The message this morning is entitled,
The Faith of Jesus Christ. And it begins, if you'll look
at Galatians chapter two and verse 11. It says, but when Peter was come
to Antioch, this is the apostle Peter in a place called Antioch. Paul says, I withstood him to
the face because he was to be blamed. For before that certain,
certain men came from James. James was the pastor at the church
in Jerusalem. And certain came from James,
so these were Jewish believers. They came from James. Peter did
eat with Gentiles. Now you know under the old covenant
that was forbidden because of the old covenant dietary laws
and in order for a Gentile to have fellowship, eating together
meant fellowship. And in order for the Gentiles
to have fellowship with the Jews, they had to virtually become
a Jew. The males would have to be circumcised.
They'd have to take the vows and become a Jew. Other than
that, the Jews were forbidden to sit down and have a meal with
the Gentiles and especially to eat their food because of the
dietary laws. But as we know, in and by the
Lord Jesus Christ, all of those old covenant dietary laws and
that separation of Jew and Gentile had been abolished. Because salvation
by the grace of God is for Jew and Gentile. The Jew naturally
is no closer to God than the Gentile naturally. And if anybody's
in the kingdom of God, if anybody's saved, Jew or Gentile, it's by
the grace of God through the blood and righteousness of Christ.
That's what Peter knew. It's what he believed. But being
human like we all are, when he saw these Jewish believers coming
down from James, he got up from eating with Gentiles and removed
himself as if to say, These Gentiles were not doing the right thing.
They're not as saved as we are. They're not as righteous as we
are. And so Paul said, he withstood him to the face. He says in verse
12, for before that certain came from James, he did eat with the
Gentiles. Peter did. But when they were
come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them, which
were of the circumcision. He was afraid of what these Jews
might think. And the other Jews dissembled
likewise with him. There were other Jewish believers
there that followed Peter. So Peter wasn't, you know, he
wasn't alone in this. In so much that Barnabas, one
of Paul's closest brothers and friends, was carried away with
their dissimulation. But when I saw that they walked
not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel," now there's
the issue. What Peter did, you say, well,
he may not have been anything, but no, Paul knew better than
that. He did not walk uprightly according to the truth of the
gospel. What he did brought shame and
reproach upon the gospel. Again, as if to say that these
believers aren't as saved, or aren't as holy, or aren't as
righteous as we are, we who are Jews. And he said, I said unto
Peter before them all, publicly, if thou being a Jew, livest after
the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compelst
thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? Now think of what
he's doing here. Why are you implicating here
by your actions that these Gentiles are doing wrong when they're
not? By eating their food or whatever. Why are you saying
by your actions that they're not doing what God commands? Indicating that they're sinning
just by sitting down and eating their food. And so he says, He
said, thou being a Jew, live us after, in verse 14 rather,
but when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the
truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter, before them all, if thou
being a Jew, live us after the manner of Gentiles, in other
words, you eat with Gentiles normally, and not as do the Jews,
why compelst thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews, We who
are Jews by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles, now Paul's not
saying we're not sinners, but we're Jewish sinners, not Gentile
sinners. Verse 16, knowing this, now this
is where we wanna get to the meat of the matter. Knowing this,
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, and not
by the works of the law, for by the works of the law shall
no flesh be justified. Now, different translations of
the Bible will change the word of, notice there in verse 16,
by the faith of Jesus Christ. Some translations will change
it to faith in Jesus Christ. Now, how do you determine which
should it be? Well, it depends on what it's
talking about. First of all, in this verse, he's talking about
how sinners are justified. Upon what ground? It's not by
our works. It's not by what we do or what
we don't do. First of all, understand again,
what does it mean to be justified? It means to be forgiven of all
of our sins. Upon what basis, upon what ground
is a sinner forgiven of all his or her sins? To be justified
is to be declared righteous in the sight of God. This is God's
judgment of his people. He declares his people righteous.
