Today Daily Devotional

“This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge. . . .”

— Acts 2:23

Christ’s death was the greatest crime in history. One of his closest followers, Judas, betrayed him for money. The religious leaders paid that money and handed Jesus over to be killed because they envied him. The witnesses who accused him were false. His trial was a blatant legal error. The judge, Pilate, who sentenced him to death was convinced of his innocence but did not want to displease the people.

This greatest crime in history, however, was not an accident, but part of a plan. Jesus was delivered over to death by the determined design and foreknowledge of God.

This fact does not excuse the accusers and perpetrators from responsibility, however. As the apostle Peter put it, “You, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.” This was the dark side of the death of Jesus Christ.

There is another, glorious side as well: Christ’s death was the greatest expression of God’s love—for us and for the whole world (see John 3:16). God sent his one and only Son to save us and give us eternal life. Jesus, the Son of God, gave up his heavenly glory and became human, just like us. And he went willingly to the cross, laying down his life as the sacrifice for our sin.

Lord God, history unfolds at the command of your Word. And Christ’s death was the execution of your eternal plan of love. We thank you and praise your name! In Jesus, Amen.

It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.

— Ephesians 2:8-9

This passage helps us to under­stand some very important things about salvation.

We are saved only by God’s grace to us in the finished work of Christ, not through any works of our own. And we receive this wonderful salvation through faith. Also, we are not saved because of faith, but through faith.

Three truths can be highlighted about salvation: first, its cause: grace. Second, its instrument: faith. Third, its consequence: good works. We are saved by grace through faith in order to do good works.

We are not saved by any work we do for God, but by the work Christ did for us on the cross and through his resurrection. And we do good works not to be accepted by God but because we are saved through grace. Good works are not the cause of salvation; they are the result of salvation. We have been saved to do good works that God has prepared for us to do. And the Spirit of God empowers us to do them.

Grace, faith, and good works are like a tripod that illustrates our salvation. All three are accomplished by God himself, for grace, faith, and good works are God’s operations in us and for us.

Compassionate Father, the greatness of our salvation in Christ is revealed in your grace to us, in your gift of faith to us, and in your good work through us in our everyday lives. Guide us to live faithfully for you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

— Colossians 3:13

In our reading for today we are reminded that because of Jesus, we are called to live into the full life he has made possible for us. And a crucial part of our daily living is this: “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Jesus told an important parable about this in Matthew 18. A king was settling accounts with his subjects, and he found that one owed him 10,000 talents. The man was unable to pay, so the king ordered that the man’s entire family be sold. But when the man asked for patience, the king forgave his huge debt. The forgiven man, however, was not so generous. He found someone who owed him 100 denarii but could not pay. The second man begged for mercy, but the forgiven man refused and threw him into a debtor’s prison. When the king heard about this, he became angry and handed the first man over to the jailers until he should paid off his debt. As we think about this parable, it can help to understand that 100 denarii was 100 days’ wages, and that one talent was about 20 years’ wages. So 10,000 talents was about 200,000 years’ wages! In this way Jesus was saying that our debt to God is unpayable for us—and yet God has forgiven it. Therefore we are called to forgive one another, just as God in Christ has forgiven us (see also Ephesians 4:17-32).

Lord, you are gracious; your mercy has no end. Your forgiveness is greater than all my sins. Help us each day to share your love and grace by forgiving others. In Jesus, Amen.

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ. . . .

— 2 Corinthians 5:18

Because of sin, we human beings are in rebellion. We are at war with God, with ourselves, with our neighbors, and with God’s creation. By ourselves, we would never return to God. We cannot change our own heart. Without God, we don’t even realize that we are mired and stuck and lost in the misery of sin.

Salvation is not a human initiative. God took the initiative to reconcile us to himself. God loves us so much that he sent his Son to save us. The innocent seeks the guilty. The agent of reconciliation is Jesus Christ. And now through Christ we can turn to God.

Jesus is the one and only way to God. He is the door, the gateway, to salvation. He is the mediator who reconciles us to the Father. To reconcile us to himself, God did not keep our transgressions on our account. Instead, he laid them on Jesus Christ.

On the cross the Son of God paid in full the debt that was against us and completely set us free. And God credited us with the perfect righteousness of Christ so that no condemnation can weigh on us any longer.

What a great salvation you have accomplished for us, O God! Only the finished work of Christ could justify us. And you credited his righteousness to our account. Thank you, Father. In Jesus, Amen.

You were redeemed from the empty way of life . . . with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

— 1 Peter 1:18-19

Jesus’ death on the cross for us was the world’s greatest ransom mission. And this ransom was not paid to the devil, but to God himself. The Lord provided his own substitutionary sacrifice so that we could be delivered from our slavery to sin and its inevitable outcome: death. God redeemed us not by gold or silver (precious metals) or even by the most valuable currency. He redeemed us by the precious blood of Christ, the spotless and unblemished Lamb.

The Son of God gave up every­thing to redeem us. He gave himself completely. And the gift of the Son as the spotless Lamb was not a last-minute decision. As the apostle Peter put it, “He was chosen from before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.”

Not all the gold on earth would be enough to redeem a single person. But God paid the highest price, the price of the blood of his only Son, Jesus Christ. Therefore, you are highly ­valued by God. He has invested everything to save you, that you may have full and abundant life with him forever.

O God, only through the gift of Christ can I see my worth, for in his finished work your unconditional love for me is revealed. I praise you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.”

