
At the cross.
I rejoice in my Redeemer
Greatest treasure, wellspring of my soul
I will trust in Him, no other
My soul is satisfied in Him alone.
Do you consciously understand your sin to be a debt to be paid? Are you in agreement with this assessment? Do you sense the prompting of the Holy Spirit to trust Jesus Christ alone as the only One who could, and did, pay for your moral debt?
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 