The birth of Jesus Christ is an undeniable historical event. Though Christ’s birth, in itself, is undeniable, His sinlessness is often brought into question. So, was Jesus born sinless? And if He was born sinless, how is that possible? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture for the answer in our video, Was Jesus Born Without Sin?
Hebrews 4:15 1 John 3:5 Genesis 3:6-7 Romans 5:12 Genesis 5:3 1 Corinthians 15:45 Luke 1:34-35 Genesis 3:15 Romans 3:21-25 1 Timothy 2:14 Luke 4:1 Hebrews 4:14-16 1 Timothy 2:5-6
How Was Jesus Born Without Sin?
The Birth of Jesus Christ
How was Jesus born sinless? Jesus was able to be born without sin because Jesus was born to a virgin and He was conceived from the Holy Spirit.
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”
Luke 1:34-35
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
We’ve all heard the phrase, the Immaculate Conception. In fact, we’ve probably used it in a sentence or even an argument, but do we really know what it is? According to the Catholic belief, Mary was born without sin, but is this true? Was Mary kept from sin because God favored her? Does Romans 3:23 have exceptions, including Mary? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture to find the truth behind these claims in her video, The Immaculate Conception.
Luke 1:28-33 Esther 4:13-14 Romans 3:23 Romans 1:20 Luke 1:46-47 Acts 4:12
The Immaculate Conception
The Birth of Christ Foretold (AKA the Call of Mary)
According to the Catholic belief, the Immaculate Conception is plain in Gabriel’s message to Mary. The problem with that is that Gabriel never once says that Mary was kept from sin from the point of her conception. He never even hints at this.
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
Luke 1:26-33
Was Mary without sin?
According to the Catholic belief, the Immaculate Conception of Mary made her an exception to Romans 3:23.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 3:23
The problem here is that Paul, influenced by the Holy Spirit, doesn’t say some or most; he writes that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Mary herself acknowledges this in Luke 1:47.
46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,”
Luke 1:46-47
I personally believe that this idea of the Immaculate Conception was born out of the Catholic’s desire to elevate Mary from regular human to divine mother.
According to John, the Word of the LORD is God, but does that make sense? Is the Word God, or is the Word just an ‘it’, not an actual entity or person? Is this Word the light or life that the LORD God used to create everything we see and everything we don’t see? Or is there more to the story since Jesus said He (and His Father) is the light and life? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture to answer the question, What or Who Is the Word of God?
John 1:1-2 Genesis 1:1-2 John 1:3 Job 9:8 Isaiah 44:24 John 1:4-5 John 8:12 John 11:25-27 John 14:6 John 1:6-18 Revelation 19:11-16 Revelation 17:14 John 1:28-29 Revelation 7:13-14 Hebrews 4:12 1 Peter 1:22-23 Ephesians 6:17
The Word of the LORD
The Word is God
John 1:1 says, “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Here are a couple of instances of the Word of the LORD declaring Himself to be the LORD God.
1After these things the Word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
7 And He said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
Genesis 15:1, 7
10 The Word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night.
1 Samuel 15:10-11
Whenever the Word of the LORD comes to someone, it’s as an actual living entity declaring to be the LORD God. This is because the Word of the LORD isn’t just God speaking, but it’s the LORD God Himself. The Word of the LORD is one of the members of the God-Head, the Trinity.
The Word is the Creator
According to John 1:3, 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. Here are a couple of instances of the LORD God saying He is the only creator.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, 6 that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. 7 I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.
11 Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him: Ask me of things to come; will you command me concerning my children and the work of my hands? 12 I made the earth and created man on it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host.
Isaiah 45:5-7, 11-12
4 Give them this charge for their masters: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: This is what you shall say to your masters: 5 “It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me.”’
Jeremiah 27:4-5
According to the LORD God, He is the sole creator of all things. Therefore, if the Word of the LORD created all things, then He is one of the members of the God-Head.
The Word is Light and Life
John 1:4 says, 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The Word of the LORD is light and life, which is eerily similar to what Jesus said about Himself. Here are few instances of Jesus saying that He is the light and life.
The Life
25 Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself. 27 And He has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.
John 5:25-27
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
1 John 1:1-3
The Light
35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”
John 12:35-36
44 And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in Him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees Him who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”
John 12:44-46
The Word of the LORD is Jesus. Jesus is the light and life of the World. Jesus is the Creator. And most importantly, Jesus is God. The Word of the LORD is the light and life because the Word of the LORD is Jesus, the Son of God.
In today’s world, the role of a father has been lowered and demeaned. It no longer holds any importance to us, but the father is an important role in the Bible. So, what exactly is the role of a father according to the Bible? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture for the answer.
