February 6, 2024
Today’s Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:16-27
Daily Lectionary: Job 3:11-26; John 1:35-51
For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! …I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. (1 Cor. 9:16,23)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Apostle Paul wants to preach the Gospel. He’s clear on that. But what, specifically, is the Gospel? It has many blessings, for Paul says that in preaching the Gospel he is sharing with other sinners its blessings.
In the Large Catechism, Luther Now, if you are asked, ‘What do you believe in the Second Article [of the Apostles’ Creed] about Jesus Christ?’ answers briefly, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ, God’s true Son, has become my Lord.’ But what does it mean to become Lord? ‘It is this. He has redeemed me from my sin, from the devil, from death, and from all evil.’”
The Gospel is Jesus Christ crucified for the sinner. The Gospel is that by His blood, Jesus has redeemed you from your sin, from the devil, from death, and from all evil. The Gospel is the forgiveness of all sin and the gift of life everlasting.
Paul knew what it meant to be without the Gospel. He had been a Pharisee, a teacher of the Law. To the sinner, the Law is enticing. It teaches what must be done to be holy; it gives you the way to justify yourself. But it is a false path. For by the Law, no one will be made righteous, since we are, after all, sinful. So the Law brings only guilt and shame, even as we try more and more to keep it.
Paul knew this. He had been one of the most accomplished teachers of the Law. No more. Jesus gave Paul the Gospel. He forgave Paul his sin. He called Paul to be His servant to bring sinners into life and salvation not by the Law, but by the Gospel.
This is the Gospel we need to hear every day. As long as we are in sinful flesh, as long as the Law rightly finds us in our guilt, we need to hear the Gospel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ crucified, of the sinner redeemed from sin, from the devil, from death, and from all evil.
The Gospel is Jesus saying to you, “I forgive you all your sin.” In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Your Gospel, O Lord, brings me your righteousness, It robes my soul in royal dress;
From all my guilt it brings release, And gives my troubled conscience peace.
May I in faith your Gospel confess, And praise you Lord, my righteousness. Amen. (paraphrased from “The Gospel shows the Father’s Grace,” LSB 580)
-Pastor Warren Graff is retired from Grace Lutheran Church, Albuquerque.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.
