I want you to turn to Galatians
chapter 2, the very last verse. We were
on verse 20 Wednesday night, I think, if my mind is halfway
right. Galatians 2.21. Now the title that's going to
be on the CD is, A Criminal Doctrine. But on my notes I have, Salvation
by Works, A Criminal Doctrine. And this verse says it quite
well. But before we start to read,
let us Beg the Lord to meet with us this morning. I'm telling
you, if all you hear is me, you ain't heard nothing. I'm serious. I mean, you've heard
it in this ear, but not this one. And I'm in the same boat when
somebody else is preaching or teaching. Let us pray. Lord, how wonderful it is to
me to be where I am right now. I long
to be no place else except in heaven with you. This is my home. These are my dearest friends. Your gospel is the glue that holds us together. We rejoice to sing of our Savior's
shed blood that cleanses us from all sin. We rejoice in Christ's imputed
righteousness to us that we might be holy in your sight. Lord, this world is terribly,
terribly mixed up concerning these two subjects. This world is under a curse,
just as all of us are born into this world under the curse of
Adam. But this is another curse. It
is on a widespread level when people are deliberately changing
what this book says and what it tells about your person, your
being, and your character in all three of the Holy Trinity. So Lord, as we come to this special
book in our Bibles, the book of Galatians, nowhere in all
the scriptures Do these things that are so essential to your
grace and to your salvation in Christ as are brought forward
in this particular letter by the Apostle Paul to the churches
in Galatia. But Lord, naturally speaking,
our minds are just as blind and dead and dumb as anybody else's. If this truth is to leave this
page and find lodging in our heart. It is because you speak
with the voice that wakes the dead and makes your people hear.
And we beg for that miracle this morning, one that is not even
visible to the natural eye, perhaps for many days or weeks to come
before we realize that something really did happen, that you really
did intervene. But Lord, I pray for myself and
my fellow believers, all that you would give us boldness to
spread this gospel wherever we go or wherever we cannot go. I thank you for their generosity
in this regard, and I know you've given that to them also. We beg for your mercy, and we
beg for your presence. in the blood and righteousness
of our Savior, the Lord Jesus. Amen. Alright, let's read this. I want
to read now through verse 25 in chapter 3, but I want to start
with verse 21 at the end of chapter 2. Paul is writing to these congregations
in the province of Galatia, and these churches have been targeted
by some Jews from Jerusalem who claim to believe in Christ, but
with equal or perhaps greater pride, they label themselves
as the servants of Moses, the followers of Moses. That is,
these people believe not only you have to have the gospel,
but you have to have the law. You not only have to have Christ,
you have to have Moses. And this is false religion. No
matter how the percentage is divided up, it is simply not
so. Salvation for any man to do anything
for himself is a criminal doctrine. This Bible condemns it and nowhere
is it condemned with more vehemence than in this book of Galatians.
All right, verse 21, chapter 2. I do not frustrate the grace
of God. Now, nobody can really frustrate
the grace of God, but people can sure try and they can damn
their souls in the attempt. Do you understand what I mean? Our objection, our rebellion
against God in regard to His grace, it ain't going to change
a thing. God does as He pleases in heaven
and in earth. I do not frustrate the grace
of God, the Apostle says, for if righteousness come by the
law, by our obedience to the law, then Christ is dead in vain. If there was another method that
could still honor God, by which men could be saved, do you think
God the Father would have sent God the Son to this earth to
die? That's sadistic. But this is the only means whereby
God's honor, God's attributes, can be exalted in praise. Now,
we ain't going to never get through reading if you all don't quit
talking. Chapter 3, verse 1. I'm going to see if I can stick
with this a little bit. O foolish Galatians, who has
bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, the truth
of the gospel, before whose eyes Jesus Christ
has been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only
would I learn of you, did you receive the Holy Spirit by the
works of the law or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish, having begun
in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh? You may be thinking that the Lord's
salvation is temporary. Or depending on what you do afterwards
as to whether you get to keep it. But that's not the case.
