Reformation Matters: Faith Alone
Reformation Matters • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 50:51
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· 11 viewsThrough Faith Alone, the sinners are declared righteous with the “alien” righteousness of Christ accomplished in the death of Christ.
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Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—
the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
According to Scripture alone we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone.
Through Faith Alone, the sinners are declared righteous with the “alien” righteousness of Christ accomplished in the death of Christ.
Declaration as Guilty
Declaration as Guilty
The Role of the Law (Romans 3:19-20)
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
The Law Silences Everyone.
The Law Silences Everyone.
“Self-Justification” Ceased
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.
The Problem of Self-Righteousness
Everyone is inherently desiring for righteousness.
We cannot do otherwise.
I would actually go a layer deeper.
It is entirely possible, in fact, likely that there are Muslims around the world who are “better” people than you and I.
Self-righteousness comes from within us.
All of these things are good but they can actually begin to subtle be a form of self-justification.
Report cards as a way to show our own “goodness”
The law reveals what is expected, demanded, and necessary to be HOLY and also reveals how far short we fall of this standard.
One of the purposes of this law is to hold the entire world accountable before God concerning His just decrees.
The law brings knowledge of sin, but it does not bring salvation.
The law brings condemnation about our condition under sin.
The law brings the reality that we are condemned and separated from God.
Paul recognizes that we are all apt to making excuses and bringing our own self-justifying words into God’s proverbial ‘court-room’ but the point that Paul makes here is that the law stops all of these self-justifying words.
Romans–Galatians Comment
The law is God’s means of grace for people to own up to their guilt and hear God’s message instead of their own self-justifying whining and protest.
When mankind realizes that every self-justifying word will be silenced.
When every loud-mouth boast will be hushed.
When every form of self-promotion falls silent because the law of God condemns it.
When man has climbed the highest mountain to observe that all the world is guilty before God.
The Law Justifies Nobody.
The Law Justifies Nobody.
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
The works of the law do not produce right standing with God.
“The works commanded by the law” (Schreiner) will never make a person in right standing with God.
The right standing we need before God cannot come through the law because the law brings knowledge of sin.
The Law Exposes Sin
The Law Exposes Sin
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
The recognition of sin.
Without the law we are just as dead as we are with the law but the law simply reveals the dirtiness already present.
Pilgrims Progress - Interpreters House
In a specific episode of Pilgrim's Progress, the interpreter guides the main character, Christian, through a journey where he encounters a room filled with dirt.
Initially, the dirt is not very noticeable until a woman enters and starts stirring it up.
This woman is symbolically referred to as "the LAW."
As she stirs up the dirt, the room becomes difficult to breathe in.
“This is to show you that the Law, instead of cleansing the heart from sin—does in fact arouse sin, giving greater strength to it—and causing it to flourish in the soul. The Law both manifests and forbids sin—but it has no power to subdue sin”
Essentially, the law doesn't make the room any cleaner, but it exposes the dirt that was already present.
Illustrating how the law reveals the existing state of affairs rather than improving it.
The law was never meant to save.
The law was never able to save.
The law was good but its purpose was to reveal what was already there.
Declaration as Righteous
Declaration as Righteous
Justification by Faith (Romans 3:21-26)
In the law we have been declared guilty.
What is justification?
Justification is the declaration of sinners that they are counted righteous in Christ by faith.
The Righteousness of God Revealed
The Righteousness of God Revealed
Romans 3:21–22 (ESV)
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—
the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.
The phrase “But now” does not refer to different time periods but the independence from the law (J. Murray).
The righteousness of God does not come from the law but it comes from a different place than the law.
It’s not as if at one time the righteousness came through the law, actually the exact opposite.
This is how it has always been but now it has become clear to all.
God’s promise through the Law and the Prophets.
God’s promise through the Law and the Prophets.
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—
“has been manifested” - The righteousness of God has become clear to all but it is not through the law that this righteousness comes.
The law and prophets point to the righteousness but in themselves cannot accomplish this righteousness.
The righteousness of God has been pointed to through the Law and the Prophets.
Whatever the Law and the Prophets point to is where the righteousness of God is clearly shown.
God’s righteousness is an “alien” righteousness.
God’s righteousness is an “alien” righteousness.
Romans 3:22 (ESV)
the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.
When a person believes upon the Lord Jesus, they are declared righteous by God.
What is faith?
“[Faith is a] firm and certain knowledge of God’s benevolence toward us, founded upon the truth of the freely given promise in Christ, both revealed to our minds and sealed upon our hearts through the Holy Spirit.”
Everyone has sinned and broken God’s righteous demands revealed in the law and prophets, but they are freely declared righteous as a gift in Jesus Christ.
“through faith” - the faith that Paul expresses here is not some hopeful expectation in God in a general sense.
It is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Our faith has an object who is Jesus.
During the Reformation
Justification vs. Sanctification.
When I say faith, I don’t mean simply mental ascent.
