Sermon Tone Analysis

PRAY!!!

Context Comments

We’re considering the reformation… 500 years ago.

During the reformation period, there were 5 key foundational truths that were front and center of the teaching.

More recently, those were formulated / consolidated into what is known as the 5 solae...

Sola Scriptura...

Sola Gratia

Sola Fide

Solus Christus

Soli Deo Gloria

This morning - come to consider Sola Fide - By Faith Alone!

As we do that, we’ll be considering it from one of a number of key texts which set forth this most beautiful truth.

That text is found in .

But before we get there, just some comments of introduction...

When I began this mini-series on the reformation, I preached from the book of Galatians (Chapter 1), and the key reason that I did that was because this book of Galatians so clearly and forthrightly deals with the issue of salvation, and how that salvation message had been perverted by the churches in Galatia.

In that introductory message, I mentioned the fact that reformation didn’t truly begin at the time of the reformation…it began in the early church - the first century church.

And to be honest, reformation is going to keep being needed within the church.

When I say that, I mean that the church is going to keep needing to come back to the Scriptures, and to what the Scriptures teach.

This letter to the churches in Galatia really begins in the first chapter with an appeal to them, because they had deserted the Gospel.

And the way in which they had done that was by forsaking the free grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and saying that certain works of the law were necessary in order to obtain salvation.

In fact, Paul stated very clearly in , that the Galatians had indeed deserted the one who had called them.

They had turned aside to a different Gospel, which was really no Gospel at all!!

That is the thrust of the message to the Galatians.

And that is a rough context as we come to our text this morning from Galatians 3...

Bible Reading

Galatians 3:1-14

Introduction

As I’ve mentioned, we’re looking together this morning at Sola Fide - by faith alone!

But what has this doctrine got to do with?

In other words, what sphere of theology, or what sphere of our relationship with God does this speak to?

It is essential that when we talk about “By faith alone” we are talking about justification.

So the question is: How does God justify us?

Or...

How is it that we will stand before a Holy God one day and be declared righteous?

Last week we spent some time focusing our thoughts on the predicament of man - man is lost in his sin.

With man being dead in his trespasses and sins, there was nothing that man could do in order to make himself alive, in order to receive spiritual life...

There was no way that we could have right standing before our Holy God!!

Throughout Scripture, God has been revealed as a Holy God.

When you look at the OT book of Leviticus, you find the nation Israel was continually required to consecrate themselves, purify themselves before they were able to present themselves to God.

When the nation Israel was confronted by Joshua, because they were worshipping idols, and had abandoned God, he said to them...

Josh 24:19

All through the Psalms, we’re also given this wonderful picture of God’s holiness...

And so the question then would become, how does one who is a sinner, stand before this holy God.

How does the sinner become able to enter into the presence of the holy God!

1.

The Doctrine of Justification

And the Biblical answer to that, which we will begin by considering this morning, is through justification.

What is this doctrine of justification?

I’m going to touch on this only briefly...

In verse 8 of our passage, we read...

The word Greek word for “Justify” is one which occurs some 39 times in the New Testament, most often being translated as “Justified”, but also translated as “proved right”, “considered righteous”, or “acquitted”.

The word “Justify” is one which occurs some 39 times in the New Testament, most often being translated as “Justified”, but also translated as “proved right”, “considered righteous”, or “acquitted”.

In fact the word that is used in the Greek has nuances of both justification and righteousness.

The same Greek word can be translated as “righteousness” is and can be translated “justification”...

The decision regarding which English word to use is based on the context.

Now with that in mind, it should give us a good idea of what is being spoken of....

It really talks about our righteousness, or our legal standing as being without fault.

Within the NT, the word really speaks to us about the legal standing that we have before God.

Within the NT, the word really speaks to us about the legal standing that we have before God.

For us as sinners, standing in front of this Holy God...

It is necessary that we somehow obtain to a right relationship with God.

Because without being just, without being Holy, we would necessarily find ourselves separated from God forever.

By nature, we are guilty before God.

Biblically, what justification then speaks to, is the fact that we, as those who truly are guilty, and stand condemned before God, are declared righteous.

This is a declaration by God that we now stand as those holy in His sight.

It is what is known as a Forensic Righteousness!

We have here the clear juxtaposition of Justification, and condemnation...

One further point that I should raise here, is that this justification really speaks to our deepest need as people - the means of being reconciled and brought back into relationship with our heavenly father.

Without Justification, it would be impossible to have that relationship with God that was enjoyed in the Garden of Eden before the fall.

2. Justification By Faith or the Law?

With that in mind, we turn to our text, and our topic for today, to see what the means are of obtaining that right standing with God.

What is the means through which we obtain this legally righteous standing with God.

Paul addresses this very point in the verses that we look at this morning.

Recall, before we delve into this, that Paul is addressing throughout this letter the problem of the Judaizers requiring circumcision from the Gentile believers in order for them to be considered true believers.

Look then with me at how Paul speaks of this in these verses.

In verse 1, Paul raises the stinging rebuke: You foolish Galatians.

There is a bluntness about Paul’s words…he’s not beating about the bush.

He wants these Galatians to know that they have turned away to a different Gospel entirely, and that they’re missing the grace of of God.

This was not said in a sense in which Paul had it in for them.

He loved them deeply!!

In 1:11, he called them “brothers.”

In 4:19 he called them his children.

He simply had a deep concern for them.

And then he poses the question: “Who has bewitched you?!”

In some manner, these Galatian churches had lost sight of the Gospel.

In order to drive home the heart of the reason for his frustration, he asks them another question:

This is an essential question - and we shouldn’t lose sight of what he’s saying.

When Paul spoke of the Spirit, he was talking about the Holy Spirit of God to whom he attributed the personal characteristics of deity.

The Holy Spirit leads believers and may be grieved by their sin; he reveals the mystery of the gospel and intercedes for the saints in prayer;

he baptizes, indwells, seals, fills, and empowers Christians to live a life pleasing to God.

Paul will also emphasize later in this letter that the presence of the Spirit gives the picture of sonship / being in relationship with God as His child

Clearly the Galatian churches had received the Holy Spirit, and they had known evidence of this.

And so that question is, through what means…or how was it that they recieved that Spirit?

Through Works of the Law?

By Obeying Moses / the Law given through Moses?

Or by believing in this Jesus Christ who was clearly portrayed as crucified.

Did God give His Spirit due to obedience, or due to belief / faith?

The answer to this question becomes obvious through the further question that Paul poses in verse 3...

Why does Paul ask this question about them receiving the Holy Spirit?

George, T. (1994).

Galatians (Vol.