LESSON: GALATIANS 1:6‒9

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8

This week’s Gospel (Matthew 9:18‒26) teaches us that Christ is elevated as the greatest and highest person in the whole world, not to terrify men but that He may be able to bestow all earthly and heavenly blessings upon them so that all men should rely on Him, trust Him, and always look to Him as the source of all blessings. When a certain sin is terrifying my conscience and the preachers of the Law come forward and want to help me with works, they accomplish nothing at all. Christ is the only one who can help me here and no one else. The others only make matters worse, even if it were St. Peter or St. Paul, or even Mary, the mother of God. Christ alone is successful here because He has been ordained by God to make proclamation that my sins are freely forgiven me, without any works or merit, out of pure grace, through faith in this Savior, Jesus Christ.

If I accept this proclamation, I have the consolation that my sins are forgiven me before God and the world. If I cling to this proclamation with my whole heart, I am a Christian. I give thanks to God through Christ who keeps on giving me the Holy Spirit and His grace so that sin does me no harm either in this life or before God’s judgment seat on the last day.

SL.XI.1838,9

PRAYER: We thank and praise You, heavenly Father, for the wonderful gift of full and free salvation in Christ. May we never turn from this one sure source of salvation to any manmade plans of salvation, which are always full of uncertainties. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil–Gospels, 5:326-343.