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
What are we apprehending?
Christ! We’re taking hold of Jesus Christ for salvation.
But what about the person who says, “I believe in Jesus!”
But there is no fruit of faith?
“We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.”
“We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.”
You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
Demon faith is a kind of faith that claims to believe but does not live any different.
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
“Through faith in Christ, therefore, Christ’s righteousness becomes our righteousness and all that he has becomes ours.”
The Means of Our Justification
The Means of Our Justification
(Romans 3:22b-24)
Romans 3:22–23 (ESV)
For there is no distinction:
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
The distinction that Paul has in mind here is the distinction between Jew and Gentile.
There is no partiality in the Lord here.
He sees both Jew and Gentile as dead in their sins.
The reason is grounded in the fact that everyone has “sinned” and “fallen short of the glory of God”
“sinned” refers to a “missing the mark” (Rogers & Rogers) in which all humanity has missed the standard that is seen in the law of God.
The law of God reveals the standard of God and it stirs up humanity because we have all missed it.
“fallen short of the glory of God” refers to the fallen nature that humanity has lived in since the garden of Eden.
We are no longer in a glorified because “eternal life” has been lost (Schreiner).
That which was lost in Adam will be made right in Jesus Christ (Romans 5).
Our faith is the vehicle of salvation, not the reason for it.
Our faith is the vehicle of salvation, not the reason for it.
and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
The cycle of people entering the church and then leaving....
How does this cycle happen?
People look at their sin and guilt.
People think they need to have “more faith”
“If you just have more faith, then you wouldn’t be sick.”
“If you’d just have more faith, then you will be healed.”
Or they think if they can just hate their sin enough then they’ll be a Christian.
This is often seen when you ask people if they are a Christian and they say, “I’m trying to be..”
There is no such thing as trying to be a Christian.
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:
“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Our faith does not save, but the object of our faith saves.
Our faith does not save, but the object of our faith saves.
and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
We are “justified” or declared righteous as a gift.
The declaration of righteousness pronounced over us is through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ.
Pilgrims Progress - The Dirty Room
As I already said, the purpose of the law was to stir us up similar to how John Bunyan describes it in Pilgrim’s progress.
This was personified in a lady who came in a swept a room and her name was “Law.”
But there was also a second woman in the room and her name was “Grace.”
Now Grace would not clean the room up as much as sprinkle water in the dusty room to allow the sweeper to clean the room up.
This is what happens to all Christians.
They begin to see in the Bible a stirring up when they read the OT and the law.
But they need the sprinkling of the grace of God in order to be truly cleansed.
Think about the thief on the cross.
One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?
And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”
And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
The Grounds of Our Justification
The Grounds of Our Justification
(Romans 3:25-26)
whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
All human sin was formerly passed over but poured out upon the Son of God was the punishment that those who are to come to Him deserved.
“tolerance”=God’s forbearance; not forgetfulness or overlooking of sin. Forbearance is not forgiveness.
Up until the death of Christ, God had tolerated human sinfulness.
But in the death of Christ we see how God deals with sin.
Romans Verse 25
“God ‘postponed’ the full penalty due sins in the Old Covenant, allowing sinners to stand before him without their having provided an adequate ‘satisfaction’ of the demands of his holy justice”
Have you ever wondered how saints in the OT were saved?
Verse 25 makes it clear for us.
That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.”
But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone,
but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord,
who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
Why does God allow bad happen to good people?
By framing the question in this way, we miss the real problem and ultimately the solution.
When we think that why would God allow anything bad happen to us when we are good misses the heart of the question.
We shouldn’t ask, “How can God justly punish human beings?”
We need to ask, “How can God justly forgive anyone?” What we deserve is death.
Christ bore our just penalty for sin.
Christ bore our just penalty for sin.
whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
The mercy seat if you remember was the place in the OT where the sacrifices were brought and sacrificed for the sins of the people.
This is the place where the wrath of God was turned away.
The death of Jesus shows God’s righteousness because God formerly passed over all human sin.
If Jesus has soaked up the wrath of God toward you, how would your life be different?
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
God justifies sinners through faith in Christ.
God justifies sinners through faith in Christ.
It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
“In Christ, God can uphold his own holy standard (he can be “just”), but he can also declare sinners to be righteous (he is the “justifier”).”
What are you clinging to justify you?
“And therefore we cling to this foundation, which is firm forever, giving all glory to God, humbling ourselves, and recognizing ourselves as we are; not claiming a thing for ourselves or our merits and leaning and resting on the sole obedience of Christ crucified, which is ours when we believe in him.
That is enough to cover all our sins and to make us confident, freeing the conscience from the fear, dread, and terror of God’s approach, without doing what our first parents, Adam and Eve, did, who trembled as they tried to cover themselves with fig leaves.”
-Belgic Confession
Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.
For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,
since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
Through Faith Alone, the sinners are declared righteous with the “alien” righteousness of Christ accomplished in the death of Christ.