Irenaeus of Lyons: The remission of our debt

Home » Meditations » Meditations » Irenaeus of Lyons: The remission of our debt

And the master of that slave felt compassion, and he released him and forgave him the debt. Matthew 18:27

“Therefore, by remitting sins, [Jesus] did indeed heal man, while He also manifested Himself who He was. For if no one can forgive sins but God alone, while the Lord remitted them and healed men, it is plain that He was Himself the Word of God made the Son of man, receiving from the Father the power of remission of sins; since He was man, and since He was God, in order that since as man He suffered for us, so as God He might have compassion on us, and forgive us our debts, in which we were made debtors to God our Creator. And therefore David said beforehand, “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord has not imputed sin; “pointing out thus that remission of sins which follows upon His advent, by which “He has destroyed the handwriting” of our debt, and “fastened it to the cross; ” so that as by means of a tree we were made debtors to God, [so also] by means of a tree we may obtain the remission of our debt.”

Irenaeus of Lyons in Against Heresies 5.17.3 (c. 175-185).

Let us give thanks today that Jesus had compassion on us and released us from a debt we could never repay. The debt we accumulated as a result of our sins. Or as Irenaeus the bishop of Lyons so eloquently put it:

“He has destroyed the handwriting” of our debt, and “fastened it to the cross; ” so that as by means of a tree we were made debtors to God, [so also] by means of a tree we may obtain the remission of our debt.”

I pray this produces three things in us—gratitude, compassion, and generosity—which can point people to our Lord Jesus Christ, the only one who can secure the remission of their debt.

Firstly, let us each morning and every hour express gratitude to God in our hearts and with our lips for the forgiveness of sins and the salvation we have through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Secondly, may God stir in us a similar compassion in us for those who remained enslaved to sin. Even as we have been healed by the blood of Jesus, they need the healing only found in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thirdly, even as Jesus held nothing back but suffered and sacrificed his life for us, I pray that we will hold nothing back. Let us live, give, serve, and love others generously to make known the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Today, I have the monthly GTP staff meeting with 10 workers from 10 countries (myself included). Pray for us. When GTP flourishes, the churches and ministries we serve become more effective and more people come to know our Lord Jesus Christ.

We will discuss program work serving church and ministry workers in the next month onsite in Ethiopia, Kenya, Guatemala, and Honduras, and online cohorts reaching Thailand, Philippines, Nigeria, China, and receptive stewards worldwide.

If God has put one or more of these countries or people groups on your heart, please consider a one-time gift today or set up monthly giving here in support of this important onsite and online program work.