Now, Galatians chapter 2, verse
16. I want to use this verse here
and try to focus our attention on being justified in Christ
Jesus, being justified by His grace. And the Apostle says,
this is what believers know, knowing, we know this, knowing
that a sinner is not justified By the works, deeds or our merit
under the law or looking to the law. But by the faith of Jesus
Christ. Even we have believed in, we
believe in Him. True saving faith has one sole
object. And the object of saving faith
is Christ Himself. That we might be justified that
we might be justified by the faith of Christ." It says this
twice here, the faith of Christ. Not, not by the works of the
law, for by the works of the law shall no one be justified,
especially in God's sight, in God's sight. Now, God's method
of justification. This is the subject of this epistle,
this letter. to the Galatians. And it is the
theme of the gospel, how God justifies the ungodly. And nothing, nothing can be of
more interest to every believer to know the sure and certain
ground of acceptance before God. What is the ground of our acceptance
before God? Hold your place there and find
Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1. The total
ground of our acceptance. The ground of our justification. And I mean by that the reason
of it. The reason of it. Here it is. Ephesians 1, 6. To the praise
of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the
Beloved, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness
of sin, according to the riches of His grace." The sole cause
of God justifying the ungodly is totally wrapped up in the
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the merit of His glorious
sacrifice whereby He puts away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Knowing this, now look back at
the text. Knowing, here's what we know, knowing that no sinner
is justified by the deed of the law." This is what we know. This
is what God has taught us. Salvation is not by my doing,
by my obedience, by my faithfulness, but salvation is by His. This
is what we know, knowing this. Now, Peter uses a similar phrase.
Find I Peter. I Peter chapter 1. We know. Here's what we know. Not redeemed
by our works, not redeemed by the law, but by the blood of
Christ. 1 Peter 1, 18, for as much as
you know, here it is again, here's what we know. We know for as
much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible
things as silver, gold, from your vain conversation received
by tradition of your fathers. We're not redeemed by money,
morality, or our doing, but with the precious blood of Christ
as of the Lamb without blemish and without spot, who was verily,
truly foreordained before the foundation of the world, but
was manifest in these last times for you, who by Him do believe in God
that raised Him from the dead. and gave him glory, that your
faith and hope might be in God." Knowing this, John uses a similar
phrase. Turn over to I John chapter 5. I John chapter 5. We know this. We know that it is the blood
atonement of Christ that puts away our sin. We know we're not
justified by the doing of the law, and we know this. I John
5, 20. Let's read verse 13 as well,
so we'll start there. These things have I written unto
you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may
know, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that
you may believe on the name of the Son of God. Now verse 20,
And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an
understanding that we may know Him that is true. And we are
in Him, that is true. Even in His Son, Jesus Christ,
this is the true God, and this is eternal life in Christ Jesus. Now, back to Galatians 2, verse
16. Knowing, knowing. Now, here's
what we know. Redemption by the blood of Christ.
We know that salvation is in the Lord Jesus Christ. And we
know this, as it says here in verse 16, that no sinner has
ever been nor ever will be justified by the law. Not at all. We believe
through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that we shall be
saved, just as God saved Peter, just as God saved Paul, by the
grace of God alone. No sinner will be justified by
the law. And I tell you a good reason
why. Look what it says over here in chapter 3, verse 10. Galatians chapter 3, For as many
as are of the works of the law are under the 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, but that
no man is justified by the law in the sight of God. It is evident
the justified shall live by Christ. No sinner has ever been or ever
will be justified by the law. I'll give you two valid reasons.
One, God is holy. And God requires, not the best
we can do, God requires perfection. And I know this, I can't meet
that bar. I can't meet His standard. God
requires absolute perfection and I cannot produce it. The
law of God is like God Himself. demand unsinning, perfect obedience. The least infraction, the least
disobedience to any part of God's holy law is a transgression of
all of the law of God. To offend in one point, one jot,
one tittle, and word, deed, or thought is to offend all the
law of God. Now who can meet that standard?
