Put it on my Tab

Colossians 2:13-14

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One summer during high school, a friend and I spent nearly our entire summer riding bikes around town, having fun, doing all sorts of things that kids do, mainly stayed out of trouble. But we got ourselves into a little bit of trouble when one day we were really hungry. It was about lunchtime and so we went to a local bar and grill that my friend would go to quite often with his dad. We’d go in and we didn’t have any money. My friend said, it’s okay. “My dad has a running tab here at this restaurant. We can just order what we want and it’ll go on the tab.”

And so we did, and we started making that a more regular habit. Hey, we’re hungry. Let’s go over and eat. And before we knew it, my friend’s dad came rolling up into his driveway as we were sitting in his garage working on our bikes, and he said, you guys ran up a huge tab. I think you’re going to be going to work with me for the next two weeks in order to pay it off.

So it came back to haunt us. We had run up this great debt on someone else’s bill, and now we were indebted to him. Now, this is a slightly silly example, but this is also how it works quite often when it comes to sin. When you and I end up breaking God’s law and we make mistakes, we make terrible, selfish decisions. We’re running up a debt. A debt that we can’t repay, a terrifying debt. A debt that we deserve to suffer and die for. To die eternally for. But we have a loving father in God the Father who comes to us. And even though he knows and understands that this debt that we have worked up is one that’s beyond our capability to repay. He forgives us of that debt.

Let me share with you a verse, a really powerful verse from Colossians chapter two that speaks about how God forgives us our debt.

Colossians 2:13 and 14.

God made you alive with Christ by forgiving us all our trespasses. God erased the record of our debt brought against us by his legal demands. This record stood against us, but he took it away by nailing it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14)

Our debt was nailed to the cross and to the person that was on the cross in our place. We have a Savior, Jesus, who came and said, I’m going to pay your debt for you. And because of that, there is no longer any debt that you and I have as we stand before God. There is no anger. There is no fear as we stand before God, everything that should separate us from God: it’s been nailed to the cross. It’s been nailed to Jesus, and he has paid for it in full.

What a gift. What an awesome treasure this is that you and I have in our Savior Jesus. He has removed our debts from us. He had it nailed with him to the cross. Our sin is now forgiven, wiped out. So we now stand before God. And God smiles at us. And he says, my beloved children, yes, your debt has been paid. You have nothing to worry about. Do not be fearful. Do not run away from me. Instead, know that I am your loving father and I am here for you. What a gift that is. Glory be to Jesus for covering our debt of sin.

Peace be with you.