Day 3

Sin and Redemption

from the reading plan


Jeremiah 17:9-10, Isaiah 64:6-7, Galatians 5:19-21, Romans 3:23, John 11:25, Ephesians 1:3-10, Hebrews 4:15-16, Romans 8:31-39


The bill came in the mail, and I grumbled audibly as I opened it. It was our city property tax bill for the year. It wasn’t the county property tax statement—we had already paid that one. Nor was it the local school taxes, or an excise tax, or an income tax. This was another level of taxation entirely, one that I forget about every year until that blasted bill comes in the mail.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I don’t think I should be taxed. I understand that tax revenue is necessary for our concentric levels of government to provide basic goods and services, like roads and schools and IRS auditors. My beef with this particular tax, and property taxes in general, is that they never end. No matter how long my wife and I live in our home, the bills will keep coming. Long after the final mortgage payment has been made, we’ll be paying property taxes. Year after year after year. Even when we’re dead and buried, and our sons inherit what we’ve left behind, the bills will not relent. They’ll come just the same.

It sort of makes home ownership a myth, right? As long as property taxes exist, no one will ever really own their home, because if you stop paying those taxes, the government will eventually put a lien on your house. Then they’ll take it to sell it at auction and settle your tax bill. You can be thrown out into the street, even though you’ve paid for the property in full.

I bring this up because it strikes me that a lot of people view their sin this way. As if Jesus paid for our sins on the cross, but that was once, a long time ago, and the bills are still coming, requiring payment from us in the form of good works or religious behavior. But, as pervasive as our sin is, the redemption Christ purchased for us is more so. God’s grace is bigger and broader than our worst offenses.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” (Romans 8:33–35). The answer is no to all of the above. No one and nothing can separate us from the love of God, because our sin has been paid for in full.

The author of Hebrews was even clearer on the subject. He wrote that the sacrificial system of ancient Israel had been “a reminder of sins year after year” (Hebrews 10:3), like a tax bill that’s never satisfied. But the sacrifice of Christ, on the other hand, is “once for all…. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (vv.10,14).

The bill has been paid, once and forever. Salvation is ours in Christ, free and clear. But the best part—our home is with Him, now and forever. Amen.

Written by John Greco

Post Comments (43)

43 thoughts on "Sin and Redemption"

  1. Jonathan Martinez says:

    That no matter how spiritually mature you are temptation will always be present. The battle isn’t to eradicate all temptation in our lives, it’s to choose the just and righteous thing to do every day, hour, minute. It isn’t a sin to be tempted, it’s a sin to give in to temptation.

  2. Jonathan Martinez says:

    That his desire is to know us and for us to grow to be more than conquerors. His love for us and Jesus’ sacrifice is what makes us redeemed and holy.

  3. Jonathan Martinez says:

    That it was given as a way for us to see the life of Jesus and see that even though he was without sin, he went through hard times and needed to be reassured by God who he was and what he was here for. So how much more do we need to be covered by grace and love.

  4. Jonathan Martinez says:

    I will stop beating myself up over the temptation that I face and instead fight like crazy to resist it and stand firm in the word and promises of God.

  5. Jonathan Martinez says:

    Jesus, please cover me with your blood. Renew my heart and mind. Refresh my spirit and cause me to cast off the chains that you’ve already broken but I’ve kept on carrying around. Remind me who I am in you and that I am a new creation, and that I have your spirit within me, and I have the authority to put sin, death, sickness and my flesh under submission. Thank you for my spirit of a warrior that you have given me. I pray that through time and life season you would continue to bless me with opportunities to grow and mature my spirit within me.

  6. Trey says:

    That Jesus knew full well the extent of our temptation and sin when he chose to dir for us. That when I think that he doesn’t care or understand, that he really, truly does more than I can know.

  7. Trey says:

    The Hebrews 4 passage was the biggest part of today’s reading for me. That we have a high priest who is close and understands our struggle. That he died so that we could be adopted as sons. God is close, and loving, and good.

  8. Trey says:

    Well, I already knew how flawed man was, but it made me feel less alone remembering that it’s not just me, but Paul himself also crying out, frustrated by his flesh.

    Also that we are God’s adopted children. We are his elect and nothing can separate us from his love.

  9. Joshua Dease says:

    He will never leave us, he’s there even when it doesn’t feel like it. He has given me everything I’ve ever needed and he will forever.

  10. Joshua Dease says:

    I have to make my life count. I have to rely on God to win every battle every day.

  11. Joshua Dease says:

    The death of Jesus is to be taken so much more seriously than it is. There are lists written out for us of things not to do, yet we do them. Jesus’s death saves us from that weakness though. He gives us grace and chance to start over.

  12. Joshua Dease says:

    Man is awful, but we can receive grace. Understanding that Paul also dealt with an indwelling sin is so encouraging.

  13. Joshua Dease says:

    I will pray that God doesn’t let me give up, that he puts roadblocks in front of my sin, that he convicts me until I cry. That I will love him more than I love myself.

  14. Tim Broersma says:

    I was reminded in these passages that He sent His Son, for me. He loved me so much He sacrificed His Son to save me. Hard to wrap my head around that. I really can’t think of anyone I love enough to sacrifice one of my own for. But He loved me that much. And if He did, when I was yet a sinner, He won’t let go of that love when I fall here and there. He will desire to see me continually sanctified and moving in a direction towards Him, but I can’t let the devil flog me when I fail, cause again, He loves me enough to cover those failures.