No sinner can meet that standard. God set the standard so high
on purpose to drive us to the Lord Jesus Christ. The law was
never given to save. The law was given to reveal our
sin that it might drive us to despair that we might look to
Christ who honored the law of God. God demands perfection in
word, deed, thought, and motive. Your motive must be pure. And
I don't have a pure motive. God set this standard so high
to drive us to Christ. And no sinner has any ability
whatsoever because of our sinful, depraved nature, we cannot produce
what God demands. He demands perfection and I cannot
produce it and no sinner can. Well, that's what we know. The
second thing we know is this. Not by works, but, notice that
little word there, it's a big word, B-U-T, but by the faith
of Jesus Christ. But by the faith of Jesus Christ,
that we might be justified by the faith of Jesus Christ. Here's
the second thing we know. Sinners are only justified by
the faithful, righteous obedience of our blessed Savior, Jesus
Christ Himself. Galatians chapter 3, turn over
there, verse 22. Galatians 3, 22. But the Scripture
had concluded, all under sin, that the promise by faith, the
promise by faith of, whose faithfulness? Whose obedience? Jesus Christ
might be given to them that believe. Now here's another Scripture
that says the same thing. Philippians chapter 3, but by
the faithful obedience of Christ. Notice, if you will, Philippians
chapter 3 says the same thing. Look at verse 8, "...Yea, doubtless,"
he said, "...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 dumb, that I may
win Christ and be found in Him." To be found in Him. 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, by
faith. Christ himself is a soul and
only justifying ground, cause, before God. The only reason God
would justify you And the only reason God would justify me or
any guilty sinner is because of the Lord Jesus Christ alone.
He's the sole ground reason any sinner is justified. Christ alone. The Lord Jesus Christ. Notice
it says, "...by the faith of Jesus Christ." Now, do you get
what I'm saying? It's not my obedience that justifies. It's Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ
alone. You see, He came and lived honoring
every precept of that law perfectly. He did obey the law in word,
deed, thought, and motive. In every jot and tittle, God
Almighty says of Him, ìThis is My beloved Son in whom I am well
pleased.î Well, why is that so important? You see, the Lord
Jesus Christ as a God-man mediator was not working out a righteousness
for Himself. He is righteous. Who's he working
out a righteousness for? His covenant people. And bless
God, thank God that that is my righteousness before God Almighty.
That is a righteousness that justifies before God. It is Christ
in you, the hope of glory. Blessed is that man to whom God
would impute righteousness without works. Our Lord said, I didn't
come to destroy the law, I came to honor the law of God. Such
a high priest became us who is holy, harmless, undefiled, and
separate from sin." He did magnify the law in every jot and tittle. In his life, honoring every precept
of that law, in his death, he satisfied the penalty of that
law. Now this is important. I need
both those things. I need a justifying righteousness,
and I have that in Christ freely imputed. And I need a sacrifice,
a blood sacrifice that can put away my sin. You see, I need
a righteousness and I need an atonement. And my friend, both
are fully met to the satisfaction of God Almighty in the God-man
mediator, the Lord Jesus. The law of God says the guilty
must die. What happened at Calvary's tree?
He dies, the appointed death. of God Almighty. This is God's
Lamb. This is God's atonement for sin. And the Lord Jesus Christ on
Calvary's tree, God made Him sin for us, who knew no sin,
that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. It pleased God to bruise Him
in our room and in our stead. We know it pleased Pilate to
kill Him. It pleased those Pharisees to
put him to death. And those Roman soldiers, I'm
sure, got pleasure in killing another Jew. But my friend, it's
not what men did at Calvary is our hope. It's what God was doing. It pleased God to bruise him
in our room and in our stead. The just dying for the unjust
that he might bring us to God and no sinner will ever be brought
any other way than by this sacrifice that God has provided. For whom
did he die? For whom did he die? He said,
I'm the Good Shepherd, I give my life, for the sheep, all those
for whom He stood as surety, mediator, advocate, and representative,
all those for whom He died, they're eternally saved in Christ Jesus. Turn to Romans chapter 5. You see, the Lord Jesus didn't
die as a private man, He died as a public head, as a federal
head, as the covenant surety. And He is that sacrifice. Notice,
if you will, Romans 5. Look at verse 18. And here we see, you see, God's
going to deal with all men in these two men, these two representative
men. Adam, and Adam all died. Even so, in Christ shall all
be made alive. Romans 5, 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 unto justification of
life." Now, the novice would read that and think, well, there
it says that He justified all men. You have to read this in
the context of what's being said. It's teaching representation.
All for whom He represents. All for whom He represents. Read
on, verse 19, "...for by one man's disobedience, Many were
made sinners. That's Adam's fall. All those
for whom he represents, whom did Adam represent? Well, the
whole human race. Unless you believe in evolution,
then I guess you've got another story. But all men descended
from that first man, Adam. And when he fell, we fell. When
he sinned, we sinned. And Adam all died. For by one
man's disobedience, many were made sinners. The many. So by
the obedience of one, who is that? The Lord Jesus Christ.
By the faith of Christ shall many be made righteous. Moreover,
the law entered that the offense might abound, but where sin abounded,
grace did much more abound." Now watch it, verse 21, don't
read over this. "...that as sin hath reigned
unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness."
