Jesus Paid It All

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"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." (1 Peter 1:18-19)

When I think that Jesus wrote a big check to purchase my unworthy self from the penalty of my own sin, I shudder. Don't you? I got into trouble. It was bad enough that my race was fallen from the first man, Adam. But to be guilty of my OWN sin, too? Double shame. Bad enough that I broke the laws of God even before I knew what those laws said. Even worse, I broke those same laws with full knowledge of their content! Double shame.

But Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe.

Just recently I have been reminded of the price of sin through transgressions of my own -- not necessarily transgression against God but against my local government. Yep, I got cited for traffic violations. Not speeding or making an illegal turn, but my expired car registration and inspection stickers stood as badges of my guilt. For three months I had tried to avoid the keepers of the law -- those black and white fiberglass horses with eyes flashing blue and red. Like any transgressor, when I saw one of them I held my breath and tried to act nonchalant. I was a sinner and I knew that I was a sinner. And I knew that I deserved to be punished for my sin. But my time ran out. I was caught. And two traffic citations later, I was forced to face the penalty of my sin.

So John paid it all. All to Flower Mound I owe.

The problem with my other sin-- the spiritual kind -- is that I could not pay the penalty that God demanded. There was no checkbook deep enough but His to cover the cost. There was no "silver or gold," as Saint Peter put it, to bail me out of my emptiness and spiritual bankruptcy. I needed another monetary source, one that I did not possess. I could not renew my spiritual registration with a check or inspect my soul with a turn of the key. Nope. God's price wasn't a couple hundred dollars. It was a couple of trillion dollars, a sum that must be paid all at once and not through an installment plan.

So here stepped Jesus with His royal, holy checkbook -- two blood-stained hands and a heart of mercy. He offered his hands and heart to the Judge and the Judge accepted. I was set free. No more citation. All square with the house. Set free to live a life of gratitude to Him who looked with mercy upon a wretch like me.

Jesus paid it all.
All to Him I owe.
Sin had left a crimson stain.
He washed it white as snow.

Be God's!

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