Sept. 9,’01 JUSTIFICATION THROUGH FAITH
A. Armstrong
Golden Text: “We conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” [Romans 3:28]
We find many scriptures in the New Testament about justification.
We believe it - every word of it.
The problem today is that many are just picking out a verse here or there to justify their doctrine on justification. But we believe in the WHOLE Bible RIGHTLY divided.
So in our study of justification, we will look at both the writings of Paul and those of James. We are going to consider… Justification by FAITH - DEAD OR ALIVE.
Justification is an inherent part of salvation. If it were not, then salvation would not truly be salvation. It would lack something very important. It would lack that ‘just as if you had never sinned’ part.
Paul argues for justification through faith in many of his writings.
But what we need to realize is that Paul was all the time having to combat the forces of Judaism that were trying to creep into the church. Whose claim it was that you could not be perfected without the works of the law.
One example of this was what happened at Antioch…
Acts 15:1-2
1 And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
[Paul and Barnabas greatly disputed with these men].
They were saying you can’t be justified in God’s eyes unless you adhere to Moses’ law.
What Paul combatted was being justified by the works of the law; circumcision, keeping of the feasts, etc.
The Judaisers said ‘you can’t be saved without these works’. But Paul said the works of the law could not save us; could not justify.
If the performance of works could have justified man before God, then Jesus would not have had to die. But without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. And Jesus said…
Heb 10:4-5
4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
…Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
But no work of man could justify him. He had to believe in the shed blood of Jesus Christ unto salvation to be justified in God’s sight. It is of faith.
Romans 5:1-2
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God....
Do you remember what your life was like before you surrendered to Christ?
You were an enemy of God - living in blindness, a lost soul without hope. You were ungodly, guilty - and the wrath of God was "abiding on you" (see John 3:36).
What a terrible position to be in! But millions everyday [even ‘good’ people] are living with the wrath of God abiding on them.
It is not because God is desiring to hurt those who have not come to him. They have been under this wrath since Adam sinned. It is the eternal damnation of their souls.
But God loved us all and made a way whereby we ALL might be saved. Therefore he said… ‘Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
But for those who never call, eternal wrath is abiding upon their souls. The world cannot grasp the eternal truth that God loves sinners, but hates their sin and will punish it eternally.
They cannot reckon love and punishment together. Therefore they say that a God that is really love, as the Bible proclaims him to be, could not cast anyone’s soul into hell.
But until both the offended and the offending parties embrace each other over the same Sacrifice that taketh away the sin of the world, that love of God which yearns toward the sinner cannot, and will not, reach him.
But the carnal cannot understand a holy and righteous God. Spiritual things are perceived only by those who walk in the Spirit.
How did you find forgiveness and acceptance before God?
How did you enter into the blessed assurance you were saved, rejoicing in the love of Jesus Christ?
Was it because God saw something good in you? Did you possess some inherent righteousness that attracted Him to you?
Did you earn His favor with obedience and kindness?
No - absolutely not!
No one is ever saved by his own works or merit.
Isaiah 64:4
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is as filthy rags.
It is by grace alone we are saved - and not by anything we have done.
I remember one time my Grandma got a letter from my great aunt. She wrote about how they attended church every Sunday and gave a certain amount of money. And I remember her talking about the committees she was a part of to do good works.
Then she said she thought that she had done enough that they outweighed the bad things she had done, so God would receive her.
It is amazing that this woman went to church every Sunday and had either never heard or never understood the message of Salvation through faith.
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.
Justification is the cornerstone of grace.
To be justified by God means to be "acquitted" - forgiven of all sin and guilt - and to be considered holy and righteous before Him.
No one is justified - that is, he cannot become holy or righteous - by his own works, obedience or faithfulness.
Rather, these things are all the result of a justifying faith in the power of Christ’s blood to make us acceptable in God’s sight:
I say again… works, obedience, and faithfulness are the RESULT of that justifying faith.
The apostle Paul did not want to be found standing before Christ in his own righteousness.
Here was a good man - a Pharisee - who had diligently kept all the numerous rules and regulations of the law. He paid tithes faithfully. He loved God with all his heart. He attended all the functions of the synagogue. He studied the Word of God endlessly. He loved his fellow man and went about doing good.
Here’s what he had to say about what he had been…
Phil 3:5-6
5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
If a man could have stood on his works for salvation, Paul could have. But he knew that no man could. He went on to say…
Phil 3:7-9
7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
According to the law, Paul was a perfect man. But all that became as rubbish to him - he counted it all as loss - when he came into the revelation of the righteousness of Christ!
So we see the danger of believing that justification comes by works.
But there is another danger also. And that is the preaching that we are justified once we receive Christ and nothing we do can ever change that.
