that what the law saith, it saith
to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped,
and all the world become guilty before God." Every person is
a sinner, guilty before God. That's a fact, we know that.
From the sole of our feet to the top of our heads, no soundness
in us. The second thing, verse 20. God being holy and man being
guilty. Therefore we know this, by the
deeds of the law, by works, religion, morality, anything that we do,
there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. No person justified
before God. The third thing, verse 21. There is a righteousness, the
righteousness of God, the righteousness which he has purposed, which
he has planned, which he has purchased by the blood of his
Son. The righteousness of God without
the law, without our obedience to it, Christ obeyed it. Verse
22, it's the righteousness of God which is by faith by the
faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And it's unto all and upon all
them that believe. There's no difference. That's
a fact. And the fourth thing we learn
from verse 26, the reason it's essential that we come this way
to God, that we have this righteousness, that we believe on his Son, that
we embrace and receive the Lord Jesus because, verse 26, God
has declared at this time his righteousness in order that he
might be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus.
That's the only way that God can be just, holy, and justify
us. There is no other way. Now those
are four things that are essential. I hope we've learned them. I hope we've learned them. two of the most prominent, highly
esteemed, God-honored men in Jewish history. If you were to
go back, just starting here from this day when Paul is writing,
go all the way back to Adam, and you wanted to illustrate
these four truths, that God saves men by Christ, by his righteousness,
by faith and not by works. What two men would you select?
Abraham and David. Those are the two of the most
highly esteemed, God-honored, prominent men of God in Old Testament
history. And he shows how that Abraham
and David, these two men, were justified not by works, but by
believing God. Now look at verse 1. What shall
we say then that Abraham, our father, Father of whom? Well, he's called
the father of all believers, the father of all people, Jew
and Gentile who believe. But he's particularly the father
of the Jews, because that's where they started. Israel started
with Abraham. God said, I'll make of thee a
great nation. Leave your father's house, I'll
make of you a great nation. He's the father of the Jews,
but he's the father of all believers. Lazarus was said to be in the
bosom of Abraham. God called Abraham his friend.
Now, what are we going to say that Abraham, our father, as
pertaining to the flesh, has found? What has he found? Did
he find life and righteousness and salvation? That's what he
found. Did he find it by his works? Or did he find it by faith? Verse 2. Well, if Abraham were
justified by works, If he were justified by works, by his works
and his deeds, by his obedience, then contrary to scripture, contrary
to everything that has ever been written, he has whereof to glory. If this man Abraham is justified
by his works, then contrary to everything God has ever written,
he has whereof to glory. But Paul adds before me and not
before God. He may boast before men because
men can't see his heart, but he can't beg before God because
God sees the heart, and he sees all the failings and infirmities
and weaknesses and sin, and he sees the imperfection of our
best days. That's the reason that Isaiah
wrote, our righteousnesses are filthy rags. Not to us, they
look pretty good. And not to those who see what
we do. To them, it looks pretty good
because I hear people say, he's a good man. He's a good man. She's a good woman. They do good
things. And in our eyes, they are good
because we can't see the heart. But God sees past the deed and
sees the heart. And it's imperfect at best. in his sight filthy rags. Not before God. Not before God. If he's justified
by his works, he has whereof to glory. But that which is highly
esteemed among men is an abomination to God. So don't try, let's don't
try that. Let's don't try that. Let's don't
call attention, call God's attention to anything we do. Like that Psalm 139, he knows
my movements, my thoughts, my words, and my ways. All right, let's say it to scriptures. How was Abraham justified? Let's
say it to scriptures. That's our answer to every question.
I wish we could learn. When we get in a discussion with
our neighbors and friends, When we get into a religious
argument about the doctrines of grace or the things we believe,
if we could just learn one thing, don't tell them what you think.
Tell them what God said. If we could just learn that.
If we could just learn to put a clamp on our mouths and just
say, wait, let's turn to the word of God and see what God
said. And that's what Paul is doing
here. He says, what are we going to say that Abraham has found?
