“But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” Romans 3:21-26 (Read all of chapter 3)

The law makes it clear that we have all sinned and are guilty before the LORD God. None of us measures up to the righteousness God requires of us.

The Bible tells us in Romans 3:10-18 (Cf. Eccl. 7:20; Psa. 14:1-3; 5:9; 140:3; 10:7; Isa. 59:7,8; Psa. 36:1): “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: their feet are swift to shed blood: destruction and misery are in their ways: and the way of peace have they not known: there is no fear of God before their eyes.”

The law stops our mouths from all boasting because it reveals our utter sinfulness and failure to live up to the righteous demands of God’s commandments. It shows the judgment of God we all deserve. We read in Romans 3:19-20: “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (cf. Psa. 143:2).

But there is a righteousness apart from our keeping of the law (v. 21). It is an imputed righteousness which is ours through faith in Christ Jesus.

Jesus fulfilled all the righteous and holy demands of God’s law in our stead. He lived a holy and sinless life for us in His thoughts, desires, words and deeds. And Jesus made full atonement for our sins and the sins of all the world when He suffered and died on the cross and was forsaken and condemned of God the Father (cf. Matt. 27:46; 1 John 2:1-2). And Jesus rose again on the third day, proving that God accepted His sacrifice for sin (cf. Rom. 4:23-25; 1 Cor. 15:3-4).

The Bible tells us that we are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Rom. 3:24-26; cf. 2 Cor. 5:18-21).

Thus, all of us have sinned and come short of God’s glory, but we who believe are declared forgiven, just, and righteous in God’s eyes because of the holy life and innocent sufferings and death of Christ Jesus in our stead.

The law of God, which reveals God’s holy will for us, reveals as well our utter sinfulness and shortcoming in regard to being righteous and acceptable in God’s sight. The Gospel reveals to us the righteousness of Christ Jesus and the forgiveness and life which are ours through faith in Him who died for our sins and rose again.

I have sinned, O God, and deserve only Your wrath and punishment. Forgive my sins for Jesus’ sake, and grant me a place in Your everlasting kingdom. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

How did God create the heavens and the earth? Again, the Bible says: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light…” (Genesis 1:1-3; Read all of Genesis 1 and 2).

The Hebrew word for “created” in verse one is “bara” and indicates that God created all out of nothing. He called it into existence by saying, “Let there be,” and “There was.”

The Scriptures echo this truth throughout.

Psalm 33:6 says: “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.”

Hebrews 11:3 says: “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”

These words teach us the truth that God created all things and sustains them by the power of His word.

The Bible says of the Son of God, in Hebrews 1:2-3: “Whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power….”

So, what has God done? He created all things out of nothing. He created and called all into being by His all-powerful word. And, it is by that same creating word that all continues to exist.

It is as Nehemiah wrote: “Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee” (Nehemiah 9:6).

11 And it came to pass as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 And when He saw them, He said unto them, “Go, show yourselves unto the priests.” And it came to pass that as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them when he saw that he was healed, turned back and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks; and he was a Samaritan. 17 And Jesus answering said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 There are none found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.” 19 And He said unto him, “Arise; go thy way. Thy faith hath made thee whole.” Luke 17:11-19

Luther’s explanation to the Second Commandment reads: “We should fear and love God that we may not curse, swear, use witchcraft, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.”

But do we give to God thanks? Do we recognize God and honor him with thanksgiving and praise for all He does for us?

And the Bible calls upon us to “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto His name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness” (Psalm 29:2).

And what does God do for us, Luther explains in connection with the First Article of the Apostle’s Creed: “I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still preserves them; also clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and home, wife and children, fields, cattle, and all my goods; that He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life; that He defends me against all danger, and guards and protects me from all evil; and all this purely out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me; for all which it is my duty to thank and praise, to serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.”

The question is: Are we thankful? Do we give God the honor and praise due unto His name?

Consider the action of the ten lepers in Luke 17:11ff. They all had the dreaded disease of leprosy (Hansen’s disease) and, as a result, they were counted as unclean and were separated from God’s people and from the services of the temple. And, as the disease progressed, they would become more and more disfigured and might suffer paralysis, blindness, and other complications.

And then they saw Jesus! “And it came to pass as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’” (Luke 17:11-13).

Jesus’ answer called for faith in Him and His words because He didn’t instantly heal them; He commanded that they go show themselves to the priest, as commanded in Leviticus 13. In faith, they went and “as they went, they were cleansed” (Luke 17:14).

But what happened next? “And one of them when he saw that he was healed, turned back and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks; and he was a Samaritan” (Luke 17:15-16).

And, what didn’t happen? The other nine (apparently Jews) didn’t come back and thank Jesus. They went on their way but failed to give to Jesus, God the Son in human flesh, the glory and praise due unto His name for this mighty and amazing act of mercy!

Jesus said (Luke 17:17-19): “‘Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? There are none found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.’ And He said unto him, ‘Arise; go thy way. Thy faith hath made thee whole.’”

Aren’t we a lot like the nine lepers? God created us and gave us life, and we take it all for granted and fail to honor and praise Him!

We are infected with sin and are unclean and separated from God and His kingdom, doomed to hell, and He sent His only-begotten Son to atone for our transgressions and to cleanse us from our sins, and we ignore Him.

