Then Jesus said to them again, “Peace be to you. As my Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and says to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven, and if you retain the sins of anyone, they are retained.” John 20:21-23

On the evening of that first Easter Day, Jesus appeared to His disciples where they were gathered together behind closed doors for fear of the Jews and showed them His hands and His side to prove to them that He truly was Jesus and that He really had risen from the dead (John 20:19-20).

Two times Jesus said to them: “Peace be to you.” Since Christ had died on the cross for their sins and was risen again in victory, they had peace with God – the peace of having all sins pardoned and forgiven through faith in the shed blood of Jesus (cf. Eph. 2:11ff.; 1 John 2:1-2).

The Bible says: “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we also have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:1-2).

Not only did Jesus bless His disciples with the peace of sins forgiven, He breathed on them, gave them His Holy Spirit and commissioned them to forgive the sins of penitent sinners and to retain (not forgive) the sins of impenitent sinners as long as they do not repent (John 20:21-23).

We speak of this as The Office of the Keys because it opens the gates of heaven to those who are sorry for their sins and look in faith to Christ and His atoning sacrifice on the cross for pardon and forgiveness, and it closes the gates of heaven to those who are not sorry for their sins and do not trust in Christ Jesus and His cross (cf. John 3:14-18).

Indeed, it takes the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit to use and apply these keys to others rightly, but this is what Christ our Savior would have us do as His disciples!

Some would object and say, “How can we, as believers in Christ, forgive and retain sins? Only God can do that!” This power is given to Christ’s Church precisely because of Christ’s death on the cross for the sins of all mankind and His glorious resurrection on the third day. Since Christ has paid for all sin and is risen in victory, we can announce and proclaim God’s pardon and peace to penitent sinners. And since Christ is the only way of salvation, we must also warn those who continue in sin and unbelief of the coming judgment of God and point out that apart from repentance and faith in Christ Jesus, they stand condemned to the eternal torments of hell.

As Jesus says, “He who believes in him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).

Dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we thank and praise You for Your death on the cross for our sins and Your glorious resurrection and ascension. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may always trust in You and find peace in the pardon You have won for us, and help us to rightly apply Your Word to others that they too might receive the comfort and peace of knowing their sins are forgiven and that they too might have life everlasting through faith in Your name. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]

“Since then the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same, so that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For truly he does not give help to angels, but he gives help to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things it behooved him to be made like his brothers so that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself has suffered, being tempted, he is able to succor those who are tempted.” Hebrews 2:14-18

It is an amazing thing that the only begotten Son of God would take on human flesh and blood and become true man in order to redeem us from sin, death, and the power of the devil!

Yet this is what was necessary for our salvation. Jesus Christ, who is true God, begotten of the Father from eternity (cf. Heb. 1:1-3), took on human flesh and blood in the Virgin Mary and became true man that He might take our place under God’s law and fulfill it for us and that He might also bear on the cross the curse and condemnation of God’s law upon our sins.

In the Garden of Eden, the devil tempted Eve and then used the curse of God’s law – “in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die” (Gen. 2:16-17) – to condemn Adam and Eve and all mankind.

He continued to use the threats of God’s law to enslave mankind because, as the Bible says: “The soul who sins, he shall die”; and “The wages of sin is death” – speaking not only of temporal death but also of spiritual and eternal death and torment in hell (Ezek. 18:20; Rom. 6:23). Since the law of God condemns sinners, the devil only needed to get man to break the law to bring him under the wrath and condemnation of God.

Thus, as sinners, we were afraid of God and of His just punishment for sin. We could not love God or gladly and willingly obey His commandments, for we were guilty of sin and deserving of His wrath and the eternal tortures of hell.

Jesus Christ, God’s Son, came into the world that He might destroy (καταργηση – annul or make of no effect) the devil and his evil work and that He might set us free from bondage and the fear of death (cf. 1 John 3:8).

In order to accomplish this work, it was necessary that He take on human flesh and blood and become true man – “to be made like his brothers” – that He might take our place under God’s law, fulfill it for us, and then suffer and die for the sins of all mankind (cf. John 1:1,14; Gal. 4:4-5).

And, because Jesus Christ is true God, His holy life and innocent sufferings and death on the cross are a sufficient ransom for the sins of the whole world (cf. Psalm 49:7-9; Rom. 3:23-24; 5:10, 18-19; 1 John 2:1-2; Gal. 3:13). He made “reconciliation for the sins of the people” and then rose again from the dead (cf. Rom. 4:23-25); and now, “the accuser of our brothers is cast down, who accused them before our God day and night”; he is overcome “by the blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 12:10,11).

