“My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.” The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. Daniel 6:22-23
Trust in God
To what degree will you trust your neighbors? Do you trust them enough to leave your car doors unlocked at night? Do you trust them enough to allow your children to play with theirs, or to let them babysit? Will you loan them your tools? Will you give them a key to your house? Just how far will your trust go?
Daniel was faced with a similar question. How far was he willing to trust his God? When the king ordered that no one was to pray to anyone but the king himself, Daniel trusted God and prayed to him for help. When the king ordered Daniel thrown into the lion’s den, Daniel trusted in the Lord for deliverance. And we learn that the Lord delivered Daniel because Daniel trusted in the Lord.
We have the same confidence to trust in God as Daniel did. We are able to trust God because of what he has already done for us. Even though we did not deserve it, he sent his Son to deliver the world from their sin. His Son paid the price we deserve.
As a result, we don’t need to consider how far our trust will go. God has already demonstrated how far we can trust him. We can trust him completely and fully, in any circumstance. He has already delivered us from the consequences of our sin. We are innocent in his sight through Jesus. Now he will continue to work all things out for the good of those who love him. And ultimately, he will deliver us to paradise with him. May the words spoken in Daniel also be said of us, that we “trusted in God.”
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, allow me to continue to trust in you in everything, because I am innocent in your sight through Jesus. Amen.
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Romans 3:27-28
No Boasting Allowed
We live in a world that continually encourages boasting. From polished resumes to carefully curated social media feeds, we are conditioned to present our best selves, tally our achievements, and prove our worth. Tragically, we often bring this same self-justifying mindset into our relationship with God. Our fallen nature desperately wants to point to our good deeds, our faithful worship, or our moral track record and say, “Look at what I have done, Lord.”
But the apostle Paul firmly shuts the door on our pride: “It is excluded.”
If our standing before God were based on “the law that requires works”—our personal ability to keep God’s commandments perfectly—we might have a reason to brag. But the harsh, condemning reality is that we all fall completely short. Our spiritual resumes are filled with failure. We have absolutely nothing of our own to offer a holy God.
But thanks be to God, our salvation doesn’t depend on our performance. Paul declares the central, beautiful truth of the Christian faith: “a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.” We are declared innocent, not guilty, entirely because of Jesus Christ.
As both true God and true man, Jesus lived the flawless life the law demanded, and he suffered the bitter penalty our sins deserved on the cross. He accomplished that work as our perfect substitute. Faith is simply the empty hand that receives this incredible gift of God’s undeserved mercy.
Since our salvation is entirely the work of God, we can never boast about our own abilities. We can’t contribute anything to the work Jesus has done for us, because it’s already finished. But that’s not bad news; it’s the ultimate comfort. When our conscience accuses us, we don’t have to look to our own broken selves. We look to Christ alone. We can’t boast in ourselves, but we will boast eternally in the cross of our Savior.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, strip away my pride and my attempts to earn your favor, and lead me to trust in your freely given grace alone. Let my only boast be in you forever. Amen.
God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Romans 3:25-26
No Sweeping Allowed
When you are expecting company and short on time, it’s tempting to sweep the dirt on the floor under the rug. Out of sight, out of mind. Sometimes we wish God would treat our sins the same way. We hope that because God is loving and merciful, he might look the other way, ignore our daily failures, and sweep our guilt under the rug of eternity.
But a truly just judge can’t simply ignore a crime. If a human judge let a guilty criminal walk free just to be “nice,” we would call that judge corrupt. If God swept the world’s sins aside without a second thought, he would cease to be righteous. The crushing reality of God’s law is that every sin creates a debt, and the wage of sin is death.
Our debt can’t be casually hidden; it must be dealt with. God’s justice doesn’t allow sin to be ignored. That’s why he did something far more profound and far more costly: he presented Jesus Christ as a “sacrifice of atonement.” Rather than ignoring the mountain of the world’s sin, God the Father took every single one of them and laid them squarely on the shoulders of his perfect Son. In Jesus, the unyielding demands of God’s perfect justice were met, not by lowering the standard, but through his perfect life of obedience and death on a cross.
There at the cross, God demonstrated that he is both “just” and the one who “justifies.” He is just because the full penalty of sin has been paid by Jesus’ perfect sacrifice. And he is your justifier because through faith, Christ’s perfect payment is freely transferred to your account.
Your sins have not been swept under the rug. They have been washed away by the blood of the Lamb. Your debt is not ignored; it has been paid in full. Your forgiveness is complete.