Jesus, through the preaching of the Gospel, calls upon us to repent and look to Him in faith and promises us forgiveness and cleansing through faith in His name, but do we heed His call and believe His words? And, when we do look to Christ in faith and are justified and cleansed, do we thank Him and praise Him for graciously granting to us life and salvation? If so, why aren’t our churches filled with cleansed and pardoned sinners who have come to give God thanks?

When we examine ourselves, we must all admit to being ungrateful — for neglecting to give God the glory due unto His name for all He has done and still does for us, and especially for loving us and sending His Son to die for us and atone for our sins that we might be cleansed from our wickedness and be holy and clean in God’s sight through faith in Christ Jesus!

We, therefore, call upon Jesus to cleanse us from our sins. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). And why? Because we have “an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1,2).

And, again and again, Jesus forgives and cleanses us from our sins. Though we cannot see this forgiveness with our eyes, we take Jesus at His word and go in peace, confident that when we stand before God and the books are opened, we will not be found unclean and condemned but receive everlasting life.

It is as Jesus said in John 5:24: “Verily, verily I say unto you, he that heareth My Word and believeth in Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.” Or, as St. Paul wrote to the Colossians in Colossians 1:21-23: “And you, who were once alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, even now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in His sight, if ye continue grounded and settled in the faith, and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel, which ye have heard and which was preached to every creature under heaven.”

God grant to you mercy and cleansing through faith in the shed blood of Jesus, Your Savior, and the promises of His Word. Amen.

Cleanse my heart, O God, from my ungratefulness, and grant to me faith in Your mercy in Christ Jesus and a thankful heart for all Your benefits toward me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the 21st Century King James Version (KJ21). Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.]

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.” Psalm 119:9-10

God’s Word reveals to us our utter sinfulness and failings. We agree with what God says in His Word and acknowledge with David: “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest” (Psalm 51:4).

We confess our sins and look to God with faith in Jesus Christ and His innocent sufferings and death on the cross for the sins of the world, and God is merciful toward us and forgives all our sins and iniquities for the sake of Christ Jesus (cf. 1 John 1:7 – 2:2; Psalm 51:1ff.; Psalm 32:5).

But how do we now cleanse our way? How do we, as a fruit of our faith in God’s mercy and forgiveness toward us for Jesus’ sake, now live for our God and Savior and walk in a way which is pleasing to Him?

While some would direct us to look inside ourselves, to our hearts and feelings, we do not lean on our own thoughts or understanding; rather, we look to God’s Word to guide and change the thinking of our hearts.

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9).

We look to the Scriptures, for there God has revealed His good and perfect will for us. He has told us what He desires of us.

We pray to God: “Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name” (Psalm 86:11); and “Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way” (Psalm 119:36-37). With the psalmist we pray: “With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments” (Psalm 119:10).

As the Spirit of God regenerates us and creates in us a new heart and right spirit (Psalm 51:10), we seek Him and His ways and join in praying that God would keep us from wandering outside the path of His commandments.

We pray in the Lord’s Prayer: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13).

And, of course, if we are going to walk in the way God commands, we need God’s Word in our hearts.

Consider Psalm 119:11-16: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes. With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.”

And so, we trust in Christ alone for pardon, forgiveness, and life eternal. As a fruit of our faith in Christ, we pray that God’s Spirit would unite our hearts to fear His name. And we look to God’s Word for guidance — studying, meditating, treasuring it in our hearts — that we might continue in the faith, walk in God’s ways, and not sin against Him.

O gracious and merciful God, we have sinned and gone astray. Forgive us for Jesus’ sake and cleanse our hearts, and teach us Your Word that we might walk in Your ways. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

Who is the Creator? The Bible, which is God’s inspired account, tells us that “in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

And, who is this God? The Hebrew word Elohim, which is the plural form of God, is the name used to describe the Creator in Genesis 1. He is also called by the name Jehovah (some pronounce it Yahweh or Yehuvah), often translated LORD.

“These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens” (Genesis 2:4).

The Bible further defines God and who He is, when it says: “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him” (1 Corinthians 8:6). Thus we see that all things were created by God the Father through Jesus Christ, who is God the Son.

God’s creation account also tells us that, in the beginning when God created the heaven and the earth, “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). And so we see that God the Holy Spirit, too, was active in the creation of all things.

The opening verses of John’s Gospel tell us: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:1-4). We learn that the Word, Jesus Christ, identified in verse 14 as God Himself in the flesh and the only-begotten Son of the Father, created all things and is the giver of life, both physical and spiritual.

In St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians, the inspired Scriptures say of Christ Jesus, that He is “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist” (Colossians 1:15-17).

So, who is the Creator? It is God, the God the Scriptures identify for us as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Though God is one – “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4) – God is also three – thus, the command to “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19). This is why the God of the Bible is often called the Triune (three/one) God, because He is one God and yet three distinct Persons. The Father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God. Yet, there are not three Gods, but one God.

The Bible tells us “there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (1 John 5:7).

Though beyond our ability to comprehend, this is how God has revealed Himself to us – it is His account and His word. And it is this God who has created all things and given us life.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]