Let us turn to God's words in
Romans chapter 1 chapter that we read Romans chapter
1 and I read again at verses 16 and 17 for I am not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation
to everyone that believeth to the Jew first and also to the
Greek For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith, as it is written, The just shall live by faith. And in particular I want to center
your attention with the Lord's help on the words that we have
here at the end of verse 17, The just shall live by faith. I'm sure you're aware that it
was, of course, on the 31st of October in 1517 that Martin Luther
nailed his 95 theses against the practice of indulgences in
the Roman Catholic Church, nailed them to the door of the castle
church there in Wittenberg, and it's a date that is said in many
ways to mark the beginning of that great movement of the Spirit
of God that we call the Protestant Reformation. And so this coming
Tuesday will mark the 500th anniversary of that happening. And I thought
it would be suitable then on this particular Lord's Day as
we come to the end of October to take up that truth of the
doctrine of justification by faith. It's a doctrine that we've
looked at on previous occasion but it is profitable surely that
we visit such doctrine again and again. With regards to Luther
it was in 1515 that he began to expound to the students at
Wittenberg University, the Epistle of Paul to the Romans. And it was in the process of
that course of lectures that he was given to the students
as he was meditating. Here in this epistle to the Romans
we're told how in his monk's cell he was brought to meditate
in particular upon the words that I've read as our text, that
just shall live by faith. And God in his mercy came and
revealed in that monk's heart, the heart of Martin Luther, revealed
to him this great gospel doctrine of justification by faith. The just, or it might be rendered
the righteous, shall live by faith. And Since that date, the doctrine
of justification by faith has been very much associated with
the name of Martin Luther. It's not really Luther's doctrine,
it's the doctrine of the Word of God. It is that which is so
clearly set before us time and again, particularly in the epistles
of the Apostle Paul. It's not Luther's doctrine, it's
God's doctrine. and yet it was Luther who made
that statement saying that it is that truth, that doctrine
by which the church either stands or fall and the Roman church
still denies that doctrine which means it is no church, it is
an apostate church although today of course with the ecumenical
movement there are those who supposedly belong to protestant
churches who would say that the whole Reformation was a mistake
and that now there can be reconciliation with the Church of Rome. No,
we agree with Luther that here is that doctrine that is so fundamental,
that truth by which we can identify a true church and distinguish
it from a false church. The article of a standing or
a falling church. The just shall live by faith. The first time we find that statement
is back in the Old Testament. Here, it's that particular statement
in Habakkuk chapter 2 and verse 4 that Paul is referring to,
as it is written, he says. He is quoting from the Word of
God in the Old Testament, as it is written. Habakkuk chapter
2, chapter 4 rather, Habakkuk chapter 4 and verse 2, the just
shall live by faith. And interestingly, Paul doesn't
just quote it here, in this opening chapter of his epistle to the
Romans. He goes on to quote it again in Galatians chapter 3
and verse 11 and furthermore we find him also making reference
to it in Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 38. And so the words of
our text, the just shall live by faith, are found on four separate
occasions in the Word of God. And surely, four such statements
is a significant repetition. When we remember how the tin
is goodness, God has granted to us a fourfold gospel. In Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
we have those four evangelists recording to us the incarnation, the birth of
Christ, the life, the ministry, the preaching, the death, the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have a fourfold gospel
and that is highly significant. Such a tremendous emphasis being
placed upon the truth of that, that the Lord Jesus Christ came
to accomplish. And so, the fact that this particular
statement is repeated these four times Surely lays great emphasis
upon the truth that is couched in these words. The just shall
live by faith. First of all then, I must say
something with regards to the doctrine that is before us in
this statement. The doctrine of justification. There are some who on occasions
are dismissive of doctrine. They say, oh, we don't want dry
doctrine. Well, truth is never dry. And that doctrine that is biblical
is never dry. It was Luther himself who said
doctrine is heaven. Doctrine is heaven. And how much
that is the case with regards to this great doctrine of justification. The just, the righteous, shall
live by faith. The reference here is to the
justified person. The justified person. What do
we mean when we use that expression to say a person is justified? Well, to justify is clearly a
judicial term. It's language that belongs to
the law courts. It was the great American Presbyterian
theologian, Robert Louis Dabney, who said that the Holy Ghost,
by justification, intends a forensic act. It has to do with a person's
standing in the law, standing in that sense before God as the
judge. When we think of the doctrine
of justification we are to contemplate God as that one who is the great
judge of all men. This is how justification is
spoken of in scripture. If we go back in the Old Testament
to the book of Deuteronomy and there in the opening verse of
chapter 25 If there be a controversy between
men, and they come unto judgments, that the judges may judge them,
then they shall justify the righteous and condemn the wicked." Here
is the work of the judges then. When a case is brought before
them, what are they to do? Well, the person found guilty
of the crime is to be condemned for his wickedness. But that
person who is innocent is not condemned, but justified. They
shall justify the righteous, it says, and condemn the wicked. But the amazing thing when we
come to consider God, in this great doctrine of justification,
is the fact that God justifies the ungodly. That person who
is guilty. God is pleased to justify. That's the language that we find
later here in chapter 4 and verse 5 of this epistle to the Romans.