Since the holy Son of God took on flesh and blood and redeemed us with His blood, shed on the cross, the devil can no longer successfully accuse us when we despair of our own faulty works and righteousness under the law and flee in faith to the cross of Jesus for refuge; through faith in the crucified and risen Christ, our sins are covered and washed away in Jesus’ shed blood!

Dear Lord Jesus, eternal Son of God, we thank You for taking on human flesh and blood and becoming true man, like us, that You might redeem us from sin and the devil’s bondage over us and grant us everlasting life with You in Your heavenly kingdom. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]

“But now thus says the LORD who created you, O Jacob, and he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name. You are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And [when you pass] through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.’” Isaiah 43:1-3a

Many would have us believe that the Christian’s life in this world will be one without trouble and suffering, but God never makes such a promise. In fact, God tells us that our lives in this sinful world will be full of suffering. Not only will we be hated and persecuted because of our faith, but we must also suffer pain, sorrow, and even temporal death because we are sinners living in a sin-filled world which is under God’s curse (cf. 2 Tim. 3:12; Gen. 3; Psalm 90)

But need we be afraid of the troubles of life? God’s Word tells us: “But now thus says the LORD who created you, O Jacob, and he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name. You are mine.’” While God does not promise us a trouble-free life in this world, He does promise to be with us and keep us through all the sufferings of this life!

As Christians, we can draw on the comfort of Isaiah 43. Each of us has been created by the LORD God, and He has redeemed us with the holy and precious blood of Jesus, shed on the cross for our sins. Through the preaching of the Gospel, God’s Spirit calls us to faith in Christ Jesus and makes us the beloved children of God (cf. 2 Thess. 2:13-14; 1 John 3:1-2). We are God’s own special people (cf. 1 Pet. 2:9-10).

St. Paul wrote to the Galatians (Gal. 3:26-29): “You are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.”

God, who has both created and redeemed us, promises us: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And [when you pass] through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

We can think of the examples of Israel passing safely through the waters of the Red Sea and the flooded Jordan (Ex. 14; Josh. 3- 4); and we can think of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, whom God preserved in the fiery furnace (Dan. 3); but this promise of God’s Word applies to the troubles and problems we face in our lives as well. Our Savior, Jesus, is with us always as He promised in Matthew 28:20. He will never leave us, nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5).

Even though troubles may be all around us, God promises us that “there shall no evil befall you” (Psalm 91:10; cf. Ps. 121) and that all will work together for our good (Rom. 8:28).

Even in the valley of the shadow of death, we need not be afraid, for our God is with us and will bring us safely through it that we may dwell with Him in the house of the LORD forever (Psalm 23).

Why does God do this for us? He tells us: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name. You are mine.” He is YAHWEH or JEHOVAH our God. He is the Holy One of Israel, and Israel includes all who share in the faith of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And, He is our Savior. He has redeemed us from our sins and from everlasting death by His holy life and innocent sufferings and death for us on the cross, and He will return to take us to dwell with Him forever.

As we suffer in this world, we also remember “that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18).

Dear LORD God, our Maker and Redeemer, we thank You for the comfort of Your Word and for the assurance that You will be with us and bring us safely through this vale of tears to Yourself in heaven. In the name of Jesus, our Savior, we pray. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]

“‘Therefore, I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his ways,’ says the Lord GOD. ‘Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions, so that iniquity is not your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions by which you have transgressed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies,’ says the Lord GOD. ‘Therefore, turn, and live.’” Ezekiel 18:30-32

Ezekiel was a priest and a prophet sent by God during the years of the exile to call upon God’s people to repent of their wicked ways and look to God for mercy at a time when the judgment of God was falling upon His people for their turning aside from true worship and service to God into idolatry and disobedience. He warned of and illustrated the judgment of God which was coming upon the people for their evil doings – a judgment they would not escape unless they repented and returned to the Lord God!

So also, in chapter 18 of Ezekiel, he warns a people who considered God unfair in His judgments, saying they were suffering for the sins of their fathers and not for their own rebelliousness and sin. They accused God of injustice rather than acknowledging their own wickedness and evildoing.

Ezekiel’s message? “The soul who sins, he shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” (Ezek. 18:20). The father who rebels against the Lord and lives in disobedience and sin will die for his sin. So also the son. But those who repent of their wicked ways, whether father or son, will be pardoned and live!

