Justified By Faith

Confirming the Mission

Why go up to Jerusalem:

Acts 11- Famine in the land

English Standard Version Chapter 11

27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). 29 So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30 And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

Final statement in vs 10 confirms this

Wisdom in counselors Without counsel plans fail,

but with many advisers they succeed. Proverbs 15:22

Confirmation in calling

Confirmation in mission

Confirmation in message

Conflict in the Camp 2 forms

Those who slip in from outside - to bring us back into slavery denying the message of hope

Sometimes people are just looking to stir things up…they’ve made up their minds and it is their job to convince you how wrong you are and how right they are - in these times:

Don’t give them a foothold:

Requires us to know the truth - how did Jesus respond in the desert? Scripture was misquoted, He rightly quoted.

Don’t feel guilty for standing for Truth

Most shots I’ve heard of how Christians are supposed to act are taken from outside of the camp - people who don’t know Christ determine they are the arbiters of how to act like Christ.

Don’t feel guilty for behaving in a manner that is worthy of the calling to which you’ve been called (Eph. 4:1) 4 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

The goal of this is twofold -

1 they don’t have to deal with their own shortcomings and false beliefs

2 they don’t have to humble themselves completely before God - this is why we act with “all humility and gentleness, with patience.”

in doing so they seek to entrap the believer back into a life of slavery to sin and worthlessness

“If I can get you to do it to I don’t have to deal with my own issues”

Those in the camp already who misstep actions inconsistent with the message of hope - explain what happens here with Peter and the witness Paul is establishing with the gentiles - remember here who Peter is too

Confronting a bad witness - Paul is direct - this doesn’t mean his abrasiveness is the correct one - establish who we follow - Jesus when He confronts Peter -

“Get behind me Satan”

sin is sin regardless of who is committing it - here Peter is falling back into a trap and unintentionally marginalizing the Gentile believers.

a) Why do we sometimes not live like we are free? b) why do we fake it and put on a stained glass masquerade? c) Why do we fall back into slavery?

Comfort in complacency - a road with ruts is hard to get out of

Delighting in the distortions -

succumbing to our own self-importance -

The overcoming is in recognizing how we are redeemed - Justified by Faith

Justified by Faith

Justified - a word study: what does it mean to be justified (a passive action) we are being justified by Christ based on His work, not our own.

δικαιόω (dikaioō). vb. to pronounce righteous, to justify. To make or declare someone or something righteous.

Justification does not happen by the works of the law - mentioned 3x vs 15-16

What are the works of the Law as described here?

A combination of both actions performed before God to gain favor with Him, but could never be enough as well as “boundary markers” used to keep Judaism distinct from the Greek world, preserving and protecting God’s people from the Pagan ways and preserve the covenant for Israel.

Justification does happen through Faith in Christ Jesus - mentioned 3x

2 points on this:

Our Faith in Christ

The faithfulness of Christ having accomplished salvation through His life, crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and ascension.

The point of this contrast as Paul is putting it, is that there is no amount of good work you can do that will Justify you before God.

In our sinfulness we will always fall short, we rely upon Christ as our Savior through whom we are justified and counted as righteous before a Holy God.

This is how he says in closing this section: Gal. 2:21 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

What do we do with this?

Galatians 2:20 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.

Marching orders for a Christian - The Christian in coming to Christ is a new creation.

The sin issue has been dealt with: Romans 5

In so doing we have died to sin in order that we can live in Christ

Upon Coming to Christ the entire outlook of a Christian should look different