Luke 7:45-48 English Standard Version (ESV)

⁴⁵ You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. ⁴⁶ You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. ⁴⁷ Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” ⁴⁸ And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

123 is an order of procession. 1 love, 2 worship, 3 forgiveness. Sounds backwards because most of us seek forgiveness first. It is not backwards if you view salvation as an ongoing process. When Christ died on the cross He removed sin as a barrier to relationship with God. We still sin, we still feel bad about it, and we need forgiveness daily.

If we look to salvation only in the aspect of the eternal then we ignore the greater aspects of a clear conscience, loving God and worshipping God. God saved us from the penalty for sin, has given us power over the temptation of sin, but has not removed us yet from the presence of sin.

Mary Magdalene worshipped the very ground Jesus walked on. Her anointing of His feet was a sign of worship. Few of us take into consideration every step Jesus took in His life that led to the cross. It was an example of how we should live and love. It is impossible for us to do so because only Christ could walk in perfection. Now, having excepted Christ into our hearts by faith, He can once again walk in righteousness in us.

Do we love and worship Him enough to allow Him to live His life through us? Even our ability to forgive others stems from that love and worship.

Mark 8:34 English Standard Version (ESV) And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Die to self and live for Christ.

Ezekiel 11:19 English Standard Version (ESV) And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,

This is how the New Testament differs from the demands of Deuteronomy 6:25

Colossians 3:14-16 English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁴ And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Philippians 3:9 English Standard Version (ESV) and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—

To know right and to do right is impossible without our faith in Christ, who is our one heart, who dwells in all who have accepted Him by faith. This walk of faith is in the spirit yet we live in the flesh. We are subject to all the ills of the flesh. All of our sufferings are in the flesh. We have the ability to obey the flesh or the spirit. Love will always be a choice.

Romans 7:18 English Standard Version (ESV) For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.

Paul tries in Romans 7 to explain how difficult it is to live in these two worlds, the flesh and the spirit. Trying to find the strength in the flesh to carry out the will of God is impossible.

Romans 7:24-25a English Standard Version (ESV)

²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!