Have you ever had your debt purchased? That sounds like such a bizarre concept, but it happens all of the time.
Such a thing has happened to me many times already. I used to be a part of a credit union that was purchased by another bank. I received a letter in the mail that basically explained that I now owed money to a different institution. The same thing happened with my college student loans. If I recall correctly, that debt was purchased by a few different banks before I finally paid off the debt.
This concept of purchasing another’s debt is also a biblical concept, but in more ways than one, and none financial.
We often sing about Jesus paying our debts, meaning, every sinner owes a debt for their sin, but has no means to pay that debt, therefore, God sent Jesus to pay the debt that we could never pay. That’s the gospel, or the good news.
But there’s another teaching regarding God’s forgiveness of our debt. This lesser talked about teaching is in regards to God’s expectations of us because He has forgiven our debt.
Jesus taught in Matthew 18:33 – 33 Should you not also have had mercy…in the same way that I had mercy on you?’
The teaching is about how God expects his children to forgive. Because we have been forgiven an impossible debt, God expects us, with the same graciousness as He has shown to us, to also be forgiving to others.
He doesn’t say it will be easy. We know that deep hurts are hard for us to forgive. But regardless of the difficulty, He nonetheless calls us to be forgiving.
The most encouraging thing for me to remember when I struggle with forgiveness, is remembering how difficult it was for Jesus to do what was necessary so that I could be forgiven. It doesn’t make it easy for me to forgive, but it does make it easier.
And what I’ve found to be true is that when I’m willing to make an effort to walk in God’s ways, He helps me accomplish what I formerly thought was impossible.
What a glorious thought – He purchased our debt! What does He ask in return? For us to forgive others as He has forgiven us. He doesn’t ask us to do what He was not willing to do.
Who do you need to forgive?
Much love!
Wes LeFlore (918) 607-8489 or huskerwes1@gmail.com
