Our real problem in this life is with our sin and rebellion against the Lord. And even when we’ve been forgiven after repenting, believing on Christ’s sacrifice to pay our sin debt and then living to please God, we cannot start to accrue any “pay” from God, as if to put Him in debt to us, for our “good works.” As Paul wrote, then we’d be earning our salvation and it would be due to us from God like a pay check. Like with the crimes of worldly criminals, our sins are crimes against God that are like scattering seeds for the devil. We can never recapture them and undue what evil our sins have done in this world. We can never “pay our debt” to Him and undue the wrong things we’ve done. We can only repent and live to please Him by following Him to the best of our ability.
The Lord also pointed me, too, to the Parable of the Prodigal Son. At best, like the prodigal son, we decide to turn to God because we see it’s in our self-interest. He reveals that to us. Many people who deny God don’t see that. But because being reconciled to God is actually quite selfish and self-serving on our part, we should be ready to be merciful to others and realistically deal with their selfishness, as it is ours too.
Then the Lord also brought to my mind the Parable of the Unjust Steward. As Jesus often preached on money and mammon, and connected them to our sin and need for forgiveness, we can also take from this parable that we can forgive a certain amount of what is owed to God, the Master, and ourselves in a human sense. Think of the Lord dispensing mercy, and also how a human court can dispense mercy. Part of forgiveness can mean not going after what is fully due one, as God doesn’t.
Also, “love covers a multitude of sins.” And “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13. We are able to, with the Lord sustaining us, work through these most difficult human situations, doing His will and serving Him, and trying to help others to be reconciled to Him.
Excellent insights.
I especially liked the one about the fact that we can’t pay our sin debt back to God because we really don’t know the full scope and ramifications of the damage our sin has done to to others and for how long.
I never really considered that before. I may have heard it but it never really hit home like it has tonight.
Thanks for sharing that. I’m keeping your posts.