There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. – Luke 7:41,42

God does not play fast and loose with His creatures—forgive them and then punish them. I never shall believe in God loving a man, today, and casting Him away tomorrow! The gifts and calling of God are without repentance on His part. Justification is not an act which can be reversed and followed with damnation. No! No! “Whom He justified, them He also glorified.”—

“If sin is pardoned I‘m secure,
Death has no sting beside
The Law gave sin its damning power,
But Christ, my Ransom, died.”

By His death, our Redeemer effectually swept away sin once and for all, and He removed all the curse of the Law. In the offering of bullocks and lambs there was a continual remembrance made of sin, for the blood of bulls and of goats could not take away sin. But the Apostle writes, “This Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down by the right hand of God,” because His work was effectually and eternally done.

Take note that you cannot be saved except by the free forgiveness of God through the precious blood of Christ. The 50‐pence debtor must obtain his discharge by Grace alone. It is also a most blessed thing to perceive that he forgave the 500‐pence debtor with equal freeness… You that are over head and ears in debt to God can be freely forgiven by the same Lord who forgives the smaller debtors!

Bankrupt Debtors Discharged by C. H. Spurgeon

There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. – Luke 7:41,42

When the creditor said, “I freely forgive you both,” why, the deed was done! His lips had power! He had finished the debt by his word. And so, when the Lord Jesus Christ is looked unto by the eye of faith, there comes a voice from His dear wounds which cries to the poor trembling bankrupt sinner, “Your sins, which are many, are all forgiven. I have blotted out your sins like a cloud, and like a thick cloud your iniquities.” What an effectual pardon it is! How it charms the heart and lulls every fear to rest! He frankly, He fully, He freely, He effectually forgives! And I believe that when this is done, I may add another adjective—it is an eternal discharge!

As for our sins, “the depths have covered them.” “There is not one of them left.” Hallelujah! Observe that it was a very effectual forgiveness, too. The only person that can forgive a debt is he to whom the debt is due. Only God can forgive sin, seeing it is a debt to Him. What think you of those who are said to be able to forgive you for a shilling? Why, I say that to pay them their fee would be eleven‐penny, three farthings and another farthing thrown away! When you have got their forgiveness what is the good of it? Suppose I were to forgive you for injuries done by you to the Queen—of what value would my forgiveness be? He against whom I have transgressed is the only one that can pronounce my pardon! And if He absolves me, how effectual is the sentence!

Bankrupt Debtors Discharged by C. H. Spurgeon

There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. – Luke 7:41,42

“He frankly forgave them both.” What a blessing they obtained by facing the matter! These two poor debtors, when they went into the office, were trembling from head to foot, for they had nothing with which to pay and were deeply involved. But look! They come out with light hearts, for the debt is all disposed of; the bills are receipted; the records are destroyed! Even thus the Lord has blotted out the handwriting that was against us and has taken it out of the way, nailing it to His Cross. In this free discharge I admire, first of all, the goodness of the great Creditor. What a gracious heart He had! What kindness He showed! He said, “Poor souls, you can never repay Me, but you need not be cast down because of it, for I freely cancel your debts.” Oh, the goodness of it! Oh, the largeness of the heart of God!

I was reading of Caesar the other day. He had been at fierce war with Pompey and, at last, he conquered him. And when he conquered him, he found among the spoil Pompey‘s private cabinet in which were contained letters from the various noblemen and senators of Rome who had sided with him. In many a letter there was fatal evidence against the most eminent Romans. But what did Caesar do? He destroyed every document! He would have no knowledge of his enemies, for he freely forgave them and wished to know no more. In this, Caesar proved that he was fit to govern the nation. But look at the splendor of God when He puts all our sins into one cabinet and then destroys the whole! If the sins of His people are sought for, they cannot, now, be found! He will never mention them against us any more. Oh, the goodness of the infinite God, whose mercy endures forever! Bow before that goodness with joy!

Bankrupt Debtors Discharged by C. H. Spurgeon

…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. – Philippians 2:12,13

It is true you are to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” but what must come first? Read the passage, “For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” If the Lord does not work salvation in us, we cannot work it out! Every good thing in man is the work of God, the produce of the Spirit of God operating upon the heart and mind. Men are dead in trespasses and sins; dead to all that is holy and acceptable with God and life, itself, is a gift. What, then, can sinners do? Their bankruptcy is utter and entire—and this is true of every man that is still out of Christ—he is a debtor and he has nothing to pay.

When you have nothing to pay and confess your insolvency, the debt shall be wiped out. When you are brought to your worst, you shall see the Lord at His best! It is in their utter destitution that men value a discharge. If God were to give His mercy to every man at once, without his ever having had any sense of sin at all, why, men would count it cheap and think nothing of it! “God is merciful,” is a common saying everywhere. And it is such a bit of valueless talk with them that they let it roll glibly out as if it were no matter. They do not worship Him for His mercy or serve Him for His Grace. They say, “Oh, God is merciful,” and then they go on to sin worse than ever! The idea has no effect upon their hearts or lives. They have no esteem for that mercy of which they speak so freely. So, the Lord takes care that the sinner shall know his need of mercy by feeling the pinch of conscience and the terror of the Law.

Bankrupt Debtors Discharged by C. H. Spurgeon

There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. – Luke 7:41

The debt is immense and incalculable! Fifty pence is but a poor representation of what the most righteous person owes. Five hundred pence is but an insignificant sum compared with the transgressions of the greater offenders. Oh, Friends, when I think of my life, it seems to be like the sea, made up of innumerable waves of sin; or like the seashore, constituted of sands that cannot be weighed nor counted! My faults are utterly innumerable and each one deserving eternal death! Our sins, our heavy sins, sins against light and knowledge; our foul sins, our repeated sins, our aggravated sins, our sins against our parents, our sins against all our relationships, our sins against our God, our sins with the body, our sins with the mind, our sins of forgetfulness, our sins of thought, our sins of imagination—who can make them right? Who knows the number of his trespasses?

Now, to think that we can ever meet such a debt is, indeed, to bolster up ourselves with a notion that is utterly absurd—we have nothing with which to pay! Moreover, I go a little further. Even if these sins were somewhat within reach to pay back—if we were not indebted for the future as to all we can do, yet what is there that we can do? Does not Paul say of himself that he was not sufficient to think anything of himself? Did not the Lord tell His Israel of old, “From Me is your fruit found”? Did not Jesus say to His disciples and even to His Apostles, “Without Me you can do nothing”? Then, O bankrupt Sinner, what is there good that you can do? You must get the good work from God before you can perform it!

Christ is precious when sin is bitter. Is it not wise on God‘s part that the canceling of the debt shall come just when we have nothing to pay and, therefore, are prepared to prize a free forgiveness? Under conviction, a poor soul sees the reality of sin and of pardon!

Bankrupt Debtors Discharged by C. H. Spurgeon