for you to turn, if you would,
to the ninth chapter of the Book of Job. Hold your finger there and turn
over. I'm going to read just a few verses of the 25th chapter
of the Book of Job to start it off. What I would like to do
tonight is for us to ask the question. My question is, how
should a man be just with God? This was a question that Job
asked and asked before his three friends
who sat with him during this trial that he was going through.
Bill, dad, one of his friends, mentions this question later
after Joe 30, ask if you're in the 25th chapter, he says, then
answered Bill, dad, the shoe height, dominion and fear with
him. And he make it peace in his high
places. Is there any number of his armies
and upon whom does not his light arise? How then can man be justified
with God? Or how can he be clean? It's
more of a woman. Behold, even to the moon and
shineth not, and yea, the stars are not pure in his sight. How
much less man that is a worm and the son of man, which is
a worm. So. Ask the question here tonight,
how should a man be just with God? And so Job asks this question
in chapter nine. Since then, answer Job and said,
I know it's so of a truth. But how should man be justified?
with God. And so what I noticed first about
this in verse two, he says, I know it's so of truth. And so all
this time, Job had been given some counsel by his friends after
he had poured out some of his feelings and he was going through
a great trial. And these men who said that they were his friends
had come to sit with him during this time. And what I want us
to look at is a little bit about what they said to him and However,
they had come is what they would call friends, but their advice
they gave him wasn't really that good. And so he says, I know
it's so the truth in chapter eight, verse 20. If you look
back just a little bit, it says, behold, God will not cast away
a perfect man. Neither will he help the evildoers. This is what Bill had. One of
his friends had said to him. And so is this. Response to Job
in his time of trouble, something that is going to offer him comfort.
How are these words going to help him at this time? Yes, this
is true. God will not cast away the perfect
man and he won't help the evil doers. But how does this help
Job in his trial? And so while this is true, we
can't use this as a comfort. And so what I want to look at
is that just a word from each of his friends and what they're
saying and what they're inferring by that. So first, I want to
look at his name is Eliphaz and look at Job chapter four. In verse seven, he says to Job
in his time of trouble, remember, I pray thee, whoever perished
being innocent or where were the righteous cut off? And so
this is this is almost like going to a man who's built a house.
And going to see it in the house is falling down. And you say
to him, well, you know, a man that has a good carpenter will
have a have a nice house. Well, that well, that's you know,
that's true. But look at me. I am in ruin
at this time. And he says, you know, verse
seven. Remember, I pray thee, whoever
perished being innocent. And so what is he inferring by
this? So he's saying, look, what's
happening to you, Joe? You know, evidently there's something
about you that's not innocent. You have to kind of look at what's
going on around you and see that something's going on with this.
So his second friend, Bill, that we saw a little bit from him
earlier, turn over to chapter eight. And verse six, if that were pure
and upright. Surely now would he awake for
thee and make the habitation that I righteous righteousness
prosperous. So if Job, if you could only
be pure and if you could be upright, then you wouldn't have any of
this trouble. And so what he was assuming here is that he
could be pure, upright. And his last friend, Zophar,
Job, chapter 20. We'll start in verse four. Knowest
thou not this of old, since man was placed upon the earth, that
the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the
hypocrite but for a moment through his excellency mount up to the
heavens and his head reach under the clouds. Yet he shall perish
forever like his own dung when they have seen him say, Where
is he? Let's jump down to verse eleven.
His bones are full of the sin of his youth. which shall lie
down in the dust of him. Though wickedness be sweet in
his mouth, though he had it under his tongue, and though we spare
it and forsake it not, but it will, but it will keep it still
within his mouth. Yet his meat in his bowels is
turned and a gall of asps within him, and he has swallowed down
riches and he shall vomit them up again and God shall cast them
out of his belly. Go over to verse twenty seven.
The heavens shall reveal his iniquity. And the earth shall
rise up against him. The increase of his house shall
depart and his good shall flow away in the day of his wrath.
