Jesus Paid the Price in Full!

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God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient. Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you.

Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together.

Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace. So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts. And be grateful.

Colossians 3:12-15

Recently I spent most of a day with a friend who is Amish. At one point our conversation turned to how many evil things are going on in the world today. So I asked him how the Amish handle a situation where one Amish man sins against another. Who settles the dispute? He got quiet for a few seconds and then said, "That is where forgiveness comes in."

These verses in Colossians include the phrase "forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you!"

Jesus didn't wait until we asked for forgiveness and then pay the price for it. Jesus paid for our forgiveness before anyone ever asked!

This is a stumbling block for many people today. They assume that God forgives them when they ask for it. No not at all. God forgave them when Jesus died on the Cross. That is when the price was paid for the sins of the entire world. Then why does anyone go to Hell? Men and women who do not come to Jesus Christ and accept Him as their Savior do not receive the blessing of salvation that is fully funded and waiting for them to come and get it!

When the most heinous sinner turns his heart to Jesus there is nothing else that needs to be done on his behalf by God. It was all done on the Cross!

So here is another way you can be like Jesus. Make a list of all those who have offended you in any way, and forgive them. Forgive them all! Unless those you have forgiven come and are reconciled to you they will not be blessed by what you have done, but you can still forgive "anyone who does you wrong."

So here is the bottom line. Hell will be filled with men and women who have chosen to be there. Their decision not to be reconciled with God through the Blood of Jesus Christ is what will send them to Hell.