Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Wed., 4/12/17 Devotion (1 Tim. 1:15)

Today's encouragement comes from 1 Timothy 1:15, where Paul wrote these great words:

"This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."

Are we sinners today? Do we know ourselves to be such? If so, then there is hope for us. Jesus Christ does not save self-righteous non-sinners. Instead, He redeems hopelessly lost, messed-up wretches. People who think of them-selves as “good” do not need a Savior. These kinds of “good" people go to hell. Bad people, redeemed by Jesus' blood, and who end up loving Him, and being HIs true church, go to heaven.

So, let us remember why Christ came: to save sinners. Let us be glad for this wondrous fact.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Thus God is said in Scripture to impute righteous-ness to them who believe, not because they have this righteousness in them, but because He reckons it as theirs, and reckons them righteous by it.”
—Obadiah Grew, in, "The Lord our Righteousness"]