This is the portion of a wicked man from God and the heritage
appointed unto him by God. So this man speaks a little more
strongly of what his other friends were trying to infer to Job at
this time. He's saying you have to look at what's going on around
you right now and realize that God only punishes the wicked
this way. And that evidently you say you're righteous, but
you've got some hidden sin. You have to look at what's happened
to you. And so evidently he must be thinking he's evil. So what
kind of caught me to think of this is, do we do this when we
see somebody going through a great trial? Do we think, well, you
know, I wonder what You know, what is the Lord working with
them and his wife? Or what is what is he trying to work out
of them or some sin or something they're doing? What have they
done to deserve this? I dare say we've all thought
this at one time. And which reminded me that if
God responds to our evil actions, does that mean that he also responds
to our good? So I think an answer to this,
I looked at Luke chapter 13. In verse four. And so the Lord's speaking to
these men, they are talking about the blood of these Galileans
who Pilate mingled with the sacrifices. We'll start in verse two. And
Jesus answering them, said unto them, suppose ye that these Galileans
were sinners above all the Galileans because they suffered these things.
So were they doing something worse than anybody else while
they suffered this? He says, I tell you nay, but except you
repent, you shall all likewise perish. Were those 18 upon whom
the tower in Siloam fell and flew? Thank you that they were
sinners above all the men that dwelt in Jerusalem. Had they
done worse than everyone else that God has singled them out?
He says no, but except you repent, you shall all likewise perish.
So what we see here is that, you know, God's not necessarily
in in this case responding to something that they've directly
done, but he'll give us give those who are his people what
they need when they need it. for what he's called for his
purpose and not before then, not before we need it. So back
to our text. And to the original question
that we've asked in verse two, how should man be just with God? And looking at this, you know,
I've read some of the preceding chapters and some past this. So I wanted to look at it in
context of the way Job was speaking. So while this is a I can't think
of a better question that I need answers. How should a man be
just with God? But how is Job asking this? Is
he asking this really wanting to know this? Or is Job asking
this in context of everything that's been said to him and his
responses? So I believe if we look at it,
Job is actually saying this in complete exasperation and frustration
and anger toward God. And if we read a little bit past
it, well, that'll reveal itself pretty straight away. So we'll
start in verse two and read down through the 12th verse. I know
it's so the truth. But how should man be just with
God if he will contend with him? He cannot answer him. One of
a thousand. He's wise in heart and mighty in strength. and who
hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered, which
removeth the mountains, then they know not, and which overturneth
them in his anger, which shaketh the earth out of her place, and
the pillars thereof tremble, which commandeth the sun, and
it riseth not, and sealeth up the stars, which alone spreadeth
out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea, which
maketh Arcturus, and Orion, and Palladius, the constellations,
and the chambers of the south, which doeth great things past
finding out, yea, and wonders without number. Lo, he goeth
by me, and I see him not, and he passeth on also, but I perceive
him not. Behold, he taketh away, and who
can hinder him? Who can say unto him, What doest
thou? And so this is Job being angry, saying, What can I do
to even plead unto you? He said, Look at look at the
state I'm in. He said, You know, can I can
I contend with him? He cannot answer him. One of
a thousand. So he can't argue with the Lord. And he can see
that. And this is complete anger and frustration. And Job's been
hardened against him. If you look in verse 11 and chapter
seven across the page, he says, Therefore, I will not refrain
my mouth, I will speak in the anguish of my spirit and I will
complain in the bitterness of my soul. And so this is really
completes Job's thought here that he's though he's asking
good question, how should a man be just for God? He's asking
it out of frustration. And so that's the first thing
Job means by by saying this. And secondly, in that same chapter
seven here, down in verse 20, He says, I said, what shall I
do under the preserver of men? He's saying, why don't why are
you even keeping me alive? Why don't set me as a mark against
these so that I'm a burden to myself? And why does that not
pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity? For now, I
shall sleep in the dust and now shall seek me in the morning,
but I won't be. And so, so is this Job really admitting that
he's a sinner and really wanting to know how should man be just
with God? Though Job says, yes, he's saying
that he sinned, but Job is really doesn't have ownership of his
sin. You know, he's he's saying, yeah, I'm guilty, but he really
doesn't believe he's guilty and deserves to be punished. And
so that's that's the other side of this. So you have anger and
he doesn't own his sin here. Job admits his guilt, but God
has to bring him much lower before he really owns it as his. He
was sorry for the consequences and the punishment of the sin
he was going through. But Job wasn't really sorry over the
cause of his sin, which was sin before God, having a corrupt
nature. And that's that's the cause of his sin, which he was
unrepentant of. But we'll see later that, you
know, that changes. But what we do have to know is
that we're born in sin, that we commit sin, and that all we
can do is sin. And this is universal for everyone,
everywhere. And this sin, which Job here
has said that he's committed and that we commit, has caused
a breach. It's a breach between God and
men to where I can't come in his presence. This is what we
heard about this morning. Adam was in the garden and he walked
with the Lord, he talked with the Lord and he had one rule
and he could not break that one rule. He had rule over everything
else, but yet he couldn't even keep the one rule. And so the
sin is what got Adam passed out of the garden and thus we're
all born in sin from now all the way back to Adam. So the
question again, how should a man be just with God? So the word
just. can be also translated as righteous.
