基督徒是萬物的債務人

馬太福音20:28（馬可福音10:45）正如人子來，不是要受人的服事，乃是要服事人，並且要捨命，作多人的贖價。」

約翰壹書3:16 主為我們捨命，我們從此就知道何為愛，我們也當為弟兄捨命。

按照上帝的義，人對其他人都是債務人，因為「他犯了眾條」（雅2:10）。對他得罪的創造主虧欠了榮耀和一個無可指責生活的債；對受造物，他欠了善用萬物和與萬物合作，以服侍上帝的債。

他無法償還這個債務！

除非他在最低的位置上，謙卑地承擔全部的債務，加在自己身上。在任何事上都不為自己謀求什麼益處。如同法學家們說的：「放棄所有財產的人算是還清所有的債了」。所以，他能像上帝和所有受造物臣服，即使這會使他失去自己的生命，他還是甘心樂意地走入虛無、死亡。他的自由意志也甘願承受詛咒，不相信自己配得分享任何好處，這種人已經真正的滿足了上帝，並且是義人。因他不為自己保留什麼，卻把一切的事情向上帝和祂的受造物臣服。

靠著信，就成就這一點。這人的心是十架之道的俘虜。他棄絕了自己和所有屬於自己的東西，對這些來說，他是死的。這樣，他唯獨向上帝活著，「向祂一切都活著（路20:38）」，連死人也活著。——馬丁路德（AE 25:411）《羅馬書講義》

Matthew 20:28 (Mark 10:45) The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

1 John 3:16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

But in the case of the righteousness of God a man is indebted to everyone, for “he is guilty of all of it” (James 2:10). To his Creator, whom he has offended, he owes glory and the blamelessness of his life; to the creation he owes good use and cooperation in the service of God.

Therefore he is not able to pay this debt unless he humbles himself in subjection to all of these elements, taking the lowest place, asking nothing for himself among all of these things. As the jurists say: “He who surrenders all his goods has made satisfaction.” Thus he who gives up God and His creatures, even himself, and gladly and willingly goes into nothingness and death and of his own free will resigns himself to damnation, not believing that he is worthy of sharing in any other of these things, this man plainly has made satisfaction to God and is righteous. For he has retained nothing for himself, he has yielded all to God and His creatures.

This takes place through faith, whereby a man makes his own mind captive to the word of the cross and denies himself and denies all things to himself, for he is dead to himself and to all things. And thus he lives only to God, “to whom all things live” (cf. Luke 20:38), even those that are dead.（AE 25:411）