Galatians chapter 3, Galatians
the third chapter. Did you ever notice how the scriptures
speak distinctly, very distinctly, of the faith of Christ and of
our faith in Christ? Here in Galatians chapter 3 we
have a clear example of this. In verse 19 of the third chapter,
Paul tells us that the law of God that was given at Mount Sinai
was given for a specific designated period of time. It was added,
he says, because of transgressions till the seed, that is, till
Christ should come to whom the promise, the promise of every
blessing of God's grace in salvation was made. In verse 21, he assures
us that the law of God given at Sinai is not in any way contrary
to or against God's covenant promise of salvation by Christ,
and that it was never intended to produce righteousness. Paul
tells us in 2 Corinthians 3.7 that the law is administration
of death. That is, it is the servant of
death. The servant of death does not bring life. It cannot bring
righteousness, and righteousness is the equivalent of life. If
we are righteous before the law, we live. If we are not, we are
dead. And so the law is administration,
a servant of death. Paul says the law cannot produce
righteousness. In fact, in chapter 2, verse
21, he says, I do not frustrate the grace of God. For if righteousness
come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. Now let's pick
up in verses 22 through 26. Read it with me and listen carefully.
But the scripture hath concluded all understand the whole volume
of Holy Scripture. Everything written in the book
of God, particularly everything written in the law of God, puts
us under condemnation. And that's what it means when
it says it has concluded all under sin, under the guilt of
sin. Now Paul's language here is all-inclusive. All the members of our physical
bodies, all the thoughts of our minds, all the emotions of our
hearts, All our feelings, all our doing, even our best deeds
of righteousness, which are but filthy rags, all are under sin,
under the curse of God's holy law, because we are nothing but
sin. We are under the power, the dominion,
and the guilt of sin before the law by nature. Now watch this.
That the promise, watch this, by faith of Jesus Christ might
be given to them that believe. The promise of life is the promise
of eternal life and salvation, of everlasting righteousness,
and the never-ending smile of God's approval. It all belongs
to all God's people. all the time by the faith of
Jesus Christ. Now it is not our believing that
fulfilled God's covenant promise. It is not our believing that
brought in righteousness, that blessed righteousness in which
we now stand before God. The promise is given to all who
believe, but the promise was fulfilled and comes to us by
faith, the faith of Jesus Christ. It was Christ who performed the
promise. It was Christ as our surety in the everlasting covenant,
who upon his condition or the condition of his obedience under
God, it was to him the promise was made, and he has fulfilled
it. It is Christ who obtained the
promise by his faithful obedience unto God, his faithful fulfillment
of all his covenant engagements as our surety and substitute.
You remember how he said, Lo, I come to do thy will, O my God. He taketh away the first that
he may establish the second. He takes away the old covenant
and establishes the second, fulfilling all the will and promise of God. Look at verse 23. But before
faith came, that is before Christ came, we're still talking about
him, the faith of Christ. Before faith came, we were kept
under the law, shut up unto, now watch this, the faith, which
should afterwards be revealed. What faith is Paul talking about?
Whose faith is this? Is it yours? Is it mine? The
faith that came by which we were delivered from the curse of God's
holy law and by which we are justified is the faith of Jesus
Christ, spoken of in verse 22. It is this faith, the faith of
Jesus Christ, that is revealed to us by the gospel, by the power
of God's Holy Spirit. Our faith is something that God
gives us as a result of Christ's obedience. Our faith is something
that is wrought in us. Our faith is the operation of
God the Holy Spirit. Our faith is not revealed to
us. Our faith is not something that God reveals to us, our faith
is something that God works in us. The faith that is revealed
in the gospel is the obedience of Jesus Christ our Lord unto
death as God's righteous servant. It is Christ, the faith, who
is revealed. When God the Holy Spirit comes
in the saving operations of his omnipotent mercy to call sinners,
When God comes at the time of love to save his elect, he reveals
Christ's faithfulness to us and convinces us of it. This is what
he reveals. You can look at it later in John
chapter 16. First, the Holy Spirit convinces us of sin, of our sin,
yes, and of sin's removal by what Christ has done. He convinces
us of righteousness, of God's righteousness established in
Jesus Christ by his faithful obedience. and he convinces us
of judgment, that is, of justice satisfied and just judgment thereby
removed by what Christ has done. When the Holy Spirit calls the
sinner and gives him eyes to believe, he convinces the sinner
that Christ, by his faithful obedience to God as our covenant
surety and mediator, has put away sin, brought in everlasting
righteousness, and saved us from divine judgment, making us just
before God. Now look at verse 24. Wherefore,
the law was our schoolmaster. The word schoolmaster was very
familiar to these Gentiles at Galatia. In the Roman world,
it was very common for a man to have a schoolmaster for his
children. The schoolmaster was a steward in the man's house
to whom he committed the care of his children. He committed
their education, their training, and their discipline to the schoolmaster.