Did he find it by works? Well, what sayeth the scriptures?
Alright, Genesis 15. What sayeth the scriptures? Let's
find out. The first time that this subject
is mentioned Abraham and his righteousness. Let's see what
saith the scriptures. Here's our answer. It's the answer
to every question that can be asked. It's our only rule and
foundation of faith and practice. What does the Bible say? Genesis
15. And after these things, the word
of the Lord came unto Abram. This is before God ever changed
his name. This way back under. Fear not, Abram. I am. That's what you're singing about.
I am thy shield, I am thy exceeding great reward. This is the Lord
Jesus. Abram said, Lord God, what wilt
thou give me? Seeing I go childless, and the
steward of my house is this, Eleazar of Damascus. Abram said,
behold to me thou hast given no seed. One born in my house
is my heir, a servant is my heir. Behold the word of the Lord came
to him saying, this shall not be thine heir. But he that comes
forth out of your own bow shall be thine heir. And he brought
him forth abroad and said, Look now toward heaven, tell the stars
if thou be able to number them. And he said, So shalt thou see
it be. And he believed in the Lord,
and he counted it to him for righteousness. That's when Abraham
was saved. That's when Abraham was justified. That's when Abraham was declared
righteous. He believed God. Now Abraham,
listen to me a minute, the object of his faith and his trust was
not his riches and not his works and not his deeds and not his
righteousness, but his Lord who said in verse 1, I am thy shield,
I am thy great reward. That's the one whom he believed.
He believed God. Abraham's faith was not a mere
assent to a promise. You believe Jesus died on the
cross? Well, yes. There's not a whole lot of folks
that don't believe he died on the cross. They don't know why
he died on the cross. But most people believe he died on the
cross. You believe he was buried and rose again? Yeah, I'll give
mental assent to that truth. But Abraham just didn't give
mental assent to some truth. He actually believed. He believed
that God was able to do all that he said. He believed God. He
believed Christ, his shield, his exceeding great reward, and
when he believed God, that moment righteousness was imputed to
him. Abraham believed God and it was
counted to him for righteousness. Now then, that's what the scripture
said, now since so Spurgeon said that no sense so great and strong
and outstanding man as Abraham could not be justified by works.
If Abraham could not be justified before God by his works, how
can I? That's a pretty good question
to drop. was justified before God and
counted righteous. Abraham, friend of God, talked
face to face with God. If the only way he could be justified
and counted righteous before God was by faith, it sure follows
that none of his sons ought to expect or seek to be justified
any other way. Now that just makes sense, doesn't
it? Why should some peanut, high school dropout of a free will
Baptist preacher in action, expect to be justified before God Almighty
by His works if Abraham couldn't be justified that way. That's
what I'm asking. Tell me. If Abraham has to be justified
only by faith, this man, God said he's my friend. If God won't
let his friend in any other way, He's not going to let me in any
other way. That just makes sense to me. Now verse 4, if to him that worketh,
that is working for salvation and working for the favor of
God and serving in order to have a reward, if to him that worketh
is a reward not reckoned of grace but of death. A man who labors
and works for salvation, salvation is not a gift. It's not a gift,
it's not grace, it's not mercy, it's wages. If God rewards a
man for what he does, it's wages. It's an obligation. It's not
a gift, but the gift of God's eternal life through Christ Jesus
our Lord. But to him that worketh not,
now watch verse 5. But to him that worketh not,
you say, but all believers work. They certainly do. They certainly
do. All believers, all true saved
people have works of righteousness, they have labors of love, and
they work in the kingdom of God in the vineyard of their Lord,
their servants and bond slaves of their Master, and they work.