Prayer:
Jesus, thank you for paying the debt of my sin once and for all. Amen.
Women serve in world missions In the same way that women actively served in the work of the early Christian church, WELS is using women’s gifts to share the gospel with other women in situations […]
Organization of WELS Lutheran Seniors dissolves corporation “Closing down [an] organization isn’t failure; it is just a symptom of the laws of organizations. Organizations have a life span.” Retired Pastor Mark Jeske passed along that observation in […]
»
Evangelical Lutheran Confessional Forum meets The biennial meeting of the Evangelical Lutheran Confessional Forum, which consists of leaders of WELS and the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS), took place October 19-20, 2026, at the WELS Center […]
»
Upcoming webinar offers tips for intentional ministry recruitment On Nov. 11, 2026, at 7 p.m. Central, WELS’ five ministry recruitment counselors will be hosting a webinar called “Generational Differences and Ministry Recruitment: The INVEST Framework.” Using the acrostic […]
1 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying—my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit 2 that I have great sorrow and continuous pain in my heart. 3 For I almost wish that I myself could be cursed and separated from Christ in place of my brothers, my relatives according to the flesh, 4 those who are Israelites. Theirs are the adoption as sons, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, came the Christ, who is God over all, eternally blessed. Amen.
6 This does not mean that God’s word has failed, because not all who are descended from Israel are really Israel, 7 and not all who are descended from Abraham are really his children. On the contrary, “Your line of descent will be traced through Isaac.” [1]8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are counted as his descendants. 9 For this is what the promise said: “I will arrive at this set time, and Sarah will have a son.” [2]
God’s Choice Is Based on His Mercy
10 Not only that, but Rebekah also had children by one man, our forefather, Isaac. 11 Even before the twins were born or did anything good or bad, in order that God’s purpose in election might continue— 12 not by works but because of him who calls us—it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.” [3]13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” [4]
18 For I conclude that our sufferings at the present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. 19 In fact, creation is waiting with eager longing for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in the hope 21 that even creation itself will be set free from slavery to corruption, in order to share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
22 For we know that all of creation is groaning with birth pains right up to the present time. 23 And not only creation, but also we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, [1] groan inwardly while we eagerly await our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24 Indeed, it was for this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we hope for something we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patient endurance.
26 In the same way the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we should pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that are not expressed in words. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints, according to God’s will.
28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose, 29 because those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called. Those he called, he also justified. And those he justified, he also glorified.
Nothing Can Separate Us From God’s Love
31 What then will we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also graciously give us all things along with him?
33 Who will bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies! 34 Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus, [2] who died and, more than that, was raised to life, is the one who is at God’s right hand and who is also interceding for us! 35 What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 Just as it is written:
For your sake we are being put to death all day long. We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. [3]
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors [4] through him who loved us.
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither things present nor things to come, nor powerful forces, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Footnotes
Romans 8:23 Or who have the Spirit as a first fruit
Romans 8:34 Some witnesses to the text omit Jesus.
1 So then, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. [1]2 For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me [2] free from the law of sin and death. 3 Indeed, what the law was unable to do, because it was weakened by the flesh, God did, when he sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to deal with sin. [3] God condemned sin in his flesh, 4 so that the righteous decree of the law would be fully satisfied in us who are not walking according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. [4]
Living in Harmony With the Spiritual Nature
5 To be sure, those who are in harmony with the sinful flesh think about things the way the sinful flesh does, and those in harmony with the spirit think about things the way the spirit does. 6 Now, the way the sinful flesh thinks results in death, but the way the spirit thinks results in life and peace. 7 For the mind-set of the sinful flesh is hostile to God, since it does not submit to God’s law, and in fact, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the sinful flesh cannot please God.
9 But you are not in the sinful flesh but in the spirit, if indeed God’s Spirit lives in you. And if someone does not have the Spirit of Christ, that person does not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit, who is dwelling in you.
12 So then, brothers, we do not owe it to the sinful flesh to live in harmony with it. 13 For if you live in harmony with the sinful flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the actions of the body, you will live.
The Spirit Assures Us We Are Children of God
14 Indeed, those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery so that you are afraid again, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom [5] we call out, “Abba, Father!” 16 The Spirit himself joins our spirit in testifying that we are God’s children.
17 Now if we are children, we are also heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, since we suffer with him, so that we may also be glorified with him.
Footnotes
Romans 8:1 Some witnesses to the text add who do not walk according to the sinful nature but according to the spiritual nature; others omit but according to the spiritual nature.
