Articles
Our Cancelled Debts
Our Cancelled Debts
If you ever listen to the Dave Ramsey Show, you know what the debt free scream is. People who get out of debt call Dave and tell him their story. At the end of their call, Dave does a countdown — “three…two…one…” — then they shout, “I’m debt free!” In the background plays the audio from the dramatic Braveheart scene where William Wallace yells “Freedom!” I feel inspired every time.
One reason debt free screams are so inspiring is they represent deliverance from a terrible bondage — financial bondage. Those individuals spent months, even years, scratching and clawing their way out of debt by following Dave’s plan. Now they’re free!
And so are those who belong to Christ Jesus. This article isn’t about financial freedom, though that would be a worthy topic. It’s about spiritual freedom. Jesus came to deliver us from our sins and to provide salvation through His blood.
Spiritual freedom can be defined as freedom from the debt of sin. Sin is sometimes called debt in the Bible. Jesus taught to pray, “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matt. 6:12).
In Matthew 18, Jesus told the parable of a king who forgave the debt of a slave that owed him an astronomical amount of money, an amount that would come out to be in the billions. Imagine being that slave. Imagine how horrible it would feel to have the burden of an enormous debt that you could never dream to repay. Imagine how amazing it would feel to be forgiven of that debt.
That slave is us! We were all under the burden of the debt of sin, and we could never remove it on our own. Through Christ’s death the enormity of that debt can be completely forgiven. Cancelled. Erased from the debt ledger. God said through Isaiah, “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins” (Isa. 43:25).
If you’ve been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, you should rejoice. If Dave Ramsey followers can celebrate freedom from financial bondage, surely you and I can celebrate freedom from slavery to sin! Don’t take the blessing of salvation for granted. Revel in it. Enjoy it. Rejoice in it, as the Psalmist wrote, “And let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:3-4).
