Justified By The Faithfulness Of Christ

Today, for our Bible study, I would encourage you to turn to the book of Galatians. The book of Galatians chapter 2. And let's read verse 16 together. Galatians chapter 2 at verse 16. 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, not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified, and certainly we can say justified in the sight of God.

Now here's our subject this morning. How are guilty sinners justified? And that means declared righteous before a thrice holy God. Now here's what this text reveals. Here's what we know. Knowing, he says, that a man is not justified, that is, not absolved from guilt, the guilt of sin, and declared righteous in the sight of God by the works of the law, moral, ceremonial, by the works of the law or by the deeds of the flesh. The law of God. which includes the Ten Commandments, but much more than that, all 700 or 800 precepts of the law. The law of God declares us to be guilty before God, but it does not remove the guilt. The law of God that is holy, just, and right exposes our sin, but does not heal the disease of our ruined, guilty nature.

Now, here's what Paul says in Romans 3, verse 19 through 20. And we know, now notice, here's what we know. We know that what things whoever the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. You see, the law declares that we have offended God, that we are guilty before God. Therefore, we are to stop justifying ourselves before God. Therefore, he says, continuing in Romans 3, 19-20, Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, in God's sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Now the problem, my friend, is not with the law. The law is holy, just, and good. That's what we read in Romans 7, wherefore the law is holy, the commandment holy, just, and good. The law is right and proper. The problem is with our weakness. The problem is with our sinful nature. The problem is with our depravity and inability to keep perfectly what God demands. God demands perfection because He is holy.

And we cannot produce that which is holy because of our sinful nature. All of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in God's sight. No sinner has ever been justified before God based upon his performance, based upon the creature's righteousness, based upon our ability to perform righteousness before God. No mortal man shall ever be absolved from guilt or declared righteous upon his personal obedience to the law.

Because our best is imperfect. Man, his best state is vanity. We've all sinned and come short of the glory of God. We've come short of honoring God. Now we read in Galatians 3 verse 10, For as many as are of the works of the law are under its curse, for it is written, Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things, which are written in the book of the law to do them. You see what he's saying here? God demands perfection or death. It's just not, we do some of the law, but all of the law.

Now Paul says this in Galatians 2.21, I do not frustrate the grace of God, for if righteousness comes by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. And what he's saying is this and what he's arguing here. If righteousness is by our deeds or by our performance, then it wasn't necessary for the Lord Jesus Christ to die.

So here's what we know. Number one, we're not justified by the deeds of the law, by our doing, by our merit, by our own righteousness. Now, here's what every believer's been taught of God. Secondly, we see this. What else do we know? The text goes on and says, "...but by the faith of Jesus Christ." Even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ or by faith in Christ. Now, two things here. Let's look at this first part of this. "...but by the faith or faithfulness and obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ."

That is, sinners are justified by the God-man mediator, or through what he did for us, who perfected and perfectly honored the law of God and all of its precepts in his life, and all of its penalty in his death. The penalty of the law said the guilty must die. And the Lord Jesus Christ died as a sinner substitute.

Now, the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 5, 17, Think not that I am come to destroy the law of the prophets. I come not to destroy, but to fulfill. Again, we read in Galatians 4, verse 4, But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law to redeem them that were under the law, under its sentence, under its power, under its penalty. that we might receive the adoption of sons. Now, two things we know we must have to stand before God, which we have completely in Christ Jesus.

We must have our sin removed. Our sin removed. This our Lord accomplished by His substitutionary death at Calvary. We read in Galatians 3.13, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on the tree." Now this is what Christ accomplished at Calvary. He took the sin of a certain people, those given to Him in the covenant of grace, as the surety of the covenant, as the substitute for His people. Call His name Jesus, Savior, He shall save His people from their sin. This is how the sin of God's covenant people is removed. by his substitutionary death, by his blood, whereby he shed his blood to satisfy God and to pay our sin debt.

Now we read again about this substitutionary death, how sin is put away in 1 Peter 3.18. For Christ also once suffered for sin, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened and made alive by the Spirit of God. Again, we read of this substitutionary death, the just dying for the unjust to bring us unto God. In 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21, here we see Christ making satisfaction for our sin, honoring that penalty and satisfying the penalty of that law.

God made Him to be sin for us. That is, our sin was imputed to Christ, reckoned to Christ. The sin of God's people was laid on Him. He knew no sin. He was a spotless Lamb of God. that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. This is how we are justified by His blood. I told you we need two things to stand before God justified. I not only need my sin removed, and this is what happened at Calvary. Our Lord died to put away our sin. He appeared once in the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. We must have not only sin removed, but we also must have a justifying righteousness imputed to us.

Now this is what Paul speaks of in Romans 4, blessed is the man to whom God would impute righteousness without works. The Lord Jesus Christ lived a life of obedience to God as this God-man, substitute and mediator. to fulfill all righteousness for his covenant people. Now, he didn't do this as a private man. He did this as a public man, as a federal head, as a representative man. He needed not a righteousness for himself, but as a representative man, he worked out perfect obedience for his people honoring God. The Lord Jesus Christ is made to every believer. He is called the Lord Our Righteousness. This is why we look to Christ for all things in salvation.

Paul put it this way in 1 Corinthians 1.30, Christ, but of him are you in Christ who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

That is everything we need in the way of justification before God we have in Christ crucified and in Christ glorified and resurrected. Delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification. Now listen to Paul's testimony in Philippians 3, 7-9. But what things regained to me, those I counted lost for Christ. Yea, doubtless I count all things but lost for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, But that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Now you see these two things that I need. Sin removed, righteousness imputed. Now, where are we going to find that? Not by our performance, by our deeds, but rather looking to Christ. Now lastly, here's what we see as well. Here's what we know.

We have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by faith in Christ. Now lastly, salvation is received by God-given faith. We read in Ephesians 2, 8 and 9, for by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourself, it's a gift of God. Now listen to me carefully. Faith does not accomplish salvation.

It simply receives the Lord Jesus Christ who accomplished and performed all things for us in a way of justifying us before God. The Lord Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of our faith, the object of faith, the foundation of faith. Faith is an instrument apprehending and applying Christ and His righteousness. So faith simply receives Christ Who is our redemption? Who is our righteousness?

Now, here's what we read in Acts 13, 38 and following. Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man it is preached unto you the forgiveness of sin. Now, here's the God-man substitute, the mediator of the covenant, the servitude, the advocate, our Savior. By Him all that believe are justified from all things which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. The faith of God's elect quits all confidence of finding hope of salvation by the deeds of the law and looks exclusively to the Lord Jesus Christ alone.

Now let me close by reading this scripture from Romans chapter 4 verse 23 down through chapter 5 verse 2. Now you listen carefully. Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, that is, talking about Abraham. Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him from righteousness.

But for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification, that being justified by faith, this faith looks to Christ alone. We have peace with God. through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have access by faith into this grace, wherein we stand and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Now, how are guilty sinners justified before God? Justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, let me close by reading this in Romans 3. Now we know that what things whoever the law saith Read this earlier, but I want to read it again. It says to them who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law the knowledge of sin.

But now, Romans 3, 21, the righteousness of God without the law is manifested being witnessed by the law and the prophets. Even the righteousness of God, which is by faith, of Christ, by the faithfulness and obedience of Christ unto all, and upon all them that believe there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom God has set forth set him forth to be the sacrifice, the propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God, to declare, I say at this time, his righteousness, that he might be just and the justifier of them which believe in Christ. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Justified By The Faithfulness Of Christ

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Justified By The Faithfulness Of Christ

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