Recent news reports have made us all painfully aware of our country’s national debt crisis- in the red by several trillion dollars.  Journalist Jill Schlesinger has tried to help us wrap our heads around a trillion.  She did the math and has figured that if you were to spend one dollar a second, you would spend a million dollars in just twelve days (time flies when you’re having fun).  At the same one dollar per second rate, it would take you 32 years to spend a billion dollars.  But here’s the punch line- it would take you more than 31,000 years to spend a trillion dollars.  That’s a lot of money.  That’s really a lot of money to pay back.  It is a debt crisis indeed. 

 Yet, as bad as this debt crisis is, there is something much worse, something much more serious:  humanity’s debt crisis with God.   This spiritual debt crisis is incredibly and infinitely more serious than our nation’s financial crisis.  Incredibly, because we are talking about the human soul, a thing of priceless value.  Infinitely more serious, because the human soul will exist eternally.  As a minister of the Gospel I feel it is my duty to somehow make you aware of this spiritual debt crisis and share with you the reason for the concern. 

 A Debt of Sin

 Humanity’s spiritual debt crisis is calculated in terms of, what the Bible calls, sin.  “Sin” is a word we don’t often hear these days in daily conversation.  My Norwegian grandmother experienced the poverty and deprivation of both Europe and America in the early twentieth century.  Because of those formative experiences, at family dinners throughout my childhood, when taking the first bite of a decadent and delicious dessert she would humorously exclaim with emphasis, “Oh, this is so sinful!”  The rest of us would chuckle and grunt and continue stuffing our faces with that sinfully good stuff.  Aside from that relatively innocuous usage of the word “sin” it has largely been scuttled from our modern serious social discourse as an unpleasant and unwanted thing.    But the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, forces us to consider the seriousness of sin. 

 Just how serious is sin?  And how has sin translated into our personal debt crisis with God?  These are important questions, ones that must not be neglected and ignored. 

 Inherited Sin

 First, the Bible teaches us that when a person is born into this world he/she starts out in the hole because of the problem of inherited debt.  Going back to the topic of our nation’s financial crisis we often hear concern expressed about a generation of children who are born saddled with the debt of the previous generation(s).  There is nothing fair about inherited debt-whether financial or spiritual debt.  Sin is the sinister invention of the Devil, formerly the angel Lucifer who rebelled in pride against the sovereign supremacy of God.  Sin has corrupted the good world God created and there are unfair, evil consequences everywhere you look. 

 Back to inherited debt; how do we know about this?  What is the evidence of an inherited debt of sin?  We learn about it from the Scriptures; and the evidence of it is, death.  The fact that death looms ominously over every person immediately from birth is an indication of inherited sin and inherited guilt.  Here is the explanation:  Humanity’s first parents sinned by disobeying the command of God, and we all pay the price.

 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned––” (Romans 5:12)

 Sins Personally Committed

 Second, sin has become a spiritual debt crisis for us humans because we have personally transgressed the laws and commandments of God. 

 “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” (1John 3:4)

 Do you honor God and love Him with all your heart and mind?  Or, do you have other “gods” before Him?  Do you take His name, or the name of Jesus His Son, in vain?  What about sins of selfishness, greed, pride, cheating, envy, covetousness and lying?  Or, how about the more sophisticated maneuverings of the self to put “Me” first at the expense of others?  How about unkind words?  Immoral thoughts?  You may remember how Jesus stiffened the requirements of the Law when He said that lust in the heart constituted a form of adultery; and, that hatred in the heart constituted a form of murder (Matthew 5:21-28).  It is sad, but true that somewhere in Heaven there is a ledger with a lot of red ink tabulating every single transgression committed against the revealed will of God. 

 Sin of Nature

 Third, we become more and more aware of the vast sea of red ink in our personal debt crisis with God when we realize that sin is not only an overt transgression, but also any part of our humanity that does not reflect the holy character of God.  In other words, we are sinners because of an unholy nature.  Just as our transgressions total up a scary quantity of red ink; so the poor quality of our nature is constantly pushing us deeper and deeper in debt.

 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23)

  “All unrighteousness is sin….” (1John 5:17)

 God’s glory is His nature and character.  From the Scriptures we learn that He is holy and righteous in all His ways.  He is infinitely good.  By contrast, the human nature is inherently unrighteous.  It naturally knows how to be selfish, how to lie, how to feel anger and resentment, how to be unkind, etc.  This is the reason why societies of the world have systems of restraint in place to restrain and counteract the sin of the human nature.  Because of society’s restraints and expectations not all humans are as bad as they can be.  Yet, even in their best human moments they fall short of God’s glorious character, and the debt just keeps piling up.