It was the schoolmaster's responsibility to discipline, to protect, and
to bring the children to the fulfillment of their maturity
so that at the time of their maturity, their education as
children was fully accomplished. Now Paul says the law was our
schoolmaster for just this purpose. The law was our schoolmaster
to bring us unto Christ that we might be justified by faith.
Now be sure you notice this. The words to bring us are in
italics. Anytime you see those words in
the English translation that you have before you italicized,
it means that the words were added by the translators to make
the sentence read more smoothly or to give a better sense of
the sentence. One of those two things. But
the words have no corresponding Greek word in the text. So the
translators put these words in italics, and they're saying to
us by this, there's no such word in the original language. We've
added these words. So really, verse 24 ought to
read like this. Wherefore, the law was our schoolmaster
unto or until Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
It was the law's purpose, like a schoolmaster, to direct God's
elect to Christ and to make sure we got to him. It was the law's
purpose, as our schoolmaster, to serve until Christ came. and fulfilled it by his faithful
obedience unto the law and the salvation of our souls from it. Once that was done, the schoolmaster
service ended. That's the reason Paul says Christ
is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. Well,
how then could the law be our schoolmaster unto Christ if its
service ended 2,000 years ago? Paul is writing as a Jewish man
and he's dealing with the law. The law was never given to the
Gentiles. Not one time. The only time a
Gentile was ever in any way influenced by the law is if he became a
Jewish apostolate. God did not require the Gentiles
to keep Sabbath days. He did not require the Gentiles
to keep his feast. He did not require the Gentiles
to be circumcised. This was totally a Jewish thing. It was totally in the Old Testament
economy. And now that Christ has come
and fulfilled everything in the law, he delivers the church and
kingdom of God into the maturity of sonship as full-grown sons,
so that we're no longer slaves under the law, but rather we
are sons in the household of faith. Now that the righteousness
of the law has been fulfilled by Christ's obedience in life
as our representative, and by his obedience in death having
satisfied the justice of the law with his own blood, we can
and are justified by faith. Because justification, listen
carefully, because justification has been accomplished yonder
in the court of heaven. We now have justification accomplished
in the court of our own consciences as we believe on the Son of God. Faith looks away from self to
Christ. And looking to Christ, we are
justified fully, and we have all things in Him accomplished
by Him by which we have good, right, acceptable standing before
God. Trusting Christ, we receive complete,
full justification in Him and have peace with God by faith
in Him. have peace in him by whom we
have received the atonement. Hold your hands here and turn
back to Romans chapter 4 one more time. Romans chapter 4. In the last sentence of chapter
4, Paul says that Christ was delivered for because of our
offenses imputed to him. and was raised again for, because
of our justification accomplished by him. And then he says in verse
1 of chapter 5, therefore being justified by faith we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have peace in our
consciences by faith. because we have been justified
by Jesus Christ the Lord. And believing on the Son of God,
we're told in verse 5, the love of God is shed abroad in our
hearts. Then down in chapter 5 in verse
9, since we are justified, since we have peace with God, since
the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, much more than
being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath
through him. For if when we were enemies,
What's he talking about? God commendeth his love toward
us in that while we were yet enemies, Christ died for us.
While we were yet enemies, 2,000 years ago, under the sentence
and curse of the law, if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled
to God, not by our faith in the death of his Son, but by the
death of his Son, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, by his death
reconciled his elect unto God. Much more. Being reconciled,
we shall be saved through his life. And not only so, but we
also join God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have
now received the atonement. This is the thing that gives
us peace. Wherefore, now this is the conclusion of the matter.
As by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin,
and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.