God justifieth the ungodly. That's a remarkable thing. And
when is it that God justifies the ungodly? They are in a sense
justified in His purpose from all eternity. Again later here in Romans chapter
5 and verse 1 we have that statement therefore being justified by
faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And you will observe where the
comma is placed in that opening verse of chapter 5, therefore
being justified by faith, it says. Then you have the comma.
But let us not imagine that the punctuation, as we're familiar
with it here in our authorized version, is part of the original
inspired text of Scripture. It is not. And I dare to say
that the comma is there placed in the wrong position. It should
really state, therefore being justified, comma, therefore being
justified, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Justification, in that sense,
is before faith. It is that that is eternal in
the purpose of God. Now that is certainly the case
with regards to adoption. As Paul says to the Galatians,
Because ye are sons, because ye are sons, God hath sent forth
the Spirit of his Son in your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Because ye are sons, in the purpose
of God. and so God sends the spirit of
his son and the spirit works in the heart, the spirit works
the great work of regeneration whereby that person dead in trespasses
and sins is born again and then they come into the experience
of their adoption and they cry Abba Father because you are sons
God sends forth that spirit of adoption into the heart and so
too with regards to justification being justified by faith we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ or justification in that sense
is the eternal purpose of God But then, of course, there came
that point in time where justification was accomplished.
And it was accomplished historically by the Lord Jesus Christ, by
His coming into this world, and by all that He did in His obedience
to the will of God, His submission to the Holy Lord of God, His
fulfilment of all the commandments of God. When the fullness of
the time was come, God sent forth His Son, we're told, made of
a woman, made under the law to redeem them that were under the
law. He comes as the one who is the
seed of the woman that One promise back in Genesis chapter 3, the
very chapter where we have the record of the entrance of sin,
the fall of our first parents, but the great promise concerning
the seed of the woman. The Lord Jesus is that seed,
but He is not only made of a woman, He is under the law. He is subject to that law of
God. He stands in the law place of
his people and he obeys all the commandments throughout that
life that he lives, that life that was an innocent life, holy,
harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners. The one of whom
God the Father said, this is my beloved son, in whom I am
well pleased. Oh, he pleased the Father by
his obedience to every commandment of God. The active obedience
of his life. And then, when he comes to die,
in life he obeys all the commandments, all the precepts, all the statutes. And what does he do in dying?
Why, there he suffers as the substitute All the guilt of his people is
reckoned to his account and he dies. The just for the unjust
to bring the sinner to God. Or there is that obedience, in
obedience even to the death of the cross, being found in fashion
as a man, it says. He became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. But there are those two aspects
to his obedience. the obedience of the life and
the obedience of the death. And again, see how it is spoken
of back in Old Testament Scripture. Once more, in that book of Deuteronomy,
in chapter 6, and the last verse, Moses says it shall be our righteousness
if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord
our God as he has commanded us. He is righteousness. The observing
and the doing of all God's commandments and that's what the Lord Jesus
Christ did in his life. He obeyed every commandment.
He fulfilled all righteousness. The Lord is well pleased for
His righteousness sake. He has magnified the Lord and
made it honourable. And there is righteousness. But then also when He comes to
die, under the Lord of God, He is
answering now in terms not so much the doing of the precepts,
But that punishment is the desert of those who are the transgressors.
Why, those that He came to save, they were sinners. And God cannot
wink at their sins. Their sins must be punished.
