Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.
— Jesus Paid It All, by Elvina M. Hall
It is exhausting trying to work for forgiveness. It is hard striving to save your own soul. How much work is required? Who is actually keeping score, and what exactly are the rules that lead to earning points with God? You can find some who will be glad to answer that question for you and give you a list of things to do.
I wonder what God feels when he sees us trying to earn something he has already supplied for us. There was a great price paid on our behalf. The cross does not seem to leave a strong lasting impression on us anymore. It should. What was done on the cross took away our sin and made it possible for us to be saved children of God.
I read a story a few years ago that took place in London. In the center of that city is a famous landmark. It is called the Charing Cross. And has served as a navigational tool for lost Londoners for years.
A little girl got lost in the great city one day. She was in tears. A policeman found her and asked her if she knew her address. She didn’t. Did she know her phone number? She didn’t. Then he asked her, “Well, what do you know?”
“I know the cross,” she said, “take me to the cross and I can get home from there.”
So can we. Your sins have been paid for in full. Jesus paid it all on the cross. If you have accepted that great salvation, give thanks! If you have not, embrace the cross of salvation today. Go to the cross of Jesus. You can get home from there.
He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code with its regulations that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross.
— Colossians 2:13–14