It is good that a man feels himself to be the worst of sinners. That a man should so feel himself to be such a sinner, ought not to be a matter of despair to his heart. Faith receives this most faithful saying, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” Be comforted by the Gospel come what may and however great you feel your sinfulness to be.

The text reminds us how active the Lord Jesus was in our salvation; He “came into the world.” He did not just sit in heaven pitying sinners. His love was a working love, coming, seeking and finding. In the parable of lost things in Luke 15 both the shepherd and the woman did not bewail the things lost merely, still less did they remain unconcerned, no, but rather did not rest until the sheep and money were found. Such is the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.