Freedom, The Grand Proposition - Part One
(Galatians 2:15-16)
Theme: God’s Righteousness is imputed to those who have faith in Jesus Christ.
Purpose: What do I want to happen in the hearer when I preach this sermon?
A. Increased knowledge. After I preach this sermon, the hearer should be able to define the term righteousness.
1. Referring to God: Righteous, Perfect, Right, Just.
2. Referring to human beings: Justified, Perfect, Right, Just.
And to know that the source of our righteousness is never perfect performance but, rather, something which God gives us—a free gift based upon our faith.
B. Increased insight. After I preach this sermon, the hearer should be able to see that when a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ God imputes righteousness to him our her.
C. Changed attitude. After I preach this sermon, I want the hearer to determine to work in order to develop and strengthen faith rather than to earn salvation or stave off doubt.
Behavioral
Objective: Celebrate salvation by grace through faith.
Need to be
Surfaced: It is difficult for human beings to trust that God makes us righteous based upon our faith in Christ and not upon our works of merit.
Solution to
be Offered: Justification (Salvation) by grace through faith is the plan that God has revealed to be his method of bringing us back into fellowship with him. We must trust his revealed plan even when it is not “self-evident.”
Introduction. (Get attention, surface need, make a contract to deliver a solution.)
A. The movie: Goodwill Hunting.
1. In the mathematics department at a prestigious university.
2. On the blackboard there was a famous equation which no one had ever solved.
3. Matt Damon was the night janitor.
4. One night he looked at the problem and scratched out the solution there on the blackboard.
5. The next school day the professor came in and saw that someone had solved the equation and began looking for the unidentified genius.
B. Proposition - a definition.
1. General: a subject or statement to be discussed or debated.
2. Mathematics: a theorem to be demonstrated or proved.
a. Theorem: something that is not self-evident.
b. But that can be demonstrated to be true:
(1) Through the use of accepted premises.
(2) And accepted procedures.
3. Illustration:
a. Here is our proposition.
b. It does not “prove itself.” (Not self-evident. It may even go against “common perception”).
c. Therefore, here is our offer of proof:
(1) First, you are familiar with this particular field of inquiry.
(2) Second, you agree that these generally accepted principles are true.
(3) Third, you agree that these generally accepted procedures are valid.
(4) Therefore, if we apply our principles and follow our procedures then our conclusion must be true.
4. Application:
a. We saw last time that the doctrine of “Justification by Faith” is attractive to the human mind:
(1) It makes our lives simple.
(2) It meets us right where we are: hopelessly enslaved by sin.
b. But, it is elusive. Why?
(1) Because it just doesn’t seem right, fair.
(2) Because it doesn’t meet our felt need:
(a) It is my sins that are the problem; therefore, only I can do something about them!
(b) Justification by faith is un-American!
(3) And so justification by faith is not self-evident.
c. Here are our premises:
(1) About God:
(a) He cannot lie.
(b) He is not affected by sin.
(c) He is perfect in every way.
(d) So, his perception is more accurate than ours.
(e) He has revealed his plan for dealing with sin.
(2) About human beings:
(a) Sin has entered our psyche.
(b) Therefore, our perceptions are flawed.
(c) We have a difficult time fully trusting God at his word (it has always been this way).
(d) We are completely incapable of dealing with even one sin much less all sin.
(e) We are intelligent enough to read and understand God’s revealed plan for our salvation.
d. Here is our procedure:
(1) Come to God in humility.
(2) Read, believe, trust and obey what he has revealed about how a human being attains righteousness.
(3) Disregard any flawed human feelings or hunches which seem to militate against the unconditional acceptance of God’s plan.
C. The Grand Proposition, Galatians 2:15-16.
1. We are justified (made righteous),
2. Not by works of law,
3. But by [the] faith in [of] Jesus Christ.
D. Justification/righteous - a definition (* Purpose #1).
1. Referring to God: Righteous.
a. Perfect.
b. Right.
c. Just.
2. Referring to human beings: Justified.
a. Perfect.
b. Right.
c. Just.
3. What is the source of our righteousness?
a. Perfect performance? IMPOSSIBLE!
b. Therefore, it must be something God gives us—a free gift.
E. How do we attain this righteousness?
I. NOT by any Law of Works, Galatians 2:15-16a.
A. Why?
1. Because of the nature of human beings.
2. Because of the nature of a law of works.
B. The nature of human beings.
1. We have fallen.
2. Romans 3:23.
a. For all human beings have sinned.
(1) Aorist, active, indicative, 3rd person, plural.
(2) Past, completed action.
b. For all human beings fall short of the glory of God.
(1) Present, passive, indicative, 3rd person, plural.
(2) Present, standing condition!
(a) Sin is what I do.
(b) Sin is what I have become!
C. INTERLUDE: We DO have Good News this morning!
1. But it is NOT Good News that exalts:
a. A preacher,
b. An elder,
c. A deacon,
d. A denomination,
e. A movement,
f. A doctrinal position.
2. It is Good News that exalts
a. Jesus Christ.
b. And him crucified.
D. The nature of any law of works.
1. Demands perfect performance.
2. Condemns the violator on the first violation.
3. Can never make a person righteous.
E. Interlude: Something to Ponder:
1. About God:
a. Is God righteous because he keeps law perfectly?
b. Or, is God able to keep law perfectly because he is righteous?
2. About human beings:
a. Are human beings unrighteous because they break the law?
b. Or are human being unable to keep any law because they are unrighteous?