Verse 18. Therefore, as by the offense
of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so
by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men
under justification of life. All right, back in Galatians
3, verse 25. But after that faith has come,
we're no longer under schoolmaster. Since the law has come, that
is to say, since Christ has come, who is the fulfillment of the
law, we're no longer under the law. Under no sense whatsoever
are we under the law. No relationship between believers
and the law, except that the law is fulfilled for us. There
is no motivation in the law. There is no guiding principle
in the law. The law was our schoolmaster
unto Christ. Now that faith has come, we're
no longer under the schoolmaster. Verse 26. For you are all the
children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Well, what does that mean? Well, when the Lord sees us decide
to believe in Jesus, then he decides to adopt us as his children.
Does that in any way, in any shape, fit what's revealed in
this book? Obviously not. God's adoption is not as our
adoption. Many women today who adopt children
do what they can usually to find out something about the child's
background. Even if it's just a day-old infant, they want to
find out something about mama and daddy because there's so
much in the genes that can be in that child. And so they exercise
some care as to what they're bringing into their family. God's
adoption of his elect. was an adoption that is altogether
a matter of free grace. It was done in eternity, Paul
tells us in Ephesians 1. We come to enjoy and experience
it by faith in Christ. So our faith in Christ, as it
is with our justification, so it is with our adoption, is not
the cause but the fruit and the result of adoption. Our faith
in Christ is not the cause of our being justified, but rather
the fruit and the result of Christ having justified us. Now I want
you to see that this is what the book teaches. Turn to Galatians
4. Galatians 4. Verse 6. And because you are sons, not
in order to make you sons, because you are sons, God has sent forth
the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father,
wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son. And if a son, then
an heir of God through Christ. Our faith in Christ is the assurance
of our adoption as the children of God. Believing the Son of
God, trusting his blood and righteousness, we do what we could never do
before. We tried, oh how we tried to
look at God in heaven and say my father. We tried our best to lay claim
to him as our father, but our consciences forbade it because
we knew we were guilty. Because Christ has brought in
righteousness. Because Christ has put away sin. Because Christ has fulfilled
the law. Believing on the Son of God,
through faith in His blood, this sinner, in all his blackness,
pollution, and depravity, lifts his eyes to heaven and looks
upon God Almighty And said, my father, my father, because your
sons. Now, the scriptures declare that
we are justified by faith of Jesus Christ. And it says this
seven times. Paul uses this phrase, the faith
of Christ, seven times. That means that our justification
was totally accomplished by Christ, that it was accomplished outside
our experience, altogether without our aid, by the faith, by the
faithful obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ as our substitute.
Let me show you these seven places. I've looked these up carefully,
and I urge you to do so as well. Turn first to Romans 3. Every
time Paul speaks of justification being accomplished for us, every
time, no exceptions, Every time, no exceptions, that Paul speaks
of justification being accomplished for us, it is by the faith of
Christ. Never once is it by our faith
in Christ. Romans 3.22. Even the righteousness
of God, here's the first place, which is by faith of Jesus Christ. Back in Galatians chapter 2,
verse 16. And all of these except for three
are found in the book of Galatians. Here's the second place. 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, here's the third place, might be justified by
the faith of Christ. Verse 20 of chapter 2. I am crucified
with Christ, nevertheless I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by
the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself
for me. Chapter 3, verse 22. The scripture hath concluded
all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might
be given to them that believe. In chapter 3 of the book of Ephesians.
Paul speaks of our boldness and access with confidence, verse
12, by faith of him. In Philippians 3, verse 9, he
expresses his desire to be found in Christ, not having his 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,
we have been conditioned to think. We've been conditioned to think
by hundreds of years of religious perversion of the scriptures.
We've been conditioned to think of faith only with reference
to ourselves. We believe in Christ. We trust
the Son of God. He that believeth on the Son
of God hath everlasting life. When we read in the book of God
about the faith of Christ, this is the automatic assumption.
This is just the automatic assumption. Well, that's really talking about
our faith. That's really talking about our faith in Christ. That's
exactly what the vast majority of the commentaries do with this.
They tell us that the words faith of Christ really mean faith in
Christ. And these words, the faith of
Christ, are commonly treated as though they were a mistranslation
of the Greek text. But they're not a mistranslation.
This past week, I've carefully checked one more time every one
of these references. Every single time, the translation
is exactly as it ought to be. No exceptions. Every single time.
And yet, every modern translation, there are a few exceptions. I
shouldn't say every. Most modern translations, you know, those
nice, great improvements on this old, archaic King James translation.
