352. Friday after Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity.
Lord, give us a living knowledge of sin
and a living faith in thee. Amen.
1 Timothy 1, 12-16. And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
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It is not an unusual thing to hear from the children of God a statement like this: “I am the chief of all sinners; none other can be as wretched and as corrupt as I.” If you are sincere in saying this, and it is not mere idle words, a great miracle of grace has been wrought in you by the Spirit of God. For we are by nature blind to our own defects, and see the mote in a brother’s eye, but not the beam in our own. He only who stands before God, and sees himself clearly in the light of his holy law, is so humble of heart that he can say with the apostle: “I am the chief of sinners;” “I am less than the least of all saints” (Eph. 3, 8). Many may have this feeling at certain times in their life; but I fear that only a few of us have in fact this measure of piety. The many dissensions and the discord obtaining among us indicate neither humility nor a thorough knowledge of sin. Let Paul be a pattern for our correction. Let us, as he did, enter the presence of God, and stand in the clear light of his countenance; and we shall become little in our own eyes, and forget to find fault with those who stand at our side.
However, the Holy Ghost has written this Bible text for the comfort of all those who grieve because of the magnitude of their transgressions. The law condemns you, but Jesus does not. For this very purpose he is come into the world, that he may save sinners. Will he fail to carry out the purpose for which he came, do you think? “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation.” Do hear how the Holy Ghost in Paul bears witness, and wants to help us to believe. But if you think that your sin is great, he has foreseen this also, and presents Paul to you for a pattern. Paul says truly that he was the chief among all sinners. It does not only seem so to him, but he is fully conscious of being that which he says. Yet he obtained mercy; and shall not you, then, also obtain mercy? He had blasphemed, persecuted, and reviled Jesus, and breathed out threatenings against him. “Lord, I have heard by many of this man how much evil he hath done to thy saints” (Acts 9, 13). He says that he “did it ignorantly in unbelief;” but he does not offer this as an excuse. On the contrary; it was his own fault that he was so blind. Nevertheless, he can now accept mercy because of this; and he says that mercy is extended to him as chief of sinners, in order that all others, all other great sinners, may know, that there is mercy for them also. If the chief of all sinners actually has obtained mercy, your sin cannot by any possibility be so great that mercy cannot take it away. There is not in the world one sinner who asks forgiveness, and does not receive it. For the mercy of the Lord is great beyond all measure; “as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.” Jesus never has cast off any penitent sinner; and never shall.
To the God of grace and mercy be praise and honor forevermore! Amen.*
As the shepherd seeks to find
His lost sheep that from him strayeth,
So hath Christ each soul in mind,
And for its salvation prayeth;
Fain he’d have each wanderer live:
Jesus sinners doth receive.
Come, then, all by guilt oppressed,
Jesus calls, and he would make you
God’s own children, pure and blest,
And to glory he would take you;
Think on this, and well believe
Jesus sinners doth receive.
[TLH 324, LSB 609, ELH 426; 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.