The Gospel From God

So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me (John 7:16).

Christ answered his adversaries carefully. He showed that he understood them and realized they were accusing and slandering him. They thought his teaching came from the devil. So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me.” Does that make sense? If Jesus’ words were not his own, why did he preach, promote, and embrace them so strongly? Why did he refuse to accept the honor of his own words? Why didn’t he say, “This is my teaching”? Christians often say, “This is my sermon, my baptism, my Christ, my God.” Or we might say, “my gospel.” Yet none of these are ours, for we didn’t create them.

They didn’t originate in us. They aren’t our works. Yet, at the same time, they are ours because God gives them to us. In the same way, we might say, “my child,” “my husband,” or “my wife.” Yet none of those people are truly ours, for we didn’t create them. They are the work of another, and they are presented and given to us. We didn’t pour them into a mold or carve them out of wood. They were given to us as gifts. Christ says the same about his teaching.

This is why I insist that this gospel is mine. It’s different than the teaching of other preachers. This is my teaching—in other words, Luther’s teaching. At the same time, I’m saying, “It’s not my teaching. It’s not my work, but God’s gift.” I didn’t create it in my head. It didn’t grow in my garden. I didn’t give birth to it. Rather, it’s God’s gift. So both are true. The gospel is mine, yet it’s not mine, because it’s God’s.

Adapted from Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional by Martin Luther