Our Indebtedness

“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.”
Colossians 2:13-14 (NIVUK)

As the UK gears up to a May general election one of the issues politicians and commentators are discussing is how to solve the problem of various forms of debt. Political parties are debating the level at which university tuition fees should be capped to keep student debt to manageable levels. On a wider front a former chancellor has raised concerns about what he considers to be Britain’s unsustainable total debt pile, which now stands at £1.46 trillion, stating that policy makers need to tackle this issue otherwise it will act as a fiscal drag on future UK growth. On a still broader front Jeremy Warner, assistant editor of The Daily Telegraph, claims that the world is sinking in a sea of debt(1). Quoting from a recent analysis from McKinsey Global Institute, he makes the point that the global debt has increased to $57 trillion or 17% since 2007 with little sign of a slowdown in sight.

As the world struggles with the continuing economic debt crisis, the Easter period reminds Christians that God has resolved the world’s spiritual debt crisis through Jesus Christ.

In the above verses quoted from the apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he initially reveals that apart from Christ we were spiritually dead and cut off from God but in Christ, (through his death, resurrection and ascension), the sins that separated us have been forgiven. Paul continues by using a financial analogy to explain what forgiveness means—our spiritual indebtedness (our sins) were cancelled, blotted out, “all sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean” (MSG) by Christ. They were transferred to him on the cross; Jesus has paid for all our sins, past, present and future, there is no longer any spiritual debt to pay.

As a consequence of the grace shown to us we should also “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Prayer
Holy Father, we thank you for the salvation available to all peoples in Jesus Christ, through his incarnation, birth, life, death and resurrection.
Amen

Study by Eddie Marsh

• The Daily Telegraph Wednesday 4th March

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About the Author:
Eddie Marsh attends Grace Communion International in Sheffield.

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Grace Communion, Sheffield
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