Fully Forgiven - The Crosswalk Devotional - August 2

Fully Forgiven
By Alexis A. Goring

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” – Romans 6:23 (KJV)

Across America, in the spring, students attend graduation ceremonies. Teachers and professors distribute desired degrees that the students worked hard to receive. There’s a special level of anticipation from college graduation because that’s when you embark on the adventure of adulthood and move closer to your career dreams. Everything you studied, all the lessons you learned, all of your God-given talents, and all of the skills you gained are now ripe and ready to be applied.

But life after school doesn’t always turn out the way you expect, and many college graduates share one thing in common: student loans. Not everyone is able to pay for college out of pocket, even if they work their way through school.

Therefore, many people borrow money to fund their education. These loans are often thousands of dollars, and, for some students, those loans can amount to $100,000 and higher. It might be overwhelming to you to feel that, even after working hard in the workforce, you’ll never be able to pay off your debt. Expenses like rent or mortgage, food and drink, the light bill, utility bills, car payments and insurance, and other daily costs add up as you survive and thrive as a responsible adult. Life can also throw curveballs, incurring unexpected expenses that you’re unprepared to meet. This might feel defeating as if no matter how hard you work or how much money you save, life drains most of it from your bank account.

As a college graduate, I, too, have student loans. I also feel the overwhelm of not making enough money to pay off my debt in a reasonable amount of time. I’m actively hoping, praying, and working to land a lucrative job that will help pay back what I borrowed. Financial freedom is a goal that many people have, and few things feel better than being debt-free in a society where you always need money.

Years ago, I read a feature story about a couple who owed more money than they could pay back. A spiritual parallel to that couple’s situation came to mind as I realized that we are all drowning in the debt of our sins, a debt we cannot pay. But we have hope because Jesus Christ covered it all when He died on the cross to pay the wages of our sins! Only He could have done this for us. Jesus was the spotless Lamb of God, meaning He never sinned. When Christ, the Son of God, offered His pure and sinless life as the ultimate sacrifice, it ended the former need to burn offerings of animals to God for forgiveness. Because of Jesus, we can be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:17-19).

Now when we sin, we can go straight to Jesus in prayer and ask Him to forgive us. We don’t need to go to anyone else to confess our sins because Jesus is our bridge to Heaven. Jesus always intercedes for us before God. When we pray to God in Jesus’ name, He doesn’t see our filthy, sinful nature. Instead, God sees us as made righteous, pure, precious, and redeemed by Jesus. He welcomes us with open arms.

So, in essence, when you accept Jesus Christ into your heart and live for Him, you become debt-free! You don’t have to worry about eternal death, and you don’t have to pay the wages of sin because it is forgiven. You confess your sins to God, turn away from wrong-doing, pray in Jesus’s name, and have the hope of Heaven. This is the promise of eternal life in the presence of God.

Jesus paid it all! We have been set free, and that is a beautiful thing. In closing, I’d like to share this song: “Jesus Paid It All” by Kim Walker-Smith | Worship Circle Hymns. Listen to the song here.

Intersecting Faith and Life:
How does it feel to know that you can be debt-free? What are you looking forward to the most about being reconciled with God?

Further Reading:

Read “It Is Finished: The Day that Changed Everything” by Debbie McDaniel

Alexis A. Goring is an author, blogger, editor, photographer, trained journalist, and total foodie. She specializes in Contemporary Christian Romance (fiction) and devotionals (nonfiction). Her first devotional book, Stories and Songs of Faith: My Journey with God, was published in April 2020. Alexis hopes that her life’s work will lead people to Jesus Christ and teach them about the God who loves humankind with all of His heart. When she’s not sharing words that inspire and encourage the heart, you can find her in the kitchen cooking up something tasty, or in a café or restaurant, either dining solo or sharing a meal with loved ones. Connect with Alexis online via her website (https://alexisagoring.jimdofree.com), Twitter (@pennedbyalex) and Instagram (@capturing_the_idea).