Romans 3 beginning at verse 21,
for those on the website and the internet, verse 21. But now the righteousness of
God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and
the prophets, even the righteousness of God by faith of Jesus Christ
unto all and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference. For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has
set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to
declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are
past through the forbearance of God, to declare, I say, at
this time his righteousness, that he might be just and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded by what law? Of works, nay, but by the law
of faith. Therefore, we conclude that a
man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is He the
God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the
Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, seeing
it is one God which shall justify the circumcision by faith and
the uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law
of God through faith? God forbid, yea, we establish
the law. Now I'd like for you to look
at verse 28 again. Therefore we conclude that a
man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Let me
begin with an introduction. that of all the differences and
all the issues that exist between the different sections of Christianity
in the history of the world, I think that they might all be
reduced down to one head are one fundamental chief bone of
contention, and that is the way whereby sinners are saved. This is a great contention in
Christendom. Upon what ground will God receive
sinners and forgive them? What is it that will give a sinner
an access to God that he might be received into the grace, favor,
and salvation of the Lord? Now, here at this question, much
of Christendom and most of religion would miss the mark because their
answer would be something like this. Some would say, keep the
law. Others would say, do good works
and continue in them. Others would say, live a good
life, be honest, be fair, be a good neighbor. Believe in your
own God in your own particular way. And some would mix law and
grace, and others would mix law and work or faith and works in
the matter of salvation. Now in this study, we will emphasize
the place and the part and the objects of saving or justifying
faith. That salvation is by grace through
faith, that these two put salvation completely outside of the realm
of the law, or of works, or nationality, or merit, or ancestry, or any
such thing. But before we settle in on that,
let's say a few things about the different ways that the word
faith is used in the Scripture, and particularly in the New Testament,
as well as in everyday life. we hear it used in a different
way. John Gill noted in his great
book that I like, Body of Divinity, that faith is a word of different
use and signification and that there are in the scripture and
in history and experience different kinds of faith that are meant
in the using of the word. For example, such as number one,
what some have called historical faith. We've heard that all of
our Christians and our church going live. These people refer
to the Bible, they might call it the good book, They believe
in God. They believe that a man named
Jesus appeared in the world and that he died. And yet such as
this have, it seems, a mere head knowledge of such truth, just
what we might call a naked ascent unto them, and what is written
in the Scripture concerning God and Christ. And yet this faith,
if faith it may be called, is not rooted in the heart and the
life of that individual. It is what some call a theoretical
faith, but it is not put into practice, not brought one to
godliness, and therefore it falls short of being what we call saving
faith. Secondly, some have spoken of
a temporary faith, which is a step, I guess, beyond historical faith,
in that such people make a response to the Word of God. They, as
the scripture said, believe for a while. like the stony ground
hearer in that parable of the soil in Luke chapter 8 and verse
13, or like those described so fearfully in Hebrews chapter
6 and verses 4 through 6, who are to a point enlightened, they
are brought to a certain point and then they fall away, cast
it all from them, as did so many of the Jew in the first century. Hebrews being especially written
and adapted to the situation of the Jew in the apostolic One
called this kind of faith, quote, imaginary faith, unquote. As such, imagine that their faith
is rooted in Christ. They imagine that it is genuine,
but alas, they abandon it in a time of trouble or great temptation
because it has no deepness, nor is it rooted in the heart. Thirdly,
sometimes faith refers to the truth and the faithfulness of
our great God. I think you'll find that in Romans
3 and verse 3 and verse 4, where we read there of the faith of
God. Shall it make the faith of God
of none effect? And some render that faithfulness. Shall it render the faithfulness
of God of none effect? Fourthly, I think there are times
when the word faith refers to Christianity or to the doctrines
of Christianity and the doctrines of the gospel and of Christ. As in Acts 6, verse 7, we read
that a great many of the priests were obedient under the faith. We read again in Romans chapter
1 verse 5, Jude verse 3, Galatians 1 and verse 23, Acts 24 and verse
22, the holy doctrine of salvation. In other words, the faith, the
faith of Christ, the faith of Christianity. Then fifthly, sometimes
what people call faith is a personal opinion or persuasion. We hear them say, I have faith
that this will be or that so-and-so will happen. But then, thank
God, there is the faith that is unto the saving of the soul. It is justifying. It is called
the faith of God's elect in Titus chapter 1 and verse 1 and it
has an intimate connection to the imputation of righteousness
as seen in the experience of the patriarch Abraham. And yet
this faith is through the grace of God and is not of ourself
but the gift of God. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8.