Whose? Who? Through righteousness unto
eternal life by Jesus Christ, our blessed Lord. Christ and
His covenant people in the eye of God's holy justice are one. What Christ did for us, it is
as we had done it ourselves. When He lived, we lived in Him.
When He died, it says in verse 20, crucified with Christ. When
He died, I died in Him. When He went into the tomb, I
went into the tomb with Him. When He ascended to glory, seated
at God's right hand, it says in Ephesians chapter 2 that we
are already seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. Is that what
it says? I'm already there in my substitute, in my representative,
in my federal head, in Christ when He by Himself purged our
sin. Sit down at God's right hand."
Oh, that gives this sinner hope. He is a forerunner who entered
into the holiest by His own atonement. Sit down. And I'm seated in Him. Oh, I tell you, he who spared
not his own son but delivered him up for us all. How shall
he not with him also freely give us all things?" Christ, having
honored the law of God, paid my debt of obedience unto God
and fully paying the debt of my sin, both, double payment. The debt of my obedience that
I owe to God, He paid that in full and worked out for us a
perfect righteousness and fully paying the debt of my sin. redeeming
us, delivering us from all our sins by His blood atonement. The believer resting in Christ
is justified eternally. Him being delivered for our transgression,
He died for our sin and He was raised again. Raised again because
on Calvary's tree, you know what He did? He justified His covenant
people for those for whom He died. delivered for our offenses
and raised again because He justified us. And God Almighty says in
Romans 8, 1, there is therefore now, right now, no condemnation
to those who are in Christ Jesus. He's made us free from the law
of sin and death. Stand fast therefore in the liberty
wherewith Christ has set us free. I'm set free. and be not entangled
again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I, Paul, say unto you
that if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For
I testify again to every man that is circumcised, he is a
debtor to do the whole law." I'm reading from Galatians 5,
verse 4, "...Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever
of you are justified by the law." You've fallen from grace. What
is he saying there? Can a man be saved and lost?
No. Those who think they're justified by the law, they never were saved.
They departed from the grace of God. That's what he's saying
there. Now, back to the text. So here's two things we know
so far. Galatians 2.16, knowing that no sinner is justified by
the law, but we know this, we're justified by the faithful obedience
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, do you know that? Has God
taught you that in your heart? Oh, if he has, you're a blessed
person. You're a blessed person. Here's
the third point found in verse 16. Even we have believed in
Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Jesus
Christ. Now, you say, well, preacher,
a sinner has to repent. A sinner has to believe. And
that's so. But my friend, faith and repentance
are both the sovereign gifts of God. Faith and repentance
is not something that's native to this old wicked heart. Faith
and repentance come at the expense of the death and atonement of
the Lord Jesus Christ. They're the gifts of God. He's
exalted to give repentance unto His people. This is only in joy,
this salvation that we enjoy and experience We enjoy and experience
this as God has given us faith to look to Christ, Jesus Christ
alone. We know that faith is the gift
of God. It's the gift of God. We have
believed in Jesus Christ. Now, listen to me. Wash your
ears out with this. If you haven't heard anything
else, you get a hold of this now. As old brother A.D. Muse used to say, grab a hold
of your chair. We're going to jump a creek. Now get a hold
of this, true saving faith is the result of God giving us spiritual
life in Christ Jesus. Faith is the fruit of regeneration,
not the cause. It's the fruit of, not the cause. Now I can make good on that if
you find I John chapter 5 again, verse 1. I'm saying that a sinner
who believes The gospel is that sinner who has been begotten
of God. And the result of life is faith
in Christ. And true saving faith acknowledges
God's truth. You run into a man on the street,
you say, oh, I believe. And then you begin to preached
the gospel and declaring to him the sovereignty of God, the depravity
of the sinner, the effectual work of Christ. He said, well,
I don't believe that. Well, he doesn't believe, does he? The
faith he has is not the faith of God's elect. The faith of
God's elect acknowledges the truth. That's found in the Bible.
Titus 1.1. And you know, repentance is the
same thing. Repentance acknowledges the truth
of who God is and who I am. He's holy and I'm a sinner. And
true repentance acknowledges the only way of forgiveness is
in Christ. Repentance doesn't put away sin.
Did you know that? True faith acknowledges who did.
And true repentance acknowledges who did. Christ Himself. Now, 1 John 5, 1. Faith is a
fruit of regeneration, not the cause. Whosoever believeth that
Jesus is the Christ is born of God. And everyone that loveth
him that beget, loveth him also that is begotten of God." Now
find another scripture, John chapter 5. You see, faith, faith,
oh I tell you, faith is precious, precious. You know, there's not
many things in the Word of God that are called precious. Precious
blood, Find John chapter 5. Precious blood. Precious life. Precious faith. John chapter 5 verse 24. Hold your place right there.
