“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29 (read John 1:29-34)

Who is Jesus? What did John the Baptist testify concerning Him? John called Him “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

He said, “This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God” (John 1:30-34).

John’s testimony — revealed to him by the Holy Spirit — was that Jesus is the only-begotten Son of God, come into the world a true man to redeem all mankind from sin and its consequences.

Like the Passover lamb of the Old Testament whose blood was shed and placed upon the lintel and door posts of the houses in which God’s people dwelt so that the LORD would pass over them when He came in judgment against the Egyptians, so the blood of Christ, the sinless Son of God — the blood of a Lamb without blemish and without spot shed upon the cross to take away the guilt and punishment for the sins of all the world — when it is placed upon us by faith, cleanses us from all sins, delivers us from God’s judgment and guarantees us eternal life in heaven (cf. Exo. 12; Isa. 53:6; 1 Cor. 5:7; 1 Pet. 1:18-21; 1 John 1:7 — 2:2; 2 Cor. 5:18-21; Eph. 1:6-7; Rev. 1:5; 7:13-17)!

As John directed his own followers to look to Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, so we still preach and point people to Jesus, the Lamb of God, today. Why? Because He suffered and died for all sins and rose again (cf. 1 Cor. 15:3-4). He satisfied God’s just wrath against the sins of all. He suffered the full punishment for your sins and mine! He won forgiveness and life eternal for you, for me, and for all that we might look to Him in faith and take shelter under His blood, shed on the cross for the sins of the world! (Cf. 1 John 2:1-2.)

Because Christ Jesus, the Lamb of God, took all our sins upon Himself and suffered and died to bear our punishment, we have the assurance that, on the Last Day, all who trust in Jesus and have their sins washed away in His blood will with their eyes behold the Lamb of God who has taken away the sin of the world. We will see His face and dwell in His presence forevermore! (Cf. Psalm 17:15; Job 19:25-27.)

O LORD God, we thank You for providing a substitute for us, the holy and sinless Son of God, that He might take on our flesh, fulfill all righteousness for us and then suffer and die to pay for the sins of the world. Grant us faith in Him, that our sins may be washed away in His shed blood. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

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

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17

How can the Gospel save sinful human beings like you and me?

Luther struggled with this passage of God’s Word and with this question because he viewed the righteousness of God, which the Gospel reveals (v. 17), to be the just anger and punishment of God upon sin! The more Luther read and studied the Scriptures, the more he saw his own sinfulness and inability to live up to the demands of a righteous and holy God.

This is what had before prompted him to enter the monastery and become a monk; he sought to somehow appease the wrath of a righteous and holy God. And now, through his study of the Scriptures, he realized more and more his failings. Before he understood the Gospel, Luther thought the Gospel condemned him and all other sinners to eternal suffering in hell.

Through the study of the Scriptures, the Holy Ghost revealed the true meaning of this passage to Luther; and it gave him great joy, for an unbearable burden was lifted from him. The Gospel was not the revelation of God’s anger and punishment upon sin. Rather, it reveals the righteousness of God which is imputed to sinners who look in faith to Christ Jesus’ holy life in our stead and His innocent sufferings and death on the cross to atone for the sins of the world.

“Therein [in the Gospel] is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith“ (v.17).

The Law reveals our sinfulness and the just wrath of God against our sins; the Gospel reveals Christ’s keeping of the Law in our stead, His innocent sufferings and death on the cross for our sins, and God’s pardon and forgiveness which He offers and gives to believers for Christ’s sake (cf. Rom. 3:19-26).

To Luther was revealed the glorious truth that, though he was a sinner condemned by God’s Law and without any true righteousness acceptable in God’s eyes; yet, through faith in Jesus Christ, God counted him holy, righteous, and acceptable in His sight. God had made him, a sinner, “accepted in the Beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:6,7).

This is a righteousness that is of faith rather than of works; and it is revealed to faith, which God the Holy Ghost creates in men’s hearts through the Gospel (v. 17). This is verified by the Old Testament Scriptures (Hab. 2:4); for those who are just in God’s eyes and are alive to God live by faith in God’s grace and mercy for Christ’s sake. They trust that God accepts them and forgives their sins for the sake of the Messiah and Savior, and so they are alive to God and live for Him.

It is not the proud and self-reliant one who lives to God; it is the one who humbly acknowledges his sins and trusts in God to forgive him for the sake of Christ’s bitter sufferings and death in his stead. This one lives in faith and receives God’s gracious gift of forgiveness of sins and life everlasting.

Today also, so many view the Gospel of Jesus Christ as another law, telling us how we should live and what will happen to us if we fail. People believe that they must do certain works or live a certain lifestyle in order to please God and receive life eternal in heaven.

