Jesus was the Overpayment for Our Sin Debt

Jesus' payment on our behalf was more than enough, and He bought us peace with God.

I never get tired of hearing it: the punishment that brought us peace was on Him. Jesus bore the punishment for every sin that was or will be committed by every human being that was or will be born. The fiery judgment of God exploded on Christ with more fury than we could ever imagine. When that judgment was exhausted, Christ Jesus, ripped to shreds beyond recognition as a man but still alive, declared, “Finished!” And by His own power He delivered up His Spirit.

Contrast Christ’s sacrifice with Elijah’s in 1 Kings chapter 18. Elijah found himself in a contest with the prophets of Baal. He won that contest, but let’s look closer. His sacrifice was a sin offering, a burnt sacrifice taken from the best of the herd, the same type of offering made for us by Jesus. Elijah’s sacrifice, of course, was only for the nation of Israel and only for the sins of that time. Still, when the fire of God’s judgment connected with Elijah’s sacrifice, everything vaporized instantly - the bullock, the water, the altar stones, and even the dust under the altar.

Here’s the contrast: God’s judgment far outweighed Elijah’s sacrifice, but the perfect sacrifice made for us by Christ Jesus Himself far outweighed God’s judgment for the sins of the world for all time!

The peace given to us through grace is immeasurable. Peace: It’s the Hebrew word shalom, and it means health, prosperity, and welfare—being prosperous in every area of our lives. That’s what Jesus bought for us! The debt you and I owed, impossible as it was for us to reconcile, was overpaid by Christ with whom nothing is impossible.