So how can a man be righteous with God? So to understand this,
we also have to have some knowledge of our breach, the extent of
it. So this breach that I have, the
separation from God. And so to what degree is this
breach affected me? I want us to look in Romans chapter
three. As is written, there is none
righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth,
and there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone
out of the way, and they are altogether become unprofitable.
There is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is
an open sepulcher, and with their tongues they have used to seep,
the poison of asps is under their lips, whose mouth is full of
cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed
blood. Destruction and misery are in
their ways, and the way of peace have they not known. There is
no fear of God before their eyes. And so this is the same. Sin
here that testified of Adam, it is justified to us, and so
sin testifies five things to us. And so what I would like
to look at is what those five things are. One is that it applies
to everyone everywhere. And if we turn over to John seven. One verse quickly. Verse seven, the Lord says the
world cannot hate you, but me, it hated because I testify of
it, that the works thereof are evil. And so. Everyone everywhere
for all his sins and come short for the glory of God, so that
doesn't leave anybody that's not within this group. The second
thing this sin testifies against us is that the bad things that
we do, Genesis six, five, And God saw that the wickedness
of man was great in the earth and the every imagination of
the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. So those
are the bad things that we do. Well, what about the good things
that we do? Isaiah, chapter 64, verse six. So the good things that we do,
but we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousness
is the good things we do are as filthy rags and we all do
fade as a leaf. And our iniquities, like the
wind, have taken us away. They carried us away. We've been swept up in it. It's not something that we can
even say that we were at one point without the iniquities
were caught up in it to the point where I'm being carried along
with the river. There's no fighting against it.
It's something that is too powerful for us. It's our nature. And
so we can't get beyond it. The fourth thing, so we looked
at everyone everywhere, the good things that I do and the bad
things that I do. So I kind of have to say, well,
maybe there's a time when maybe I would feel differently. So
even facing God's wrath. Sin testifies against me, so
I'd like us to look at the 16th chapter revelation. So we can even imagine on judgment
day. Ward's wrath and that men see
who he is and know that he is God and know that he's executing
his. His judgment in Revelation sixteen verse eight says in the
fourth angel poured out his bile upon the sun. And power was given
unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great
heat and blaspheme the name of God. Which had power over these
plagues. And they repented not to give
them the glory. And the fifth angel. poured out
his vial upon the seat of the beast, and his kingdom was full
of darkness. And they gnawed their tongues
for pain and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains
and their sores. And they repented not of their
deeds. And so it just. We know that our sin is an all
encompassing thing, but to even reading this and looking at it,
saying that they blasphemes God, knowing that he had power over
these plagues, he had the power to To give them the power to
take them away, but yet we're so corrupt, we're so entwined
with sin that it causes us even to blaspheme his name, facing
judgment. And lastly, even in hell. And
so we can look at that in Luke chapter 16. Everyone, everywhere, good things
we do, the bad things we do, facing death and judgment And
here we see, even in hell, no repentance. Sixteen verse twenty
four. Well, it starts seven verse nineteen,
there was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and
fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain
beggar named Lazarus, which laid at his gate full of sores and
desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's
table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores and it came
to pass that the beggar died. and was carried by the angels
into Abraham's bosom. And the rich man also died and
was buried. And in hell, the rich man, he lift up his eyes
being in torments and see if Abraham afar off and Lazarus
in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father
Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he might get
the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I'm tormented
in this plane. But Abraham said, son, Remember
that thou in thy lifetime receivest thy good things, and likewise
Lazarus' evil things. But now he is comforted, and
thou art tormented. And beside all this, between
us and you, there is a great gulf fixed, so that they which
would pass from here to you cannot. Neither can they pass to us that
would come from thence. Then he said, Well, I pray thee,
therefore, father, that thou wouldst send him to my father's
house. For I have five brethren that
he may testify unto them, lest they also come to this place
of torment. And Abraham said unto him, They have Moses and
the prophets. Let them hear them. But he said, Nay, father Abraham,
but if one went unto them from the dead, surely they will repent. And he said unto him, If they
hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they hear be persuaded,
though one rose from the dead. And so what we see here, even
our sin, even in hell, that he asks not for mercy. He asks for
himself. He's not asking for forgiveness
for his sins. He's saying, cool my tongue.
