Filing Bankruptcy

Recently, a very good friend and I (Considerations) has begun discipling a young brother who has very recently returned to the Lord and given his life to Jesus. We meet weekly to discuss scripture and help him establish the fundamental and foundational habits and disciplines that will serve him for the rest of his natural life.

In our most recent discussion, he asked how grace works. Now, if anyone can fully explain the mystery of grace in a way that truly does justice to the miracle that takes place, then I would like to hear it. Because I can be assured it will be a better explanation that the ones I came up with.

At any rate, while we were talking a word picture did come to mind that stuck with me. We can all get our minds around the concepts of justice, debts, and in this economy, creditors. These principles come together to give us a sort of picture of what happens to our sin through the Grace of the cross.

In Romans 6:23, Paul says that the wages of sin is death.

Well, what is a wage?
Dictionary.com defines it this way. (Italics mine.)
noun
1. Often, wages. money that is paid or received for work or services, as by the hour, day, or week.
2. Usually, wages. Economics. the share of the products of industry received by labor for its work (as distinct from the share going to capital).
3. Usually, wages. (used with a singular or plural verb) recompense or return:
4. Obsolete. a pledge or security.

Implied is the concept of simply fair or just pay for work or services done. (Great, nothing new there.) So, fair compensation for our sin, in the word's of Paul is death. That's easy enough. God promises to deal fairly with us regarding our sin.

....Hold on a second. Is that what we really want? Clearly the answer is no. And this is where the miracle of grace comes in.

When Jesus went to the cross, he did so with the foreknowledge that he would bear the sum of all humanity's sin (Hebrews 2:5-9.) ALL OF IT (Romans 5:18!) So great was this burden that as he breathed his last few breathes, God in his infinite righteousness and justice turned away from his Son; indeed from himself. At that pivotal moment Jesus cried out "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?) (Mathew 27:46)

Christ paid it all. In his infinite wisdom, creativity and majesty the God whom we owed an eternal debt to for our rebellion provided the compensation through the blood of his Son. (When was the last time your credit card company sent one of its employees to pay your bill on your behalf?) If you can get your head fully around that concept, and what took place in this great exchange you are a far greater theologian than I.

So what. Where am I going with all this? Simply, here; it amazes me how often we try to hold on to the debt that Christ has already paid. Confession is quite simply verbally releasing the sin in our life as if we were literally passing the bill out of our hand into the hand of Jesus. We hold onto things we have done or are doing as if it had some unseen hook in our very flesh. All the while Jesus is asking us to let him have it; he's already paid it; we are square with the house once again.

And how do we do this? Simply by placing our faith in him we are released from this debt. Of course, since we have been purchased with a price, we now belong to him and must obey him. But compared to the thought of paying my own debt, I will gladly yoke myself to Jesus and willingly become his indentured servant.

What in your life is holding you back? What do you still have your hand on in your past that haunts you? What awful price do you dread may return to destroy you? What are you still trying to pay yourself?

Brothers and sisters: Rejoice for this is the day the Lord has made! Take a moment to wonder on God's economics. Let Jesus pick up the tab today.