 Andrew Jackson, our nation’s seventh president, referred to the debt incurred from the Revolutionary War as the “nation’s curse.”  This word “curse” is an appropriate and biblical description of the consequences of sin in humanity.  Though many people accept the cursed “life”  as normal, the Bible paints an accurate picture of humanity:  weighed down and burdened by an unfathomably massive load of debt, the sinner  is separated from the life of God, will experience death and will have no power to deliver himself from the judgment of Hell.  This is a dismal, dark and incredibly depressing picture.  Yet, there is hope- not in our own ability to pay down and eliminate our debt of sin; but, humanity’s hope is Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God. 

 There Is Hope

 In sovereign grace God sent His Son into the world to take on our humanity so that He might be our Savior.  Christ came to save us from our sins.

 “”And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”” (Matthew 1:21)

  “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

  “And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.” (1John 3:5)

 Christ did not come to the world to share a few life lessons- a little chicken soup for the soul- so that we might endeavor to save ourselves.  Our debt is simply too great.  We can’t pay off our debt no matter how hard we try.  Because, the debt never stops growing.  Also, in case you’re wondering, the Bible says nothing about us paying off the debt in the afterlife.  Purgatory is a medieval fiction that has no basis in Scripture whatsoever. 

 Salvation is a rescue operation.  It is God doing for us what we can’t do for ourselves.  This is the reason why the Bible refers to salvation as a gift.

 “8  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9  not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

 If salvation is a gift, what happens to our sin?  Does God simply write it off?  Wow, that could make us a little disillusioned!  After all the intense suffering and horror that sin has caused in the history of this world, would God treat sin in such a trivial manner?  Would God effectively say to us, “Let’s just forget about your sin.  Don’t worry about it.  I forgive you.”?  No, that is NOT how God deals with human sin.  Sin is a serious thing.  It has caused serious harm.  And God deals with it in a serious manner.  God takes care of the sin problem in a manner that is consistent with His own character of holiness.  He solves the problem in true divine justice.  That justice demands that the debt of our sin be paid. 

 If we could imagine a courtroom scene in Heaven, we would see the bankrupt sinner, head buried in his hands as the gavel strikes and the guilty verdict is pronounced.  While the sentence of eternal judgment is being read an incredibly dramatic moment unfolds as Jesus Christ steps forward and calmly but firmly states:  “I paid in full that sinner’s debt.”

 Redemption:  A Divine Debt Buyout Plan

 The Biblical word that is used for Jesus’ payment of the sinner’s debt is the word “redemption.”  Redemption is the process by which God saves and rescues sinners from sin’s enslaving debt.  And the currency used in the redemptive transaction is the priceless, infinitely valuable, precious blood of Christ.

 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7)

  “who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:14)

  “24  being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25  whom God set forth as a propitiation* by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26  to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:24-26)

*propitiation- satisfaction of the holy and just demands of God

 The value of the blood of Christ is infinitely more than enough to pay for your debt of sin.  You do not have to wonder if God will accept the payment because God Himself is the One who, in His grace, devised this amazing plan. 

 Now, what must you do to have the blood of Christ credited to your bankrupt account?  In the Scripture passage above the word “freely” informs us that redemption’s cost is born fully by Christ.  Thankfully, there are no out-of-pocket deductibles and copays!  It is free to you.  You don’t have to pay now.  You don’t have to pay later. 

 Also, in the above Scripture we learn that redemption through the blood of Christ is experienced “through faith.”  By faith alone the sinner is redeemed and saved from the massive debt of inherited and personal sin.  Faith humbly accepts the biblical diagnosis and acknowledges God’s gracious provision of salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ.  You can be completely free from your debt of sin today- by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.  May God be gracious to you. 

Perhaps you have some level of curiosity or interest in the subject of Jesus Christ.  Yet, you’re skeptical.  Skeptical about His claim to be the Son of God.  We must consider that claim seriously.  Because, if He isn’t the Son of God , as He claimed, then he isn’t even a good man.  He would be a liar, an impostor, a deceiver.  But, if He is the Son of God, as He claimed, then He IS the Son of God.  Today, not just yesteryear.  And if He IS the Son of God, then we must turn down the volume of Modern Life low enough to be able to think seriously about what He said.  Thankfully, by the will of God, His words have been recorded and preserved in the Scriptures. 

But let’s go back to your skepticism.  Maybe you imagine that a miracle might be a good starting point for your faith.  You reason, “If I could see a miracle happen I would believe.”  Or, maybe you take a more antagonistic, oppositional outlook:  “I won’t believe unless I see a real miracle with my own eyes.”  You may be interested to know that Jesus, during His three year public ministry in Israel, was confronted by this very sentiment on at least two occasions. 

