Imagine logging into your online bank account one morning and seeing your overdraft has been completely cleared.
Not just cleared, but replaced with a huge deposit—more than you could ever earn in a lifetime.
You didn’t earn it. You didn’t transfer it. But there it is;
every debt paid, every interest charge reconciled, and your account now overflowing with God’s grace;
Meaning, his undeserved gift for all those who trust in his son.
It sounds quite unbelievable, doesn’t it?
But that’s exactly what God has done for us in Jesus.
In the letter St Paul wrote to the Romans, he speaks of three powerful truths—justification, reconciliation, and sanctification.
These three words are not exactly easy to understand in terms of faith – in fact, they can be understood as quite baffling.
So I thought I’d use something familiar, like a personal bank account as a metaphor, to explain how God has not only cleared our debt but also transformed our entire spiritual economy.
This idea was inspired by an incident with my bank manager many years ago, who would not give me a loan when I got in a bit of a muddle with my finances.
So I approached another bank and got an entirely different response.
The second bank manager could see where I was going wrong (I wasn’t budgeting properly) and agreed to take me on so long as I set up a general account and a budget account alongside it.
I then had to agree to have a certain amount transferred each month into my budget account to pay all my regular outgoing bills, so I would always have the necessary funds available to meet my gas, electric and rates etc.
I readily accepted the offer, and it was the best thing I ever did, because it helped me to get my affairs in order, and I never got into such a muddle with my finances again.
God understands that we all sometimes get in a bit of a muddle with things in life, but his eternal plan offers a way out and spiritual riches.
There are three Christian principles, in particular, that pave the way for these eternal riches.
1. Justification: We can Understand as an Instant Credit Transfer
Imagine your spiritual account is overdrawn—it’s deeply in debt because of sin.
You’re not just broke; you are almost bankrupt.
Justification is like God, the righteous judge and banker.
And when we accept Jesus into our lives he instantly transfers the full balance of Christ’s righteousness into our bank account.
Our debt is cleared, our bank balance now reads: Paid in Full.
And it’s a heavenly legal action—because through faith in Jesus we’re no longer condemned in anyway.
We are in credit, not because we earned it, but because Jesus deposited His perfect record into our account.
Think of it as a divine audit where the books are balanced not by our deposits, but by Christ’s.
And this is what St Paul meant when he wrote in Romans 8; there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Meaning if you belong to Christ, your past doesn’t define you, your failures don’t condemn you, and your future is secure.
2. Reconciliation: We can Understand as a Restored Relationship
Now that our account is in good standing, reconciliation is what happens when the broken relationship between us and the bank (God) is mended.
We are no longer flagged as a delinquent customer (as I probably once was at my former bank).
We are welcomed back into full partnership.
Hostility is gone. The account is not just balanced—it’s reopened with trust and access.
It’s like the bank manager personally calling you to say, “We’ve restored your privileges. Let’s have lunch next week.”
Or the wise bank manager who kindly got my muddled financial situation back on the right track again.
3. Sanctification: We can Understand as the ongoing Budget Account I was asked to open
With our account restored and our relationship renewed, sanctification is the process of learning to manage our spiritual resources wisely in service to God.
It’s not about earning more righteousness (that is not possible).
Rather it’s about growing in grace, aligning our spending habits (our life choices) with the values of God’s kingdom.
The Holy Spirit acts like a financial advisor, guiding us to live in a way that reflects our new status.
We are not just debt-free—we are learning to live like someone who’s been entrusted with divine wealth.
And, as once a financial account is reconciled, it doesn’t just stay balanced on its own.
There’s an ongoing discipline of stewardship required, we need to constantly refine our financial choices and decisions.
It is a daily process of learning to live in alignment with the Spirit who now dwells within us.
It’s not about earning salvation—it’s about maturing into it.
Sanctification is about gradually growing in love, humility, patience, and the fruits of the Spirit.
It’s how believers reflect the image of Christ into the world.
Conclusion
So perhaps with my banking metaphor we can see that in God’s great economy, our spiritual accounts have been set right, justified.
Not by our efforts, but through Christ’s sacrifice.
Perhaps we can better understand how this then in turn reconciles a believer to a restored relationship with God,
and that sanctification invites us to live wisely with these riches of His grace.
Someone once described this as “if the root is there then the fruits will come”
Meaning if the faith is there (the root), then with God’s help and guidance, we will naturally develop a life that reflects his character (the fruit).
Challenge
I challenge you to examine your spiritual account to see where you might make adjustments to help you develop into all that God made you to be.
Because to make the most of this amazing bounty,
that is offered personally to each one of us,
will be worth far more than any amount of money managed in our personal bank accounts throughout our entire time allocated here on earth.