If He saves you, you're saved forever. Whether you know it
or not. You will know it. And you'll
know it before you leave this world. That you have an interest
in this Savior. Alright, verse 4. Have you suffered
so many things in vain, if it be yet in vain? He therefore that ministers to
you the Spirit, referring now to the Judaizers who came preaching
Moses and Christ, and works miracles among you, does he do it by the
works of the law or by the hearing of faith? How is it? Even as Abraham believed God,
And it was accounted or imputed to Abraham for righteousness. Abraham is actually saved the
same way that God saves all of his people, Old or New Testament. It's the same gospel. It's the
same Christ, it's the same salvation. Know you therefore that they
which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
That's talking about people like you and me. And the scripture foreseeing
that God would justify the heathen, don't you like that word, heathen?
That's what we are, Gentile. Sometimes it's translated that
way, or perhaps should be. Through faith, preached before
the gospel unto Abraham? Well, how far back can we trace
this preaching of the gospel? All the way to the Garden of
Eden, when Adam fell and the whole human race fell in him. In you, in Abraham, shall all
nations be blessed, Jew and Gentile. So then they which be of faith
are blessed with faithful Abraham. It sounds better, I think, and
is probably a better translation. So then they which be of faith
are blessed with believing Abraham. For as many as are of the works
of the law are under the curse. If you claim to be a keeper of
the Ten Commandments, you are cursed. There is no hope there, not for
sinners. And the only people that Christ
came to save were sinners, big ones and little ones, in between. For as many as are of the works
of the law are under the curse, for it is written, Cursed is
everyone that continues not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them." So the rules for being
saved by ourselves or by works is pretty extensive. You have
to be perfect. without sin and do it all the
days of your life. And you cannot do it. We will
not do it. And our only hope is a substitute
and a Savior by the name of Jesus Christ, the Lord. Verse 11, but
that no man is justified by the law. Now that's real ambiguous,
isn't it? I mean, the youngest person in
this room understands this statement. It's not hard to understand.
It's hard to swallow for proud Pharisees. You ought to know
and I ought to know because we used to be one. And we still
got enough in us to damn us except for the grace of God in Christ. The law, back at verse 12 again,
The law is not of faith, but the man that does them. Right
now, just think of the Ten Commandments. Anybody that thinks, they keep
it. And the law is not of faith,
but the man that does them shall live in them." So given what
we've just said, it means that whomever follows this course
and plans to stand before God on this basis is damned already, is under the curse. So there
is no need to talk about, he that does them shall live in
them, for he shall die eternally in that attempt to do something
for God so God would be beneficial to him and do something for him.
Verse 13, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law
being made a curse for us. For it is written, cursed is
everyone that hangs on a tree. that the blessing of Abraham
might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive
the promise of the Spirit through faith. Brethren, I speak after
the manner of men. Though it be but a man's covenant,
just a regular agreement between human beings like ourselves,
we contract, we sign documents to that effect. Yet if it be
confirmed, we'd say notarized and duly registered in a courthouse
someplace, no man, the King James has dis-annuls. That's tragic. Dis-annuls means
not to be annulled. And in your dictionary, you won't
find a dis-annul, but you'll find the word annul, A-N-N-U-A-L,
I think it is, something like that. And that means to set some
document aside. And you can't do that unless
the person who made this agreement wants to make it change. And
he's well able to do so, but nobody else can, supposedly that
is. I know with the courts like they
are, ain't no telling what they're liable to come out the door with.
All right, that's one time on the word disanul, and we've got
another one in verse 17. I'll get there in just a second.
Verse 16, Now to Abraham and his seed, no S on the word seed,
singular, were the promises made. God said
not unto seeds as of many, but as of one, that is, Abraham's
seed, which is Christ. And this I say, verse 17 now,
that the covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ the law,
which comes 430 years later, the law cannot annul. That it should take, make the
promise of none effect. Now, did you hear what I said?
