THE COST OF FORGIVENESS

PASTOR RYAN LADEN – DEVOTIONALS

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In this devotion we look at how our sins have been forgiven by Christ. If you are unaware of the cost of your freedom then this message is for you.

What if you owed God $100 for every act of rebellion and every violation of the command and example of the Christ?

You might say that $100 sounds reasonable. A fair fine for your sin. But as you understand more and more about the depth and breadth of your sin, you will quickly find that this payment plan is impossible and that you are in big trouble. 

It is at this point that Jesus Christ steps into our need. Though Jesus our debt is forgiven. But how does Jesus provide us with forgiveness?

Does Jesus Christ simply wave his hand over your mountain of debt to the Lord and declare it forgiven? Does Jesus simply call you free from sin and proclaim that your debt no longer exists?

The truth of your forgiveness in Christ is far more powerful than having the Lord simply declare you to be free from sin. Jesus Christ, God the Son, personally takes on your debt, he pays the price that you owe as a result of your rebellion and your refusal to follow the commands and examples of Christ.

Your forgiveness has been provided for you through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus satisfied your debt by paying the price that you owed. He purchased your life with his own. 

It is this truth that we hear next in our study of Romans chapter five. Listen to the way that the Apostle Paul explains the amazing grace of Jesus Christ in the following passage.

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 

11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

(Romans 5:6-11 NIV11)

What happened to your sin?

When Jesus Christ died for you, what did he do that provided you forgiveness of sin?

This is an important question that many of us simply cannot answer with any real specificity. We say that we are forgiven, that we are saved, that we have been made new, but do we really grasp how the gift of the cross works to set us free from the eternal consequence of our sin?

Follow Me

If you are willing, follow me on this topic for a minute. Did your sin simply vanish when Jesus took your place on the cross? If so, then what was Jesus doing on the cross? 

The truth is, God’s word is eternal and eternally true. In the message of God’s word, there is a need for justice. Justice between men and justice between God and his creation are essential parts of the message of God’s word. 

To simply declare that your sin no longer exists, that it is made non-existent, is to deny justice. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, he satisfied the demand for justice. He paid the penalty that your sin required according to God’s perfect word. Jesus’ death satisfied the call for justice. 

Why?

An intellectually honest person who hears the truth about how Jesus Christ paid the debt that was owing because of their own sin, will ask the question of, “Why?”. Why would anyone, much less the perfect Son of God, willingly give their all to satisfy the debt of your sin? Why would the perfect and righteous Immanuel, God in flesh appearing, die in your place so that you could be eternally free from sin?

Love

The answer is right in front of us. Listen again to the message of Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Your sin demanded justice. To satisfy that demand, Jesus gave his own life in place of yours. You deserved the penalty of death and separation from God for all of eternity. Jesus Christ, laid down his perfect, sinless life in place of yours. He was free to act because of his perfection and he chose to act on your behalf. 

As you go throughout your day, join with the Apostle Paul as he called all who understood the nature of this gift as he called us to, “boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. 

•   Give God praise for his love. 
•   Stand in awe at the way he has provided freedom for you. 
•   Shed a tear as you recount the goodness of God that welcomes you into his eternal presence. 

In Christ, 

Ryan Laden

PASTOR RYAN LADEN

Former Senior pastor at Warnbro Community Church

Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at Baylor University

Studied at Texas Tech University

Went to Castle Hills First Baptist

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