Three Important Actions

But He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God. Hebrews 10:12 NASB

Many of us have taken comfort in the last words Jesus spoke from the cross, “It is finished!” Our sin debt was paid in full on that day over 2,000 years ago. As soon as a person receives Christ as Savior they put into affect that payment. How sad that many will never receive Christ’s payment for their sin and will end up making an eternity of payments in Hell on their own. The simple yet profound truth is that the acceptance of the payment comes with the acceptance of the Savior.

But two things happened after Christ spoke those words and died. First, He came back to life three days later. His resurrection from the dead was additional proof that He was who He said He was and His death was accepted as our payment. Without the resurrection, His death would have been in vain. All that He suffered on the way to the cross and while He hung on the cross would have ended up being a mere tragedy in human history. He had to be sinless in order to take our place and He would not have been sinless if He had lied. Since He said He would rise from the dead three days later, it would have been a lie had He not risen. That in itself would have hindered Him from being our payment for sin. Not only would our sin be unforgiven but we would face an eternity forever separated from God. There would be no relationship with God even in this life.

His death and resurrection are two thirds of the story. The climax of it all is that He sat down at the right hand of God. In Old Testament times, the priest stood daily when offering the sacrifices because his job was never finished. When Christ sat down His work was completed! One sacrifice for all sin for all time!

How does this apply to my life today? Every time I bring my sin to God for forgiveness I am assured of forgiveness because of Christ’s death, resurrection, and position at the right hand of God. There is no second guessing or doubting when I see the full and complete picture. There is also no reason to cower as I approach God since it was His will, desire, and pleasure to pay my sin debt.

Father, I bow in gratitude and awe this morning. The forgiveness of my sins is as complete as the payment that was made for them. May I never tire of reviewing and reveling in such a truth! Amen.