verse 9. Now in pursuing that we must
ever emphasize none can experience salvation or justification before
God apart from faith. Now that's what Paul said in
verse 28 of our text. None can be justified before
God apart from faith. And yet we remember that in Romans
1 and verse 16, where Paul said, the gospel is the power of God
unto salvation to everyone that believe. Then in verse 17 of
chapter 1, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith
unto faith. And then Paul makes a digression. But in chapter 3 and verse 22,
as he comes back again onto the subject, there we read, Even
the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ,
unto all and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference. Then look at verse 25 of our
text. Whom God has set forth to be
a perpetuation through faith in His blood to declare His righteousness
for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance
of God. Verse 26. He justifies them that
believe in Jesus. Verse 27. Faith excludes all
boasting. And in verse 28, we conclude
this Greek word is numerous times in the New Testament. Yet this
is the only place where King James translated it. as the word
conclude. It is a word often translated
reasoned in Mark 1 31, I'm sorry, Mark 11 and verse 31, thanks
in Romans chapter 2 and verse 3, and in other places it is
translated counted and reckoned, accounted, imputed and supposed,
and the word maintain expresses the idea. We maintain or we assert,
we hold it to be so, we are of a fixed persuasion, and concerning
what? Well, the answer is that a man,
that a person, an individual is justified by faith without
the deeds of the law. And the apostle in verse 28 throws
down the gauntlet. before those Jews of that day,
draws a line in the sand. And the theme of his argument,
no one is justified in any other way than by faith in Christ. And because of the situation
at that time existing with the Jews, He pointedly excludes the
one thing, that is the law, as an instrument or an agent in
salvation or justification. And the two aspects of it are
covered. That justification is only by
faith, without or apart from the deeds of the law, without
any works of the law whatsoever. Now, there is an argument in
verse 29 and verse 30 that we might miss if we are not careful
to examine it, which is that if justification were by the
deeds of the law, Where would that leave the Gentiles? If justification
were by keeping the law, where would that leave the Gentiles? For they had not the law, they
were not under the law, that is, as a covenant, and having
not the law, therefore, have no access unto justification,
if it must be by the keeping the deeds and the works of the
law. Paul asks, is God the exclusive
God of the Gentiles? Nay. He is also the God of the
Jews exclusively? No. He is the God of the Gentiles
also. Verse 29, and justification by
faith, therefore, is suitable to all peoples. Jew and non-Jew
alike. It is suitable to the Jew and
to the Gentile, verse 30, and therefore both must be justified
in the same way if justified at all. Though we notice that
Paul uses different words here, respecting the Jew and the Gentile,
verse 30, shall justify the circumcision, that is the Jew, by faith, the
ek out of faith, and the uncircumcision, meaning the Gentiles through
faith or by means of faith, meaning the faith, that fact as to why
two words, by and through faith, I am not able to say in your
hearing today. But in verse 31, Paul senses
how the Jew might raise an objection from what he has written and
from what they might conclude from what he has said. Such as
they might say, such a doctrine makes void the law. It brings
the law to absolutely nothing and abolishes it. So Paul meets
the objection. Do we make void the law through
faith? Now, to make void is a word that
has a rather broad application, meaning to abolish or to make
of none effect or to bring it to nothing, to destroy it or
to put it down. But we must remember that the
law was never given, never intended to justify, for it was not given
until all men lay under the condemnation of sin. And therefore, the law
cannot justify after the fact. It cannot justify one already
sinful and already condemned. And Paul strongly emphasizes
here that a justifying righteousness is apart, separate, or without