Grace as it is preached in many churches today is producing a class of Christians who are still pleasure lovers, deeply involved in sin. Multitudes today live like the devil, yet claim, "I am the righteousness of Christ by faith!"
Beloved, that is a lie from the pit of hell! They are deceived!
One minister related this story…
"A few years ago, I drove by a certain church that preached what is called "the grace message."
As I drove by, the deacons stood outside smoking, several of them shaking off a hangover from Saturday night.
Some of these men were known adulterers, some wife-beaters.
Still others were known around town as cheats in their business. Yet, because of the "grace message" they heard, they were convinced they were justified, no matter how they lived - that they were made the righteousness of God in Christ.
I knew the pastor of this church to be a good man. But there was something wrong with his message: He didn’t preach the entire gospel!
He once told me, "I really believe in righteousness. And if you have the righteousness of Christ, it will produce a desire to be pure and holy."
This minister thought to himself… "Wait a minute! You’ve been preaching to these people for eight years!
After all that time, where is the evidence among them of a pure walk with God? Why hasn’t your "grace" message produced a truly godly congregation who are separated from worldliness?
Many of your people still live for the devil, they’re dying and going to hell - and you know it!"
The truth is NOT ALL FAITH IS JUSTIFYING FAITH.
The Bible clearly speaks of two kinds of faith: one that justifies, and another that is of no value - a faith that even the devils exercise!
James 2:19
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
The book of Acts records that Simon the magician "believed" - but his faith was not the justifying kind.
Acts 8:13
Simon himself believed also: and... he was baptized.
But then he offered the apostle Peter money to get the power of the Holy Ghost - but Peter answered…
Acts 8:23
I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.
He was saying, "Your heart is still bound by sin!"
Peter told Simon that without repentance both he and his money would perish!
Indeed, Simon believed - but he was not made the righteousness of God in Christ! His faith was not justifying faith - the kind that purifies the heart and brings the righteousness of Christ!
Scripture says many people "believed (in Jesus)... when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them... for he knew what was in a man" (John 2:23-24).
These people had a kind of belief in Christ - but it wasn’t the faith of those who receive "power to become the sons of God."
Justifying faith is more than a faith of assent; it does more than just acknowledge God. It believeth unto righteousness.
James 2:14-20
14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Faith will produce works of righteousness! It will produce obedience to God within us!
We talk about the faith of Abraham. The fact that he believed and it was imputed unto him for righteousness.
But how do we KNOW that Abraham believed God? How did God know it? Because God knows all things? NO!
God ‘proved’ Abraham’s faith… He tried it.
Abraham proved he believed God by obedience to him.
When God said…
Gen 12:1-4
1 [Now the LORD had said] unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
How do we know Abram believed God?????? Because…
4 [So] Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him
By his obedience. James goes on to say…
James 2:21-24
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
As we have said, we believe in justification through faith. That I cannot earn my way to heaven. But we know that true faith will produce works of righteousness….
Eph 2:8-10
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
But listen to what Paul went on to say…
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
God has before ordained that those who have been born again [created in Christ Jesus] were birthed unto good works.
And God expects us to walk in them.
The Puritan writer John Owen said it well:
"We absolutely deny that we are justified by that faith alone which can be alone - that is, faith that is without a principle of life and obedience in all things, at all times....
For we recognize no faith to be of the sanctifying kind, but that which virtually and radically contains in it an obedience at all times - yea, we acknowledge no faith to be justifying, which is not itself a spiritually vital principle of obedience and good works."
For faith to be justifying, there has to be an accompanying desire to obey and be faithful to God!
This kind of faith contains a vital force - a principle of everlasting obedience and love for God.
Anything short of that is a dead, temporary faith. It does not produce the true benefits of grace - but instead it mocks grace!
There Is a Spirit of Lawlessness in the Land!
The sinner calls it "rights":
The right to practice homosexuality. The right to abort. The right between consenting adults to do with their bodies whatever they choose. In short the right to do whatever they please!
Sinners want all these rights - but do not want to pay any penalties and consequences. That is a spirit of lawlessness!
This spirit is now creeping into the church: They say…
"Give me free pardon and everlasting life - without any cost.
Free me from all guilt and condemnation.
Promise me a justification I can never lose.
But don’t disturb me by asking me to lay anything down!
Let me have it my way without giving up my personal freedom… without any call to obedience!"
This may not be what is actually said - but it is what is lived.
And now we have invented a queasy "grace message" with no foundation on which to build a holy life - it is a gospel that appeases the spirit of lawlessness in our land!
"All my righteousness and goodness are filthy rags in God’s sight, without the blood of Christ.
But because of the blood, all my works, obedience and faithfulness are received as a sweet-smelling savor unto the Lord!" That, beloved, is true zeal for God - and for holiness and righteousness!
Yes, we believe we are justified by faith, and because we do have faith, we do the works of God.
