The Never Ending Gifts

I don’t know why the truths about our freedom in Christ are so hard to fully grasp, but the more I read The Search for Significance by Robert McGee, the easier it’s getting.

McGee says, “Visualize two ledgers: On one is a list of all your sins; on the other, the righteousness of Christ. Now exchange your ledger for Christ’s.”

The first time I read this I thought Do what? Really?

But the Bible does say God transferred all our sin to Christ, and His righteousness to us:

“He made him (Christ) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV).

This illustration makes me feel uneasy because it doesn’t match up with my life experience, which says: My self-worth = my performance + other’s opinions of me. But McGee says this worldly equation is of the devil’s making. God has a different plan.

When we accept Jesus’ payment for our sins on the cross, and invite Jesus to be the Lord of our lives, our ledgers are switched with his. Done. Jesus takes our ledger away at that moment, and we forever have his. Wow.

It’s like God is giving all Christians an “A” based not on what we do—bad or good—but on what Jesus did. All our subsequent sins, mistakes, bad judgments, and failures have no bearing on who we are. We are God’s children, deeply loved, completely forgiven, fully pleasing, totally accepted, and complete in Christ.

The other day I realized I’d made a bad judgment and started to feel that familiar pang of guilt in my chest. But then I remembered God’s truth about the ledgers, and stopped and cut off this feeling right away. Yes, I made a mistake. I admitted it to God and made a mental note not to do it again. And since God never punishes his children—he only disciplines to correct them—I realized I didn’t have to punish myself by feeling bad.

So I strained to accept God’s free gift of forgiveness, I put the experience in my past, and was able to enjoy the rest of the day. That bad decision did not define me. I am loved, and I am free.