My Favourite word in the English Language. (Part 3)

In the 1990’s an entrepreneur decided he would cash in on the boom of adventure travel. Many travelers preferred to stay off the beaten path. His idea was to tour the 7 wonders of the ancient world. He knew, for instance, there was a move underway to restore Nebuchadnezzars’ hanging gardens of Babylon.

After a lot of work, he lines up charter planes, buses, accommodation, and guides. He promises to let tourists work alongside archeologists, which would be just the thing for adventure tourists. He orders expensive TV commercials. It’s looking good!

To finance his dream, he takes out a million-dollar loan from a venture capitalist. In his plan he has calculated that after the fourth trip he will have covered operating expenses and start repaying the loan. However, one thing he did not calculate was that two weeks before his inaugural trip, Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait and all travel to Iraq is banned.

He agonizes for three weeks about how to break the news to the venture capitalist. He visits the bank and gets nowhere. He investigates a home equity loan, but that would only net him $200,000, a fifth of what he needs. He finally draws up a plan of paying $5,000 a month for the rest of his life. As he draws up a contract the folly of it all sinks in. $5,000 a month would not even cover the interest on the loan, and where would he even get $5,000 a month?

He visits the backer and fumbles through an apology and pulls out the paperwork of his ridiculous repayment plan. He breaks out in a sweat in the air-conditioned office. The venture capitalist holds up his hand and says, “Wait, what nonsense are you talking about? Repayment?” He laughs, “Don’t be silly, I am a speculator. You win some and you lose some. I knew your plan had risks, but it was a good idea. It is not your fault that war broke out. Just forget it! He takes out the contract, rips it in two and feeds it into the paper shredder.

That’s grace, your debt has been paid by someone else. Paul says our debt has been nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14). When Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished” He was talking about your salvation. It is finished and complete. The original Greek word means “paid in full.” Imagine the burden lifted from that entrepreneur as he walked from the office of the venture capitalist. Now think and rejoice over your debt that is no longer owing because Jesus paid the price for you. Romans 6: 23 “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” He suffered the death which was ours so that we might receive the life that was His. He was condemned for our sins in which He had no share, that we might be justified by His righteousness in which we have no share. That’s the exchange made at the cross.

If you have made that exchange then you are justified by faith. Justified means; Just if I’d never sinned. Grace offers you the gift of eternal life without any tread mill performance or spiritual cosmetics on your part. There’s more good news…TBC