Chico Alliance Church
“Justified by Faith”
Introduction
I. Correct Divine Credentials 1:6-2:21
A. Reacted to such a quick departure from the gospel of grace vs 6-7
B. Condemned anyone distorting the gospel of grace vs 8-9
C. Affirmed his personal commitment to the gospel of grace vs 10
D. Confirmed the divine origin of the gospel of Grace 1:11-2:21
1. Adamant assertion “Gospel received from Christ 11-12
2. Life Before Christ 13-14
3. Initial experience with Christ 15-17
4. Discipleship and Training
a. Three years in Arabia & Damascus 1:17
b. Trip to Jerusalem (15 days) 1:18-20
c. Fourteen years in Syria and Cilicia 1:21-24
d. Return to Jerusalem 2:1-10
e. Encounter with Peter 2:11-14
II. Correct Concept of the Gospel of Grace 2:15-4:31
A. The Gospel of Grace Introduced 2:15-21
1. Stated emphatically 15-16
"We are Jews by nature, and not sinners from among the Gentiles”
Paul calls attention to a prevalent attitude among the Jews that they were a privileged people by birth as opposed to pagan Gentiles who had no knowledge of or history with God. They were banking on the fact that they had an “in” with the judge. Paul asserts in Romans 3 that when it comes to the issue of right standing before God, there is no difference between Jew or Gentile. Romans 3:9-20
Paul realized that on the basis of the impossibility of being justified by works, even those who considered themselves on the inside track with God deemed it necessary to come to God through Christ.
“Justified”
It is important to understand this most important word. It is the core of the gospel message.
If you miss this concept, you miss the point of the gospel and will continue to flounder in spiritual bondage. This is a legal term, borrowed from the law courts. It is the exact opposite of condemnation. To condemn is to declare somebody guilty To justify is to declare him not guilty, innocent or righteous. In the Bible, this word refers to God’s unmerited favor lavished upon sinful man by which he puts the guilty sinner in right relationship with himself, not only pardoning him or acquitting him, but warmly accepting him and treating him as righteous.
All this on the basis of a substitutionary sacrifice.
“God made him to who knew not sin to be sin our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of god in Him.” 2 Cor 5:21
Paul deals with the question of how a proud, rebellious-by-nature person can enjoy a restored relationship with a just and holy God who cannot overlook sin. The obstacles to overcome have to do with the fact that God is absolutely Holy and that man has completely failed to respond to God as HE requires. The dilemma is fairly simple. God is righteous and we are not! No one is! In order to relate to a righteous and Holy God, we must be righteous and holy according to His estimation and determination of what is righteous and holy. God considers the breaking of any law the same as breaking them all.
The issue of law keeping is not the law itself but the rebellious attitude and action against the law giver. Therefore, the breaking of any law demonstrates a rebellious attitude against the one who gave the law. Any violation of the law demonstrates an attitude of pride that questions the right of the Lawgiver to even issue laws. That is the offense of every man since Adam. We have all demonstrated proud independence and brought condemnation upon ourselves. Even if we have “lived a good life”. We have not related to God or honored God as God in our life at all times.
This brings us back to the question of how can we then be restored to a proper relationship with the Holy God who instructed man regarding proper approach to Him which man ignores or violates. There are two views expressed here in Paul's letter to the Galatians.
In fact, this is the very core of Paul's concern.
The false teachers or Judaizers contended that God relates with his creatures on basis of law and therefore personally keeping His laws is the necessary requirement for open relationship with him.
The Principle: God’s Law
The Practice: Keeping the Law
Paul contends that God now relates with people on the basis of grace and therefore faith in the work of Christ is the necessary requirement for open relationship with him.
The Principle: God’s Grace
The Practice: Faith in Christ’s law keeping and substitutionary sacrifice
Expecting God to accept a man on the basis of his works fails to appreciate the profoundness of Gods holiness as well as the extent of man's sinfulness.
Ever since the fall, man has diminished God’s holiness and glorified his own goodness. The religions of the world demonstrate man's failure to understand the severity of the gap between God and man and the means by which relationship and the restored. Every world religion bases relationship with Deity on the basis of some work of man.
John Stott in his commentary states it quite well.
