NCC Q32, 33

NCC Question 32 & 33

Before Easter Pastor Carl covered two important questions

Q30: What is faith in Jesus Christ?

A30: Receiving and resting on Him alone for salvation as He is offered to us in the gospel.

Q31: What do we believe by true faith?

A31: We believe in God the Father, creator of all things, Jesus Christ, the redeemer, and the Holy Spirit, the helper (among many other things)

Does anyone remembered what we covered in the answer to that question—what is it called? The Apostles Creed.

We are going to jump right in this morning because we have a lot to cover. First of all we are going to define two very important theology terms. I would argue that when it comes to understanding salvation these two terms are essential although I would say its not essential to be saved.

There is a very comical but serious clip form a sermon of Alistair Begg on the cross and its meaning.

He is discussing a fictional scene in heaven of the thief on the cross coming up to heavens gates. There is an interaction between the thief and the angel.

Begg talks about how the thief was cussing Jesus out on the cross, he was never in a bible study, he was never baptized, he didn’t know a thing about church membership, and yet he made it.

He can see the angel saying, what are you doing here? The thief responds, I don’t know. The angel was speechless and gets his supervisor. The supervisor has a couple questions. “Are you clear on the doctrine of justiciation by faith?” The thief says, “I’ve never heard of it in my life.” “What about the doctrine of scripture?” He just stares back.

The angel asks, “On what basis are you here?”

“The man on the middle cross said I could come.”

The point is this, Jesus is the only grounds on which we can be saved and made right, and the answer to how we are made right or why we can enter heaven is never “I did this or I did that or I understood this...” Its “Jesus paid it all, Jesus said I could come.”

Now, I may of just convinced you we don’t need to know these things, but actually we need to understand these things so we have a right view of ourselves and a proper view of what Jesus has done.

The first word I want to define is Justification. What is justification?

Well whats the root word? Justify. What does justify mean?

It comes from the Latin word Justus or Just which means legally correct.

Justify: to prove or show to be just, right, or reasonable

to show to have had a sufficient legal reason to judge, regard, or treat as righteous and worthy of salvation

Like its close cousin "justice," justification is derived from the Latin justificare, which means "to make right." When you offer a justification, you're trying to make something right—or, perhaps, even just.

RC Sproul put it this way, “Justification is one of the central benefits of redemption that God applies to believers on the basis of Jesus’ sinless life, atoning death, and resurrection from the dead. In justification, ungodly and guilty men and women are counted righteous before God (Rom. 4:5). This means that God forgives their sins and accepts them as righteous in His sight on the basis of the saving work of Jesus alone (Rom. 4:6–8). Scripture is clear that individuals are justified by faith alone in Christ alone (Gal. 2:16; Phil. 3:9). The Westminster Shorter Catechism provides the most succinct definition of the doctrine of justification, when it states, “Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone” (Q&A 33).”

RC went on to say,

“Justification is a once-for-all, nonrepeatable act of God. Once God accepts a sinner on the basis of the imputed righteousness of Christ, that person can never lose his right standing before God”

The next word we need to define is sanctification. What is sanctification?

The root word is sanctify which means being set apart, being freed from sin.

John MacArthur defined it this way, “Sanctification is the progressive disconnect in the life of a believer from sin toward righteousness.”

This brings us to our first question this morning.

Q32: What do justification and sanctification do?

A32: Justification means our declared righteousness before God. Sanctification means our gradual, growing righteousness.

Its important to note something right away. Whats the difference between these two? They both have to do with our salvation but whats different?

Justification- one time act (it is finished)

Sanctification- gradual, daily occurrence (never finished on earth)

Now what does this look like?

I have a series of words and I want you to tell me what relates to justification, what relates to sanctification, and what relates to both. Work with the person next to you lets spend a minute or two and just write J, S or JS next to each word and then we’ll do them together.

Once for all time-J

Obedience-S

External-S

Transform-JS

Judge-J

Holiness-S

Punishment-J

Gradual-S

Law-J

Internal-JS

Not guilty-J

Become-JS

Grow-S

Declared-J

One day at a time-S

Before we move on, does it matter which comes first—justification or sanctification?

Yes, you have to be justified, made right before God, in order to be sanctified.

Turn to 1 Peter chapter 1. Someone read verses 1 & 2

1 Peter 1:1–2 ESV

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

We see three very important doctrines here in these two verses.

