Our Sin Debt

Dear Weekly Readers!  How often we need to be reminded of the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world!   Please read the below article by a Sister in Christ, Lois Matson from the state of Washington, USA. May God Bless your week!  John R.   AREAL TIME DISPLAY ON Sixth Avenue in New York City chronicles the total US debt, and the digital numbers flash past so quickly you can’t read them. Debt spins out of control, with each citizen owing tens of thousands in personal obligation and the national debt topping 18 trillion dollars. That’s trillion with a tr. We saddle our children to the third and fourth generation with the bill, yet spending continues without restraint.   What about our sin debt clock? Is it spinning out of control as well?  In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray that our Father would forgive us our debts. (Matthew 6:12) Martin Luther’s Catechism explains: “We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look upon our sins, nor on their account deny our prayer; for we are not worthy of any- thing we ask, neither have we deserved them; but we pray that He would grant them all to us by grace, for we sin much every day and deserve nothing but punishment.”  The Apostle Paul wrote: There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one... There is no fear of God before their eyes. (Romans 3:10-12; 18) God requires absolute holy perfection, with never a stumble, never a slip. If we’re honest with ourselves, the commandments condemn us, because none of us keep them. Indeed, none of us are capable of keeping them, even if we want to.  Sometimes it seems our sin debt clocks are spinning so fast, they’re nearly burning up. What do we do with this overwhelming debt, which is greater than we can ever repay? The penalty for sin is death. No exceptions. Romans 6:23 says: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  The gift of God, the grace of God—there is our hope!  Pointing to Jesus, John the Baptist said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”  Praise Jesus that He has taken our debt of sin and nailed it to His cross. He has broken the wildly spinning debt tabulator which was held to our account. He has silenced the accuser. He has fulfilled the righteous demands of the Law. The Apostle John wrote: And ye know that he (the Son of God) was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (1 John 3:5-9)  The Apostle tells us not only that whoever abides in Christ does not sin, he says that they cannot sin. The new creation—born of God’s Word and Spirit—does not sin. The motions of sin that we feel in our members, that we experience every day, that we see mounting on our wildly spinning sin debt clocks, are not held to our account. They were nailed to the cross of the innocent Lamb of God outside the city walls of Jerusalem, and the wrath of God was appeased.  Your sin debt is PAID. God is satisfied with the blood sacrifice of His perfect Son. Our Father is not angry with you. He doesn’t hold your sin against you. Believe it. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (Romans 5:1-9)  Live in the peace that Jesus Christ has purchased, praising Him for paying your enormous debt of sin. Stand in grace and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God! ~