Justified By Faith
Galatians: SOAR! Faith Without Limits "The Gospel, Grace, Freedom" • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 47:10
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I want to start this message by asking us to stand as we read the words from our passage today… Galatians 2:15-21
15 “We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles;
16 nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.
17 “But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be!
18 “For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor.
19 “For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God.
20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
21 “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”
Having a Greater Advantage is not indicative of a Greater Relationship
Having a Greater Advantage is not indicative of a Greater Relationship
As Americans we are at an advantage in so many ways...
Our poor are still rich compared to the rest of the world
Our government as messed up as it can get is still one coveted by many other nations
We have many religious freedoms the rest of the world does not know
Even though we see in our country a greater need for people to know, hear, and understand the gospel
The gospel is still made more available here than most places
Yet maybe not as appreciated as others...
In verse 15 Paul states that “We are Jews by nature” …
They had an advantage, BUT being Jew did not indicate relationship.
Gentiles were addressed as “sinners” due to the past understanding God had chosen the Jews not gentiles
Both are sinners vs 16 “even we have believed”
God had given the Jews His Law, His revelation, His Son.... yet the people rejected Him!
You and I have a great advantage over so many in the world, what attitude does this create?
Do we tell people to be American
Do we consider ourselves better
Are we content to know God and keep Him just to ourselves?
I believe that if Paul had to narrow down this letter to the Galatians to one statement it would be verse 16 in chapter 2! Galatians 2:16
16 nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.
This a powerful passage for the proclamation of Salvation through faith void of works...
Man is NOT justified by works… Rather justification comes through Faith in Christ!
Man is NOT justified by works… Rather justification comes through Faith in Christ!
Paul challenged Peter… you know this! Even we have believed! (Being Jews)
JUSTIFIED= is a legal term, borrowed from the law courts and means “to declare righteous.” Its opposite is “to condemn.”
Paul makes a general declaration that negatively man is not justified by observing the Law, but positively, justification is by faith in Jesus Christ.
Justice Gray of the Supreme Court once said to a man who had appeared before him in one of the lower courts and had escaped conviction by some technicality: “I know that you are guilty and you know it, and I wish you to remember that one day you will stand before a better and wiser Judge, and that there you will be dealt with according to Justice and not according to law.”
—C. E. Macartney
You and I stand condemned… Wiersbe states it well when he says: “In justification, God declares the believing sinner righteous; He does not make him righteous. (Of course, real justification leads to a changed life, which is what James 2 is all about.) Before the sinner trusts Christ, he stands GUILTY before God; but the moment he trusts Christ, he is declared NOT GUILTY and he can never be called GUILTY again!”
Justification is an act of God; it is not the result of man’s character or works.
But since people are condemned sinners and God is holy, how can people be justified?
Christ needed to do what He did because you and I were and are incapable of the standard of perfection God has.
Faith not the law...
Verse 16 ends with Paul making a very clear and BOLD statement for his day… “by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.”
Objections Anticipated and Answered…
Objections Anticipated and Answered…
Pail knows how the objections that will come as he makes such a bold statement… and he is prepared to answer them and share the truth!
#1 So Paul should we just believe in Christ and do away with the Law? So does God want us to sin?
MAY IT NEVER BE!!!!! NO!!!!
Christ came to fulfill the law… Matthew 5:17 NOT do away with it.
Paul says rather I sin if I try try to rebuild a system that teaches salvation by works...
Verse 19 (Galatians 2:19) NLT
19 For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God.
The Law condemned Paul! James 2:10
10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.
God gave the law knowing we could not keep it… it convicted us of sin!
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 2858 On the Making of Laws
There are two million laws in the United States. If a man could familiarize himself with them at the rate of two a day, he could be qualified to act as a law-abiding citizen in the space of six thousand years.
All the laws of ancient Rome were ordered by Emperor Justinian to be compiled during the 6th century A.D. With sixteen assistants, Tribonian came up with 2,000 volumes after three years.
With over 2 million laws you and I are bound to have broken one of them this last week.
What about God’s Law… Mark 12:28-31
28 One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?”
29 Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord;
30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
31 “The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Romans 3:23 we all have!!! We missed the mark of perfection before a perfect God
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The law brought justice…Death (we don’t want justice at the judgment)
Jesus Christ brought grace (getting what i don’t deserve) and mercy (NOT getting what I do deserve)
#2 So Paul do we just live how we want to since the law is not for salvation?
Faith is Needed for Salvation & Godly Living!
Faith is Needed for Salvation & Godly Living!
The law was God’s standard… our flesh cannot keep God’s standard.
Verse 20 (Galatians 2:20) …
20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
My sinful flesh died with Christ! I am still in the flesh… but Christ, God lives in me through the Holy Spirit!
I live as Christ wills when I allow HIM to live through me!
Christ fulfilled the Law not me. Romans 7:4
4 Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.
We can’t even bear fruit until we have salvation!
Much less love God completely and our neighbors!
There is a teaching of Lordship Salvation…
It basically states that one must live according to the law, God’s standard, in order to prove ones salvation!
This is dangerous… we then judge ones salvation based on their works! and not their Savior!
Paul states clearly in verse 21… he cannot nullify (make meaningless) God’s Grace.
To do base our salvation on what we do nullifies Christ’s death
Paul will challenge his readers in how they live by faith for Christ more later in the letter
His chief concern at hand is that the Galatians were clear, you and I are clear that salvation is through Faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ not our works.