Are you trying to earn God’s forgiveness through acts of self-righteousness? Perhaps you think that you will pay Him back for all your wrongdoings.
Jesus said, “My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30b). This meant that an invoice was paid in full. Those who surrender to Him are forgiven.
On the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The Greek word for the phrase, which was among Jesus’ last, is teleo. This was the same word written at the top of a Bill of Sale meaning, “paid in full.”
I took part in auctioning nearly 250,000 collector cars, each of which, just like us, had begun life as a clay mold. When they traded hands, each car included a Bill of Sale that was marked “paid in full.”
Christ paid a world-record price for each of us (1 Corinthians 6:20). He offers His restorative forgiveness to all, freeing us from the penalty of self-restoration, the power of self-restoration, and on the other side from the presence of self-restoration (namely sin). He appropriates that forgiveness only to those who humble themselves to Him and come to Him with clay hearts, the authentic design of the Designer, the heart of the Restorer who restores us to authenticity from the inside out.
Offer this prayer to the Restorer: “Thank you for paying a world record price for me. I have sinned against you. I can’t pay the penalty of my sin. You can. I can’t free myself from the power of sin. You can. I fully surrender my life to you.” He will demonstrate your ultimate value as you reflect His design to restore others.
Episode 57: The Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor from mitchkrusetv on Vimeo.