Now, upon what ground, upon what basis does God declare me, you,
righteous? According to the law. It's not
by what we do. It's not by what we don't do,
and it certainly has nothing to do with what we eat or don't
eat. So what is the basis? The basis
here is the faithfulness of Jesus Christ, meaning His faithfulness
to do what God required Him to do in order for His people who
were given to Him before the foundation of the world What
Christ had to do, he had to be faithful to do it in order to
justify God's people. And the Bible states clearly
that we're justified by Christ's faithfulness to do what? To satisfy the justice of God
as our surety, our substitute, and our redeemer. Look over at
Philippians chapter three. So how do you determine whether
it should be faith of Christ or faith in Christ? The context
tells you. The Greek word could be translated
either way. Do we have faith in Christ? Yes,
we do. And Paul mentioned that in Galatians
2.16. Even we have believed in Jesus
Christ. We do believe in him. but we're
not justified before God by our believing. Do you understand
that? That's so important. When the Bible speaks of justified
by faith or justification by faith, it's not saying that our
justification is by our believing or that God justifies us based
upon our believing or even by means of our believing. It's
simply saying when we're justified by faith, many times the context
will tell you it means simply we're justified by Christ. Because
Christ is the object of our faith. And the faith of God's elect
is the promise that God has made to every one of his people of
salvation by Christ. By God-given faith, we receive
him We come to know Him and we believe in Him. But when it comes
to the ground of justification, it's not our faith in Christ,
it's His faith to do what He accomplished on the cross in
His death, burial, and resurrection. Look at Philippians chapter three.
You have the same kind of construction here in verse eight. And nine, he says, yea, doubtless, and
I count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all
things, and do count them but done, that I may win Christ,
and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which
is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ.
His faithfulness. Not my works, his works. You
see that? And then he says, the righteousness
which is of God by faith, that is, which we receive by faith. The same thing over in Romans.
Turn to Romans 3 and verse 21. And look at the same kind of
construction here. In verse 24, or I mean verse
21 rather. Now Paul had been saying here
that we're not justified by the works of the law, by our works. He says, but now, verse 21, the
righteousness of God without the law, that is without our
works of the law, is manifested, being witnessed by the law and
the prophets, even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus
Christ. This is a righteousness that
comes to us by Christ's faithfulness to do what he promised to do,
his obedience unto death for the sins of his people. And he
says, it's the faith of Jesus Christ unto and on upon all them
that believe, for there's no difference. The same kind of
construction. Now go back to Galatians 2. The Bible tells us, well just
go over one page there. Look at Galatians 3 in verse
10. Listen to what it says here. Galatians 3 10. For as many as
are of the works of the law are under the curse. Now, who is
of the works of the law? Sinners trying to establish their
own righteousness before God. Sinners trying to work their
way into God's favor. He said, you're of the works
of the law, you're under a curse. What is that curse? Well, it's
written, cursed is everyone that continue, if not in all things,
which are written in the book of the law to do them. What is
that telling us? If we're trying to make ourselves
righteous enough by our works to be in God's favor, we have
to keep the law perfectly. And we can't do it. For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God. But look at verse 11 of Galatians
3. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God,
it's evident. For the just shall live by faith.
Now how does that mean, what does that mean? The justified
live by looking to and resting in Christ. Looking unto Jesus,
the author and finisher of our faith. Verse 12 says, the law
is not a faith, but the man that doeth them shall live in them.
If you're gonna be saved by the law, then you've gotta keep the
law. And if you don't keep it, what
does that say? You're condemned. But look at
verse 13. Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, for it's written,
cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. How was Christ made a curse for
us? Our sins were imputed to him.
And he went to the cross and died for those sins. His righteousness
is imputed to us. Look back at Galatians 2, look
at verse 17. Now, those who preach salvation
by the works of the law most always believe that man can conquer
sin by his efforts. Well, I've got news for you.
You can't do that. You can't do, I can't do that.
Only two types of people on this earth. Sinners lost in their
sins, sinners saved by grace, but still sinners. Isn't that
right? You can't conquer it. That's why we need the grace
of God. That's why we need Christ. And so those who are trying to
be saved by their works, they can't understand How in the world
can anybody conquer sin if you don't believe that you can work
your way into that state? And this is what Paul's addressing
here in verse 17. But if while we seek to be justified
by Christ, meaning we lay hold of Christ, we ourselves also
are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? Well,
if I'm still, if I'm justified in Christ, forgiven of all my
sins by His blood, declared righteous before God by His righteousness
imputed. If that still leaves me to be
a sinner, then is Christ promoting sin? Does that make Him the minister
of sin? And Paul says, God forbid. Verse 18, for if I build again
the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
Paul's saying, if I go back, if in preaching Christ as my
only way of salvation and justification before God, if I go back to the
law, then I'm just promoting sin again. That which I seek
to destroy by preaching Christ who fulfilled the law, you mean
I'm gonna go back and preach the law now? You know there are
preachers who say, well, we're justified by God's grace, but
we're sanctified by our works. That's a minister of sin. So how's that taken care of?
