Debt Collection
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Intro
Intro
The bible calls sin by many different names, but most common is the word “debt”
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
When we sin, disobey God we end up in Spiritual debt.
Why does this matter? Beacse at the judgment seat, those who have spiritual debt will be cast into Hell.
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
So therefore the most important question we must ask is: How, now that i am in debt, how can i pay off my debt?
This is where many religions exist.
Each and every religion on this planet goes on in great detail as to how we can pay off our debt.
The Jews believe that saying certan prayers at certan timews by eating certan food will pay off the debt.
The Muslims believe that eating certan foods, pating at centan times, makeing special prigrimages will pay of their bedt.
The JW believe that by knocking on enough doors they will pay of their debt.
The hindues believe that by performing centan rituals and walking on hot coals to prove their faith will pay of their debt.
Everyone is trying to pay off their debt so that they can go to Heaven, paradice, whatver they believe awaits at the end.
And as sincere as all these efforts are, there is 1 glaring problem.
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
No amount of rule following will ever pay off the debt.
Why not?
Because sin incures a particular kind of debt that can only be paid for in its same manner.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The only payment accepted for sin, because it is so severe is death.
This is where the whole purpose of sacrifice comes into the picture.
Under the OT God ordained a series of sacrifices for His people, where he would teach them about the deadly nature of sin, by having animals die in their place.
There was however 1 big problem:
4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
There sacrifices would have to be made daily. thousands of animals daily.
In fact, the high prist, whos job it was to perform these sacrifices on behalf of the people, never stopped, never rested, never sat down, never took a break for as long as he was on duty.
Then something very intresting happened, God spoke though his prophet and made a very confusing statment:
6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; Mine ears hast thou opened: Burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
7 Then said I, Lo, I come: In the volume of the book it is written of me,
8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: Yea, thy law is within my heart.
Although God had ordained these sacrifices, they were not perfect. As we have seen they do not pay of the debt of sin.
Why? Because they are just animals, an animal cannot be obedient to the Law of God.
It was the eqwuavilent to putting a plaster on a buller wound.
We were still in spiritual debt, there had to a sacrificial payment, but the payment could only be made by one who themselves was NOT in spsitual debt.
And this is clearly impossible because:
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
This leaves humanity up a creek without a paddle.
And this is where God steps in to solve our problem.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Since we cannot provide a suffeciant sacrifice to pay off our spiritual debt God prvides it himself.
8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
This was the whole work that Jesus did on the cross. Jesus was NOT murdered or martyred. Jesus offered himself for us.
18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
What happened on Calvary was the once and for all paying off of all of humanities Spiritual debt, dependant on humanity receiving the paymnet by FAITH.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
It was an act of unbeliebing grace that becomes ours by faith.
However the sacrifice of Jesus was very diferent and far superier of any sacrifice under the OT.
Remember we read ps 40 earlier? Well now God adds to that:
5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
In what way is the sacrifice of Jesus superior to that of an anoimal?
1: The OT priests mad to offer sacrifices day after day, always standing at the alter. When Jesus offered himself, he then sat down.
A priest onlt sits down when there is no more work, no more sacrifice to be made.
When Jesus was on the cross he said:
30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
It is finished and Jesus sits down.
Thats it. The full work of redemption is done. The full and final payment for our spiritual debt has been made. There is nothing more to do, nothing more to add - If there was Jesus could not has sat down and he would have cried “to be complted” instead.
If you have rec ieved this free gift of salvation by faith - then your spiritual debt has been paid for in full.
This is the sate of justification.
1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
And remeber the justified means “Its-just-if-I’d” never sinned.
Look at a bank balance, if i say Bob and Tom, they have R1000 in their bank, they both look the same and they are. At this very moment they are the same. But if i showed you Toms account from last month, he was in huge debt, till a gracious benifactor paid it all off. Tom’s current account shoes zero recod of his past debt.
That is our account now, It is fully paid.
Well, what if we sin after our account has been paid, cant we get into debt again?
This is a highly debated issue.
However i bleive the answer is simple.
No, the christian cannot evert get into spiritual debt again, if he did Jesus would have to stand up again and hios work would not be finished.
But as christyians we do still fall into sin at times, and when we do we must repent and turn to God for forgivness.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
However, this is NOT a “re-justifying” of the christian. They are already justified, this is a restoring of conscience not of salvation.
Imagine our life as a small pool of water. Each time we sin, we take a cup of water out, with each sin our pool gets less and less.
This was us before we were in fellowship with Jesus Christ.
However, when we begame christians we were transformed and filled with the HJoly Spirit, who did somethibg powerful to us.
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
So long as we are in Jesus Christ, there is a never ending well of water within us. Take a cup of water out and the well just refills the pool. So long as the well exists the pool water level will never drop because it is perpetually being filled.
This is our justification in Jesus. Yes our past sins are compltlky forven, and yes our present sin are forgievn, buit amazing, our future sins are forgiven as weel, for when they do occur, the well of God’s grace will be there to maintain our justification.
Does this mean “once saved always saved”?
No! Because the well of God;s grace only exists so long as that person is “In Jesus”.
If that person were to turn their back of God, and enetr a state of apostacy, they would seperate themsves from the well of grace.
conclusion
conclusion