All sin carries a price tag. Its consequences may range from minor to major, but the bill always comes due. Somebody always pays.

There is a story about a boy whose father pounded a nail in the barn door every time the boy did something wrong. Soon there were many nails in the door. Then one day the boy accepted Christ as Savior and began living for Him. To impress upon his son the wonder of being forgiven, the father took him to the barn and pulled out every nail from the door. “That is what it means to have all your sins forgiven,” he said. “They are gone forever.”

The boy was deeply impressed. Then looking at the door, he asked, “But father, how can I get rid of the holes?” “I’m sorry,” said the father, “but the holes will remain.”

When the disciples first met the resurrected Christ on Easter morning, He showed them His hands and feet, where they saw the scars. These scars will always be there because sin leaves holes behind.

Tags: forgiveness, scars, sin