The gospel came when? 430 years before the law to Abraham. That's a pretty good while. Therefore, the law cannot change
the grace of God. It cannot change the gospel of
God. For if the inheritance be of
the law, it is no more promised, but God gave it to Abraham by
promise. What purpose, then, serves the
law? Wherefore, then, serves the law? What was the law given for if
the gospel was already given? It was added. because of transgressions
till the seed, that's Christ, should come, to whom the promise
was made, and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a Mediator,
and that Mediator is none other than the Lord Jesus. Now a Mediator
is not a Mediator of one, but God is one. Is the law then against
the promises of God? God forbid, for if there had
been a law given which could have given life, Verily, truly,
amen, righteousness would have been by the law. But there is
no such law, and therefore it cannot be so. Righteousness can
be found in only one place, and that is in the blessed Lord Jesus
Christ, the Son of God. Verse 22, But the scripture has
concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of, not
in, of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But
before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the
faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore, the law
was our schoolmaster, and leaving out the italicized words, it
reads, Wherefore, the law was our schoolmaster unto Christ,
that we might be justified by faith. The law tells you plainly
that you can't do what you're thinking you can do. You cannot
do it. Lord, if there was just one commandment, that would be
enough to doom us all. Wherefore, the law is our schoolmaster
unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith, but after
that faith is come." What happens to the law after faith is come? Here it is. We are no longer
under a schoolmaster. And the word schoolmaster has
to do with enforcing attendance. It's not the teacher. It's the
truant officer, or whatever they're called in this day and generation. Now we're going to work on this
21st verse of the previous chapter. Salvation by works, a criminal
doctrine that damns the souls of men and women. First of all, there are two crimes
that are committed in this self-righteousness, this self-satisfaction, a man
saving his own self, doing something for God so God will do something
for him. Now, you've heard this in a thousand
different ways, but you may not have recognized what you were
hearing. Have you ever heard anybody say, if you'll take the
first step, God will take the second? That's what that is. That's the same thing. If you'll
come take the preacher's hand, God will save you. No, He won't. We're making a mockery of His
Son. of His blood and of His righteousness. God will save
you because of who Christ is and what Christ has done, but
He ain't going to save you because of who we are and what we've
done. So this crime, first of all,
is called frustrating the grace of God. Galatians 2.21, Paul
said of himself, I do not frustrate the grace of God. But if you
had asked him, and he certainly tells this to us, but not in
that exact language, the people that were seeking to turn the
Galatian believers to Moses is the one to whom he has reference
to this awful sin of frustrating, trying to frustrate the grace
of God. Some people say that's to make
void, to reject, to rebuke, or to regard as needless, all defining
the word frustrate. All right, here's the first thing
on this first cardinal, criminal doctrine, frustrating the grace
of God. If righteousness comes by the
law, I'm sorry, if righteousness comes
by my works, Then I want justice and not mercy. It's a whole different
ground upon which we stand. You've seen it in courtrooms.
People actually sometimes plead guilty without even plea bargaining,
though it usually goes the other way. You follow me? We're not asking for mercy if
we're asking for justice. To make the grace of God instead
of a primary thing, a secondary thing, that's like saying the Lord Jesus
will supply whatever I need. I could do 90% and He'll pick
up the last 10%. We might even feel generous that
day and say, hey, we'll share 50-50 with Christ. No, you won't. You might want to, but he does
not. He cannot be used in such a fashion
as this. It betrays the ignorance of our
minds and our hearts and our understanding of who we are compared
to who God is. It is also a virtual denial of
grace altogether. Let me read you a statement out
of Romans chapter 11 and verse 6. And if by grace, then it is
no more of works. Otherwise, grace is no more grace.
