The Price Has Been Paid

Everything that Jesus provided in His work for us—salvation- is guaranteed to you by grace through faith.

Romans 4:16 “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all”

This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace, to guarantee it to all the descendants—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of Abraham’s faith. He is the father of us all *HCSB).

You don’t have to earn it or beg for it, you just need to believe. As Paul points out, Father did it that way, so that he could guarantee it. If receiving anything that Jesus provided for you depended on your works, it wouldn’t be by grace, and God couldn’t guarantee it; because you’d mess it up somehow.

1 John 5:14–15 “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

It’s easy to understand that forgiveness falls into this category. If you ask for it, the answer is always yes, because Jesus paid for your forgiveness, and it is therefore always the Father’s will. You never need to doubt that God has forgiven you in Christ Jesus, and therefore always forgives you when you ask. What if your health and healing fell into the same simple category? It does!

What’s Easier to Say?

Matthew 9:2–7 (HCSB) “2 Just then some men[a] brought to Him a paralytic lying on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven.”

3 At this, some of the scribes said among themselves, “He’s blaspheming!”

4 But perceiving their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?[b] 5 For which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He told the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.” 7 And he got up and went home.

Notice that Jesus started out by telling the paralytic—who was there to be healed—that his sins were forgiven. Once Jesus knew what the scribes were thinking, He revised what He said to the paralytic, “But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — then He told the paralytics, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.” You'd think, that if Jesus wanted to prove, that He had authority to forgive sins, He would have stuck with,”...son, your sins are forgiven.”

However, Jesus did the unexpected, because His real point was in the question He asked them, “For which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Get up and walk?’” He mixed it up for them, because what He wanted them to get was: if he can be healed, then his sins have been dealth with, and if he’s been forgiven, he can be healed.