John 5:19 John 8:39-47 Proverbs 18:21 Genesis 27:38 Genesis 48:9 Job 1:5 Genesis 17:18-21
The Role of a Father
First Role of a Father: A Father Leads By Example
One of the first roles of a father is to lead by example. Whether it is good or bad, a father leads by example because his children are watching and learning from him.
20 For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all that He Himself is doing. And greater works than these will He show Him, so that you may marvel.
John 5:20
8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
1 John 3:8–10
Second Role of a Father: A Father Speaks Into His Children’s Lives
Our greatest example for a good father is our Heavenly Father. The very first thing God did after creating man and woman was to bless them.
27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:27-28
This is why one of the most important roles a father has is to speak into his children’s lives. Whether a father realizes it or not, his words have weight, they mean something. They aren’t just empty words that disappear once they are spoken. Life and death is in the power of the tongue. The role of a good father is to bless his children, to speak good things over their lives.
1 When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. 3 Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me, 4 and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.”
Genesis 27:1-4
Third Role of a Father: A Father Prays For His Children
To pray for his children is one of the most important, if not the most important, roles of a father. Leading by example is important, as well as blessing your children, but to pray for your children is where the battle for their soul begins and ends. This role of a father is often overlooked and said to be a mother’s role, which it is, but it is a father’s role as well.
5 And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.
Job 1:5
Prayers to Pray For Your Children
24 The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26
3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
Deuteronomy 28:3-6
1Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.
As Gentiles, it’s easy to feel like God never really wanted us. That His only desire was to save the Jews but is that true? Did God have a plan for the salvation of the Gentiles like He had for the Salvation of the Jews? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture to find the answer to the question, Did God Plan To Save The Gentiles?
1 Corinthians 12 Leviticus 23:15-22 Matthew 16:5-12 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 1 Peter 4:3 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 Matthew 10:5-7 Matthew 15:21-24 Matthew 28:16-20 Acts 9:15 Judges 7:12-14 John 12:20-26 Deuteronomy 32:8 Exodus 9:31-32 Romans 1:16 Leviticus 23:22 Romans 2:10-11 Ruth 1:15-18 Ruth 1:22 Ruth 2:22-23 Ruth 4:9-10 Galatians 3:28-29
Salvation for the Gentiles
Salvation for the Gentiles Prophesied
17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.
Genesis 22:17-18
20 I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord. 21 “And in that day I will answer, declares the Lord, I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth, 22 and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel, 23 and I will sow her for myself in the land. And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’; and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’”
Hosea 2:20-23
10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.”
Hosea 1:10
From the very beginning God had a plan to save the Gentiles. He desires to save all of His creation no matter who they are, no matter what they’ve done, and no matter where they were born. God’s desire was, is, and always will be to save His most precious creation, us.
No Longer Gentiles
14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
John 10:14-16
7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
Galatians 3:7-9
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
Galatians 3:27-9
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13
9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
Colossians 3:9-11
When Jesus died and rose again, He made a way for Gentiles to be grafted into the sheepfold along with the Jews. God’s desire isn’t to keep us separated as Gentiles and Jews, but to combine us as one people in His name. One flock, one body of Christ.
More on Leaven
7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from Him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is.
Throughout Scripture, we see a direct connection between blessings and childbirth, but why? Did God intend for women to just be a baby factory, or is there more to the story? What’s so important about giving birth other than making sure humanity doesn’t die out? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture to find out what the ‘Blessing of Being a Mother’ really is.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:28
1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.”
Genesis 9:1
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”
Genesis 18:11-12
25 by the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
Genesis 49:25
25 You shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you. 26 None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.
Exodus 23:25-26
3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.
Psalms 127:3
Women are the only people on earth who can have children, that is a blessing and a privilege. The LORD has given women the blessing of being a mother, so that she may be redeemed to her rightful place at man’s side as a helpmate. Out of man came woman, but from every woman man is born.
As Christians, the Resurrection of Jesus is one of our most important celebrations. We rejoice for our King did not stay dead. He rose on the third day. Now, when He rose, His disciples, including Peter and John, didn’t know. In fact, no one knew. They all had to be told.
Mary Magdalene, Mary the Mother of James (The mother of Jesus), and Salome (the mother of the sons of Zebedee, James and John) went out early the morning of the Resurrection (Resurrection Sunday) to the tomb of Jesus to anoint Him with oils. But when they got there, the stone was rolled away, and Jesus wasn’t in the tomb.
Instead, an angel, who was there, told them to go tell Jesus’ disciples and Peter that Jesus has risen and will meet them at Galilee as He had prophesied. Which begs the question, why did this angel call Peter by name? Why did he single Peter out? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture to find the answer to this question in our latest video, ‘Why Did The Angel Call Peter By Name?’
