For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
“When the Lord pardons a sinner, He doth not pay a debt but bestows a gift.”
Thomas Watson in Puritan Gems; or, Wise and Holy Saying of the Rev. Thomas Watson, Anglican Minister. edited and arranged by the Rev. John Adey (London: Snow and Ward, 1850) 106.
I’ve had many great conversations about stewardship, accountability, trust, and generosity with church and ministry workers in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Jhelum, and now Lahore. We go to Karachi from here.
This nuance actually came up in a conversation I had. If we saw God’s atoning work for us on the cross as just paying a debt, we might think that either we owed Him or we could pay it back. And it would not stir love in our hearts in return.
When, instead we acknowledge that we have received a priceless gift, it stirs within us deep love. But how does this relate to our own generosity. Let us give, not because we feel like we owe anything but because he did not spare anything for us.
Ponder that today. God did not spare anything but gave up His one and only Son for you and me because of His great love for us. Few things stir greater generosity and love than to ponder our pardon and the priceless gift of forgiveness.