But if it be of works, then it is no more grace. Otherwise,
work is no more work. That's found in Romans 11 verse
6. And what a statement that is
to put beside this. It also encourages the sinner
to have confidence in himself rather than in Christ. Though a believer won't tell
you, in reality, true believers are
humble people. But we don't see ourselves like
that. But God says we are, if we're in Christ. He gives us
the humility. You couldn't buy it or earn it. Neither could I. It's the gift
of God in Christ. I'm going to read you a statement
out of Romans 9 this time, verses 32 through 33. What shall we
say then? That the Gentiles, which followed
not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even
the righteousness which is of faith. And that's like saying
the righteousness which is of Christ. But Israel, which followed
after the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of
righteousness. Why? Because they sought it not
by faith, but as it were by the works of the law, for they stumbled
at that stumbling stone. As it is written, Behold, I lay
in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense, and whosoever
believes on him shall not be ashamed." Now, there is one more
thing regarding this matter of frustrating the grace of God.
that we must consider, and we'll do it trusting your memory and
what little bit I've got left, this very attempt on the part
of these people in these Galatian churches to get Moses to be equal
with Christ and to split their allegiance 50-50, the one between
the other. Malachi called it in chapter
3 and verse 8 of his prophecy, He said, will a man rob God? Is there a human being anywhere
that would actually steal the glory of God? My soul, every
one of us would. Before we were saved, and if
God doesn't keep us even after we're saved. We ain't above pride
and haughtiness. Not one bit in this world. But to do so, to deny the gospel
and dishonor God's Son is criminal. It's damning to the souls of
men and women of any age. All right, the second thing in
that verse. that is the second of these doctrines,
I'm referring to verse 21 of Galatians chapter 2, it is making
Christ to be dead in vain. That is, for Christ to have died
for nothing, for no reason. To say that Christ's death goes
only part of the way? like a bridge being built and
it's built to the middle of the stream and then it stops. Christ
has gone that far and now it remains unfinished. But Christ died in vain. His redemption, His atonement,
His declaration from the cross, it is finished! For any person
with a pea brain can understand That means it is done, done once
and done forever. Secondly, self-righteousness
rejects the covenant that is all of grace because it is all
of Christ. The blood of the Lord Jesus is
declared in our Bibles to be the seal of that covenant. Craig read to us this morning
in the Bible class from Psalm 89, which is all about the Lord
Jesus, and there are some statements in that chapter that are just
absolutely wonderful. If you could read it with a view
to the Savior Himself, it would certainly increase your understanding
of that psalm. But salvation, by works, is a
sin against the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Father's
wisdom, goodness, and love. If salvation could be obtained
another way, what would you think of God then? if sinners could
actually be brought to God and not go through Christ. Do you understand the seriousness
of that? Or saying that the Son of God paid the price of redemption,
if that price could have been paid some other way? and taking
the witness of the Holy Spirit to the power and perfection of
this great Redeemer. If this great Redeemer is not
so necessary, what a foolish endeavor on the part of the Holy
Spirit of God. It is then a sin against all
the fallen sons of Adam. to tell them one story, which
is the gospel of grace, and then to come along and say, oh no,
that isn't right. You know, oh yes, Jesus is important. Ah, but don't forget Moses. He's
just as great as Christ is. Oh my goodness. I hope you don't
have a copy of the Ten Commandments on a wall in your house. If you
do, well, you do whatever you want to do. Let's quickly ask some people
in the New Testament what they think of the redemption of our
Lord Jesus Christ and of His righteousness. Let's take the
prodigal son in that wonderful fifteenth chapter of Luke in
which there is actually one parable in three
parts. And one of those parts has to
do with the prodigal son and the brother that never left home.
But he might as well have, for he had no relationship with his
father. So what about the prodigal son
coming back to his father and already made up his mind he's
not even going to ask to be his son again. He's going to ask
to be his servant. Oh, but he doesn't know. How
gracious and how wonderful His Father is. And that's our problem
as sinners when it comes to coming to God. Oh, we think we won't
stand a gentleman's chance. He'll cast us out straight into
hell. Oh, not if you're pleading for
mercy through His dear and blessed Son. I tell you what, you might
not think God loves you, and I ain't going to try to convince
you He does, Because I don't know for sure. But I know one
thing. God loves His Son with a holy
passion. And whatever He bought on that
cross, He must have. You remember this statement in
Isaiah 53, 11? He shall see of the travail of His soul, Christ
shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied? Preachers paint Christ as leaning
over the banister of heaven, shedding tears because people
won't let him save them. That is the biggest lie out of
this whole wide world. But people hear it and they say,
well, you know, that seems right. Sure it does. To a fallen human
mind, that's dumber than done. And even a saved person's mind
ain't a whole lot better than that, but it's better than that.