Mark 16:5-7 Matthew 26:31-32 Matthew 26:33 Proverbs 8:3 Proverbs 16:20 Proverbs 16:18 Matthew 16:21-23 Luke 22:31-34 Luke 22:61-62 Mark 16:7 Isaiah 43:1 Colossians 2:13-15 John 20:1-9 2 Corinthians 10:5-6 John 21:19b
More on Peter and The Resurrection of Jesus
The Angel Singles Out Peter
1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint Him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”
4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.”
Mark 16:1-7
Jesus Asks Peter, ‘Do You Love Me?’
15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to Him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to Him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”
One of the most well-known stories of Jesus’ ministry is His encounter with The Rich Young Ruler. But like many other stories, we don’t really understand the importance of this story. Nor do we understand what the story really means. Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture to fully understand the importance of the encounter with The Rich Young Ruler.
Matthew 19:16-21 Romans 10:8-10 Matthew 16:13-17 Mark 10:20-21 Mark 2:21-22 Matthew 5:48 Colossians 4:12 Matthew 6:19-21 Matthew 19:22 Matthew 6:24 John 14:6
More On The Rich Young Ruler
Mark’s Account of The Rich Young Ruler
17 And as He was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before Him and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to Him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Mark 10:17-22
Luke’s Account of The Rich Young Ruler
18 And a ruler asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 23 But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.
Luke 18:18-23
The Summary
Jesus didn’t say He wasn’t God, He was giving the rich young ruler a chance to confess who He is. But the rich young ruler missed it because he was blinded by the old covenant where man’s goodness was based on his actions. Jesus then tells him to sell everything he has and give it to the poor so that he can have treasure in Heaven, instead of on Earth. Then Jesus tells the young man to follow Him so that he might be saved.
In today’s world, we often hear the phrase, once a… always a… For instance, once a cheater, always a cheater. Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic. The world loves to label us by our past. Our society today has completely and utterly gotten rid of the hope of overcoming. We no longer teach our children that they can overcome any obstacle, but instead, we teach them that any obstacle can overcome them.
But why? The Devil knows that where hope abides, he can be overcome. So, he stomps hope out before it even has a chance to take root in us. He stuffs our heads with lies, convincing us that we will never be able to overcome our past. That we will never conquer our demons, but is that what God says?
Does God not call us more than conquerors? Didn’t Christ die so that we could live? Isn’t the victory ours in Christ Jesus? If we are conquerors and overcomers in Christ Jesus, then how do we overcome sin? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture to find the answer in our video, ‘How To Be An Overcomer.’
John 8:36 1 John 5:4 Proverbs 30:21-23 Philippians 2:5-11 Matthew 20:24-28 Proverbs 14:1 Mark 10:17-18 John 6:51-58 Revelation 3:20 Matthew 4:1-4 Ephesians 5:25-27 Romans 5:8-11 John 8:31-36 Galatians 4:28-31
More On ‘How To Be An Overcomer’
The Slave
3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Romans 8:3-4
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:1-5; 15
Christ became a slave so that He could make a way for all slaves. We were once slaves to sin, but because Christ overcame sin, we can now overcome sin as well. We can now be more than conquerors through Him.
The Fool
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:37-39
54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:54-58
Once, we were fools. We once lived our lives as if God didn’t exist because we were once overcome by sin. We lived our lives according to our own flesh and our own desires; in doing so, we said in our hearts that God does not exist. Our actions stem from what is in our heart, and if our heart is pouring out evil, then our heart says that there is no God.
The Unloved Woman
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Colossians 1:21-23
2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
9 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
Revelation 21:2, 9-11
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:4-7
Once, we were dirty and unloved. Our stench was great before the LORD because of our sin. We were overcome in every aspect of our lives, unable to clean ourselves. No sacrifice was great enough for the LORD to forgive us until Christ came in our very form. He came conquering. He was born with the same weaknesses we were, yet He overcame so that one day we could be washed clean and reconciled to Him.
The Maidservant
17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:17-23
3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3:3-7
We were once slaves to sin, fear, and all acts of unrighteousness, but now, we are slaves to righteousness. We are free from the chains of sin that leads to death. Because of God’s love for us and His redeeming blood we are being transformed into His image. We are no longer slaves to sin, but instead we are children of God Most High. We can overcome all things through Him.
We often talk about grace but do we really under what grace is. To many people, grace is used interchangeably with mercy or love; and many think because they have this grace, they can live however they want to, and God will just accept them. As we stated in our video, What Is The Mercy of God? We defined grace as receiving the good that we don’t deserve, but what does that mean exactly? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture to find out what grace is and what it means to have grace in our video, What Is Grace?
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works.
Titus 2:11-14
4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3:4-7
Where Grace Abounds
20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 5:20-21
12 I thank Him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because He judged me faithful, appointing me to His service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 1:12-14
How To Receive Grace?
22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 3:22-26
In order to receive grace, you have to first believe and repent. Through faith in Christ Jesus, you will be saved, but once you are saved, you must continue in His love. You have to live your life for Him, following His footsteps and His commands.