— John 10:9

Shepherds had to keep watch over their flocks constantly so that predators would not attack. At night they often rounded up their sheep and kept them in improvised sheepfolds. And if more than one shepherd was in the area, there would be more than one flock in the fold. The shepherds themselves were the gateway to the sheep. And the sheep knew their shepherd’s voice. So in the morning when they heard their shepherd call, the sheep followed.

It is in this context that Jesus says he is the gate for the sheep. This metaphor suggests three truths. First, Jesus is the door to salvation: “Whoever enters through me will be saved.” There is no salvation outside of Jesus. He is the way to God, the door of salvation. No one can reach God by their works or even by their religiosity. Christ alone is the door!

Second, Jesus is the door to freedom: “They will come in and go out. . . .” There are many doorways and roadways in life that lead to captivity and slavery. They are wide and spacious, but they lead to danger and misery. Jesus, however, is the door to freedom.

Third, Jesus is the door to provision: “They will . . . find pasture.” Christ provides every­thing we need in order to flourish in abundance. He came so that we “may have life, and have it to the full”!

Lord and Savior, thank you for the full, abundant life you give. All other pathways in life lead to slavery and death. Only you lead and guide us faithfully. We praise your name! Amen.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

— John 10:11

Jesus is the good, the great, and the supreme shepherd of his sheep—and his sheep are all who believe in him. As the good shepherd, he gives his life for the sheep. As the great shepherd, he lives for the sheep. And as the supreme shepherd, he will return for the sheep.

Jesus is unique. There is no other like him. What does his uniqueness consist of? It is that Jesus gave his life for his sheep. He died for his sheep. He shed his blood to redeem them. He poured out his soul in death so that his sheep could live forever.

Jesus suffered cruel thirst so that his sheep could drink the water of life. He was made to be sin so that his sheep could be justified (made right with God). He was made to be a curse so that his sheep could be blessed. He endured God’s wrath so that his sheep could receive God’s grace.

The good shepherd is also the great shepherd, who rose from the dead and lives for his sheep. He lives to intercede for them. He lives to reign over them.

The good and great shepherd is also the supreme shepherd, who will come again, bringing the new heaven and earth, where there will be “no more death or mourning or crying or pain,” and he will live together with his sheep forever (Revelation 21:1-4).

Lord God, you are the true and good shepherd. Nothing can snatch me out of your hand. Thank you for your faithful care. I praise you! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

— 1 John 1:7

Sin is an undeniable reality. Its effects can be seen every day in our lives, in our families, and in society.

Sin is the transgression of God’s law and the lack of conformity to that law. We sin against God in our words, thoughts, and actions—and even by not doing the good we should do. We sin because we are sinners. We were conceived and born in sin, and we live in sin. We cannot cleanse ourselves. Sin has affected our reason, emotion, and will.

All areas of our lives have been tainted by sin. No religious ritual can cleanse us from sin. Sin separates us from God, setting up a barrier that we cannot cross.

But Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has done for us what we cannot do. By his death we have life, and by his blood we have cleansing from all sin. No sin that we commit is too great for him to cover, or so bad that God cannot forgive it. In Jesus Christ, our Savior, we have redemption—abundant, full, and free!

Lord, holy is your name. Sin does not dwell with you. Thank you for the full and free forgiveness that Jesus’ blood has purchased for me, allowing me to be close to you. In the Savior’s name, Amen.

“Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

— Revelation 21:9

In this vision that God gave to the apostle John, we are invited to take in the glory of “the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” The glorified church is the bride of Christ (see also Revelation 19:5-9; Ephesians 5:21-33). When John sees the bride, he sees in her the glory of God. All the splendors of God adorn her. She is glorious. The church is the ransomed people of God who were slaves to sin and now are set free. Christ loves the church. He gave himself for all God’s people and sanctified them through the gift of his life.

Christ adorned the church to present it to himself as glorious, unblemished. His love for the church is everlasting. As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so Christ rejoices over the church, the bride of the Lamb, which is now being prepared, adorned, and sanctified to meet the bridegroom.

That will be the glorious day of the Lord, when Christ will come with power and glory to live with his bride, the redeemed people of God. They will be gathered from the four corners of the earth. The church will join in the banquet of salvation. And the marriage of the Lamb will be celebrated in a feast that will never end!

Father, your church is the bride of the Lamb, for whom Christ gave himself up. I need to love her more and criticize her less. Give me grace to con­tribute to the beauty of your bride. In Jesus, Amen.

“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

— John 1:29

John the Baptist was the ­prophet whom God called to prepare the way for the Messiah. He explained that he was not the Messiah and was not even worthy to untie the straps of the Messiah’s sandals. The Messiah was greater than he, said John, because the Messiah would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (see Luke 4:16).

But of all John’s statements, this was the most direct: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” All the Old Testament rituals pointed to the Messiah, the great deliverer who was to come—and now John identified Jesus as this promised Anointed One. Jesus was the spotless Lamb who would take away all our sin.

God gave his own Son to die so that we can live, for there was no way for us to save ourselves. Jesus is the Lamb of God, provided by God, to be slain to fulfill the law of God himself for our sake.

God laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was wounded and pierced for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:5-6). He bore the burden of our sins on the cross. He died for our sins. He paid the entire debt that we owed. And he reconciled us to God, giving us forgiveness and eternal life.

Lord, thank you for helping us see and believe that we can be saved from sin and death—and that this is possible through Christ alone. We praise your name and give thanks in him. Amen.