FOOD FOR YOUR JOURNEY
11 November
THE BASIS FOR CONDEMNATION
He appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided, (rebuked or reprimanded) them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen Him after He was risen. And He said unto them, he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Mark 16:14,16
In Mark 15 and 16 we read of Christ’s crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection. Things that Jesus had discussed with the disciples many times during their time with Him. Now that He had died on the Cross and had been buried, the disciples refused to believe that He had risen from the dead and was alive! Is it any wonder that Jesus had to reprimand them for their unbelief.
There is a lesson for us to learn from these Scriptures and it is this:
The only basis for condemnation is a refusal to believe.
Therefore:
The only basis for Salvation, is belief.
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by FAITH without the deeds of the law.
Romans 3:28
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift from God: not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
Because we do not have the privilege of actually being with Jesus, as the disciples did, we are told to accept by faith what the Scriptures tell us about His death, burial and resurrection. We should however, remember that exercising faith is not as foreign as you think because we employ faith hundreds of times each day. For example: Without even thinking we sit on a chair and it holds our weight. Switching on our computer is an act of faith; we know it is going to spring into life once we push the on button. We have faith that other motorists will keep out of our way as we drive to work, and they likewise, have faith that we will keep out of their way.
Our Wonderful God has not left us helpless and hopeless because He has given us His Holy Word to read, study and meditate on. It guides us and gives us the truth, the real truth!
So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
Romans 10:17