Jesus, the eternal Son of God, was sent by God to His own chosen people, the nation of Israel, with whom He has made an everlasting covenant.  Among the Jews of that generation there were many who believed in Jesus.  The New Testament (Covenant) is full of examples of Jews who recognized Jesus to be the King of Israel who established the New Covenant by the redemptive sacrifice of His own life and blood.  However, there were many who did not believe.  They were skeptical.  On one occasion Jesus was approached by the more antagonistic variety of skeptics who demanded to see a sign.  Their motivation for this demand was not an honest desire to know Him.  Rather, they were trying to disprove Him and expose Him as a fraud.  To this demand Jesus’ response was interesting:

 39  But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40  ”For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41  ”The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.” (Matthew 12:39-40)

The miracles that Jesus performed during the course of His three year public ministry were designed for a Christocentric purpose.   Yes, many people were delivered from various forms of suffering by a Savior who experienced and expressed genuine sympathy for them; yet the primary purpose of the miracles was to verify and confirm that He indeed was Israel’s Messiah and the Son of God, as He Himself claimed (Isaiah 61:1-2; Luke 4:16-19; John 3:2; 5:36; 10:25).  Thus, Jesus, in particular, performed healing miracles on external conditions that were easily recognizable and observable, unlike the illegitimate modern charismatic “healings” that typically focus on hidden maladies. 

Yet, in spite of this powerful miraculous activity, there were skeptics.  They heard with their own ears Jesus’ claim that He was sent from God His Father.  They had seen with their own eyes powerful, truly supernatural miracles.  Yet, they persisted in their opposition and unbelief. 

As an expression of this persistent unbelief these individuals, somewhat curiously, asked to see a miraculous, supernatural sign.  Curious, because of all the magnificent supernatural activity already performed by Jesus out in the public square. 

Even more curious is Jesus’ response.  First, He unflinchingly tells them that it is an evil generation that seeks a sign.  In other words, the unbelief is symptomatic of a generation that is evil.  Jesus often exposed the evils of His generation:  selfishness, greed, violence, immorality, corruption, religious superficiality- things that sound rather…current and contemporary.   Human nature doesn’t change.  That’s why we need a Savior.  Second, He informs them that the only sign they will get from Him is the sign of the prophet Jonah.  This is an astounding answer for those skeptics as well as for modern skeptics.  The miraculous event of Jonah is one of the most “unbelievable” of all Old Testament events.  Jesus is not making things any easier for His skeptics by choosing this historic account of a man who lived to tell about three days inside a fish creature!  Of all the amazing works of God recorded in Old Testament historic narrative the story of Jonah is high on the list of those events that require the most explicit faith in God and in Scripture. 

What is the significance of Jesus’ provocative reference to Jonah?  First, He underscores the divine imperative that the Scriptures be the proper foundation for faith.  According to Jesus, the written and preserved Word of God, which records the event of Jonah, is a better foundation for faith than a miracle performed right before one’s eyes.  The Old Testament Scriptures contain many such prophetic references to the Messiah and King of Israel, prophecies that Jesus fulfilled, is fulfilling, and will fulfill in future events.  Second, the actual details of Jonah inside a fish in the depths of the sea over the space of three days foretell the events of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection on the third day.  This redemptive work of Christ in giving Himself as a sacrifice for sin is the great purpose of His first coming.  The signs and miracles He performed prior to His death played a minor, supporting role in authenticating that He indeed was the Son of God who would accomplish His major work on the cross.  Third, the reference to Jonah was a reminder of God’s mercy to gentiles.  Jonah, after learning a lesson about obedience, did as God instructed him and proclaimed a message of God’s mercy to the gentile city of Nineveh.  Similarly, shortly after Christ’s death and resurrection, in the plan of God the Gospel of Israel’s Messiah and salvation began to be shared with gentile nations.  Accordingly, those of us gentiles whose lives have been transformed by God’s grace and mercy not only are thankful to God, obviously, but we also feel a deep and abiding appreciation for the people of Israel.   

According to the Scriptures the Gospel of Israel’s Messiah will continue to be shared with the gentiles until just prior to the second coming of Christ when that window of opportunity will be shut (Romans 11:25).   While Jesus used the prophet Jonah as a sign of His first coming He used another Old Testament personality, Noah, as a sign of His second coming:  “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” (Matthew 24:37).   Noah is the main character in another equally “unbelievable” Old Testament event.  The only way one can believe this is to have explicit faith in the Word of God that the sovereign, almighty God judged an entire world with a literal catastrophic worldwide flood of water.  In His first coming Christ provided salvation for Israel and the world with His redemptive death.  In His second coming He will come to judge the world.  Have you trusted in the redemptive work of His first coming in order to be spared from the judgment of His second coming?

Finally, consider how Noah and Jonah, and their separate experiences are usually treated by our society:  with unbelief, obviously, and carelessly dismissed.  Even all  the  cute and whimsical artistic representations of Noah and Jonah in story books, games and toys serve to undermine the incredibly serious significance of their events and the events of Christ which they foretell.  They are the miraculous signs that serve to support the truth of Jesus Christ. 

Consider this:  If Christ used the experiences of Noah and Jonah to illustrate His divine work of salvation and judgment, and yet Jonah and Noah are storybook myths, then Jesus is bogus.  But, if He is the Messiah of Israel and the Son of God, His references to Jonah and Noah must be seriously considered.  How do we know Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God?  Don’t look for a sign- whether a weeping Madonna or a strangely shaped potato chip.  Instead, read the Scriptures.