The Just By Faith Shall Live

Big Idea

Tension: What will happen to the one who is justified by faith?

Resolution: He will live.

Exegetical Idea: The one who is justified by faith will live.

Theological Idea: The one God justifies on the basis of Christ by faith alone will be resurrected with Christ.

Homiletical Idea: The just by faith will live.

Sermon

Introduction

The Just

God is the Only Just One (1 Kings 8:31-32)

He alone declares just. If the King appeals to him, that means he is greater than every conceivable pwoer.

God cannot be just if he does not punish evil

Yet God promises to declare just (Is 50:7-9)

Melchizedek: King of Righteousness and Peace who has a meal with Abraham

Christ bears our just punishment and we receive his justification (Isaiah 53:11; Romans 3:25-26)

By Faith

Only God is trustworthy (Ps 71:22)

Faith is a whole hearted trust; What saves us is not the expression of our faith but rather the object.

Abraham (Genesis 15:6)

Faith as the opposite of Pride and idolatry (Hab 2:4a)

Faith is not the same as good works (Romans 3:27-28)

But doesn’t James 2:24 mean that we are also justified by works? Faith is never separated from good works (James 2:22-23). Faith complements, completes good works. The faith that justifies alone is never alone.

Do you have this faith?

If you think your salvation depends on you in any way, then you have strayed from this faith.

If you think your salvation allows you to act in any way you want, then you do not have this faith.

Shall Live

God is the only one who gives life (John 5:21)

God keeps his promise (Abraham) (Romans 4:18-21)

Just as God put forth Christ as a sacrifice, so God rose Christ from the dead (Romans 4:25)

Just as God has justified us by faith, so God will raise us from the dead through Christ (Rom 8:11)

You can have the hope of assurance

Assurance is not from something that we do

Assurance changes how we live

Conclusion: All this is only true for those who believe