God can by no means clear the guilty. Or they're ungodly in
themselves. But the Lord Jesus Christ has
taken all that sin to Himself. and borne that punishment that
was there just deserved. Here we see, you see, the great
truth of imputation, such a fundamental part of this doctrine of justification. All of the sin of Christ, all
the sin of the people of Christ imputed to Him, and all the righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ imputed to them. And it's spoken of here
in this epistle how the great doctrine of justification is
unfolded throughout these chapters. Look at what Paul has to say
in chapter 4 concerning Abraham. If Abraham were justified by
works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God, says Paul.
But what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it
was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is a
reward, not reckoned of grace, but of death. But to him that
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodliness,
His faith is counted for righteousness, even as David also describeth
the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness
without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven. whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin." Paul is quoting from the words of
that 32nd Psalm that we just sang in the metrical version. David describes the blessedness
of the man unto whom God imputes righteousness. without works. Why? It is that righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ that is imputed to the sinner. And it is that righteousness
of Christ that justifies the sinner. Let me just quote from
Luther himself with regards to this truth of imputation. Luther says, Thou, Lord Jesus
Christ, art my righteousness, and I am thy sin. Thou hast taken
what was mine, and hast given me what was thine. What thou
wast not, thou didst become, in order that I might become
what I was not. There it is, you see. It's Christ
in the sinner's place. It's a sinner in Christ's place. That is the doctrine of justification. The just, the righteous, shall
live by faith. But I've been taught to say something
in many ways inadequately with regards to the doctrine. I want
us to turn in the second place to see how justification is experienced
How do we come to an experience of this justification? Remember
the different aspects of justification. There is that sense in which
it is eternal. It is eternal in the great purpose
of God the Father. It is historical in that it was
accomplished Here upon the earth, in the fullness of the time,
by the incarnation of the Son of God, and by His life, and
by His death, there is the historical accomplishment of it. But then
thirdly, there is also this experimental aspect, that it has to become
real in the soul of those who are saved, those who are justified. And this is the great message
that we see the apostles preaching. Think of the language that Paul
employs when he is preaching at Antioch, recorded in Acts
chapter 13, he says, concerning the Lord Jesus, by Him all that
believe are justified. By Him, by the Lord Jesus Christ,
all that believe are justified. From all things that they could
not be justified by the deeds of the law. They cannot justify
themselves. They cannot adequately pay the
price or accomplish a righteousness of themselves. They are utterly
undone. But as we read here in chapter
10 of Romans, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness.
to everyone that believeth. Why this doctrine of justification,
which we have here in our text, is a great gospel doctrine. Look at the context. Paul says,
I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power
of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. to the Jew first
and also to the Greek for therein is the righteousness of God revealed
from faith to faith as it is written that just shall live
by faith." And what is he doing here? As
he opens this epistle he sets forth quite clearly what the
gospel is. the opening verses. Paul, a servant
of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the
gospel of God, which he had promised to for by his prophets in the
Holy Scriptures. And he gives a definition of
this gospel. It concerns God's Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which
was made of the seed of David according to the flesh and declared
to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness
by the resurrection from the dead." He is speaking gospel language here. This is a great theme that runs
throughout this epistle to the Romans. But it is interesting
to observe that whilst he clearly sets before us in these opening
17 verses the gospel, Then he immediately begins to
speak of sin. You must have observed that as
we read through the chapter. Immediately after this statement,
the just shall live by faith, what does he say? Verse 18, the
wrath of God. The wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who
hold the truth in unrighteousness. And then he goes on to speak
in no uncertain terms, of the awful nature of sin and rebellion
against God. And that runs through the reminder
of this opening chapter and it carries on into chapters 2 and
3. He speaks of sin and yet how
important this is when we think of the Gospel. What comfort can
a Savior bring to those who never felt their woe? A sinner is a
sacred thing, the Holy Ghost has made him so, says Joseph.
