Ken Wilson of Vacaville, California was determined to keep his expenses under control. Living in the same apartment for 19 years, he closely watched his power bill. To keep those utility costs lower, he began turning off nearly all of the electrical breakers when leaving for work each morning. The only appliance left running was the refrigerator. But those stringent measures didn’t seem to help.
Finally, the utility company was called in, and their investigation revealed the surprise: For several years (the power company says 15; Wilson says 19) Ken has been paying the electrical bills for the apartment next door, not his own. No wonder his efforts didn’t reduce his bills!
A spokesperson for the utility company released the following statement: “… we are fully committed to rectifying the situation with the customer and make the customer whole.” Soon Ken Wilson will be paying his own bills, not the bills of his neighbors.
The idea of paying what is owed by others is an old idea; Isaiah 53:5 is the most famous example: “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” For centuries that statement confused people. Who was Isaiah talking about? No one knew for sure.
In Acts 8 we are told of an official from Ethiopia who was puzzling over Isaiah 53. When he asked Philip who it referred to, “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him” (Acts 8:35). Jesus was the one who was “wounded for our transgressions”.
1 Peter 2:24 also connects Isaiah 53 with Jesus: “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” The payment of our debt of sin required no less a ransom than the blood of God’s own Son. That’s a staggering thought! It helps to explain why John 3:16 is so profound – “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son”.
Can we put a monetary value on such an offering? Of course not, but 2 Corinthians 8:9 comes close: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” Jesus gave everything so that we might avoid the horrible eternal consequences of our sins.
We don’t know who wrote the words of this song, but it speaks the truth of the Gospel: “He paid a debt He did not owe; I owed a debt I could not pay; I needed someone to wash my sins away. And now I sing a brand new song, ‘Amazing Grace’; Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.”
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.
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Copyright, 2024, Timothy D. Hall
