Jesus, at the cost of His life, paid the debt for our sins – Tim Keller
A while ago, Cameron and I had the unique opportunity to eat at one of the most exclusive and expensive Asian restaurants in Amsterdam. The bill came up to Rs. 20,000 😲
Now, we would never spend that much money on a single meal ourselves. And if someone had invited us out, we definitely would have suggested a much cheaper place. A dinner that extravagant would have felt uncomfortable to accept!
So why did we go? Because we had received gift vouchers worth Rs. 20,000—already paid for, and only valid at that specific restaurant. They couldn’t be returned or exchanged for cash. The price had already been paid, and though we didn’t know by whom, we weren’t going to let such a great gift go to waste!
And let me tell you—that super expensive yet free meal tasted sooooo good! 🤤
Yesterday, we discussed how the return of the younger brother, in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), came at the expense of the older brother.
His share of the inheritance would shrink significantly by reinstating his rebellious younger brother as a full son again. In other words, the elder brother had to absorb the cost of his sibling’s forgiveness.
In the same way, we know that Jesus paid the price for our sins:
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” – Galatians 3:13
The difference is that Jesus has already paid in full! His forgiveness is like an extremely precious, very expensive, super exclusive gift voucher with your name on it!
There is no way you could ever earn it, and it doesn’t make sense to try, because it has already been paid.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9
You can either accept it or let it go to waste. What do you choose?