You know, the flame torments me. There's no repentance. He's asking for relief of his
pain and punishment. Um, this just shows that, you
know, even in sin, we have no accountability to God for our
sin. And the one verse of scripture, I'll just read it. Psalm 14,
three kind of sums it up, says they're all gone aside. They're
all together become filthy and there's none that doeth good.
No, not one. And so purpose of me going through
this, this breach of our sin to God was not to Just to bring
us down and to be negative, it's for us to understand what we
need, we have to understand where we are. And so where we are is
dead in sins and can get no further, no better than that. So from
six thousand years later, from Adam until us now, all have died. There's none that have not died
in sin and we're not going to be the first that don't die. So what do I have to hope for
then? So to summarize what the Apostle Paul said when he was
speaking of faith in Christ in this life, he was saying that
if faith in Christ is just this life and we die and there's no
more than this, then he said that we're we are of all men
most miserable. If there's no hope other than
in this and this life, that's it. Then can you imagine how
miserable we are? So I have two problems. I can't
come to God because of my sin. My second problem is I won't
come to God because of my sin. It's not in my nature to. So
I'm guilty. I have a sin debt and I won't
do it. And so the second question I
want to ask is what happens when two parties are divided and cannot
come together? So what they need is somebody
between them. So we'll go back to our text. We'll look at the 28th verse. Job says, I'm afraid of all my
sorrows, and I know that that would not hold me innocent. If
I be wicked, then why should I labor in vain if I wash myself
with snow and water and make my hands never so clean? It's
interesting. He says that their job actually
believes he's saying if I were to wash myself and make myself
clean, assuming that he thought he could do it for 31, yet thou
shalt plunge me in the ditch and my own clothes shall afford
me. Or he's not a man that I should answer him and we should come
together in judgment and get this here. Neither is there any
daisman between us that it might lay his hand upon us both. And
so what that word daisman there means, it's translated marginally
as umpire, but it can also be looked at as a judge or a mediator.
And so a mediator is someone who steps between two parties
that are separated. They can't come together. There's
no agreement between the two. And so, this daysman, who is
my daysman that can come between Job, come between me and the
Lord? Who is he that can come between us? And of course, that's
the Lord Christ Jesus. And 1 Timothy 2.5 is the one
mediator between God and men, the Lord Christ Jesus. How can
Christ be a mediator for me? What qualifications does he have
and how is he the one to do this? Well, we have to look at not
even how we view him. We look at how God views him.
And so he is well beloved, acceptable and he's all things. He's he's
he's the well beloved of the father. And so in whom he's well
pleased. So the father has complete Confidence
has given him power over all things, and so what better person
do we have to come between men and God other than the Lord?
And so he is our days man. He comes between us. And so I
can't go to God, but he can for me. And so what I want to look
at right now are the five things that Christ does for me as my
days man, as my mediator between men and God. And so the first
thing that he does is that he's my surety. Let's look at the
first chapter of the book of Ephesians. My surety is someone who stands
committed, giving me full assurance that he'll deliver what he's
promised. And so he's saying that I'm going to take responsibility.
So the father says that these are my people. And Christ stepped
in as my mediator and said, I'm going to take responsibility
for them. I'll take responsibility in delivering them and ensuring
that they're all brought safely. And so in verse four of the first
chapter of the book of Ephesians says, according as he God has
chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be
holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ unto himself. And so this, you know, Christ
is the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. And
it had and all this had to happen here before the foundation of
the world, before I had the opportunity to sin. Because God can never
viewed me in sin, I can't ever been in sin and then later cleanse
because he's known me in sin. And so here, that's why all this
happened before the foundation of the world, before time ever
was. The Lord stepped in as the surety for the people the father
gave him. And he said, I'm going to, you
know, reserve these people. And so those names, those people
who reserved were written into the Lamb's Book of Life. before
the foundation of the world. And what's glorious about this
is that in that Lamb's Book of Life, the names that were ascribed
into it, since time has began, there's not been one name added.