Look at verse 19. For I, through the law, am dead
to the law, that I might live under God. What a statement. I'm dead to the law, he's saying.
Well, what does that mean? That means the law has no hold
on me. The law cannot curse me. The
law cannot condemn me. The law cannot command me in
the sense of trying to make myself righteous. Isn't that something? If I were of the law, I'd be
cursed. But I'm dead to the law. Now,
how did I get that way? He says, I through the law am
dead to the law. Well, look over at Romans chapter
seven. How did Paul become dead to the
law through the law? That is by means of the law being
satisfied. Look at Romans seven and verse
four. He says, wherefore my brethren, you also are become dead to the
law, dead to sin, by the body of Christ. By the death of Christ. Not so as to encourage you to
sin, but that you should be married to another, even to him who is
raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto
God. We became dead to the law, and
even did to sin by the body of Christ. Christ, my surety. Christ, my
substitute. Christ, my redeemer. And look
at verse 20 of Galatians 2. He says, I am crucified with
Christ. What does that mean? That means when he died, he died
for me. When he was buried, he was buried
for me. When he arose again, he arose again for me. He's my
surety, my representative, my substitute, my redeemer. And
when he died, I died. When he was buried, I was buried.
When he arose again, I arose again. And that's what Paul says
here. He says, yet not I. I live, he
says, I'm crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I live. I live,
I've been born again. I live spiritually. I was dead,
now I live. Yet not I. What are you saying,
Paul? Are you speaking out of both
sides of your mouth, contradicting? No, here's what he's saying.
I died with Christ, but I'm alive spiritually, but I'm not the
source of that life. I'm not the power of that life,
Christ is. He said, but Christ liveth in
me by His Spirit and by His Word. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God. His faithfulness
to save me, to keep me, to bring me to glory. the faith of the
Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. Do I believe
in Him? Yes, I do, and that's the gift
of God. But my hope and foundation is His faithfulness to save me,
to keep me, and to bring me to glory. Now, he says in verse 21, I don't
frustrate the grace of God. I don't make void the grace of
God. Well, how's that? Well, he says, for if righteousness
come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. I'm telling you this. I'm righteous in God's sight. That standing did not come to
me by anything I have done, will do, or trying to do. It's all
Christ. And if I were to stand before
you and preach righteousness by my works, that's the equivalent
of saying Christ came to die for nothing. That's how serious
this is. Turn over to Galatians 5. Now Paul is very careful to tell
his hearers that this kind of grace does not give us a license
to sin, but it gives us liberty to obey. Motivated by grace, love, and
gratitude. And that's liberty, that's real
liberty. And he says in verse one of Galatians 5, stand fast
therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and
be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. He says, behold,
I, Paul, say unto you that if you be circumcised, Christ will
profit you nothing. What does he mean? Well, these
Jewish professors, they sought to impose the Jewish
right of circumcision on the male believers, claiming that
if you're not circumcised, you're not right with God. Paul says,
if you be circumcised for that reason, Christ will profit you
nothing. That's a denial of Christ. Verse
three, for I testify again to every man that is circumcised,
that he's a debtor to do the whole law. If circumcision makes
you right with God, you've got to keep the whole law. He says
in verse four, Christ is become of no effect unto you for whosoever
you are justified by the law, for you're fallen from grace.
You deny grace. For we, through the Spirit, wait
for the hope of righteousness by faith. Now that's talking
about our believing in Christ. Waiting is an act of faith. We're
waiting for the hope of righteousness by faith in Christ. Christ is
coming again. And all who stand before God
at judgment in Him have that hope of righteousness. But it's all by His works and
not by our works. Okay. Let's just stand and we'll
close with prayer if you don't mind. And that'll conclude our
service. Let's stand. Heavenly Father, we're so grateful
for your mercies to us. We're thankful for your gospel
of your grace that leads us to Christ for all life and righteousness
and forgiveness, that leaves us no hope within ourselves,
but gives us that hope of righteousness by faith. We pray your forgiveness
by his blood. We pray, dear Lord, that you
would bring us closer to thee through the word of the power
of the Spirit. Help us throughout this week.
We pray this in Christ's name and for his sake. Amen.