I doubt how true the words are. If we're going to have any understanding,
any real appreciation, any great love for the Gospel, we have
to know that we're sinners. We have to see our sin, we have
to feel our sin. The Lord Jesus says, The whole
have no need of the physician, but they that are sick. I came
not to call the righteous, but sinners unto repentance. And so faith, that faith whereby
we come to experience the great doctrine of justification, that
faith also has to do with the solemn truth of our sinfulness,
our sinnership. And I said that this statement
from Habakkuk chapter 4 and verse 2, that just shall live by faith,
is quoted on three occasions here in the New Testament by
Paul. Now, here in Romans chapter 1 he is quoting these words principally
in connection with the Gospel. But when he quotes these words
in Galatians we see how he quotes it there more particularly in
connection with the law of God. It's in Galatians chapter 3. at verse 11. But look at the context. Galatians
chapter 3 verse 10, "...as many as are of the works of the Lord
are under the curse. For it is written, Cursed is
everyone that continueth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified
by the law in the sight of God it is evident. For the just shall
live by faith." And the law is not in faith, but the man that
doeth them shall live in them. He's speaking principally there
in Galatians about the law and how important that is, that law
work. That law work. And Paul knew
it. Paul knew it. Paul doesn't speak
of doctrine simply in some theoretical way. Paul experienced these things. He says in chapter 7, I was alive
without the law once but the commandment came and sin revived
and I died. Oh that proud self-righteous
Pharisee who thought he was blameless touching the righteousness which
is in the law. Now we have to be convinced of sin. And now it came through that
tenth commandment, thou shalt not covet. And he saw then, you
see, that God's law is a spiritual law. It's what he says there
in chapter 7. The law is spiritual, but I am
carnal soul under sin. And he saw the spiritual nature
of the law in terms of that commandment, thou shalt not covet. He saw
then that the Lord has to do with something more than the
actions of a man, it has to do with the very attitude of his
heart. And his heart was full of all concupiscence, all evil
desire, there was all sin within him, he felt it. Oh, he learnt
the truth of his utter depravity, his total depravity before God. And faith has to deal with that,
you see, the doctrine. of total depravity it has been
rightly said there is but one faith and the difference lies
in the objects we have to believe we have to believe what we are
we have to believe we are sinners because we feel we are sinners or there must be that real conviction
of sin and that's the law world Paul goes on to say in the third
chapter, we know that what thing soever the law saith, it saith
to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped
and all the world become guilty before God. Therefore by the
deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight. For
by the law is the knowledge of sin. as we read it just now there
in Galatians chapter 3 and verse 12, the law is not of faith. The law is not of faith. Gil
says there that the reference is to the Lord Jesus Christ,
the object of faith. The law knows nothing of that
blessed object of saving faith, the Lord Jesus Christ. The law
is not of faith. Or there's no hope, there's no
salvation in the law. It's that ministration of condemnation,
it's that ministration of death. Again, listen to the language
of Paul. He says in Galatians 2, knowing that a man is not
justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus
Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus
Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ. but not
by the works of the law, for by the works of the law shall
no flesh be justified in his sight." And it's the same, the
same truth that we find here in this Roman Epistle, chapter
3 and verse 28, therefore we conclude that a man is justified
by faith, without the deeds of the law Paul knew it how he was
brought to see this there's no hope, there's no salvation, no
justification in the law all there is that law work that takes
place in the soul of the sinner he must be brought to the end
of himself he must see that he can do nothing to help himself How Paul expresses his great
desire when he writes to the Philippians, you know the words
there in the third chapter. What was his desire? To be found
in Him, he says, to be found in Christ. 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. Now we have this expression time
and time again by faith. How does the sinner come to experience
the blessings of justification? It is by faith. And that faith
has as its object only the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no hope for the sinner
in the Lord of God. And so, interestingly, as those
words of our text, that just shall live by faith, First found, remember, back in
Habakkuk chapter 4, now quoted in Romans chapter 1, and then
also found in Galatians chapter 3. The same scripture is again
appealed to by Paul when he writes in the epistle to the Hebrews. And there, at the end of chapter
10, Verse 38, Now the just shall
live by faith. But if any man draw back, my
soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them that
draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving
of the soul. Now faith is the substance of
things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. So we come
into the 11th chapter. of Hebrews, that great chapter
that sets before us faith and the faith of those saints of
the Old Testament, the great example of faith witnessed in
the lives of those men and women of the Old Testament. And amongst them we read of Noah And Noah's faith. And what was
Noah's faith? Well, look at what it says there
in that chapter, that 11th chapter of the Epistle and at verse 7. By faith, Noah, being warned
of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared
an ark to the saving of his house, by the which he condemned the
world and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith."
