#DailyDevotion Faith Comes Through Hearing The Message Of Christ

Rom. 10:14-17 ¹⁴But how can they call on Him if they haven’t believed in Him? How can they believe in Him if they haven’t heard of Him? How can they hear if no one preaches? ¹⁵How can men preach if they’re not sent? Just as the Bible says: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” ¹⁶But not all have obeyed the good news. Isaiah asks: “Lord, who has believed what we told them?” ¹⁷So then faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through the Word of Christ.

God wants us to be certain that we are saved. He has his son Jesus Christ of Nazareth pay for the sin of the world. If the sin of the world is atoned for, and you are of the world, you can always be certain your sin atoned for and propitiated by the blood of Christ. Yet, he chooses to distribute this salvation through the preaching of this good news and the administration of the sacraments. For whatever his reasons in his great wisdom he didn’t just zap everyone into people of faith. God credits us with his righteousness and applies the benefits of Jesus’ death and resurrection when we have faith in Jesus and his work.

¹³“Everyone who calls on the Lord’s name will be saved.” As Paul notes, how can we call upon him if we don’t believe in him? How can we hear of him if no one has preached Jesus? How can men preach Jesus if they are not sent? So for this to happen, Jesus instituted the office of the Holy Ministry. We see in Matthew 28, “To Me has been given all authority in heaven and earth. ¹⁹ Therefore, wherever you go, disciple all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe everything as I have commanded you; and remember, I am with you always until the end of the age.” In Mark 16, “Go everywhere in the world and preach the good news to the whole world. ¹⁶He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who doesn’t believe will be damned.” In Luke 24, “The Christ will suffer and will rise from the dead on the third day; ⁴⁷and that repentance and the forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all people, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸You will testify of these things.” In John 21, “²¹“Peace to you! As the Father sent Me, so I send you.” ²²When He had said this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³Whenever you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven; whenever you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

So Jesus sends men into the world, to our congregations, to preach the good news of Jesus so we may come to faith and receive the forgiveness of sins. Faith comes not from ourselves or our own preparations. Faith comes from hearing the message. The message comes from the Word of Christ. But not all believe. Why? It’s something beyond our understanding. They reject the gift of God. But if we do believe the message of Christ, that God forgives us for the sake of Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection, God credits that faith as righteousness. That righteousness can stand before God on the day of judgment. That we can be even more certain, Jesus attaches that Word to Baptism and his Supper so as we receive them, we have these tokens which deliver to us the goods, forgiveness, life and salvation. If we doubt we can point them and say, “You promised through these gifts I am saved,” and so we are. We can be sure and certain then of our salvation.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of the office of the Holy Ministry, so through men preaching the message of Christ and through the sacraments they administer, we may receive faith and be certain and sure of the salvation Christ Jesus won for us. Continually call men into this office so we may continue to hear the good news and be strengthened in our faith. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.