May 22

The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin.

1 John 1:7.

Is it clear, and is it certain above any shadow of doubt, that we are redeemed from sin, from all sins? It surely is. If any Bible-truth is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, it is this. "Christ His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed." "And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins."

Such passages must convince us that we are redeemed from sin. But if Scripture says: "From all sins," it means the sins of the whole world. Also in this sense you must say: Christ has redeemed me from all sins, that is, not only from "my" sins which, according to your own imagination, may be only a few; no, from all sins, from the smallest to the largest, the germ of all of which is in our corrupt nature; all these He has borne and redeemed you from them. This is saying the same as when we confess: "Before God we should plead guilty of all sins." It is the teaching of Scripture and our Lutheran Confessions that in our corrupt nature we have all sins. Of no sin we can say: Of this I am free; I have not done this; here I have kept the divine commandment; from this sin Christ did not have to redeem me. That is the language of the Pharisee. A Lutheran Christian confesses with Paul that he is the chief of sinners, that is, before God he pleads guilty of all sins.

From all sins your Savior had to redeem also you and — did redeem you. "The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin." Thank God for having "forgiven you all trespasses." Colossians 2:13. Not a single sin does God lay to your charge, but all your trespasses have been forgiven because your Savior Jesus has died and shed His precious blood for you. What more, then, do you need to make your happiness complete? For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.

Prayer.

Dear Father in heaven, we thank Thee from our inmost hearts that Thou hast sent us Thy dear Son to redeem us from all our sins. The object of Thy terrible wrath against sin was only One, and that One is He who has become our Champion that He might

be our Savior. Let us, then, listen to every word of the sweet Gospel of salvation lest anything escape us. Open Thou our eyes and our hearts that not one word may be said in vain. Let us press close and embrace the dear feet that were pierced for us, and let us wet them with our tears—not with tears of sympathy for Him who needs none and wants none from us, but with tears of genuine repentance for our sins. Amen.

Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood Shall never lose its power, Till all the ransomed Church of God Be saved to sin no more.