My, my. Take another Bible character.
There were two fellows that were crucified on either side of Christ,
and one of them started out by casting aspersions at Christ
and said, you know, why don't you take yourself down to the
cross and take us with you while you're at it? I mean, real self-serving
sort of kind of guy, you know. But God did something for him
in the meantime. And here he looks at the Lord
Jesus at the worst possible moment since eternity to the eternity
to come. And this man was able to say, call him Lord. When you come
into your kingdom, please remember me." And what did our Lord say? Today, you shall be with me in
paradise. Now, I don't know where that
is, but I know that's where Christ is. And it surely is a paradise. this criminal doctrine of frustrating
the grace of God and trying to say that the Lord Jesus died
in vain, it also affects some people that are still in this
world. Take, for example, the words
to that hymn, What Can Wash Away My Sin? Unto him Ah, that's not the right
line. This is all my hope and peace,
nothing but Christ and His blood. This is all my righteousness,
nothing but Christ and His blood. Or the song that is sung in heaven
according to Revelation 1, 5, unto Him that loved us and washed
us from our sins in His own blood. I don't know about you, but that's
plain to see that the people that got to heaven who lived
before we did, went there how? Through Christ crucified, through
His shed blood and His imputed righteousness. My, my, my. What a time. What a time. All
right, I've got to prosecute one more point. Here's the gist
of it. True believers cannot bear the
thought of two things, of frustrating or even trying or wishing we
could frustrate the grace of God. And the second thing that we
cannot tolerate, and we ought to be bold to tell people when
you hear this manure, religious manure, that's what it is. Just
rear up on your back feet and let them know that that ain't
true and they're fools for believing it. And you ought to know because
you've been one. Frustrating the grace of God
and Christ dying in vain. We are supposedly said in our
Bibles We are told to grow in grace, and we are to be growing
in love with that grace. We ought to love God's grace
more than when we first started this journey in Christ. And then the matter of Christ
dying in vain. The believer will not knowingly
dare to put anything of his whatsoever Anything of His alongside His
bleeding substitute. He will not share the honors
of Christ with anybody else. There are two great truths based
on that 21st verse of Galatians 2. It is God's grace cannot be
frustrated, no matter how many people try it, or when they lived
and tried it, what they'll do from here on out. God's grace
cannot be frustrated. How come? Because it's God's. Secondly, Christ cannot die in
vain. I want you to consider some scriptures,
man. I've got them actually printed out for the first time, Curtis,
and forever. I used to write where I could
read it, and now I can't read it when it's tight. Romans 5,
6. For when we were yet or still
without strength, Christ died for whom? The ungodly. That ain't what religion is saying.
If you'll be good, God will save you. No, if you'll see yourself
bad enough, He already has saved you. The second verse has to do with
Hebrews 9.22, and almost all things are by the
law purged or cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood
is no remission. No remission. No sins put away
without blood. And the third one is 2 Corinthians
5. For the love of Christ constrains
us, because we thus judge that if one died for all, then we
are all dead. Everybody for whom Christ died
is spiritually dead. And there's a dozen places to
go to prove this without any question. It does not say that
Christ shed his blood for all men. He shed it for his bride,
his church, his people, his elect, his sheep. But certainly not
for everybody. If he shed his blood for everybody,
then his blood ain't worth anything because everybody's not going
to be in heaven. But I'll guarantee you everybody for whom Christ
died will be there. They can't be any place else. And that He died for all, that
they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto
Him who died for them and rose again. two parts to this criminal doctrine. May God give us boldness to publish
it in print, to preach it in person, to speak of it in private,
whatever way we can. This gospel must go out. Number 386.