Name of the message is justified.
Justified. Again, open your Bibles if you
would to Galatians chapter two. And we looked at last week the
fact of how the Holy Spirit has made it very evident for us through
the pen of Paul, but we know the true author is God the Holy
Spirit, that no man or woman could ever be justified by the
works of the law. We've come to that section now,
which, as I said before, will bring forth what I would call,
and what several other commentators call, the keystone of the New
Testament, which is justification in Christ alone, and justification
by faith alone, in Christ alone. So let's read verses 16 to 21
of Galatians chapter 2. Knowing, now this is something
that the apostles know, this is something that Peter knows,
and this is something that the Galatians have been taught, and
actually this is something that every born-again blood-washed
believer knows. 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 and not by the works of the law. For
by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." So clear,
isn't it? But yet, man in our natural mind,
when we were there too, we could not see that because The natural
man cannot discern spiritual matters. We couldn't before we
were saved. So we don't look down at folks
in that situation because we were right there too. In religion, man is naturally
wired for works. Even Cain, he bought the works
of his hands, didn't he? And we can look back and see
that there's only really two religions in this world. You
can lump all the religions of this world up into one. It's
a false religion. There's only really two religions.
There's grace or works. Grace or works. It can all be
boiled down to those two. And so what the Apostle Paul
is penning here, again by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we have to
always remember that the true author of these words is God
the Holy Spirit. It's not Paul. It's God the Holy
Spirit. Paul is writing down these words.
But it's the Holy Spirit who's the true author. So he clearly
tells us in this verse, doesn't he? That no man or woman can
ever be justified by the works of the law. See, natural man
doesn't understand that. Now, before the Lord saved me,
I didn't know anything about God's law. I admit that. I didn't
know nothing. But I thought that my good would
outweigh my bad. See, in my mind, I had a warped
view of who God was. I had a warped view of what his
justice was. Right? So the natural man, we
have enmity with God, we think it's something we do to be saved. But we're in for a big surprise,
aren't we? When the Holy Spirit starts working on us, we start
to learn that we're in a desperate state. We're lost. And if God leaves us there, we'll
go right to hell. Oh my. And then it says this. But if where we seek to be justified
by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners. Is therefore
Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. So now that verse
there, which we're going to look at probably next week, is basically
a verse against antinomianism, which says you can just go and
do whatever you want after the Lord saves you. No. The Holy
Spirit's made it evident, therefore, so we can do that. Should we
just go ahead and sin? Like people say, well, if I teach
what you taught, Wayne, people could do whatever they want.
And I always say, I've never heard a grace preacher ever tell
people they can do whatever they want now. Never. The love of
Christ now constrains us, right? If we go out and live riotous,
well, we're just proving that we never really knew Christ,
right? Oh, my. For if I build again the things
which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I, through
the law, am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. Here's
a wonderful verse to memorize for us. I am crucified with Christ,
nevertheless I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me. In the life that I live, in the flesh, which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me,"
and look at this, "...and gave himself for me." Look at that. It's a wonderful verse to memorize
because it talks about God's eternal love for us, right? He's
loved us. For how long? For eternity. And what did he
do for us, beloved? He gave himself for us. He gave
himself for us. He gave his life for us to ransom
our eternal souls. So the believers, and then in
verse 21, I do not frustrate the grace of God, for if righteousness
come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. What are you
saying? If you think you can be justified
by the law, in this case it was circumcision, right? If you can
be justified by circumcision and Christ, you've just frustrated
the grace of God, and Christ died in vain. Why did Christ
come here to save us? Because we couldn't save ourselves,
right? If we could save ourselves, He never would have come. But He had to come to save us
from our sins, beloved. He had to come. He was on a mission. And the sinners, the believing
sinners justification is not found in any actions by us. God
forbid, right? Not by anything we do. It's undeserved
merit, isn't it? It's undeserved favor, isn't
it? That God would have mercy on sinners like you and I? But
it's marvelous, isn't it? It's absolutely marvelous. Wondrous. Wondrous. It's our salvation
is all based upon the obedience of Christ Jesus our Lord. Not
upon our obedience. Even after we're saved. That's
key. Because there's religious groups
that say, well, you got to do all this now. God's people want
to do what the things that the Lord desires us to do, right?
He works in us, doesn't he? The scripture says he works in
us. Do you want to do the things that you used to want to do?