the law. But just as strongly, he then
turns around and denies that righteousness and justification
by faith abolishes the law or brings it to nothing. His patented
answer is, God forbid. And in the end of verse 31, not
only does faith not abolish the law, but in some way, he said,
it establishes the law. I have for a long time had trouble
knowing the full extended meaning of the last type of verse 31. I read John Gill's sermon on
the law established by faith, and I'm still not sure that I
have it straight. But Paul, in speaking to the
Galatians, in Galatians chapter 3 and verse 12, makes another
amazing statement concerning the law and faith. He writes
there in verse 11 and verse 12, 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 listen to this, And the law is not of faith,
but the man that doeth them shall live in them. Now, the thought
is none are justified before God by the law, for the prophet
said, the just shall live by faith. And that's that verse
in Habakkuk. the minor prophet Habakkuk chapter
2 verse 4, but it's quoted three times in the New Testament. Romans 117, here in Galatians
3 and verse 12, and in Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 38. They bring forth that verse from
the prophet, the just shall live by faith. And with regard to
the law, it is not a faith, Paul said, Do we understand that to
mean the law is not a matter of believing, but a matter of
doing. It is not a matter of believing,
but a matter of keeping it. For the law would only withhold
or withdraw its condemnation for perfect and continual obedience
from the sinner. Leviticus 18 and verse 5, the
man that doeth them shall live in them. With the law, it is
not believe and live, but it is do and live. It demands not
faith, but obedience unto its preset. John Eady said, it does
not recognize faith. And in regard to sinners, the
law has, therefore, no justifying power. JB Lightfoot, rather a
scholar on the Greek road, quote, faith is not the starting point
of the law. The law does not take faith as
its fundamental principle, unquote. So the question is, or becomes,
how can one who is under the condemnation of the law, under
its curse, be justified. How is it that such a one might
be justified and come to salvation? And if not by the law, Then how? By what mean? If justification
by the law is out of the question, Paul says that it is, is there
a way that one might be made free from the law and its curse
and then justified before God? For it is obvious in order for
one whom the law has cursed To be justified, the law must be
properly satisfied and compensated for its curse. How can a transgressor
of the law then be declared righteous before a just and a holy God? Now to answer that, let's flip
back to Romans 1, 16 and 17 again, which some have called or referred
to as the leading opening theme of the Roman epistle. And that
is that the message of the whole epistle is summed up in these
two verses, Romans 1, 16 and 17. I'm not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ. And the reason I'm not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ, it is the power of God unto salvation
to everyone that believes to the Jew first and also to the
Greek. And the reason it is the power
of God unto salvation to everyone that believes, to the Jew and
to the Greek, is because in the gospel is revealed the righteousness
of God from faith unto faith. That is, in the gospel, the divine
method of righteousness revealed and apprehended by faith is received
by faith. Then in Romans 1, 18 through
chapter 3 and verse 20, the apostle making a slight digression proves
the depravity of the whole race, Jew and Gentile, making a digression
to show the need of righteousness before God. In Romans 321, Paul
returns to the subject of the righteousness of God to expand
upon that which is revealed and is declared in the gospel mentioned,
chapter 1, verse 16 and 17. He now speaks in depth about
this righteousness and its relationship unto faith, unto Christ, unto
the law, and to the prophet, and to the grace of God in Christ
Jesus. Now, the following is an outline
that I reduced down from John Brown concerning the righteousness
which is salvation by faith and through imputed or gratuitous
righteousness provided in Christ. Here are some points quickly.