But not in order to obtain life, not in order to obtain the favor
of God. That work is complete. That work
is already done. That work was performed by Christ
our Lord. We believe on him who justifies
us and sanctifies us and redeems us, and we have righteousness
by his faithfulness, not ours. So we win it, but not in order
to obtain favor, but because we have his favor. He's our father. It's not the act of faith that
saves, it's the object of faith, Christ Jesus. That's the reason
David said, and then he quotes David. He leaves Abraham and
quotes David in verse 6. Here's another prominent man
of God. David, justified by faith. Even as David also describes
the blessedness of the man under whom God imputeth righteousness
without works. Saying, here's what David said,
Highly favored are they whose iniquities are forgiven, whose
sins are covered, remembered no more, cast into the depths
of the sea, blotted out by the blood of Christ, separated from
us as far as the east is from the west. How blessed is that
man whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are under the blood.
Blessed, verse 8, is the man to whom God will not impute or
charge sin. There is no charge. We shall soon appear before the
judgment seat of Christ, but no charge. No charge. To whom God will not charge or
impute sin. Who can lay anything to the charge
of God's elect? God does justify it. Who can
condemn it? It is done, the great transaction
is done. I am my Lord's and He is mine. Now verse 9. Before I read verse 9, I want
to make a few comments. Abraham, when God found him and
called him, was, as far as I can understand, about 75 years old. And he dwelt in his father's
house, a community. He was married. He's 75 years
old, but they just didn't go far from home. They all lived
close by. They kept one another and defended
one another and lived close by. And they worshiped idols. Abraham's father and brothers
and sisters were idol worshipers. They didn't worship the true
God. But God came to Abraham and called him. He said, Abram,
get thee out of thy father's house and go to land. I will
show thee, and I'll make of thee a great nation, and thou wilt
be a blessing to all nations. And Abraham went out, not knowing
where he was going, but he believed God. God spoke to him. God called
him. The Lord spoke to him. And he
came out, and he promised him a son. And he tried Abraham in
many ways and Abraham obeyed God. He met every trial head
on by God's grace and obeyed God. And 15 years later, God
gave him the sign of circumcision. He told Abraham, he said, you
be circumcised and all your males in your house. And this will
be a sign, a covenant sign that you are my people. that I put
a difference between you and the rest of the world. This is
my sign. Man didn't come up with this, God gave this sign, that's
what it said. Sign of circumcision. And Abraham
obeyed God. He was circumcised and all of
his, in his household. Israelites, God's chosen people. Now the questions ask, in verse
9. This blessing, this Abraham righteous,
he's accepted of God, he's holy before God. Does this blessedness
come upon the circumcision or upon the uncircumcision? We say
that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How or when
was it reckoned? When did God reckon him to be
righteous? When he was circumcised or in uncircumcision? When? When
was Abraham declared righteous? After that 15 years, when he
took this painful step, this traumatic step, and cut the flesh
of all the men in his house, was that when he was declared
righteous? No, sir. Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. Before Abraham ever left home,
he was righteous. Before Abraham ever took a step,
he was declared righteous when he believed God. Abraham was
not declared righteous when he did anything with these feet,
or these arms, or this body, or anything. He was declared
righteous when he looked to God and believed His Word. That's
right, isn't it, Ron? That's exactly right. That's
what this scripture says. And look at verse 11. And he
received the sign of circumcision. The man that's saved, he's baptized.
He's baptized because he's saved. You're not going to, if somebody
comes down front and falls on the floor there and says, I looked
to Christ, he was saved when he looked to Christ when he left
the seat. He's saved when he looked to
Christ. Not when he told people. He told them because he was saved.