We, too, tend to think this way! However, no matter how hard people try, they can never be certain they have done enough or lived well enough. And, if they study the Scriptures, they will see that they come far short and deserve only the righteous wrath and condemnation of God. Even their best works are “as filthy rags” in God’s sight (Isa. 64:6).

But when the Holy Ghost, through the hearing of His Word, reveals to us today the true meaning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we like Luther will have great joy — a tremendous weight and burden will be lifted from us — for we will then know that salvation is God’s free gift to us in His Son, Jesus Christ (Rom. 6:23). We will come to know that Jesus Christ has fulfilled all the righteous demands of God’s Law for us, and that He has suffered and died for us, bearing the just punishment for our sins, and that He has risen again in victory.

We will come to know and live through faith that, in Christ Jesus, we have forgiveness for all sins and the eternal joys of heaven!

O Holy Spirit, grant that we hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and learn of the righteousness You impute to sinners who repent of their sinful ways and look in faith to Christ Jesus and His cross for pardon, forgiveness, and life everlasting. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

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

What does the Bible teach? Sad to say, most people have not read the Bible in its entirety, and many have no idea what it really teaches. Though much more detail could be provided, what follows is a brief summary of the Bible’s teaching.

1) That the Triune God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — created all things good, including man, as described in Genesis 1-2, and that He still preserves all things. It is as the Bible says in Nehemiah 9:6: “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.”

2) Though God created man to honor and respect God as his Maker, to love Him and to trust Him, the first man and woman fell into sin as described in Genesis 3 and, as a result, all of mankind is fallen and no longer loves, trusts and honors God above all things. Instead, people are born into this world turned in upon themselves and seeking their own will and ways, which are selfish and sinful. People do not and cannot keep all of God’s commandments as God requires.

It is as the Bible says in Genesis 8:21 and Jeremiah 17:9: “The imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth,” and “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Ecclesiastes 7:20 says: “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.”

3) In order to redeem and save mankind from the just and eternal punishment we all deserve on account of our sinfulness and disobedience to God and to restore us to fellowship with Him, God sent His only-begotten Son into the world as a true man that He might fulfill all that God’s holy law requires of us and bear our sin and suffer our punishment by dying on the cross to atone for the sins of the world. This God did through the incarnation, birth, life, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, true God and true man. The animal sacrifices of the Old Testament pointed ahead to the promised Seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15), who would make atonement for the sins of all and undo the work of the devil when he tempted Adam and Eve and brought sin and God’s curse upon God’s creation.

John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 says: “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures … he was buried … he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”

Hebrews 2:14-17 says: “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.”

4) The forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God that Christ Jesus won for all when he suffered and died on the cross and then rose again on the third day becomes ours through faith in Jesus Christ and not by our own works or merits.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Romans 3:21-26 says: “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.”

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

5) God desires all people to repent of their sinful and rebellious ways and trust in Christ Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins and life everlasting. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). For that reason, He commands that His Word be preached to all people (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-47), and His Holy Spirit works through the Word and Baptism to create saving faith in the hearts of hearers and to regenerate them, giving them new life in fellowship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.

On the day of Pentecost, Peter told the people (Acts 2:38-39): “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

Titus 3:3-7 says: “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

6) As Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, we are saved by God’s grace alone and through faith alone in Jesus Christ, and even that faith is of the gracious working of God the Holy Spirit in us; but God also desires that we amend our ways and live for Him: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

2 Corinthians 5:15 says: “He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”

And, since the fruit of true faith in Christ is the desire to live for God and be pleasing to Him, those who refuse to amend their lives and willfully continue on in their sinful ways demonstrate their unbelief and lack of saving faith in Christ.

7) Christ Jesus will return to this world on the Last Day and carry out God’s just judgment upon all. Those who believe in Christ and are baptized into His name will be saved and those who do not believe will be damned (Mark 16:16). John 3:36 says: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

Yes, much more can be said. And, indeed, it is said in the Bible. The Bible reveals the sad results of man’s sinfulness and how God judges sin even now, in this world. It tells how God carried out His plan to send His Son to be our Savior, and it reveals how God continually calls us to repent of our sinful and erring ways and look to Christ Jesus in faith. It points out the terrible judgment of God that will come upon all who remain impenitent, and it offers a glimpse of the glories of heaven which await all who believe. The Bible warns the impenitent and unbelieving and gives comfort to those who acknowledge their sins and look in faith to Christ and His cross for pardon and forgiveness.