No, I don't want to do those things. Now there's a battle, right?
Now there's a war in the flesh. The Spirit's willing, what? But
the flesh is weak, see? There's the war. We have the
Holy Spirit in us now, Christ in us. The hope of glory, beloved. The love of Christ constrains
us from sin, Paul wrote, and it's so true. Constrains us from
sin. And who's our only hope now? Christ. Yeah, I used to hope in my own
ability. You know how I know that? Because
I used to think my good would outweigh my bad. See, even that's so subtle,
isn't it? It's just self-righteousness.
It's just self-righteousness. And we are full of self-righteousness
when we come into this world, dead in trespasses and sins. And I was reading a book with
a bunch of guys this week, and the preacher brought out something.
He said, let us remember our own self-nothingness. He is all, and we're nothing. My, what a
statement. What a statement. Oh, let us
remember that. My, oh my. What Donny Bell say
one time, enough pride in me to burn the whole building down.
And that's the same man talking about that, right? Oh, amen,
for all of us, for all of us, oh my. So let's read verse 16
once again. We'll be studying a word in this
verse, which is used three times in this verse and one more time
in the following verse. Knowing that a man is not justified,
there's the word, 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. The second time you see it will
be three times in this one verse. by the faith of Christ, not by
the works of the law. For by the works of the law shall
no man be justified." So, the thrust here in this verse, the
key in this verse is justified. And that answers a question asked
long ago in the book of Job. How can a man be justified before
God? Only in Christ. Can't be justified
by the law, right? That's so clear in that verse,
isn't it? So then if a man can't be justified by the law, how
can a man or woman be justified? Only in Christ. It's wonderful. Oh, it just stirs your soul.
It's wonderful. And there's a threefold repetition of the word justified.
And I believe it's put there for clarity and for emphasis
for us to learn, beloved. And it's brought forth. Isn't
it brought forth in a really clear way? that we can't be justified
before God by the works of the law. It's repeated, isn't it?
See, the Holy Spirit's teaching us here that it's impossible
for a man or woman to be justified by the works of the law. The
only way we can be justified is in Christ. And by God-given
faith, we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, don't we? And the
scripture says we're justified by faith. And that faith has
one object, and that's Christ. That's who we're justified in.
That's who we're justified in, beloved. Always remember that
faith is given to us. It's a gift. Now it becomes our
faith, right? It's a gift from God, but it
comes from God. Without that faith, we would
have no interest in God at all. We would have no interest in
being justified by Christ. We would have no interest in
the things of God. How do we know that? Because there's none
that seeketh after God. There's none that understandeth.
There's none righteous, no, not one. We're made righteous, aren't
we? In Christ. The thing that's impossible
for us to do, we're made righteous in Christ. The scripture says
there's none that seeketh after God. We're made willing in the
day of His power, drawn to Christ. Isn't it wonderful? It's all
God, beloved. It's salvations of the Lord.
It's all Him. It's all Him. So what does this
Greek word mean for justified? It's used also in the verse after
too. It says in verse 17, but if well
we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves are also found sinners.
Is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. So again,
that's a battle, that verse is a targeting antinomianism, which
says you can just go out and do whatever you want after the
Lord saves you. Well no, we're new creatures in Christ, aren't
we? Number one, we're new creatures in Christ, born again of the
Holy Spirit of God. My. So this Greek word means to render,
that is to show or regard as, now listen to this, to render
or to show or regard as just or innocent. I'm looking at folks here who
believe in Christ, who are rendered innocent before the law. Now
the law had a big claim on us, doesn't it? Right? Blotting out
the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, right? Remember,
we mentioned at Colossians 3, those ordinances were written
things that they had against the criminals? Oh, ours were
so long. Because our sins, those sins
in that paper, is against God. Blotting them out. rendered innocence. Oh, that's
good news, isn't it? That's the best news I've ever
heard in my life. See, cause Satan reminds me of
my past sins. Does he remind you of yours?