Every one of them, just about, translates those words, faith
of Christ, as faith in Christ. Almost every one of them. There
are few exceptions, very few exceptions. And I'm convinced
that the mistranslation is not accidental, not every time. It
is deliberate. We're told by the commendators
and we're led by the modern translations to believe that the phrase is
really just an odd way of saying faith in Christ, that it really
refers to our faith and not Christ's faith. Such recklessness in handling
the Word of God, whether it's deliberate or otherwise, completely
alters the meaning of Scripture. Now, I can't, in the next five
minutes, give you all these references. I'll write this out and give
it to you next week, Lord willing. But when Paul speaks of our faith
in Christ, And of the faith of Christ, as distinct things, the
distinction is as plain as the nose on your face. Let me give
you one example. Look at Galatians 3.26. Paul says we are all children
of God by faith in Christ. He's talking about our faith.
Prior to this, in chapter 3, he's been talking about the faith
of Christ, by which justification is accomplished. in dozens of
passages like this. There's no question about whose
faith Paul is referring to. He's talking about our faith.
And when he draws a distinction between our faith in Christ and
the faith of Christ, the distinction is equally clear. Look in Galatians
2, verse 16. knowing that a man is not justified
by the works of the law, but by the faith of Christ. Even
we have believed in Christ, that we might be justified by the
faith of Christ. He talks about our believing
in Christ and our being justified by the faith of Christ, and he
makes the distinction very clear. Now, it may be that you might ask, well, is this
really necessary? Paul is not simply declaring
our faith in Christ in these passages in two different ways. He's not being redundant. When he speaks of the faith of
Jesus Christ, he's talking about Christ's faith. When he speaks
of our faith in Christ, he's talking about our faith. And
both are vital. We could never be saved by our
faith in Christ were it not for the faith of Christ by which
he accomplished our redemption and justification. And we could
never be saved by the faith of Christ without our faith in Christ. Both are vital. Yes, we must
have faith in Christ. And our faith in Christ is the
sure result of the faith of Christ as our surety while he walked
on this earth. Let me have you turn to another
text, Romans chapter 3. And listen carefully as you turn.
What exactly does this phrase mean, the faith of Christ? When
the Holy Spirit uses this phrase in scripture, he is referring
to our Savior's faithful performance of all his Father's will as our
covenant surety, our substitute, and our redeemer. The faith of
Christ refers to his fidelity to God as Jehovah's righteous
servant. It speaks of his faithful performance
in our place of all that's required of us as our substitute to fulfill
all the requirements of God's holy law on our behalf. The faith
of Christ refers to his faithfulness in accomplishing all that he
came here to accomplish as our savior and mediator. In Romans
chapter 3 and verse 3, Paul says, what if some did not believe?
Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? Well, how does that speak of
God's faith? No, no, no. God's faith in who? No, no, no. It's not it at all.
It's talking about the fidelity, the faithfulness, the veracity
of God. As a matter of fact, in Titus
2, verse 10, when Paul urges servants to be loyal and faithful
to the masters in all things, doing all that's required of
them, He says, showing all good fidelity. It's the very same
word as is commonly translated faith. It's talking about the
faithfulness of Christ, our Savior, and here in Romans 3 about the
faithfulness of God. Our justification was accomplished. Our eternal redemption was obtained
by Christ's faithfulness in doing all his Father's will for the
salvation of our souls. The kinsman redeemer, pictured
in Ruth in the Old Testament. pictured by Boaz as he redeemed
Ruth. According to the law, the kinsman
redeemer had to have two things. He must be able and willing to
redeem. And he must not only be able
and willing to redeem, he must actually perform the work. Ruth,
in her desperate need, went in and laid herself at the feet
of Boaz, looking to him for everything, because she could produce nothing. If she could produce anything,
she didn't need him. If she had owned anything, she
didn't need him. She was utterly at his disposal
waiting for him to help. And Boaz spread his skirt over
her and promised that he would not rest until he did the thing
for her. And our great Boaz is Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, to whom we look. It's in our utter helpless neediness
for everything. And he would not rest, he would
not enter into his rest until he had performed all the work
for us. Now, I call on sinners everywhere
to believe on the Son of God. With this word of assurance,
listen, this is a lead pipe's itch. This is a dead sure thing. God said it. He that believeth
on the Son of God. I love this word, hath. Hath everlasting life. Because he's been justified by
the faith of Christ. And now believing on Christ,
by his faith in Christ, he has the testimony of God. He is born
of God. Amen.