And he received the sign of the righteousness of the faith, which
he had yet being uncircumcised. And he is the father of circumcision
to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the
steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet
uncircumcised. Verse 13. that he should be heir of the
world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but
through the righteousness of faith. Now, who's his seed? What do you say? Believers. Well, that's singular. That's
not plural. It's not seeds. It's seed. Well, let's turn to Galatians
3. Galatians chapter 3. Galatians 3, verse 16. The promise that he should be
heir of the world, and what's that heir of the world? This
world and the world to come. Believers, this world is our
world. All things are yours for your sake. That's what scripture
says, all things are for your sake. This world and the world
to come. Angels, men, that's right. And the promise to Abraham and
his seed that he should be the heir of the world and the world
to come and all things in the kingdom of God was not through
the law, but through grace and mercy and through the righteousness
of Christ. Now look at Galatians 3, verse 16. Now to Abraham and
his seed were the promises made, all the promises. He saith not
unto seeds. as of many, but as of one, thy
seed, which is Christ." What he's saying, I'm saying this.
Everything that God has for sinners, Abraham included, David, any
other believer, before the foundation of the world, was vested in Christ,
put in Christ, fulfilled by Christ, and ours because of our union
with Christ. God didn't make the promise to
a bunch of people individually, he made that promise to Christ. He's the seed of Abraham. The
man, Christ Jesus, the God-man, who came through David, Jesse,
and Judah, and Abraham, and Isaac, the seed. The promises of God
are in Christ, yea and amen. That's the reason to beyond me how anybody could not
claim to be a minister of the gospel and knowledgeable in the
scripture and not preach Christ. And not preach the electing Christ,
and the sovereign Christ, and the covenant Christ, and the
victorious Christ, and the substitute Christ, and the high post Christ,
and the mediator Christ, and the forerunner and the hope and
life and salvation, Christ. There's nothing outside of Christ
to preach. Because all the promises of God
are in Him. That's where they are. Verse 14, for if they which
are of the law be heirs, faith is made void and the promises
of no effect. Wow, now that is something else
he's saying there, isn't it? If salvation is by works and
through the law, God's promise is of no effect. Now listen to
what Mr. Gill said. If salvation is by
works, it's of no purpose for God to promise anything or men
to believe him if it's by works. There's no use God promising,
no use me believing he's promising. For the life promised, if it
is promised, depends not on God but on me and on my obedience. And if my obedience is not perfect,
then life and salvation cannot be. And the promise of God is
worthless and made void. And there's not a man on earth
that did as good and sinned as not. So a salvation by works
makes void any promise that God makes. No need for God to promise. No
need for me to believe God. If it's by what? Because it's
gone. Because the law worketh rare.
The law must condemn. If I fail in any jot and tittle
of the perfect law, I've got to be punished. Now where no
law is, there's no condemnation. There's no transgression. But
we don't live where there's no law. We live where there is a
law. God's law is exact. God's law
kills, incriminates, reveals sin, and shuts our mouths. We
don't live where there's no law. So if you live where there's
a law, and you've got salvation that works, you're a goner. No
use God making any promises. Therefore, oh boy, I love verse
16. Therefore, if salvation is a
faith, it's through faith, it's a faith, The promise of life,
adoption, righteousness, remission of sins is not by works in any
shape, form, or fashion. It's through faith. Believe. Believe. And listen, it's a faith that
might be by grace. By grace, or you say through
faith, and that's not what it says, it's the gift of God. The
gift of God's eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. It's got
to be by faith. It might be by grace. If it's
by works, it's death. It's not grace, but it's by faith. And here's the third thing. Salvation's
got to be by believing, by faith, that it might be by grace to
this end, that the promise might be sure. Oh, there is a promise. A promise of eternal life, promise
by God who cannot lie, there is a promise, but that promise
is by grace, through faith, and that makes it sure. God promises Christ a people,
they'll come. Christ will redeem them, and
God will call them, and God will teach them, and they'll be willing
in the day of God's power, and that promise is sure. Listen,
to all the seed, not to the best, but to all the seed, all the
seed. The seed, we're right back to
that seed again. Abraham and his seed, Abraham,
his seed, Christ, the promise made to Christ, and it's sure