Yeah. Drags us through the mud with
him, doesn't he? There's a verse for us to live
in, beloved. There's a verse for us to live in. Oh my, it's
wonderful. rendered just or innocent. It means to be declared or made
righteous in the sight of God. Isn't that wonderful? We're made
righteous in the sight of God. Christ bore all our sins, didn't
he? He took them all away, didn't he? What are we clothed in? The perfect, spotless righteousness
of Christ, beloved, the great transfer. The great transfer. Our sins were transferred to
Christ. Right? He bore them all. And
His righteousness is transferred to us, beloved. Credited to our
accounts. And He lived that perfect life
that not one of us could ever live. Oh my. What a Savior. What a Redeemer
is Jesus Christ our Lord. So those who are guilty by nature
of breaking God's law, those who trust in Christ and Him alone,
are made righteous in the sight of God. That's a miracle, beloved. That's a miracle of grace. That's
what that is. It's wonderful. I'm looking at a bunch of monuments
of God's grace. Isn't that wonderful? And I'm
even one too! Oh my goodness. You know, it seems too good to
be true, but it isn't. It isn't. We talked about that,
Dave. Like, oh my. Our past? Yeah. Wiped out. Gone. Oh, it's glorious, isn't
it? You wonder why everyone doesn't
flock to the gospel, right? There's none that seek it after
God. But we seek after God, don't we? All according to God's grace
and all according to God's mercy, beloved, because he made us willing
in the day of his power. You know, when he makes you willing,
you never stop being willing. Why do we love to hear the gospel?
Keep telling me about my king. Keep telling me about my savior.
Keep telling me about the one who redeemed my soul. He's all
I want to hear about now. My, oh my. And this all comes,
we are rendered righteous, rendered innocent, made righteous in the
sight of God, only in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. No other
way. We saw law can't justify us. And the law, that means our works,
beloved. But isn't it wonderful that God
justifies us in Christ? Oh my, it's good news. So this wonderful doctrine of
justification concerns God's gracious judicial verdict in
advance of the day of judgment. We will stand in front of Christ,
not guilty, on the great white throne, at the great white throne.
clothed in this perfect, spotless righteousness. And the only one
who made us to differ, the only one who made the sheep to differ
from the goats, is the one sitting on the throne, the Lord Jesus
Christ. The only one who made us to differ. Oh my. And He will pronounce guilty
sinners to an eternity in hell, You know, we're guilty sinners
too, aren't we? But we found mercy, didn't we? See, that's
why the only one who made us to differ is Him. The one on
the throne. The one in whose hand is all
judgment. Oh, my. We're no different than anyone
else. Except for the grace of God. My, oh, my. And those who trust
in Christ, I'll tell you, here's the good news, those who trust
in Christ are completely forgiven of all their sins and transgressions. There is not one left. What about
my future sins? All my sins was future at Calvary's
Cross. I wasn't even born. Were you?
No? Paid in full. Oh my. And God is satisfied with
the sacrifice of Christ that he was raised for our what? Justification. Raised for our justification.
Raised that we might be made, rendered innocent. Made righteous,
isn't that right? Death couldn't hold him, could
he? Death couldn't hold him. Oh, it's just wonderful, beloved. In marvel at this, beloved God,
the Holy Spirit has penned by the pen of Paul, he brings forth
that sinners are only justified by Christ in him alone. It's
so clear. It's so clear in this verse. Let's read it again. Knowing
that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by
the faith of Jesus Christ, which we know is a gift from God, right?
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." Justification
is only in Christ. And where are we as believers?
In Christ. Isn't that wonderful? So if we're
in Christ, we can never be rendered not innocent, right? We can never
be rendered not righteous. God doesn't save and then cast
away. No. God saves and keeps. We're in
his grip, beloved. We're in the almighty hand. Safe
in his hand. Oh my. And the five solas which
Luther emphasized are very relevant to justification here. Here are
the five solas. Salvation by God's grace alone.
through faith alone, which again is God-given, in Christ alone,
to God's glory alone, with the Scripture alone being the final
authority. This is our final authority.
Brother Charlie, you and I were talking about that today. This
is the final authority right here. The Word of God. Now, what
some man says, you have to do this to be saved, along with
faith in Christ. Nope, the Scripture. I'll just
go right to this verse right here. Knowing that a man is not
justified by the works of the law. Well, that cleans it all
up right there, doesn't it? That's not baptism. That's not
church membership. Right? That's not being a Sabbatarian
and worshipping on Saturdays. That's not doing this or doing
that. Or not doing this and not doing that. Salvation's in Christ alone,
brothers and sisters. Rejoice. It's in Him alone, not
by the works of the law. Again, the question in the book
of Job, in Job 25, verse 4 says this, How then can a man be justified
with God, or how can he be clean that's born of a woman? We come
into this world dead in trespasses and sins. How can we be made
clean before God? Only in Christ. Only in Christ,
beloved. The answer is right here in our
text, isn't it? In Christ alone. and however righteous a man may
be in his own sight. And men and women in the world,
I know, because I was there. I was there. They think they're
self-righteous. You just turn the news on. You
hear a bunch of self-righteous people sometimes, don't you?
