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One Minute Lessons (Lesson 36)

He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 
Colossians 2:13-14
LESSON

Everyone has a dirty record of their life! A record of your high treason against God! On that record is written all the sins of your past. Some of the sins are common and run into millions of actions and thoughts. Other sins few and yet fill us with shame and heartache at the mere thought of them. Other sins are things we never did that we should have done!

The record also has contains sins of the present. We have turned our lives to Jesus and yet everyday our actions and thoughts bring shame to the name “Christian”. Apostle Paul reminds us that “whatever does not proceed from faith [in Jesus] it is a sin”. Who can really say that faith in Jesus informs everything they do?

The record sheet also contains sins of the future. Someone has said that there are only two things guaranteed in life : death and taxes. We can definitely add a third thing: our sin! We will all sin tomorrow in one way or another. That is the shameful fact of our lives. We are born rebels against God.

The amazing good news of Jesus is that Jesus has taken your record sheet - with all its offence against Almighty God - and added it to His name. Your sin is now his property. All the debts you owe are charged to His account. God has laid all our sin on Jesus and nailed Jesus to the cross as punishment. The result is that God has now forgiven you of ALL your sins. So there is now no condemnation for you who is in Jesus Christ! As the hymn writer says:

Tis finished! all the debt is paid;
Justice divine is satisfied;
The grand and full atonement made;
God for a guilty world hath died!

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