“At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people” (Matthew 27:51-53).

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As I was praying, God spoke to me. He reminded me to run the race as to get the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24), yet God has shown me that I won’t win the race by being fast; I’ll win the race by being faithful (2 Timothy 4:7). The one who stands firm to the end will be saved (Matthew 34:13). If you have ears to hear, then hear what God is saying.

God did what the law was powerless to do. And when Jesus gave up his spirit, “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people” (Matthew 27:51-53). When I turn the other cheek, when I forgive my enemy, when I give to widows and orphans, I do not do so by the law, but by the Spirit, and by the Spirit, I uphold the law. How can I steal from my neighbor whom I love as myself? What does the widow’s offering bear witness to the true measure of giving? What do my treasures reveal about my heart? Why in the world would I strike down an enemy whom I have forgiven? Jesus took what was coming to me. If willingly taking my place, for my sins, is God’s definition of justice, then seems my definition is way off.

Paul calls those, whom live by the Spirit, slaves to righteousness. “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness” (Romans 6:15-18). And again, in Romans 8:13, the apostle declares, “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.” I realize that living by the Spirit has less to do with mere morality than it does with following the person of the Holy Spirit. God works in me, by living in me, by his Spirit; the Law and the Prophets fulfilled in me!

When the scales fall from your eyes, it can be a lot to process, and in the end, you find a world dramatically foreign to the one you knew. So, I’ll leave the great theological debates to theologians; I won’t be losing any sleep over a single one of them. What I have received, I received by revelation, not religion, which God has confirmed in his Word; the mystery of grace continues to unfold. Praise be to God!

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