Have mercy upon me, o God, according to your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of your tender mercies.
Psalm 51:1.
At the end of my business trip to Moscow I invited my clients to a meal in a fashionable, expensive restaurant. When the waiter presented me with the bill, I handed him my credit card. Unfortunately the electronic banking device failed to work. Time and time again the display showed “error message”. What was I to do? I had to wipe the sweat from my brow.
There I was in a foreign country and couldn’t pay what I owed. Fortunately one of my Russian business clients saw the predicament I was in and paid the bill on my behalf with His own credit card. So I was able to return home the next day without any problems. One thing was clear: without the one who came to my aid by settling my debt from his own account the evening would have been a disaster.
This incident shows what Jesus has done for us. He recognized our desperate situation and came to earth to settle our account with God, who refuses to accept our credit card, our so-called good works. They are worthless.
But Jesus Christ, the only sinless Person, has paid the debt for all who acknowledge their sinful state and believe in Him. At the cross the Saviour paid what God demanded to wipe out their guilt, They can therefore stand guiltless before Him. What infinite grace!