My. I got where I just turned it
off now. I'm so tired of it all. But you want to keep informed,
so you got to listen a little bit. But just, men and women are righteous in
their own sight. Or however, however righteous
a man or woman is in other sights, they cannot be justified by God,
except through Christ. See? This is the great leveler
of all men and women, isn't it? Remember what we looked at last
week in Romans in our study here? That all will become guilty before
God. That's what the law is for. The
great leveler. Boom. Rich, poor, king, lowly
person, doesn't matter. All guilty before God. Now here
we see the answer. How can a man be justified before
God? In Christ, in Christ alone. Aren't
you thankful that God's given you an interest in Christ? There's
so many people driving by here this morning even. No care in
this world for Christ or the things of Christ. Our prayer
is the Lord will save them, right? If it be his will. We don't know
who's driving by, who's a lost sheep of God. We have no idea.
Right? So we preach the gospel to everybody.
Let God do the saving. That's why the messages go out
into the internet. Just, Lord use them for your
glory and honor and praise. The only way that a man or woman
can be justified before God as in Christ because the scripture
declares that all our righteousness, all our works, that's all our
works, trying to gain merit and favor with God, are just filthy
rags in the eyes of the Lord. Just dirty. My dad worked in a, he was a
trailer mechanic. I go to work with him and he,
I just love to help out, just a little tyke, you know. Probably
Jill's Gavin's age. And I just would follow my dad
everywhere, and he'd say, pick up these rags. Oh man, some of
them were just nasty, you know, just awful. Just so dirty. You think, how are those ever
gonna be made clean again, you know? Well, they were. Some were
so dirty, though, they just had to throw them away. But you know, at the end of the
day, going, You've got all this dirt and all this stuff on your
hands. You're just covered in all this stuff and you go with
your dad. I used to like, this is one of my favorite parts,
going with dad and just washing our hands. I look back now, all
my sins are gone. See, I had all that filth on
me, didn't I? All that defilement of sin, didn't we? Oh, we're
just a mile from the scripture says from the top of our head
to the bottom of our feet. You know what now? We're made
wider than snow. We're justified in God's sight
now. Isn't that wonderful? Oh my. All by the grace of God. So the
good news of the gospel, salvation in Christ alone, answers the
age-old question of how can a man or woman be justified before
God. He's in Christ and Him alone. The Word of God incarnate. The
second person of the Trinity became a man. And died in the
room and place of sinners. Oh my. He's the one the Old Testament
prophets spoke of. They spoke of Him. He said the
law and the prophets say what? Testify of me. Testify of me. He's the only answer to the question
then, how can a man be justified before God in Christ alone? He's the answer to the human
predicament of our sin. We can't pay for one sin, can
we? So you know what the Word of God does? He becomes a man
to, you know what? Rescue us. He rescued us, beloved. He rescued us from ourselves.
He rescued us from our sins. See, my sins are mine. They're
no one else's. They're mine. I need to be rescued
from them. Praise God Christ rescued me.
So much so, and this is for you too, who believe on Christ Jesus
our Lord. So much so that God looks at
you and He sees no sin in you at all. He sees Christ. That's good news for sorry sinners,
isn't it? That's good news for me. For
you, brother? Amen. Always wonderful news. Wonderful news. He's the substitute
of God's people. In his life, he's our substitute.
In his death, he's our substitute. And as a result of his obedient
life, and his dying for us on the cross by his sin-atoning
death, by the shedding of his precious blood, and the giving
of his life, we are justified before God. Wonder of wonders. And the justification
of sinners is one of the key components, again, of God's saving
activity in Christ. So we see, then, that salvation's
of the Lord, isn't it? In His planning, in His execution,
in His application. It's all of Christ. It's all
of Him. Now let's see, let's look at
this verse again. And note, we see in this verse that justification
before God is not by the works of the law. Twice we see that
we are justified by the faith of Christ in this verse. And
then thirdly, we see that absolutely no flesh, no human flesh, will
be justified by the works of the law. 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 Jesus Christ, and not by the
works of the law, for by the works of the law shall no flesh
be justified. So we see three times it bought
up, the works of the law, the works of the law, the works of
the law. That means no one can be rendered
by what they do. You know, and it's repeated for us. It's for our learning, beloved.
