Day by Day with Martin Luther

Read: Daniel 5:1-31 2nd Peter 2:1-10

“Christ Comes in Our Place”

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”
[1st Peter 2:24]

So, Christ is now crucified and hangs on the cross as the worst thief, scoundrel, rebel and murderer who has been on earth; and the innocent Lamb, Christ, must bear and pay for someone else’s guilt. For it applies to us; those are our sins that burden His neck. We are this kind of sinners, thieves, scoundrels, rebels, and murderers; for even if we are not all so coarse as to carry them out in deed, we are still guilty of them before God. But now Christ comes in our place and bears our sins and pays for them so that through Him we are delivered. For if we believe in Him, not only will those of us who avoid gross out ward sin be saved through Christ, but also those who fall into gross outward sin will be saved if they genuinely repent and believe in Christ. For many murderers are saved, as the histories of the Passion demonstrate when the malefactor on the right is converted and saved [Luke 23:43].