June 4

Free Forgiveness

When they were unable to repay him, he forgave both of them. Which one, then, will love him more? — Luke 7:42 BSB

We are all in debt. Of course, some owe more than others. Some have sinned far more greatly, but whether our debt is large or small, we have nothing with which to pay it. We couldn’t pay the fifty pence any more than we could the five hundred. Yet God forgives both. It is as easy for Him to forgive the greatest sin as it is the smallest. He forgives them all. That’s the only way we can ever be free from our sins.

There’s a story of a king who owed a large sum to one of his nobles but couldn’t pay it. The nobleman hosted a great feast in honor of the king. A fire burned on the hearth, and during the feast, the nobleman brought out all the king’s notes and tossed them into the fire, wiping out all record of the king’s debt. That’s what God does with our sins. He casts them into the fragrant flames of Christ’s sacrifice, and they are gone forever.

Another story tells of a boy who, though not very bright, had a beautiful idea of forgiveness. He said that Jesus came and, with His red hand, wiped away all his sins. A man once carried a small book he called his biography. It had three leaves, though no words were written on them. The first leaf was black, symbolizing his sin. He would shudder when he looked at it. The second was red, representing the blood of Christ, and his face would glow when he saw it. The third was white, symbolizing his soul washed clean in Christ’s blood. This simple book told the whole story of redemption. Between the blackness of our sin and the whiteness of our redemption must always come the red of Christ’s blood.