Thurs., 4/12/18 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 let us be thankful. Someone has well-said, "Take heart—you are worse than you think you are." The reason we can be encouraged is because Jesus came into this fallen world to save sinners, not good people. Good people, viz. morally up-right people who do not love Jesus, go to hell. Bad people, viz. those who know they have no righteousness of their own at all, and who trust in Jesus’ blood alone for their atonement, go to heaven.

So, let us remember why Christ came here: 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"]