As I was getting ready to pay an auto mechanic for his services a few years ago, he handed me a receipt. The words PAID IN FULL had been stamped in red in the middle of it. I was shocked! How could this be possible? Stunned, I asked the mechanic who had paid for my car repairs, for it wasn’t a small amount. He simply said that the benefactor wanted to remain anonymous, and I was free to take my keys and drive away.

Those words, paid in full, have stuck with me ever since that happy day. They’re a constant reminder of the truth that, in a spiritual sense, I’ve been redeemed and forgiven through the blood of Jesus. No matter what difficulties I encounter or what doubts go through my mind, I can rest assured that my sin was paid in full on the cross because of what Christ did. There’s no debt left to be paid.

The apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Ephesus about the love, grace, and kindness God had shown them (Ephesians 1:4,7-8). With inspired words he described to them why and what God had done, and what their response should be. He told them that God “purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins” (Ephesians 1:7). The Ephesians knew full well that they’d been in need of freedom from the power of sin. Paul lovingly reminded them that through a costly “transaction,” their identity was now that of free men and women rather than slaves to sin.

This is something God “wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure” (Ephesians 1:5). He decided to bring people into His family through Jesus even before He created the world (Ephesians 1:4). The only appropriate response to this incredible truth is to accept it and praise Him for paying our spiritual debt in full (Ephesians 1:7).

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Mark 10:17-31