Built Upon

"And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split." ~Matthew 27:50-51         What is the significance of the curtain in the temple being torn in two at the death of Jesus?         The curtain was huge, 6-inches thick, and separated the Holy of Holies in the Temple. God dwelt there amongst His people, yet separated by this curtain. While it may seem like an unfair thing for a loving God to separate His presence thus from His people, it was actually amazingly caring that He allowed the High Priest to enter once a year and intervene for the people. God is the very essence of Holiness, and we the people are as far from perfect holiness as the east is from the west. Being holy, God couldn't come into contact with a filth-ridden people, but because He cared He allowed His presence in the Holy...

        What is grace? If you're a Christian, no doubt you've heard this word tossed about plenty of times. "It's all by the grace of God." "Just respond to His grace." Wait, what? By definition, grace is "The free and unmerited favour of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings." To put it succinctly, everything good in your life is by the grace of God. As humans, we don't truly deserve anything from an almighty, all-powerful God of the universe. It is through His grace that He sent His son to die for our sins and make us new. Jesus is grace manifested.         In Jesus' sermon on the mount in Matthew chapter 5, He mentions that "Not an iota, not a dot has passed away" from the law. When I used to read this, I would become confused; thinking "Wait, what Jesus? I thought life wasn't just about upholding the law anymore because you died for us... right?" But now I realize...