Through Faith Alone

Scripture Reading:

Romans 4:13–25 (NLT)

13 Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. 14 If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. 15 For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!) 16 So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. 17 That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. 18 Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” 19 And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. 20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. 22 And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. 23 And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded 24 for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

Focus Statement

We live in a world of meritocracy...

Where we are seen as either successful and worthy, or a failure and worthless.

Yet, through our faith in Jesus Christ, and faith in Jesus Christ alone, we find our TRUE WORTH.

Point of Relation

Things to Consider

“What does it mean to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, is the question I believe is at the heart of what Paul is talking about.

Does it mean one has to be a good as can be...

Does it mean that one must obey all of the Ten Commandments and the laws...

If we are law breakers is it even possible for us to “get into heaven”...

Therefore, does that mean that following Jesus means never, EVER, breaking the law?

To us as modern Christians who have long been steeped in Christian Theology and Tradition...

Those questions may seem foolish...

Yet, I dare anyone to tell me that they don’t hold some sort of meritocracy in their heads when thinking of what a “good Christians” is.

That is even a term we use, isn’t it?

“Good Christians.”

What are “Good Christians” exactly?

What Scripture Says

First off, listen to this Scripture passage from Luke 18:18–19 (NLT):

18 Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question: “Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good.

If our Lord says that in reference to himself, how can we call ourselves “good” anything?

No one is good. We are Christians because we recognize how NOT good we are...

How we are broken, sinful, and depraved apart from God.

Don’t believe me…turn on the news. Just look at the world around you…

it is what it is. And it is the Biblical truth. Paul writes:

Romans 3:10-20, 23 (NLT)

10 As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous— not even one. 11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. 12 All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” 13 “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips from their lips.” 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” 15 “They rush to commit murder. 16 Destruction and misery always follow them. 17 They don’t know where to find peace.” 18 “They have no fear of God at all.” 19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are... 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

No, on our own we are NOT GOOD. Anything but.

That is why God has had to intervene throughout human history...

Trying to bring us back to state we once were in before the fall.

He sent us laws to try and follow…but which showed us how sinful we are…why?

So we would see that and turn to God in FAITH.

No, on our own we are NOT GOOD.

That is why God sent us the prophets…to remind us that God wishes for us to:

Micah 6:8b: “to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”

No, on our own we are NOT GOOD.

That is why God chose to come down in human form…as Jesus of Nazareth...

truly human and truly divine...

as a ransom for our sins!

On our own, we are NOT GOOD…but with Christ, NONE OF THAT MATTERS!

That is the GOOD NEWS now, isn’t it?

That is what makes the news so DARNED good!

We were literally on a collision course with damnation…with eternal separation from God...

But through Christ, God has saved us...

Freed us to live INTO the Law…rather than UNDER IT.

But that is hard for us…even as Christians…even as we know what Christ did for us and that it was due to NO MERIT of our own.

We still have a hard time with living INTO the law because we still find ourselves UNDER IT.

We believe that certain things “make” you a Christian...

Like having a “good” character...

or having a “good” work ethic...

or having the “right” dress code.

If you look the part…we believe you…if you don’t...

Say you have tattoos, piercings and dress like someone on the street…

Well…we’re not quite “sure” you’re Christian.

As Christians, we make those judgments because it is in our sinful nature to.

As the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 7:21-24 (NLT):

21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?

That is our nature that even as Christ as saved us,

He is still sanctifying or perfecting us through the work of the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and guide.

Salvation is the beginning…not the end of the journey.

Thus, Paul answers his own question as to who will free him from this life dominated by sin and death in Romans 7:25a:

“25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord...”

Yet Paul, a few chapters earlier, gave us the truth about the law.

It was given to us as a guide to try and follow.

Yet, we cannot properly follow it and, thus,

it becomes a mirror to our own iniquity…our own sin.

Paul also gave us the way out from being UNDER THE LAW to LIVING INTO IT.

And that “way” boils down to ONE WORD:

Faith!

Faith in Christ is the ONLY way that one can find the freedom to LIVE INTO, as opposed to UNDER, the law.

Througth Faith, and faith alone, are we saved.

Like Abraham, we are made righteous by our Faith.

Which brings me to Paul’s logically sound and theologically important argument:

Here it is in the simplest of terms:

We know, according to Scripture that God called us to follow the Law of Moses, which was the standard of righteousness.

However, Abraham was also deemed righteous and he existed before the Law.

What’s more, we know that God said Abraham was deemed righteous because of his faith

…not because he followed any law.

Furthermore, we also have observed and experienced the fact that it is impossible for humans to perfectly follow the law...

if they follow it at all.

Therefore the law does not save us…

but shows us to be lawbreakers and full of sin.

As such, it is not the law that saves us but faith in God, through Jesus Christ,

that saves us from our sinful selves.

Through Faith…and faith alone

What This Means for You

Are you a person of faith?

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How has your faith led you here...

to this very place, at this very time, in this very moment?

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God has called you here…

Christ has called you to reflect on your faith…

and where you are in your faith journey.

Are you a person who has striven for perfection?

Someone who tries to do everything right...

and who hates to fail or make mistakes?

Are you someone who has striven to earn merit in this world and from its inhabitants?

If that is you, let me call you back home to your FAITH.

Back home to the Christ who says in Matthew 11:28–30 (NLT)

28 ...“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

If that is you, let go of being perfect and put your faith in Christ,

allowing Him to perfect you through the Holy Spirit!

What This Means for Us

What’s more to consider:

How do we as a church reflect the life of FAITH...

Rather than the life of merit?

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How do we show people that they are loved EQUALLY and EQUITABLY...

No matter who they are or where they come from?

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Who are the people in our community who we can reach with the GOOD NEWS of GOD’s wide, generous and inclusive ACCEPTANCE...

And how can we lead them to the life of faith?

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For one…we can INVITE people to join us here

at worship,

at our weekly Potluck Dinners,

at Treasures of Hope,

at concerts and

at anything we find ourselves serving in mission and/or celebrating fellowship and community.

Together, my dear friends, we can grow the kingdom of God here in Newton...

making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Amen? Amen.