The Best News Ever – October 28, 2026
Read: Romans 3:19-28
But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:21-24
The Best News Ever
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
If a parent announced, “I have good news!”, what would you hope to hear next? A surprise trip? Your favorite supper? Today’s Bible reading has even better news.
This week is important to Lutherans. More than 500 years ago, God used Martin Luther to remind the church of the Bible’s most important message. Through his careful study of God’s Word, including our reading from Romans, Martin Luther came to see that people are saved not by their good works but by God’s grace through faith in Christ Jesus. Grace means God’s love that we don’t deserve or earn. This truth changed Martin Luther’s life and helped him share the good news with others.
For many years, Martin Luther believed he had to earn God’s love and forgiveness. He thought that if he did enough good works, God would accept him. We can easily fall into the same trap. We may think that if we do enough good things, God will love us more, or if we fail, he will love us less.
That kind of thinking leaves us with doubts, guilt, and uncertainty because we can never do enough to earn God’s favor. Even our best efforts cannot erase our sins. Instead, God points us to the same wonderful truth of the gospel that he revealed to Martin Luther. God knows exactly how sinful we are, yet he still loves us. How do we know? He sent his one and only Son, Jesus, to live the perfect life we never could and to die on the cross to pay the full price for our sins.
All the blessings Jesus won for us become ours through the free gift of faith, which the Holy Spirit works in our hearts through God’s Word. As baptized children of God, we can live with confidence that heaven is ours, not because of anything we have done, but because of everything Jesus has already done.
Luther shared this good news through his preaching and writing. We can share it with our families, friends, neighbors, and classmates. We can tell them, “Jesus died and rose again for you. You don’t have to earn God’s love. Salvation is his gift!”
A surprise trip ends. A favorite supper gets eaten. But Jesus’ gift of life with him lasts forever. That’s the best news ever!
Prayer:
Dear Lord God, thank you for your Word, which teaches us that Jesus has saved us. Thank you that we don’t have to earn your love. Thank you for sending your Son to live, die, and rise again to take away our sins. Help us trust your promises and tell others this best news ever! Amen.
The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.
Questions for Younger Children
- What do we call it when we break God’s commandments?
- Who is the only one who can save us from our sins?
Questions for Elementary Age Children
- Why can’t we earn our way to heaven by doing good works? What has Jesus done to give us heaven?
- Suppose you feel guilty about something you did wrong. What good news about Jesus can you remember?
Questions for Middle School and Above
- What Bible passage gives you the greatest comfort? Why?
- If a friend asked you to summarize the gospel in a couple of minutes, what would you say? How would you explain that faith is God’s gift rather than something we do to earn salvation?