(1) The theology of the Bible is the latter—Romans 7.
(2) But, the theology is also that we choose to sin and thereby come under its enslaving power voluntarily.
3. Illustration:
a. The “perfectly straight, six inch line.”
b. Measure it with a ruler.
c. Is it imperfect because it fails to satisfy the requirements of the ruler?
d. Or, does it fail to satisfy the requirements of the ruler because it is imperfect?
(1) The latter is obviously the preferred statement.
(2) All the ruler can do—it’s designated purpose—is to:
(a) Compare the performance.
(b) With the perfect standard.
(c) And thereby demonstrate the imperfection.
4. That’s Paul’s point in Galatians 2:18.
For if I build up again those things which I destroyed, I prove myself a transgressor.
a. Build up (oivkodomw/) - rebuild, restore.
b. Those things which I destroyed (kate,lusa) - tore down, did away with.
c. I prove (sunista,nw) - show, demonstrate, make evident.
d. To be a sinner!
5. Application of the Interlude: What about us?
a. What will happen if we resurrect a legal system to replace the Good News of Justification by Faith?
b. What will we become?
(1) Arrogant - thinking that we are pretty good folks in our religiosity.
(2) Elitist - a highly exclusive, holy club. Don’t reveal your defects around here! You’ll be tossed out!
(3) Isolationist - utterly void of any desire to diligently seek lost and sinful people.
(4) Fearful - never certain whether or not we might be found lacking too.
F. Justification—the imputation of God’s righteousness into human beings—never:
1. Occurs on the basis of, or as a result of,
2. Nor does it have its source in,
3. Any law of works.
II. BUT, By a Law of Faith, Galatians 2:16b.
A. A Law of Faith?
1. Isn’t that a contradiction of terms?
2. Aren’t law and faith mutually exclusive concepts?
3. No.
B. Law - a definition.
1. A rule, set of rules, or principles,
2. Which will produce,
3. A uniform, unvarying result,
4. Given identical conditions.
C. Types of laws—secular:
1. Law of gravity.
a. If I drop any object.
b. It will fall to the earth.
2. Law of thermodynamics:
a. All spontaneous processes proceeding in an isolated system lead to an increase in entropy (a measure of disorder or randomness).
b. In other words, all isolated systems will naturally pursue a state of higher disorder.
c. Illustration: toss a deck of 52 cards into the air. They will pursue a state of higher disorder—every time!
3. Criminal laws:
a. Strict liability laws.
b. Specific intent crimes.
c. General intent crimes.
d. Crimes based upon negligence.
D. Types of laws—religious: Romans 3:27.
Where then is the glorying? It is excluded. By what manner [what kind] of law? of works? Nay: but by a law of faith. ASV.
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what [what kind of] principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. NIV.
1. Laws of Works:
a. The Law of Moses (the Law of our fathers, the Law of the Jews).
b. The Law of Sin and Death.
(1) Romans 8:2.
(2) One sin causes death.
2. The Law of Sin:
a. Romans 7.
b. The principle he is explaining is that sin enslaves its victim.
c. Once it gets into a human being the human being is incapable of ever truly being free of its influence.
3. The Law of Faith:
a. The law of the spirit of life, Romans 8:2.
b. The law of Christ, Galatians 6:2.
c. The law of liberty, James 1:25, 2:12.
E. How does the Law of Faith work? What are its rules or principles, which will produce, a uniform, unvarying result, given identical conditions?
Romans 3:21-26 But now a righteousness from God [of God], apart from law [without relation to], has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify [this isn’t a new discovery!]. 22 This righteousness from [of] God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to [eis - into] all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely [without cause on our part!] by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
1. Human beings:
a. Are declared by God to be righteous,
b. Receive God’s righteousness imputed into them,
2. Based upon faith
a. In Jesus Christ,
b. And him crucified.
F. The law of faith illustrated:
1. Abraham?
a. He could not have been justified by the Law of Moses. Why?
b. He died 545 years before the Law of Moses was even given!
2. David?
a. He could not have been justified by the Law of Moses? Why?
b. He didn’t keep it! (He broke at least four of the Big Ten in one criminal episode!)
3. The thief on the cross, Luke 23:39-43.
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don’t you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." 43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
a. One sinner merely wanted Jesus to prolong his life—self-centered interest in what Jesus had to offer.
b. The other sinner:
(1) Feared God.
(2) Rebuked and went against his peer pressure.
(3) Acknowledged his own sinfulness.
(4) Confessed the innocence and perfection of Christ.
(5) Trusted that not even death could prevent Jesus from establishing his kingdom—he believed in the resurrection!
(6) Received righteousness as a free gift based on his faith.
c. But, he was never baptized!
(1) How do you know that he was never baptized? Perhaps John baptized him.
(2) He was never immersed into Christian baptism because he never lived for one second of time under the Christian dispensation!
d. But, his experience is still an excellent illustration of how the law of faith works!
Conclusion. (The purpose of the conclusion is to conclude, not merely to stop.)
A. The Grand Proposition, Galatians 2:15-16.
1. We are justified (made righteous),
2. Not by works of law,
3. But by [the] faith in [of] Jesus Christ.
B. Why?
1. Because of the nature of human beings.
2. Because of the nature of a law of works.
C. It is an attractive teaching—but it is elusive.
1. God cannot lie.
2. Trust him and come to him now!