They're in our text, each one of them. Number one, the saving
righteousness is apart from the law. That's in verse 21. Number
two, also in verse 21, it is witnessed by the law and by the
prophet, Habakkuk, the case of Abraham and so forth. Number
three, verse 22, it is by the faith of Jesus Christ. Number four, also in verse 22,
it is manifested, not just revealed, but it is manifested in actually
justifying sinners before God. Number five, again in verse 22,
it is effectual to them that belief, that is, to faith. Number
six in verse 22, the same method is effectual to all mankind,
Jew, Gentile, rich, free, male, female, bond and free, whatever. Number seven in verse 24, as
to its bestowal, it is freely by the grace of God. It is gratuitous. It is without cause in the recipient. Number eight, look at verse 24. It is from or through the redemption
which is in Christ Jesus. And look at verse 27. It excludes
boasting. It leaves nothing to glory in
but Christ and the bloody cross. Now, in looking at this short
passage, there are 11 verses. We count that Paul mentions faith
seven times in these verses. Seven times the word faith is
here. Plus twice we count that he mentions
believing, verse 22 and verse 26. And he mentioned justification
at least four times. And so we conclude this passage
is laden with gospel salvation and justifying truth. But we
want to focus on that faith that is set forth as saving or justifying. Again, what Paul calls the faith
of God's elect, Titus 1.1. How comes one or any to have
the faith of God's elect? How is it that any sinner out
of the world comes to have the faith of God's elect? Why is
it that some hear and believe and others hear the same thing
and blaspheme or are hardened or are offended? This cannot
be answered by free will. Free will does not answer the
question. By faith, we do not mean that
shallow, easy-believism of the last hundred years or more. We do not refer to faith as being
the same with that modern-day cheapening of the gospel. and
the hawking of the Lord Jesus Christ, selling him to the cheapest
bidder, as it were, by the Judas betrayers, preaching another
Jesus in the pulpits of the world, and leading deceived sinners
to think that they are saved because they have, quote, accepted
Jesus or made a decision for Christ, unquote. Now, this may
sound incredible, but there is very little gospel to be heard
in the world today. What is priest is what Paul calls
another gospel, another Jesus, and another spirit in 2 Corinthians
chapter 11 and verses 1 through 4. Now concerning saving faith,
strictly speaking, there cannot be this faith apart from or prior
to regeneration, or the new birth, or being born of God. There must
be an internal work of the Almighty God. For this faith is not in
the natural man. It's not down there laying latent
and dormant and just needs to be stirred into exercise. It is not in his ability. And let us remember that Paul
said, you will meet many wicked and ungodly men. Second Thessalonians
chapter two, three in verse two, all have not faith. Not all people have faith you
will meet them without it. It is the gift of God Ephesians
2 and verse 8 it's from the operation of God Colossians 2 and verse
12 and acts 18 and 27 we read of such as believed through grace
they believed through grace by grace they believe but it pleases
God and to bring each elect to faith to those that Christ died
for. For God the Father, Christ the
Son, are the foremost objects of the faith that saved. So now
let's try to more particularly define faith. That's a hard thing
to do, to actually define it. In Hebrews 11 and verse 1, We
have a description that many like. Faith is the substance,
and I think that word would be confidence or assurance, of things
hoped for, the evidence, and some render that conviction,
of things not seen. The confidence and the conviction. And it rests upon the promises
of God because he is faithful, that promise, and he cannot lie. And his word cannot fail. And this faith saves the soul. Hebrews 10 and verse 30. It purifies the heart. Acts 15 and verse 9. That is, it says there that God
did purify the hearts of the Gentiles by faith. Giving them faith. opening the
door of faith unto the Gentiles, Acts 14 and verse 27. They rejoice. God has opened the door of faith
unto the Gentile. We should view faith as the master
grace. We should view faith as the leading
grace in all of the Christian virtue and salvation. As unbelief
has been called the mother sin, for it gives birth to all sins
in the world. So faith is a master grace, giving
rise to other graces such as love, and hope and joy and peace
and patience and humility and zeal and such like. What is this
faith? How can we describe it? What is the nature of this faith
that we read about in the scripture? John Owens wrote at length on
saving or justifying faith that as to the nature In the exercise
in the elect, he said, quote, it consists in the heart's approbation,
that is approval, of the way of the justification and salvation
of sinners by Jesus Christ as set forth in the gospel as proceeding
from the grace and the wisdom of God, unquote. And not just
from a general view, but personally that they can say with Paul,
Christ loved me and gave himself for me. He can speak personally. Yay. I am crucified with Christ. We hear the apostle say. Now,
saving faith has been given ears to hear and eyes to see. And here's the voice of Christ
in the gospel. And it spies out Christ in a
