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.
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. Here's
what else 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 in 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 5.21. 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, well, 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.