  15. Tim Broersma says:

    In Thanksgiving….. I often forget that no one has shown me that much love. I need to respond by living in thanksgiving for all that He has done for me.

  16. Tim Broersma says:

    That I need to constantly be reminded of that love He has for me. When I feel loved, I respond by loving Him back and living towards His purposes.

  17. Joel Van Mersbergen says:

    It is what saves me. I desperately need it. It is God’s compassion. It is Jesus’ empathy. It is available.

  18. Joel Van Mersbergen says:

    This teaches me that we need God. We are lost without Him. Sometimes we can’t even discern the truth on our own.

  19. Joel Van Mersbergen says:

    This teaches me that God is forgiving. I am quick to condemn myself but God promises that I am continually secure in Him. It is the blood of Jesus that saves me not my actions.

    This teaches me that God is compassionate that He sent Jesus in order to redeem us while we did not know Him. Any doubt on this comes from me and not from the Truth. Andy condemnation comes from me and not from the Truth. God has redeemed me.

  20. Joel Van Mersbergen says:

    I will respond today by remembering the power of the Gospel rather than dwelling on my own thinking. My thinking tells me it will run out and God will become frustrated with me. But the Gospel tells me that Jesus understands and that He redeemed me far before I even knew Him. I will seek Him and allow Him to transform my thinking and renew my mind as my mind is what so often leads me astray from Him in thinking He’s somewhat indifferent towards me. The Gospel tells me He loves me and that I have great importance in His eyes.

  21. Joel Van Mersbergen says:

    Again, I will pray Romans 12:2. That my mind will be renewed and my way of thinking changed by Him.

  22. William Pierce says:

    He’s chosen me! He’s chosen me to be His son and his disciple. He works through me to accomplish His goal, and works in me to make me like Him.

  23. William Pierce says:

    God has chosen His elect whom we cannot know. The fact that He predestined those he foreknew is astonishing as it is, because that means He knew what we would do to Him. Yet, despite all of our sin, our God loves us.

  24. William Pierce says:

    In our sin we are doomed. Without Christ our lives are dead already and deserving that very death, but we’ve been forgiven and are being sanctified by our faith in Jesus Christ alone.

  25. William Pierce says:

    Live out my life in the hope of the gospel that I might be used to call forth His elect to salvation.

  26. William Pierce says:

    For courage to keep fighting when persecution of any kind approaches me, and to keep repenting of my sins daily till I go home.

  27. Dillon Davis says:

    He is Mighty to Save. He is the Author of Salvation. The book is written in His precious blood. He understands the weaknesses of humanity.

  28. Dillon Davis says:

    Man is weak. Man needs Jesus. Man wants to do good but is at war with himself.

  29. Dillon Davis says:

    That Jesus ended that war once and for all. He won. He humiliated sin and death and put on a display so shocking people are still talking about it thousands of years later.

  30. Dillon Davis says:

    I guess I ought to be humbled by it. I’m not such hot stuff. Seriously.

  31. Dillon Davis says:

    Lord I’m exhausted and out of it. Idk what to say and idk what to do. What I’d really like to do is curl
    Up and die or sleep for three years but I don’t have the luxury…I really need you every day but I’m very aware of it today….I’m sorry that in my good times I’m not as quick to do the right thing…idk…I’m so tired Lord

  32. Robert Johns says:

    God understands our battle, as He has been tempted like we are.

  33. Robert Johns says:

    Man is erratic by nature. One moment living right, the very next doing what he knows not to do.

  34. Robert Johns says:

    Accept the battle and lean on Christ and others to fight well.

  35. Robert Johns says:

    The Gospel has a certain tension to it, and that’s ok. It doesn’t free us from temptation or battle – it’s the source of forgiveness and reconciliation when we lose those battles.

  36. Robert Johns says:

    God – I am a wretched man, doing what I know I shouldn’t. Give me strength to resist temptation, and more than that give me a vision of the Christ-centered life.

  37. Nehemiah says:

    In the darkest of days… at rock bottom, he is there. He wants to free us from ourselves and deliver us from our sinful nature.

  38. Nehemiah says:

    There is no escaping sin. We are sinners who consistently and frequently fall short. We must seek Gods forgiveness and repent fully before we become victim to our own destruction. The longer we live in sin, the easier it is to justify why we don’t make the changes in our live that we need to. Even when God tugs on our heart strings to seek him and change our ways, it’s easy to make excuses and name off all the responsibility we have. No amount of accomplishment in the worldly sense will ever compare to even a single moment spent in prayer and worship with our savior.

    We can spend a lifetime living a lie and accomplishing nothing, or we can truly begin to start living by living in and Gods word.

  39. Nehemiah says:

    Work on reading daily and spending time with God daily. Work to create and follow a routine until that routine becomes as second nature.

  40. Nehemiah says:

    God is with us in all ways and through all things. No matter the sin, he is there. No matter the struggle, he has provided a clear way out.

  41. Nehemiah says:

    To keep my eyes on Jesus. To soften my heart and lead me to Gods will for my life and go live a cleaner, healthier life as to be an example for my wife and son.

  42. Matthew Nakamura says:

    If you know grace by name, don’t use it as an excuse to stay the same. Let it change you.

  43. Mary says:

    Thank you Lord for the price you paid. Thank you for the grace you gave. Thank you for the love you’ve shown. Thank you that I am never alone. To God be the glory and all the praise.

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