Noah's faith. He became heir of the righteousness,
it says, which is by faith. He found grace in the eyes of
the Lord. We read back in Genesis chapter
6. and he goes on to describe him
as a just man. In what sense was Noah a just
man? Well, we know from the language
that we have in chapter 3 and verse 10 that there is non-righteous,
no not one. How could he be a just man then? He was a justified man. He was justified by faith. He
was righteous by faith. Why? Peter, in 2nd Peter chapter
2, speaks of Noah as a preacher of righteousness. He preached
the doctrine of justification by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And he is there in that catalogue
of the faithful, you see, the just shall live by faith. What
is Paul doing there in Hebrews, having made the quotation at
the end of chapter 10, he then goes on to speak of what faith
is, what is justifying faith. What it's like unto that faith
of Noah? He found grace in God's eyes. He's declared to be a just man.
Is it not the same with a man like Job? When we're introduced
to Job at the beginning of that remarkable book what are we told
concerning the man? There was a man in the land of
Uz whose name was Job and that man was perfect and upright and
one that feared God and eschewed evil. He is perfect and upright
and that statement is repeated there in verse 8 of that opening
chapter and then again in chapter 2 and verse 3 perfect and upright. How was Job perfect and upright? Not of himself He asked the question,
who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one. In his
very nature he was a sinner. But he also asked the question
in chapter 9 and verse 2, how should a man be just with God?
How is a man, a sinful man, just with God, justified before God?
It is all together by the faith of Jesus Christ. All these men
of the Old Testament, be it Noah, be it Job, be it Abraham, you
see Noah and Job justified by faith in Christ, why it's just
the same as Abraham! Just the same as Abraham! We
read those verses just now in chapter 4 concerning the faith
of Abraham. Abraham was justified by faith. It's the life of faith. It's
looking away from self. It's trusting in the Lord Jesus
Christ and trusting in Christ alone for the forgiveness of
sins. Looking to Christ as that one,
the only one who can justify us. by that robe of righteousness
that he wrought in that sinless life that he lived. What does Paul say here? It's
the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, the just shall
live by faith. It's not just the beginning.
of the life of faith. There is a beginning, of course,
when the sinner is quickened, born again by the Spirit of God,
where there is the communication of that saving faith, that justifying
faith, that faith of the operation of
God, that faith that is the gift of God. Oh, there is a beginning
to the life of faith but look at the language that we have
here it's from faith to faith it's not the faith first exercise
at the beginning of salvation we need faith to die well we
said how we feel even as we come into the house of God we need
God to still work that saving faith that justifying faith in
our hearts It is a continual experience, it's a living experience,
this life of faith. I like the language of heart
in the hymn, true faith's the life of God. Deep in the heart
it lies, it lives, it labors. Under load though damped, it
never dies. The just shall live by faith. We have to live today by faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ. And what is that faith? Well,
remember the language that he spoken to that man Beirut? Seems he was secretary or scribe
or amanuensis to the prophet Jeremiah. We read of him at the
end of that short chapter, Jeremiah 45. And God says to him, thy
life will I give unto thee for a prize in all places whithersoever
thou goest. Oh yes, life, he has the life
of faith. But all that is being preyed
upon. This is the life you see, that
the justified sinner has to live. It's a life that is being assaulted
all the time. When the Apostle writes to those
Philippians, he reminds them at the end of the opening chapter,
unto you it is given, he says, in the behalf of Christ, not
only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake. In a sense, friends, it's not
the beginning, it's the continuing. The Lord says Himself, either
shall endure unto the end, the sign shall be saved, or do we
have that enduring faith, that's justifying faith that faith that
is persevering you see there is a great danger a dreadful
danger in drawing back and that's what we're told at the end of
that 10th chapter in Hebrews now that Joss shall live by sight
says the Apostle but if any man draw back My soul shall have
no pleasure in him. We are not of them that draw
back onto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of
the soul. We're not to shrink back. We're
not to shrink back. The character of true faith is
that it is always pressing forward. Paul says, I press toward the mark. for
the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Oh, how he pressed forward towards
that mark. And after that statement at the
end of Hebrews chapter 10, as we said, Paul goes into that
11th chapter, a catalogue of the faithful. Then we come into
the 12th chapter. What does he say? or wherefore seeing we also
are compassed about with so great a crowd of witnesses let us lay
aside every one and the sin which doth so easily beset us and let
us run with patience or endurance the race that is set before us
looking onto Jesus or looking away onto Jesus looking only
onto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith as we have to look
to Christ at the beginning so we must constantly be looking
to Him continually living that life of the justified for I am
not ashamed of the gospel of Christ says the Apostle for it
is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth to
the Jew first and also to the Greek for therein is the righteousness
of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written, the just
shall live by faith. Oh, the Lord bless to us His
Word. Amen.