Some parts are difficult for our sin-darkened minds to understand, but other parts are so simple the smallest child can, by God’s grace, grasp its message. So, don’t be discouraged. Pick it up and read it.

The Bible is a book of books (66 books and letters) and doesn’t have to be read in chronological order from Genesis to Revelation. I usually recommend reading the first chapters of Genesis and reading from the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) before studying the detailed sections on Old Testament worship. It’s a book to study for a lifetime, and there is always more to learn and understand, so keep reading.

Writing to Timothy, a young minister, the apostle Paul said (2 Timothy 3:14-17): “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

The Bible was given us to teach us the way of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and to guide us in living for Him. As such, reading and studying its message is the most important reading a person can ever do — indeed, your eternal destiny depends upon heeding the Bible’s message! I hope and pray you’ll read it.

“And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.” John 1:19-28

Who was John the Baptist? He confessed that he was not the Christ, he was not Elijah, nor was he the Prophet promised by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15-19.

Who was John the Baptist? He himself said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias” (Cf. Isa. 40:3).

John was the messenger of God sent to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Mal. 3:1; 4:5-6; Luke 1:76-79; Matt. 11:14; 17:10-13). He prepared people for the coming of the Lord Jesus by calling upon all to repent of their sins and turn to the LORD God for forgiveness and life through faith in the Messiah who was about to appear and be offered up a perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world (cf. Luke 3:1ff.; John 1:29).

Who are we as Christ’s Church in this world? What are we and all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to be in this world?
We are not the Christ and do not point to ourselves as the way of life, but we are a “voice … crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord.”

Through our called ministers, we continue to call upon all to repent of their sinful and rebellious ways and to look in faith to Christ Jesus, “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). We point people to Jesus, the only Hope and Savior of this lost and dying world!

Jesus is coming again to judge the living and the dead. Soon He will appear in the clouds with all His holy angels and every eye will see Him (cf. Rev. 1:7; Matt. 24:29ff.)!

Until then, we continue to be God’s voice, His witness, calling on all people to repent and believe on the LORD Jesus Christ (cf. Luke 24:46-47; Acts 1:8; 3:19-21). In Jesus’ shed blood, there is forgiveness and life everlasting for all who repent and look to Him in faith for salvation (cf. John 3:14-18)!

Dear LORD Jesus Christ, grant us Your Holy Spirit and embolden us to be Your voice in this world, calling on all to repent and trust in You for forgiveness and life everlasting! Amen.

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

“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” John 1:18

Do you want to know God? Do you want to see the Father’s face? But how can sinful human beings like you and me know or see the almighty and holy God?

Moses saw the form of God and beheld His glory after the LORD passed by Him (Ex. 33:17-23; 34:5-8). God also spoke with Moses face to face (Num. 12:6-8). Yet, no man has ever seen God’s face (Ex. 33:20).

But Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who is in the bosom of the Father — being God Himself, one with the Father and the intimate companion of the Father — He has declared and revealed God the Father to us.

And so, do you want to know God the Father? Do you want to see Him as He really is? Look to Jesus, for He is God the Son in human flesh. He is in the bosom of the Father. To see and know Jesus is to see and know God the Father (cf. John 14:8ff.).

In Jesus, we see and know God’s great love for us sinners. God’s Word says to us: “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10); and, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).

Through the Word of God, we learn of Jesus. He died for our sins and rose again, removing the enmity between God and man caused by our disobedience to God’s holy commandments (cf. Col. 1:19-23; 2:9-15). Jesus took our punishment so that we might have forgiveness for all our sins and life eternal instead of condemnation and the eternal torments of hell.

When we look at Jesus as He is revealed to us in God’s Word, we see the great love of God the Father toward us sinners. Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). When the paralyzed man was let down before Jesus, He said, “Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee” (Matt. 9:2). When the woman caught in the very act of adultery stood before Jesus, He told her, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (John 8:11).

Through the teaching of the Scriptures, we see God the Father sending His Son to die in our stead, bearing the just punishment for our sins. We see Him reaching out to us sinners through His Son, offering to us forgiveness and life in His name. We see Him desiring nothing more than that we would repent of our sinful ways and turn to Jesus for forgiveness and life! Cf. 2 Peter 3:9; Ezekiel 33:11; Matthew 23:37, Acts 3:19-21.

Do you want to know God? Do you want to see the Father’s face? Look to Jesus, for in Him the Father reaches down to us in love, provides atonement for our sins, and offers to us forgiveness and everlasting life through faith in Jesus’ name.

It is as Jesus said to His disciples in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

O God the Father, grant that we may see and know You through the Son, Jesus Christ, and place our trust in Him. In His name, we pray. Amen.

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