Forgiveness and Love

 Genesis 18-19; Psalms 3; Luke 7 

“’Two men owed money to a certain money-lender. One owed him five hundred denarii and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?’ Simon replied, ‘I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.’”

Luke 7:41-43

We all understand that debt must be repaid, but we do not understand why debt is forgiven. No money lender in the world functions like this. 

When our debt of sin to God is beyond repayment, how much more does his forgiveness seem incredible? 

The penalty for sin is death. No one can redeem the life of another because all deserve death. Only a sinless sacrifice can redeem our debt of sin. This is the great news of the gospel: “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Our love-response to God and others is determined by how deeply we understand our own forgiveness. Living a life of loving mission with Jesus is our reasonable response to understanding our own forgiveness.

How is this story of debt, repayment, forgiveness, and love, playing out in our lives?

“Lord Jesus, all I have is yours. Thank you for your incredible mercy, forgiveness, and love toward me, for your glory.”