to all the seed, all who are in the seed, Christ. It's sure,
positive. That's our hope. Anytime you
start looking, away from that right there, that positive salvation
by free grace in Christ, of Christ, through Christ, by Christ, for
Christ's glory. Anytime you start to look away
from that and look in here and try to see if you feel enough
or have done enough or think enough or are faithful enough,
you're in trouble. It's a faith. It might be by
grace to the end that the promise might be sure. God cannot lie,
it's sure, to all to see. Not to that only which is of
the law, that is, the Jews, but to that also which is of the
faith of Abraham, who is the father of all believers. As it's
written, verse 17, I have made thee a father of many nations
before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the
dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Turn back to that Psalm 139 for
a moment. God calls those things that be
not as though they were. And David wrote that Psalm 139,
yeah. He says in verse 14, I will praise
thee for I am fearful and wonderfully made. He's talking about this
human being, beautiful and wonderfully made. Not only the makings of
the body, and the eyes, and the mind, and the heart, and the
lungs, and all this marvelous creation of God, mentally, physically,
spiritually, able to know God, and beautiful and wonderfully
made. Now listen, marvelous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth
white well. But my substance, my strength,
my body, my being, my existence was not hid from thee. When I
was made in secret, when my father conceived me, and when I was
curiously wrought, strangely made, as that seed becomes formed
and develops, that's what he's talking about here. curiously
wrought in the lowest parts of the earth, your eyes did see
my substance, my body, my being, yet unperfect. And in thy book, all about me,
all about me. Those things he said back here,
my movements, my thoughts, my ways, my words, my being, spiritually,
physically, materially, already written. been written before
the foundation of the world, which in continuous with fashion,
when as yet there wasn't even a hair existing." Now what does
he say? God calls that which is not. He has children that aren't even
born yet, won't be born if he tarries for years, but they're
already written. He has a number. It was all about
him. He made them. God caused those things which
be not as though they were. Abraham believed that. Look at
verse 18. Abraham against hope. God told him he'd have a son.
Here stood that old man and his old wife. And against hope, human
hope, natural hope, he believed in hope that he might become
the father of many nations. Many nations, and he didn't even
have a boy. According to that which was spoken. That's what
we believe. That which is spoken. I believe,
therefore, I've spoken. Because God has spoken. So shall
I see. And being not weak in faith,
he considered not his own body. Now dead, when he was a hundred
years old. He didn't even consider that. There are a whole lot of things
to be considered. I've got to die, got to be buried, go back to
the dust, my spirit go to God, and then Christ come and put
the body back together perfectly. glorified flesh and raise it
there. Just don't consider that. That's his way. That's believing. That's the way Abraham, he didn't
sit down and say, now how in this world is that old woman
going to have a son and this old man going to conceive one?
He didn't even consider that. He considered not his dead body
when he was 100 years old, verse 20. He staggered not. That's
the promise of God through unbelief. That's what the scientists do.
That's what the scientists tell you, young people. What you can't
understand, don't believe. That's what they tell you. What
you can't understand, don't believe. And I'm telling you, you believe
God, and you're not going to stand Him until you stand in
His presence, and then you'll know like you've been known.
But till then, 99% of God's kingdom you don't understand. We know
in part. Old Brother Buse used to say,
put everything I know about God in a thimble, and it'd rattle
like a peanut in a boxcar. That ain't much is it? Everything I know in a thimble. Always so smart, good, nice.
Abraham just believed God. He staggered not at the promise
through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God,
and being fairly persuaded that what God had promised him, he
was able. He is able. Jim read in the study, Can God? Can God? Three times they asked
him. Yeah, he can, if he will. That's what that leper said when
he came to Christ. He said, If you will, you can
make me whole. If you will. It was imputed to him for righteousness.
He believed God. Now this wasn't written for one
man's sake. It's written that it was imputed
to him, but for us also that whom righteousness shall be imputed
if we hold out, keep on keeping on. You know all this foolishness,
people. No, if we can believe him that
raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered from
our fences, and raised for our justification. Can you believe?
All things are possible to them that believe.