After NCAA sanctions banned former running back, Reggie Bush, from associating with USC ten years ago, the school and their legend are now allowed to officially reunite.
When I think about Reggie Bush and USC, I can't help but remember one of the best games I’ve ever watched. Taking place during the 2005 season, Vince Young and Texas beat USC in the Rose Bowl to win the BCS National Championship.
Led by Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush, USC was loaded with talent, but Young turned out to be the hero with an incredible performance pushing Texas to a 41-38 win.
Reggie Bush and USC no longer have to disassociate from each other, but due to the sanctions, that game still has an asterisk because USC was found guilty of “agent and amateurism violations” involving Bush. Part of the penalty for the football program included the “vacation of regular and postseason wins” from 2005.
This also includes the NCAA vacating their championship loss because, in the record books, USC is considered 0-0 for the 2005 season. Reggie Bush's Heisman Trophy win that year has also been vacated.
Although we all know how the National Championship game turned out, USC no longer has that loss on its record. This may sound like a crazy scenario, but that’s how it works with the NCAA.
Thankfully, this can provide us an illustration of how it works when we give our lives to Jesus. The sins or "losses" on our record have been vacated because He died on the cross to pay the punishment for sin on our behalf.
There is nothing we could have done to earn our salvation with good "wins" and when we're in Christ, no "loss" counts against us, so our record of sin now stands at 0-0.
We can still remember the sin in our lives and the many times we’ve let God down, but because of the salvation He’s given us, our sin debt has been vacated.
Even though we don’t deserve a clean slate, God’s grace allows us to be forgiven and the punishment is already taken care of by Jesus. When Jesus becomes our Lord and Savior, the "record book" shows us at 0-0.
Colossians 2:13-14 (AMP) explains, “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh (worldliness, manner of life), God made you alive together with Christ, having forgiven us all our sins, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of legal demands against us and which were hostile to us. And this certificate He has set aside and completely removed by nailing it to the cross.”
The USC Trojans had a season completely removed from the record books, and their championship loss no longer counts against them.
Today, as followers of Jesus, our sin debt has been wiped out, removed, set aside, and nailed to the cross. We now live in freedom because the punishment we deserve has been officially vacated.
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I’m humbled that I have right standing with You because of Jesus and grateful for His willingness to pay my debt. I’m blown away by the way You forgive me and allow me to live in freedom. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
Discussion Questions for PACKS:
What does it mean to you that your sin debt has been vacated?
In thinking about Jesus nailing your debt to the cross and giving you a clean slate, is there guilt from sin in your past that you're still hanging onto and need to let go of?
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