Jesus Paid It All - Fernando Ortega

scripture and prayer reflection

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Lyrics

I hear the Savior say

Thy strength indeed is small

Child of weakness, watch and pray

Find in Me thine all in all

Jesus paid it all

All to Him I owe

Sin had left a crimson stain

He washed it white as snow

Lord, now indeed I find

Thy power and Thine alone

Can change the leper's spots

And melt the heart of stone

Jesus paid it all

All to Him I owe

Sin had left a crimson stain

He washed it white as snow

For nothing good have I

Whereby Thy grace to claim

I'll wash my garments white

In the blood of Calvary's Lamb

Jesus paid it all

All to Him I owe

Sin had left a crimson stain

He washed it white as snow

And when before the throne

I stand in Him complete

Jesus died my soul to save

My lips shall still repeat

Jesus paid it all

All to Him I owe

Sin had left a crimson stain

He washed it white as snow

Isaiah 1:18

18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:

though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red like crimson,

they shall become like wool.

Romans 3:23-27a

23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded.

Reflection

Debt is something that we are often quite familiar with. Mortgages, car payments, student loans — our society is used to people going into debt in order to accomplish something they deem worthwhile. At times, people find themselves in debt because of challenging life circumstances, or because of poor choices, but almost everyone will experience some sort of debt at some point in their life.

The hope for those in debt is always to be able to repay it one day, to become “debt-free”. But our debt to God is different. There is nothing in us that merits God’s love. We didn’t have anything worthwhile in us to begin with, and we don’t earn any sort of “spiritual equity” as the years go on. Though striving to live righteously, according to the way He designed us to operate, we fail every day. We continue to be in great need of His grace.

There’s never going to be a point at which we can “pay him back”, even with all of eternity in Heaven to work with. I look forward to the day when all will be restored, when I’ll become like Him (1 John 3:2), and when I no longer live with the lingering effects of sin pulling on my heart. But even when all has been restored, when I am made whole and right, even then everything I‘ll have and be is only possible because of Christ’s work on my behalf. I will never stop being in His debt.

Normally debt is not seen as a good thing. At best, it’s a necessary evil to be dealt with as quickly as possible. But our debt to Christ leads us to worship, sparking greater joy and celebration. There is nothing left for us to do — Christ has accomplished all on our behalf. We owe Him everything, but He gave freely, out of His great love for us. There is no fear of foreclosure or repossession. He has adopted us as His children, and nothing can take us from His hand. He has absorbed our debt and given us instead an inheritance.

Take some time to reflect on your own life. Where do you see your own weaknesses and sins, your own needs that Christ meets and covers? What is it that you owe Him? Spend some time confessing any sin, but follow confession with a time of worship and rejoicing in Christ’s enough-ness on your behalf. Talk with God about what comes up.