There's not been one name that's ever been removed from that book.
Every single one of those has been redeemed by Christ. And
so we can have that confidence that if he's called us and that
we believe, then I have the confidence my name will be in that book
and that Christ is my mediator and presents me unblameable and
holy before the father. And so this is why I can never
be seen in sin, and it's done before time began. As a surety,
all things had to have been fulfilled. The sin had to be paid the debt
because there was a debt. That's why he had to come in
the flesh. And the second is the safe delivery
of all those whom the father gave him his sheep. How is this
accomplished? Ephesians one five by Jesus Christ
unto himself. And so I think a question I've
had before, and I'm sure you've had is, you know, if the Lord
set aside these people for himself before time began and he knew
who were his people and Christ said, I'll be the surety. Then
why? Why all this? Why go through
the life that we're in? Why go through? pain, why go
through the daily life that we struggle with? If Christ has
become our surety and we're assured and going to be saved, why have
to do all this to get there? And so I think we've all asked
this question, but what's a blessing is here is it's actually answered
here. God actually answers this question. In verse five, having
predestinates and the adoption of Jesus adoption of children
by Jesus Christ and himself, according to the good pleasure
of his will. And in verse 12, that we should
be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ.
And so that verse right there and in five in verse five, according
to good pleasure as well, that's the reason why I did it all.
And I'm OK with that. I'm the Lord didn't have to give
us an answer as to why he did what he did, but he did right
here and thankfully did. And any believer that sees this
is, too. So the second thing Christ did
for me, he was my surety first, and the second thing he did was
that he fulfilled the law. And so let's look at Matthew
chapter five. So without Christ, you and I
with the law, we we have no nothing to stand on, we're guilty. We're
born in sin and we commit sin, so we're already guilty. So Christ
had to come to fulfill the law, the obedience of the law, that
which I couldn't do. So look at verse 17. Think not that I am come to destroy
the law or the prophets, I'm not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot
or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be
fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break
one of the least of these commandments shall teach men so, he shall
be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whosoever shall
do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom
of heaven. For I say unto you, that except your righteousness
shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees,
you shall in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven. And so the
apostles ask him later on. In Matthew, chapter 19, then
who can be saved? If my righteousnesses don't exceed
that of the scribes and the Pharisees, who can be saved? He says, with
men, it's impossible, but with God, all things are possible.
And so that's what Christ was sent here for. He lived perfectly
and fulfilled the law perfectly in God's eyes. And so as we saw
with Elihu or Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, they all felt that
their righteousnesses were enough for God to be placed with them.
They said, you know, he won't destroy the perfect man. And
so they felt that they had enough that God could be placed with
them and not, you know, find them in sin. But yet Christ came
and he fulfilled the law and he fulfilled it in God's sight,
which is really what matters, not whether you or I can look
like as nice a guy as I want to in front of, you know, you
and next to somebody else. But that doesn't mean anything
in terms of God's eyes, because he looks on the heart and he
knows the hidden sins of our heart and knows what we are.
And so that's why Christ was sent. And so one of the things
that made me talking about, you know, in God's sight that it's,
you know, that's what counts and not what you or I think is
I, Megan and I were painting some stuff on the house and I
painted our bathroom and I you know try to do jobs as well as
I can and work real hard at it and she was very clear in the
way that I was to get it done and make sure it was perfect
because this is the bathroom that she uses and so I spent
many days going over and making it it was just right and I was
very proud of what I've done and so she'd come home from work
one day and came in there and I didn't even cleaned it up and
everything and so she looks and I you know I had given it look
as close over as I could. And within 30 seconds, she found
run in the paint, Nick in the baseboard, you know, find all
these things wrong with it and just totally turned upside down
everything. I felt that works at hard and I felt very slighted
by it. And so my eyes blended the runs
in the paint just the same way as we blend our sins. We were used to them. We don't
see them. We don't see them for the way God sees them. And so
the point is, is that it's how God looks on us, not how we look
on it. So Christ is my surety. Christ fulfilled the law for
us. The third thing he did is he's my substitute. And the example
we can all look to is the example of baptism. Baptism is the picture
of the substitutionary life of Christ, my life, and the substitutionary
death of Christ is my death. And coming out of the water is
Christ risen, which is my life risen. He kept the life I couldn't
perfectly. He kept the promise for me. He came in the flesh and did
this. And that's what a what a thing to think of that the
word was made flesh. I can we see all the promises
of God here, but it's amazing that he is God was made flesh
and came and did this for us and knows each of us by name.
