Our Debt To Christ

What of ourselves? We are indebted to Christ and our debt is very great, something we can never repay. That debt was incurred through the giving of the very life of Jesus, who laid it down for his friends that the way could be opened that they might be forgiven (John 10:11; 15:14). He has effected our reconciliation with God, since once we were reprobate sinners and astray from Him by the gulf created by our sins. Now that we have put on Christ in baptism, we are made right with our Creator. Yet by the same token, our forgiveness should not be one-sided. In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus taught that our debts would be forgiven as we forgive our debtors (Matt 6:12).

In reply to Peter’s question concerning how many time he should forgive his brother, Jesus said, “I say not unto thee until seven times, but until seventy times seven” (Matt 18:21). In other words, there is no limit to the number of times we should forgive those who wrong us. Not only that, but we should attempt to demonstrate the same compassion and mercy to one another as our Lord and Master has showed to us, and never to bear grudges or have evil thoughts towards any.

The forgiveness we have in Christ, that great gift from the Father, did not come lightly nor did it come freely. Paul writes that we have been bought with a price; is it not the price of Christ’s shed blood? “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God’s” (1 Cor 6:20). We are redeemed by his blood (Rev 5:9); by this means, while we live today, we have redemption of our sins by the grace of God. “In whom (through Jesus) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace” (Eph 1:7). Thus our hope is that in the future we will ultimately be released from sin and death (Heb 9:15; Rom 8:23).

Bro Friday Enyiogu (Ikwueke Oboro, Nigeria)