He doesn’t consume us, even though that is what we deserve. Instead, Jesus comes down to us and consumes all our sin by taking it on himself.
This article is the first part of a two-part series. The second part will take a look at when pastors abuse their congregations.
The following entries are excerpts from Chad Bird’s new book, Untamed Prayers: 365 Daily Devotions on Christ in the Book of the Psalms (1517 Publishing, 2025), pgs. 311 and 335

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The wound on my hand would not let me forget what happened. The crackled and blistered strip of skin was a memento of the searing pain I felt that day. For the remainder of that year, I was constantly reminded of what I had done.
The Law though it does many things—restrains, exhorts the Christian unto righteousness, punishes—always rightly accuses and condemns sinners of their sin before a righteous, holy, and just God.
I hear voices in my head accusing me, telling me these sins will be there on the Day of Judgment unless I make atonement.
I spend a lot of time talking to people in coffee shops. Some share my Christian faith, some are exploring and questioning faith and others have left the church, having had a crisis of faith.
There is a mirror that we Christians look into with daily repentance.
One thing that makes John different than the other three Gospels is the absence of the Lord’s Supper.
Our Lord has told us not to make these fine distinctions in grades of sin.
We sinners share a common problem when it comes to Jesus’ parables. We read them with an eye to our own righteousness.
The accusations of the voices we hear on a daily basis are deafening. There is no shortage of voices that will remind us of our failures.
We get the exact opposite of what we deserve.
Yet, just as the Jews had two choices, true God or no God, the Christian has the same, true Jesus or no Jesus.
I’ve seen many Christians attempt to wear the world’s hatred as a badge of honor. They count it a huge win if they can get some atheist to rip them up on Twitter or in the comments on Facebook, blogs, or on YouTube.