Paul describes them as “seeking to establish their own righteousness.” It has been the religion of the ordinary man both before and since. It is the religion of the man in the street today. Indeed, it is the fundamental principle of every religious and moral system in the world except new Testament Christianity. It is popular because it is flattering. It tells a man that if he will only pull up his stocks a bit higher and try a bit harder, he will succeed in winning his own salvation.
The truth is, no one has ever been able to keep the law to the degree required to satisfy the character of a perfect and Holy God. It is inconceivable and the pinnacle of pride that anyone would even think he could come to God on the basis of his own merit or works.
It is like daily abusing and beating your wife and expect that an occasional rose will heal the appalling violation of the relationship.
There are two ways to God identified in this letter.
By the Judaizers – Approach to God by works of law on the basis of law.
By Paul (Jesus) -- Approach God by faith in Christ on the basis of mercy and grace.
Paul makes clear that he advocates the proper approach to God. His good news is not his own idea but was revealed to him directly through a revelation or appearance of Jesus Christ. The issue is between self-righteousness or Christ’s righteousness as a means to right standing before God. In just this one verse Paul emphatically states this truth three times. It is a vital truth so crucial to our understanding of how we must relate to God. Paul calls the full weight of his divinely granted authority to correct this devastating and disturbing distortion of truth.
“Even we believed in Jesus”
Believing in Jesus has got to be more than the mere intellectual assent that Jesus lived and died and rose again. The demons are painfully aware of that much. They were there! Transforming belief in Jesus emerges out of an inner realization of one’s desperate need and a strong desire to go surrender to Christ as our only hope of restored relationship with a holy God. Paul and the apostles believed in Christ because of the confident knowledge, both at conversion and still at his writing, that any person is justified not on the basis of the works of the law but through faith in Christ Jesus. That was the general teaching. They believed in Christ Jesus so that they personally could enter into right standing with God in time and space and by being justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law just as revealed by Jesus.
The word “Justified” here is in the passive tense indicating an action done for them or to them. Justification is what God does on our behalf. It is a judicial declaration on behalf of us. We can affirm our innocence all we want. Only the judge’s declaration will have any bearing on our freedom. In justification, God declares the sinner NOT GUILTY on the basis of someone else taking the guilt and someone else providing the innocence. Since there was no other means for any one, any flesh to be justified before God as revealed both by Jesus Christ and recorded earlier in the old Testament they sought right standing with God through faith Christ. The “we” used in Verse 16 most likely refers to both Paul and the other apostles who, as asserted earlier, agreed with the teaching he received from Christ.
Paul affirmed that their belief in Christ was based on a sure knowledge of the revealed truth concerning how a person is justified before God. They believed in Christ knowing that it is through Christ and not works of the law that a man is justified. No matter who you are, Jew or Gentile, there is only one way to be justified before God and that is through faith in the work of Christ on the principle of grace NOT keeping laws. In this one verse we have the powerful message of justification by faith on the basis of God’s mercy and grace apart from keeping laws. What are you depending on to put you in right standing before God both here and hereafter? If God the all knowing judge who judges both the thought and intends of the heart as well as the deeds of the body were to appear this morning and call us to give account before Him what would be our defense?
If he should ask us on what basis should he restore our broken relationship and bless us with all His eternal riches and make us heirs of the kingdom what would we say to persuade Him to accept us?
Church attendance.
Prayer
Bible reading
Baptism
Church membership
Good works
Charity
Your family heritage
In light of our continual rebellion and pride and offenses and failure to live up to the standard, any defense would seem trivial. It would be like trying to explain our failure to jump to the moon (the glory of God) by talking about how high we jumped in comparison to others. Paul declared in Romans 3 that “ALL have sinned and come SHORT (woefully) of the glory of God.” I am here to declare to you today that NO flesh shall be justified by the works of law. Because NO ONE has been, or will be able to keep the law. Only Belief in Christ, the only one who perfectly kept the law, can bring you into right standing before God. Only in Him are we declared “NOT GUILTY by God Himself!!!!”
Our relationship with God is based SOLEY on faith in Christ. As we will see in the next chapter it is the sole basis of our walk with God as well.
Stop trying to earn what you cannot earn.
Stop trying to pay what you cannot pay.
Put away your pride and come to God through faith in Christ on the basis of grace.
It is the ONLY hope for life here or hereafter. And those who have been justified by belief in Christ enjoy peace with God and His resurrection life.