And these words certainly apply to us today. Every one of us will be judged by God according to our ways. If we turn aside from the Lord God and His Word, we will die in our sins and be judged by God. Even if we have lived good Christian lives all our days but then turn aside and live in sin and disobedience, we will die in our sins. All the good we have done will be forgotten!

If, on the other hand, we see the error of our ways and the sin and disobedience in our lives and turn to the Lord God for mercy and forgiveness in Christ Jesus, and then, as a fruit of faith, seek to live for Him, all our sins will be forgiven of God and we will be counted righteous and holy in God’s eyes solely for Jesus’ sake.

Again, the Word of God tells us: “‘Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions, so that iniquity is not your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions by which you have transgressed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies,’ says the Lord GOD. ‘Therefore, turn, and live.’”

God also calls out to us, warning us that God will judge each of us according to our ways and there will be no escaping His judgment. But God also tells us that He does not desire to condemn us to eternal death and suffering in hell. Rather, He desires that we repent of our sinful and rebellious ways and look to Him for mercy and forgiveness for the sake of Christ Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world! God grant that we heed His voice!

You are holy and just, O God. We have sinned and gone astray. Forgive our sins for Jesus’ sake and move us to walk in Your way. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]

“God, who at many times and in diverse manners spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, by whom he also made the universe.” Hebrews 1:1-2 (Read all of Hebrews 1)

According to both Stephen and the Apostle Paul, God spoke to Moses on Mt. Sinai and gave His law through “the disposition of angels.”

In Acts 7:38, we read: “This is he who was in the church in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on the mount Sinai and with our fathers, who received the living oracles to give to us …” And, in verse 53, Stephen said the Jewish people “received the law by the disposition of angels and have not kept it.” St. Paul, in Galatians 3:19, says of the law that “it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.”

But God has spoken to us, not by the disposition of angels but by His Son – the eternal Son of God, the Creator of all things.

We read in Hebrews 1:1-4: “God, who at many times and in diverse manners spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, by whom he also made the universe. He is the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself made purification of our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, being made so much better than the angels, as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they have.”

Not only do we have the Word of God revealed to us by God’s angels and by the prophets of God; we have the very Word of God the Son, who came into this world a true man that He might redeem us and bring us back into fellowship with God.

St. Paul wrote to the Galatians in Galatians 4:4-5: “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive the adoption of sons.”

We have the very words of Jesus, the Word made flesh, who dwelt among us (cf. John 1:1-5, 14, 17-18).

Jesus told Nicodemus: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only-begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him, should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him may be saved. He who believes in him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God” (John 3:14-18).

Jesus also said, “For if you do not believe that I am he [the Son of God, the Messiah and Savior promised of old], you will die in your sins” (John 8:24).

He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).

The question for us to consider is this: If as it says, “He who despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses,” “How much more severe a punishment do you suppose he shall be thought worthy of who has trodden under foot the Son of God, has counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has done an indignity to the Spirit of grace?” (Heb. 10:28,29).

How important is it to hear and learn the words – the teaching – of the Lord Jesus? If neglecting or despising the Word of God revealed by the disposition of angels or through the preaching and writing of the ancient prophets brings death and judgment, what will happen to us if we neglect to hear and heed the very words of God’s own dear Son, our Maker and Redeemer? We remember that there is salvation in no other (cf. Acts 4:12) and that those who do not believe are condemned already for not believing “in the name of the only-begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).

This, of course, reveals the seriousness and importance of hearing and heeding God’s Word. Jesus suffered and died on the cross for the sins of the world and is risen again and ascended to the right hand of God the Father, where He intercedes for us. As we read in the opening verses of Hebrews, chapter one, Jesus “made purification of our sins” and “sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

Jesus called His apostles, and He still calls pastors and teachers today, to proclaim His Word, to preach that “it behooved [it was necessary for] Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:46-47).

Jesus, by means of the Holy Spirit’s working through the Word, still calls each of us to repent of our sinful ways and to look to Him and His cross for pardon, forgiveness and life everlasting. And He promises that all who believe will “not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Do you hear and heed the words of the Son of God?

O gracious and merciful God, grant us Your Holy Spirit that we would hear and believe the Word of Your Son, repent of our sins and look to Him and His cross for mercy and forgiveness that we may be pardoned and receive the everlasting joys of heaven. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]