294. Wednesday after Sixth Sunday after Trinity.
Let the truth of thy word, O God,
permeate us and sanctify us. Amen.
Psalm 15. A Psalm of David. Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoreth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.
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The doctrine of our justification by faith alone is the sun which gives sinners life and light, on their journey, and when they come to die. This sun must not be obscured by doctrines of human invention. No work of ours whatsoever must be introduced in connection with the merit of Christ. The scripture distinctly teaches that man is justified by faith only; and this truth and none other can give us certainty in our hope of salvation, as the work of Christ is alone perfect.
Justification, however, by which God adjudges to all who believe the full right to salvation, is nevertheless inseparably connected with a man’s regeneration and renewal, whereby he is made fit for communion with the holy God. In the first place it is the upright only who come to Christ; for they who wish to hide, and to continue in their sin, and to give God at the most a divided heart, can never believe in spirit and in truth and never receive grace, but will continue in their unrighteousness under the wrath of God. Then again, none can continue in the estate of grace without leading a life as before the face of God. “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sin.” And, finally, it is the nature of faith to quicken us, and open the heart to the love of God; thus causing all who continue in faith to lead holy lives, hate sin, and serve the Lord. The believer trusts solely in the grace of God, and becomes all the time more firmly grounded in this fundamental truth of the gospel that “the just shall live by faith”; but this grace urges and impels him to walk in newness of life.
Our Psalm draws a beautiful picture of the life of the saints. “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?” This impressive question awakens the yearning of the soul after the blessed fellowship of the Lord. The answer is given in verses 2 and 3, in which it is set forth what a righteous man does, and what he will not do. He walks uprightly; he is the same within and without. He works righteousness, or deals with all men according to God’s commandments; and he speaks the truth in his heart. He backbites no man, does no evil to any man, and brings no reproach upon his neighbor. The statement as to what he will and what he will not do is continued in verses 4 and 5: He measures men according to their relations with God. In his eyes the vile person is contemned, be he never so distinguished; but he honors the man who fears the Lord, no matter how lowly his estate in the world; and in obedience to God he is a man of his word. He does not lay up treasures on earth, nor can he by any means be induced to wrong any man. — Let all this help us to examine ourselves.
Blessed the people which dwells in the Lord’s holy hill! Blessed the man who abides in his tabernacle; the billows of death shall never move him! Give us this grace, O God, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.*
Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Zion, city of our God;
He whose word cannot be broken,
Formed thee for his own abode:
On the rock of ages founded,
What can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation’s walls surrounded,
Thou may’st smile at all thy foes.
[TLH 469, listen here; alt., LSB 648, listen here]
* Here the head of the family says a short morning or evening prayer in his own words, and closes with the Lord’s Prayer and the Benediction. This is to be done every day. If the stanzas are not sung, they may be read in their proper place before the impromptu petition and the Lord’s Prayer.