Now, we're slow to learn, aren't we? We are. We're slow to learn. You know,
I remember a dear friend of mine who preaches the gospel over
there in Ireland. He said that, again, I've mentioned
this before, but the reason we need to keep hearing the gospel
is because we forget so soon. What we see here, it's reminded
to us three times here. And remember the context of this,
too, though. Paul is battling the Judaizers,
right? He says, you must be circumcised to be saved. So the Holy Spirit
has them right three times for emphasis, not by the works of
the law. Three times. God does not justify us because
he sees faith in us and looking down through time. That came
from the pit of hell. That's just not true at all.
God saw us dead in trespasses and sins, and He chose to have
favor upon us, mercy upon us. My, it's just absolutely incredible. He doesn't justify us because
He sees a change in us. No, He rots a change in us, doesn't
He? He rots a change in us. We don't do nothing. And then
he gives us faith, and that faith is given to us as a gift of God,
and it only has one object, Christ. Only has one object. You hear
people say, my faith, my faith, my faith, my faith. Tell me about
who that faith's about. Because you can have faith in
a whole lot of different things, can't you? Let me tell you about Christ.
Let me tell you about the one who my faith is in. Let me tell
you about my Redeemer who saved my soul by the shedding of his
precious, precious blood. The one who justified me before
God. Oh, he's wonderful. And now justification,
too, before God must never be considered without reference
to the believer's union with Christ as well. I'm running out
of time again. Union with Christ. Turn, if you
would, to Philippians chapter 3 and also Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8. We have a union
with Christ that's called in Christ in the Scriptures. That's
where we are, beloved. In Christ. Isn't it wonderful? It's absolutely wonderful. Remember
he said, I'm the vine and you're the branches. Without me you
can do nothing. That's because of the union with Christ. Look
at this in Philippians chapter 3, verses 8 and 9. Yea, doubtless,
and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss
of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
and be found in who? Him. Be found in Him. Look at this, not having mine
own righteousness, which is what? The righteousness of the law.
We just saw that can't save, right? See the tie-in here? So clear, isn't it? Right? But that which is through the
faith of Jesus Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Oh,
it's wonderful, beloved. Now turn to Romans chapter 8,
and again we see union with Christ is central to the believer's
whole salvation, from effectual call, to glorification, to justification. It's one of the crucial elements
and must never be isolated from the rest. Look at this, Romans chapter
8, verses 29 and 30. For whom he did foreknow, he also did
predestinate, to be conformed to the image of his Son, that
he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom
he did predestinate, then he called, and whom he called, he
what? Same Greek word. Exactly the same Greek word is
in our text in Galatians. He justified. And whom he justified,
he what? He glorified. Oh, my beloved! It's wonderful, isn't it? So
the biblical doctrine of justification is an act of God in the sense
of a legal declaration, a judicial pronouncement that we who are
in Christ are declared not guilty, innocent, rendered righteous. Isn't that wonderful? It's all
in Christ. And now look, we're going to
close with these words here. Look at verses 31 to 33. Look
at this, of Romans chapter 8. What shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, who can be against us? Now, many
people come against us, don't they, in this world? Right? He that spareth not his own son,
but delivereth not for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the
charge of God's elect? Right? It is God who what? Justifies,
same Greek word. Whoo! Isn't that wonderful? That's
good news, isn't it? I'll tell you what, that makes
your heart want to sing. Oh, my. Justified in Christ and not by
any works which we do. Praise be to God. Hallelujah. What a Savior. What a Savior.
Oh, my. Jonathan, can you close us in
prayer? Would you mind? Thank you for this message today.
Thank you for being with us, sending your spirit, blessing
the word. We pray that you bless it to our hearts, to our ears.
That your name be glorified, that sinners be called to repentance.
Father, we thank you for Christ in whom we have justification,
salvation, in whom all our hope is. Pray that his name continue
to be glorified in this place today. Be with us during the
worship service. It's in Christ's name we pray.
Amen.