Election

Justification

Sanctification

Did you also notice that the trinity is at work here, and each part of the trinity has a role.

Election- God the Father

Justification- God the Son, Jesus Christ (sprinkling of his blood)

Romans 5:9 ESV

9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

Sanctification- God the Holy Spirit

Peter is sending an encouragement to the elect, who are dispersed and being reject for their faith. You are chosen, you are redeemed, you are made right, you are being made new. They are growing more and more in holiness, becoming more and more like Christ.

What are some attributes of Jesus? (communicable attributes, or things we can share with him)

Love

Peace

Grace

Joy

Patience

Self-Control

Can you love? Can you love selflessly after you have been justified? Do you love perfectly? Do you love better now than you did 30 years ago?

You are growing day by day in your walk and your outward expressions of this inward possesion. You will not do it perfectly until you are face-to-face with Jesus.

With all that in mind lets look at our next question.

Q33: Should those who have faith in Christ seek their salvation through their own works, or anything else?

A33: No, everything necessary to salvation is found in Christ.

Who knows who this is?

Martin Luther 1483-1546

He was well schooled, having a bachelors and masters degrees in which his father said he wasted when he entered a monastery after being a lightening storm and being thrown from his horse. He was later ordained as a priest.

He would later get a doctorate of theology from Wittenberg and taught bible there.

He is popular for two main things he did: (anyone want to guess what they were?)

His posting of the 95 thesis

Translating the bible into German

Luther was overwhelmed by the question of “How is man made right before God?”

In 1517 the Catholic church began selling indulgences, exchanging of a piece of paper supposedly freeing your love ones from purgatory for money. The catholic church raised the money so they could build St. Peter’s Basilica.

If anyone likes history, this was the middle of the renaissance and St. Peter’s Basilica is considered the centerpiece of renaissance architure. It was built over 120 years and was designed in part by a guy named Michelangelo (you may have heard of him.) It still exists today, and 91 popes have been buried there by the way.

Luther is a priest in this church selling indulgences and he is wrestling with this question about how are we made right. And so Luther posts his 95 thesis on the door of the Church in Wittenberg. A copy ends up in the hands of a printing press and they print these and dispurse them throughout Europe. With that single event, October 31, 1517, Luther ignited the Reformation, and it all centered around how we are made right.

Move ahead in the story, Luther is called before the Diet of Worms to recant what he had been saying, stop the “heresy”.

He responds with, “Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. I cannot do otherwise, here I stand, may God help me, Amen.”

And that became the rally cry of the reformation which swept through the world and flipped the church on its head.

By the way he was given 21 days to escape, flee or face death, a group of his supporters took him and hid him in a castle for his safety and in seclusion, in hiding, he translated the bible into German, making the word of God accessible to common man and not just the elite or educated.

Here is the point: Luther believed and defended salvation is found in Christ alone.

Is salvation found in doing your homework on time?

Is salvation found in trusting Christ alone and helping the elderly?

Is salvation found in always obeying mom and dad?

Is salvation found in giving money to the church?

Is salvation found in keeping the ten commandments?

Is salvation found through trust Christ alone?

Many people including ourselves at times believe we can get into heaven by living a good life and doing good things. Turn to Galatians

Galatians 2:15–21 ESV

15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. 17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

How are people justified? By faith in Jesus Christ. Faith does not need to be supplemented by good works.

That means that baptism, communion, giving, reading your bible, obeying your parents will not save you or change your standing before God one bit.

Going back to Allisters story of the thief on the cross—if our answer to why are we at the gates of heaven, how did we get there, if it is anything besides, “Because Jesus said I could come” we have it all wrong.

There is no I in it at all. “Jesus said I could come and I followed him…I obeyed him…I gave my life to him.” Those are all good things but we are there because Jesus chose us, saved us, justified us and made us new.

If you add anything to this gospel, if you add any restriction, obligation, command to this gospel you are preaching a false gospel.

There is a reason Paul said to the Corinthians I told you this of first importance:

1 Corinthians 15:3–5 ESV

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

What is the gospel? What is our hope? That Jesus died, buried and was raised and that appeared as the risen savior.

Now, with all that being said, I want to end with one more important question which will lead us into next week.

Since Christ paid it all, and he has done it all, I shouldn’t keep the law?

NO-the bible says that being saved gives us the desire to obey Christ, which includes obeying God’s Word.