In order to be saved we must believe that Jesus died in our place and that in Him and in the unity of Holy Spirit we live. Unbelief keeps us separated from God not recognizing the veil of the temple that Jesus destroyed in His precious blood.
It is all about the sacrifice of Jesus so that no one can boast.
James 2:9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
God shows no partiality. Whoever keeps the whole law but breaks just one is guilty of breaking all of them. But the grace in Christ Jesus is freedom from the law. Those who are under the indwelling of Holy Spirit are no longer under bondage but are free.
Those who Jesus sets free are free to be led and discipled by the very Spirit of God.
James 2:14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?
Under the law there was no forgiveness unless every title of it was kept. They worked very hard to try to keep it. The letter of the law kills but the grace given in Jesus gives an abundance of life. He fulfilled all the requirements of the Law in His sacrifice on the Cross.
Ephesians 2:4 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
By grace we are saved through faith. Not of works. For once we are saved we are God's workmanship. We are created in Christ Jesus for good works by our loving God. The Holy Spirit will guide and direct us in the life we were created to live. How do we glorify God if we say we have faith in Christ but our lives do not reflect His great love for all of His creation. Our faith shows itself in our everyday, ordinary lives.
We love others because God first loved us.
That is how great His love is for those who choose by faith to believe.
1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
Jesus died in our place for our sins. We live in His grace. No longer bound by the letter of the Law which kills but in the newness of the gospel of Grace in Christ Jesus. Carla
Mark 16:9–13
Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. The New King James Version
Although the women had been commissioned to tell of Jesus’ resurrection, none had actually seen Jesus until He appeared first to Mary Magdalene. Only this verse and Luke 8:2 mention Jesus’ exorcism of seven demons from Mary, which would explain her strong devotion to Him.
Jesus’ resurrection was evidently not expected by anyone in spite of His repeated predictions.
The Resurrection itself resulted in faith, rather than the expectation thereof. The NKJV Study Bible
Better news cannot be brought to disciples in tears, than to tell them of Christ’s resurrection. And we should study to comfort disciples that are mourners, by telling them whatever we have seen of Christ. It was a wise providence that the proofs of Christ’s resurrection were given gradually, and admitted cautiously, that the assurance with which the apostles preached this doctrine afterwards might the more satisfy. Yet how slowly do we admit the consolations which the word of God holds forth! Therefore while Christ comforts his people, he often sees it needful to rebuke and correct them for hardness of heart in distrusting his promise, as well as in not obeying his holy precepts. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Luke 24:10–11 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.
Mark 16:14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.
Luke 24:13–35 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened…
John 20:11–18 But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain…
Matthew 28:17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.
● It is possible to remain faithful to God in an antagonistic world.
● God will humble the proud, and He will raise the humble. Therefore, we should strive for humility.
● Persecution is to be expected for God's people. We shouldn't be surprised by it, but we can trust that God is working even in painful seasons.
● No king or kingdom of this world is bigger than God. No matter how it looks, God's power is at work and is greater than any other.
● God is sovereign over history and over hearts.
● As followers of God, we are part of a battle in the spiritual realms. But we do not walk in this alone.
● God knows the time for everything, and that includes the end of time. We can know for certain that one day, evil will end.
● God's Kingdom will last forever. First5
We're told not to mistake kindness for weakness. But if we're lucky, sooner or later we discover that kindness is the only true strength there is.
Here's the deal: there is no force in the world better able to alter anything from its course than loving kindness.
We are, all of us in this world, broken. And the grace of God is the glue. We will go a long way toward healing if we see vulnerability as our common bond. We are 'all of us' held and sustained by God's grace. Yes, “together we can do so much.”
So yes, we may yell and point and label and condemn one another, but in the end, it all collapses in grace. Either God's grace is bigger than anything which distances and separates and wounds us. Or it is not. Sabbath Moments
From God’s perspective death is a small price to pay for the privilege of sitting at his table. The scripture says, “Flesh and blood cannot have a part in the kingdom of God…This body that can be destroyed must clothe itself with something that can never be destroyed” (1 Corinthians 15:50, 53 NCV).Max Lucado
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