Just hold your place here in John 5 and let me read you this.
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ to them
that have obtained like precious faith. with us through the righteousness
of God, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Faith comes at a great expense.
His blood. He bought us with His own blood.
Now, John chapter 5, verse 24. Faith, that saving faith, looks
to Christ. Verse 24, "...verily, verily,
I say unto you, John 5, 24, "...he that heareth my word, and believeth
on him that sent me hath life." Why does he believe the truth?
Because God has given him life in Christ Jesus. He's begotten
of God. Hath, hath, right now. That's
why you believe the truth. You have life. and shall not
come in condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.
Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth." John chapter
1. Turn over there. John chapter
1. See, what I'm saying is this.
Faith is the gift of God. If you truly believe the gospel,
is because God in His sovereign right and power has granted you,
you hath He quickened, you hath He quickened who were dead in
trespasses and in sin. Now John chapter 1 verse 11,
He came unto His own, His own nation, His own people, and His
own received Him not. But as many as received Him,
to them gave He power. right or privileged to become
sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. Now a lot of folks in religion
read verse 12 and quit. But as many as receive Him, and
they emphasize receive Him, receive Him, receive Him, and they forget
the rest of the verse. There's not even a period there
in the verse 12. Did you notice that? which were born. Here's the reason
they believe, which were born and it gives a negative, not
a blood. It's not because your daddy was
a believer or your granddaddy was a believer. That's not the
reason you believe the gospel. But they believe and they receive
and submit to the Lord Jesus Christ who were born, not of
the will of the flesh, not of the will of man, born of God. begotten of God. If His own will
beget He us with the word of truth. Turn to Acts chapter 13. I'm saying that faith is a precious
thing. Because you know who's the author
and finisher of faith? Christ. He's the author and finisher
of faith. That's what it says. Hebrews
12. Notice, if you will, Acts 13. When Paul was out preaching in
Barnabas, in this city, in Acts 13, verse 44, and the next Sabbath
day came almost the whole city to hear the word of God, the
gospel. But when the Jews saw the multitude,
they were filled with envy, and they spake against those things
which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming, evil, speaking
evil against Paul and against the gospel. Then Paul and Barnabas
whacked bold and said, It was necessary that the word of God
should have first been spoken to you, but seeing that you put
it from yourselves and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting
life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded
us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentile, that
thou shouldest be for salvation to the ends of the earth." Now
see verse 48. Who believes this gospel? Who's
going to believe this gospel? I tell you, he said, my sheep,
they'll hear my voice, and I know them, and they will follow me,
and I give unto them eternal life, and they'll never perish. And when the Gentiles heard this,
they heard the gospel, not just with these ears, but in their
heart, in their soul. They were glad and glorified
the word of the Lord, and as many as were ordained to eternal
life believed the gospel. Even we have believed in our
blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." Well, let's read one
or two more. Find Romans chapter 1. Romans chapter 1. This gospel of God is concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ. And in Romans 1 verse 15, Paul
said, "...for as much as in me is." I like that phrase, "...as much
as in me is." I'm ready to preach the gospel. Ready to preach the
gospel to you there at Rome. "...For I am not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ. It is the power of God unto salvation
to everyone that believes it." How do they believe it? By the
power of God. To the Jew and also to the Gentile,
for therein is a righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith as it is written, the justified, and this is in the Word of God
four times, the justified shall live by Christ. That's what's
being said there. The justified shall live by Christ. Turn over here to Romans 4. This faith, precious, precious
faith. It said that Abraham believed
God. It was counted to him for righteousness. Now notice Romans
4, verse 20. He staggered not at the promise
of God through unbelief that was strong in faith, giving glory
to God. And that's what saving faith
does. It glorifies God by believing
God. And being fully persuaded that
what he had promised, he was able to perform. Therefore it
was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his
sake alone that it was imputed, but for us also to whom it shall
be imputed, seeing we believe." That's what's being said there.
Seeing we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from
the dead, who was delivered for our offenses, raised again because
he justified us, and being justified by faith. We have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, back to Galatians 2. I'll read this verse one more
time. And as I said earlier, repetition is good. I want God to burn this in our
memory and think upon this all week long. knowing that a man,
a sinner, is not justified by the works of the law. Don't come
at me and put me back under the law. I'm not going to have it.
I'm not going to stand for it. Not one iota, not one whit, dead
to the law through the body of Christ. But by the faith of Jesus
Christ, the faithfulness of Jesus Christ, even we have believed
in Him. 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."