Paid in Full

 By J.E. Nickerson

When a person buys a piece of property they usually sign a contract and take out a loan for the purchase price of the property they want. This loan has repayment terms and requirements that must be followed so that the person can use the property legally. Most of the time, the bank that issued the loan holds the deed and the note of payment for the loan. While a person is entitled to use the property, they must repay the full amount of the loan in order to own the property free and clear. Once a person repays the loan, the bank no longer owns the property and the person is free from the constraints of the loan. 

In the times of the Romans and Greeks, a person would be issues a note with the words te telestai which is Greek for “paid in full”. It was a notice to the person who took out the loan that their debt for the property was wiped clean and they were free from the debt attached to the property they had purchased. 

The principle of a debt that is paid in full doesn’t just apply to physical property. Each person is born in debt to the sinful nature of humanity. The penalty for this sin is separation from God throughout life and after death. But God wanted us to be free so much that he paid the price for our freedom. Just as some people will pay the full purchase price for land or a home so that someone close to them can own the property free and clear, God sent his son Jesus Christ to earth to pay the price of freedom from our sinful nature. This price was not one of money. Bonds, stocks, dollars and investments were not accepted for this kind of debt. The price for our freedom was the blood of Jesus Christ as he hung on a cross. Colossians 2:14 describes Jesus sacrifice in legal terms that people familiar with notes of repayment and debts would understand when the writer says the following, “…having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross...” 

Before Christ died on the cross, he spoke the final decree of freedom for humanity when he said “it is finished”. Since many of the people surrounding the cross spoke Greek, his words in their language would be “Te telestai”, the legal declaration that the debt was canceled and paid in full. The note securing repayment of the debt of humanity was nailed to the cross and became ineffective through Christ’s payment with his life. 

This set us free from the penalty of sin and separation from God. 1 Corinthians 6:20 says the same thing when the author says “…ye are bought with a price…” Just as a person buys a piece of property for a price, Christ bought us with the price of his blood. This does not mean that we are God’s property in the same sense as a home that a person buys. Instead it means that Jesus provided the only way for us to be accepted in God’s eyes and be able to enjoy a relationship with God. The debt of sin that enslaved us to God’s wrath against sin was payed for in full. We are free to experience a life filled with God’s love, blessings and guidance. If we put our faith in Christ’s sacrifice and let God into our life, he will bring all the benefits of a relationship with himself into our life.  Psalm 68:19 says, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.” Psalm 103:2 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”

Just as there are benefits to a person owning property debt free, there are many benefits to living a life free from the debt of sin when we accept Christ’s sacrifice. Many people would never turn down a gift or a house that was paid in full by someone else. They would embrace the gift and make it a part of their life. This is all that God wants from us. He wants us to embrace the free gift of salvation from sins that Jesus payed for and put our faith in the salvation Jesus provided. 

If you want to experience this free gift of salvation, I encourage you to open your heart to Christ and receive his gift in your life through the following prayer. 

Jesus Christ I believe that you are the son of God who died for my sins.  I accept the salvation from sin that your death on the cross provided. Thank you for the gift of forgiveness. Come into my life and make yourself at home in my life. Lead and guide me in my daily life. Help me to understand God’s love for me and the benefits of a relationship with you. In Jesus’ name.

If you want to learn more about what having a relationship with Christ means on a daily basis, pick up a copy of my books on Kindle and Apple Books via the link below. 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/J.E.-Nickerson/e/B0971QG47N?ref_=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000  

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/author/j-e-nickerson/id1555079845 

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