He was made sin. He took the sins of God's people
and he made it his own. He was made to be sin. And this
is. Must be much more than just a
legal standing before the law, a legal standing, this being
made sin, because that robs God of the sufferings of Christ,
because he bore the sin. He suffered the shame of my sin,
which became his hits. He owned it. And so he paid the
penalty and died because of it. And God was just in this. The
fourth thing that Christ does for me, so he's my substitute
and now he is risen again. So as he paid for my sin, now
he's risen again as my life. And so my life is no longer my
life. I've been bought for and paid
for with a price, which is the blood of the son of God. And
so this new man, this new life in me, there's no sin. It's all
been paid for. Where sin did abound. before
now grace did much more about. So there's it's we live by grace. No, not more by anything else. And while we're here in this
life, sinful flesh will continue as long as we breathe. Even those
of us that are generated and have the new man in us, the sinful
flesh is still here. We're we're entwined with it.
And you can't see you can't see me apart from it. And while it
still breathes, I'll have it. But one day I'll lay it down
and I'll have the new man and I'll go to be with the Lord.
But even though I can't see the new creature and you can't see
it, I know it's there. I know the desires of my heart.
And so only only someone who's seen and experienced this can
say that. And so my life is with Christ. I'm so united to him
that his life being risen is now my life, because If that's
true, then his righteousness is also my righteousness, which
is the fifth point. And so that's what really counts
is me being righteous before God. How should a man be just
before God? Well, if I bring the righteousness
of Christ, how is he viewed? And I can be viewed the same
way. So his righteousness presents me holy, blameless, no sin debt
and undefiled, never having sin, not even having the nature. So
I'm united to him, pure and perfect. Breach? There's no more breach,
not if I'm in Christ. And so who can partake of this? Who can partake of this? Who
can be found just before God where Christ is their surety,
Christ is their substitute, fulfilling the law, dying for them in his
righteousness and his life is our life. Who can partake of
these things? And how can man be just with
God? Romans 5 1 says, therefore, being justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. So we're justified
by faith. That's how a man can be just
with God. Faith in Christ is maturity. Faith in Christ to
fulfill the law for me. Faith in Christ to be my substitute. Faith in Christ is my life and
my righteousness. Lastly, faith and belief in Christ
is how a man should be just before God. And so I'll close with Galatians,
chapter two. Galatians, chapter two, verse
16. Knowing that a man is not justified
by the works of the law. We've seen that we're all in
sin and no one can do anything with the law. That's what we
need Christ for. But we are justified by the faith of Jesus Christ.
Even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified
by the faith of Christ. And so what we see here is belief
in Christ. As as these things for me. Faith
in him. But it's his faith that saves
me, my faith can't save me if I look to my faith, I had a Jehovah's
Witness come to the door, I guess a couple of months back and I
was speaking with her and she she was making the point to me
as to how she would say and she said, you know, well, you have
to have faith. And, you know, my faith is what saved me. I
said, OK. I said, well, what if I said, do you ever have unbelief
and doubts? And she said, well, you know,
sure I do. And I said, OK. I said, well, what happens if,
you know, God decided to come back on one of the days when
you were having doubts and unbelief? What good would your faith do
you? I said, would you be held accountable and found guilty
for it? And she said, well, no. I said,
why not? She said, well, that wouldn't
be fair. So, well, fair to who? And she said, well, fair to me.
She said, you know, I said, you know, that was a day she overall
I didn't believe. I said, so would it not? I said,
if it wouldn't be fair to you, is it fair for you to rob God
of his law? Is it fair for you to rob God
of what he demands for us to be saved? And so point being,
we can't be saved by our faith. Our faith is a weak faith is
still saving faith. Faith is faith in Christ. And
so through belief in Christ, as we see here in verse 16, the
faith of Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by his faith.
And so in the end, Joe found this out, too, or brought him
through a lot further along. And he eventually saw this, too,
and said that I'd heard of you before by the hearing of the
year. But now now my eyes. So just that is pleasant to.