Romans 8:2 Some witnesses to the text read you singular.
Romans 8:3 Or Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering
Romans 8:4 Or Spirit; also in 8:5-10. In this section, the spirit refers to the new nature in contrast with the sinful flesh.
Romans 8:15 Or the spirit of adoption by which, or the Spirit through whom we are adopted as sons and call out
7 What will we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! On the contrary, I would not have recognized sin except through the law. For example, I would not have known about coveting if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” [1]8 But sin, seizing the opportunity provided by this commandment, produced every kind of sinful desire in me.
For apart from the law, sin is dead. 9 Once I was alive without the law. But when this commandment came, sin came to life, 10 and I died. This commandment that was intended to result in life actually resulted in death for me. 11 You see, sin, seizing the opportunity provided by this commandment, deceived me and put me to death through it.
12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good. 13 Then did what is good become death to me? Absolutely not! But sin, so that it might be recognized as sin, brings about my death by this good thing, so that through this commandment sin might prove itself to be totally sinful.
My Constant Struggle With My Sinful Nature
14 Certainly we know that the law is spiritual, but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not keep doing what I want. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 But now it is no longer I who am doing it, but it is sin living in me. 18 Indeed, I know that good does not live in me, that is, in my sinful flesh. The desire to do good is present with me, but I am not able to carry it out. 19 So I fail to do the good I want to do. Instead, the evil I do not want to do, that is what I keep doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who am doing it, but it is sin living in me.
21 So I find this law [2] at work: When I want to do good, evil is present with me. 22 I certainly delight in God’s law according to my inner self, 23 but I see a different law at work in my members, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me captive to the law of sin, which is present in my members. 24 What a miserable wretch I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 I thank God [3] through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my sinful flesh I serve the law of sin.
Footnotes
Romans 7:7 Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21
Romans 7:21 The word law is used in different senses in this chapter. Sometimes it is a moral code. Sometimes it is a fixed principle.
Romans 7:25 A few witnesses to the text read Thanks be to God.
15 What then? Should we continue to sin, because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not! 16 Do you not know that when you offer yourselves to obey someone as slaves, you are slaves of the one you are obeying—whether slaves of sin, resulting in death, or slaves of obedience, resulting in righteousness?
17 Thanks be to God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to the pattern of the teaching into which you were placed. 18 After you were set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 (I am speaking in a human way because of the weakness of your flesh.) Indeed, just as you offered your members as slaves to impurity and lawlessness, resulting in more lawlessness, so now offer your members in the same way as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness. 21 So what kind of fruit did you have then? They were things of which you are now ashamed. Yes, the final result of those things is death. 22 But now, since you were set free from sin and have become slaves to God, you have your fruit resulting in sanctification—and the final result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the undeserved gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 7
1 Or don’t you know, brothers [1] (since I am speaking to those who know the law), that a law has jurisdiction over a person only as long as he lives? 2 For example, a married woman is bound to her husband by law as long as he is alive, but if he dies, she is released from this law regarding her husband. 3 So then, she will be labeled an adulteress if she is joined to another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from this law, and she is not an adulteress if she marries another man.
4 In the same way, my brothers, you also were put to death in regard to the law by the body of Christ, so that you may be joined to another, to the one who was raised from the dead, in order that we might produce fruit for God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, strong sinful desires stirred up by the law were at work in our members, with the result that we produced fruit that results in death. 6 But now we have been released from the law by dying to what held us in its grip, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the letter of the law.
Footnotes
Romans 7:1 When context indicates it, the Greek word for brothers may refer to all fellow believers, male and female.
.JPG)
937-849-9374
peaceofoursavior@gmail.com
In the same way that women actively served in the work of the early Christian church, WELS is using women’s gifts to share the gospel with other women in situations […]
“The 2025 Statistical Summary & Analysis showed us one of WELS’ largest mission fields is sitting right in our classrooms,” says Jonathan Hein, director of WELS Congregational Services. “Our mission […]
“Closing down [an] organization isn’t failure; it is just a symptom of the laws of organizations. Organizations have a life span.” Retired Pastor Mark Jeske passed along that observation in […]
The biennial meeting of the Evangelical Lutheran Confessional Forum, which consists of leaders of WELS and the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS), took place October 19-20, 2026, at the WELS Center […]
On Nov. 11, 2026, at 7 p.m. Central, WELS’ five ministry recruitment counselors will be hosting a webinar called “Generational Differences and Ministry Recruitment: The INVEST Framework.” Using the acrostic […]