room full of impostor and spies him out alone, knowing that he
is the Savior and that he will and can save to the uttermost. Faith, therefore, echoes that
wonderful confession of Simon Peter. Thou art the Christ, the
Son of the living God. We believe and are sure that
thou hath the words of eternal life. Where else shall we go? The Apostle Peter said. And the
other side of this, faith being set upon Christ, and all that
is declared concerning him in the gospel, the same faith that
clings to Christ. therefore strongly rejects and
strongly repudiates any and all other schemes of eternal life. Faith is not fickle, not fickle
at all. It has neither eye nor ear for
another way or another Savior. Being true to Him, that gives
it being, and that is our Christ and our God, and fastening, as
it does, upon the objects of our faith, Father and Son, and
believing the testimony and the record of the gospel of our Lord. Here is a question or a matter
to ponder. And that question that I simply
raised for our consideration to stir our thinking, which faculty
of the human soul or the human makeup does faith have the most
influence on and the closeness to, if any, in fact? Where does
it mostly dwell? Faith. Is it the will? Is it
the heart? Is it the understanding? Is it
the conscience? Is the affection? Is it the mind? Where does faith chiefly dwell? It was the opinion of some old
time writers like Owen and Witsius that faith was not to be limited
to any one faculty of the soul to the exclusion of the other. for as depravity spread itself
throughout all of the entirety of the whole soul, every faculty
and every member. So grace and faith are brought
to bear upon every member and every faculty of the human makeup,
the whole soul and being of the believer. That faith also functions
through the ordinary faculties which have been quickened by
the Spirit, renewed in regeneration. that no new special faculty need
be created or added to bring one unto faith, but simply the
old ones quicken, those dead in trespass and in sin. Concerning the elements of the
saving faith, we'd ask ourselves then, what are the constituent
parts of faith? Not that it is a tangible, material
thing that one might see or one might feel, but what then is
the nature and the elements of this faith, if elements we may
call it? Number one, I think we must agree,
there is in faith knowledge that God grants, reveals, imparts
knowledge to faith. But knowledge of what? Well,
the truth as it is in Jesus Christ. God reveals that. The righteousness
that is revealed in the gospel. The revelation of divine things
made by His knowledge, Isaiah said, shall my righteous servant
justify many. Isaiah chapter 53 and verse 11. Not by the knowledge that the
Lord possesses, but by His knowledge imparted, by bringing us to the
knowledge of Him, coming to understand divine things. For justification
by faith includes the knowledge of Christ dying, being buried,
and raised again for our justification. When Christ is learned, as we
read in the New Testament, when the truth of the gospel is seen
and is revealed and is made known, there is knowledge that is imparted
unto faith, and faith latches on to that knowledge. Secondly,
I think we can safely say there is assent or agreement. in faith. The faith that's saved,
the faith of God's elect, the faith that is birthed in us by
the sovereign spirit of our God is in assent or agreement to
the knowledge of the truth as it is in Christ. Faith receives
and faith approves. both the manner of God's saving
sinners and the record of it as given and set forth in the
Word of God. Remember what's said about Abraham?
Abraham believed God. God spoke, Abraham believed it,
he took his word and the promise of God as credible and as believable,
and there was imputed unto him righteousness. I think there's
also, thirdly, an element of assurance in faith, that faith
has assurance. There's an argument whether the
child of God ever has full, complete, absolute assurance or not. Being weak creatures, our faith
being weak, perhaps at times our assurance would be weak as
well. But Abraham, again, if I may
mention him, is a great example of justification by imputed righteousness. God spoke, God made a revelation
to him, God made a promise unto him, and he believed. Righteousness
was imputed, and the whole fourth chapter of Romans is taken up
with that experience of Abraham. Some important things there,
and points are made. Abraham, for example, was justified
before he was circumcised. He was justified before the law
was given. And that's very important in
arguing with the Jew. And then we'll close by saying
in Romans 4 and verse 16, a great statement is here. Faith and
grace, Paul said, sweetly coalesce. He says this. It is of faith
that it might be of grace. It is of faith in order that
it might be of grace. By faith is a matter of grace. Faith is not a matter of works
or merit. or desirability or any of those
things. Faith is a work of God. It is itself a work of grace. Faith is a work of grace. It is a faith that it might be
by grace. So faith is not a work or a contribution
from the sinner. It's not the sinner's part in
saving his soul. It does not merit grace. For
faith owes its being to grace in the first place. So therefore,
it is of faith that it might be by grace. How sweetly they
agree, faith and grace. But faith and law, faith and
works have no agreement whatsoever under the saving or the justifying
of a soul before God.