Paid In Full!

I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins. Jeremiah 31:34

We have arrived at the day after Easter. The Easter lillies have adorned our homes and churches, the songs of Resurrection have been sung, and we have felt the joy when we utter the words, “Christ is Risen. He is risen indeed.” The question is, “How long will we remember all the feelings of forgiveness and love that Christ has shown us by his suffering and death on the cross?”

One of the best feelings a person can ever have is the day when we “pay off” that college tuition, that car, or the day the home mortgage is stamped, paid in full! We are relieved to know that we owe nothing else, and we are already thinking of ways to spend the excess money that we will enjoy every month!

How many times after we receive that document announcing that our debt is paid in full do we spend thinking about that bill that has been fulfilled? Most people celebrate the moment, and then forget it! It’s no longer on our list of worries or things to do. If we can forget these things, why do we beat ourselves up when we can’t forgive ourselves for some sin we might have committed?

One of most wonderful statements in the Bible is “God forgives.” When we admit our sin and ask God to forgive us, He cancels our past. He chooses to forget our wrong doings, our sins, and our failures. Even if we died tonight, stood before God in heaven, and asked Him about a sin we committed yesterday, He would say,”What sin?” It was paid in full on the cross.

It’s hard for most of us to conceive of the price that Jesus paid for us on the cross. On a much smaller scale, it’s like eating in a restaurant and when we get ready to pay the bill, the waiter says, “A friend of yours has taken care of your dinner for you. You owe nothing.” What if we tried to pay the bill anyway? In the first place, we couldn’t because it had already been paid. In the second place, it would be insulting to the friend who had already paid meaning that we wouldn’t accept the hospitality.

The same thing is true us. Either we accept the fact that Jesus paid it all in is entirety or we keep trying to pay it ourselves. First, we should remember that when Jesus died on the cross, the debt was paid, the work was accomplished, and the sacrifice was complete. The sacrifice of Jesus was sufficient to cover the sins of every person, past, present, and future.

Next, if Jesus paid for our sins and paid in full, that means we don’t have to. God offers His salvation for each of us without price.

Finally, since Jesus paid the price in full, the only thing we have to do is accept it. “Jesus died. God is satisfied.”

In his book, Written in Blood, Robert Coleman tells the story of a young boy whose sister needed a blood transfusion. The doctor explained to the boy that she had the same disease from which he had recovered two years earlier. Her only chance was a transfusion from someone who had had the disease and who had the same blood type. The boy was the ideal donor.

“Will you give your blood to your sister,” the doctor asked? Johnny hesitated as his lower lip began to tremble, but he smiled and said, “Sure, I’ll do that for my sister.” Soon the children were wheeled into the hospital room. Mary was weak and pale. Johnny was robust and healthy. Neither spoke, but when their eyes met, Johnny smiled.

When the nurse inserted the tube in Johnny’s arm, his smile faded. He silently watched the blood flow through the tube. When the ordeal was almost over, Johnny said, “Doctor, when do I die?” Only then did the doctor realize that Johnny thought giving his blood to his sister meant giving up his own life. Johnny had made the decision to give up his own life for that of his sister. Fortunately, his death was not required to save his sister.

Jesus was required not only to give His blood, but His life. He paid everything in full!

The chorus of the hymn, Jesus Paid It All. by Elvina Hall sums it up beautifully. The chorus says, Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.