Justified by Faith Alone (July 4, 2021)

but it is great to be back in the building once again, However, I've been a Baptist for all my life and it won't seem completely normal again until we are singing and especially until we pass the offering plate again.

But it is good to be back in our building and worshiping God together and we're starting a new tradition, this year. It has worked out that I had a chance to preach from months in the summer few times over the last few years and I'm preaching for the month of July. And I want preaching a Doctrine and maybe make it a tradition to preaching on a different doctor and every year. And this year, I want to preach the doctrine of salvation for these next four weeks. And dumb. Some people have an adverse reaction to the word doctor and they think Doctrine means something, Arcane and abstract, and unrelated to life, let me propose a different definition of Doctrine for you. This is what I mean by Doctrine. A Doctrine is a belief. You are willing to die for. Watch people in the world are willing to die for their beliefs. They have certain beliefs nobody's willing to die for every belief that he or she holds. Obviously we have beliefs that are ranked in Iraqi summer all very lightly. Some we change frequently and others are lifelong convictions that shape the way we think about the world and Define our identity to the extent that we can't imagine existing without those beliefs. We can't imagine not the leaving such-and-such. That's what I mean by a Christian doctrine. I'm so what we're going to talk about in the next 4 weeks is what we believe as Christians, that about salvation that were willing to die for what we, what we hold Central and deer That's what we're going to talk about the doctor in Salvation today, justification by faith alone, next week, sanctification then glorification and then finally, the Assurance of Salvation and we're going to be camping out in the Book of Romans for reasons that will become clear as we go. Before we begin, I want to just asked you. A simple question. That isn't simple. What is salvation? We talked about it all the time. We read the word, salvation to the Bible. We talk about the word salvation, when people give testimonies we, we he written sermons, we read it all the time. We talked it but what is it? What exactly is salvation? Salvation is not just having a better life within this world. What would Christians talk about salvation? We don't mean being more successful in managing money and raising your children, then having a good marriage. We don't mean success in Earthly, temporal material terms. We don't mean that it is not your help with the problems of daily life. Daily life, presents problems and and a lot of us look to the Lord to help us. And we read the Bible that get help. And we we experienced help from the body of Christ and all of that is part of the Christian Life. It is true. That's not what we mean by salvation Salvation. Is something more specific than that, and it's not even just a relationship with Jesus. Now, you're going to, you're going to think, but of course it is. But notice the word just in that sense, it is a relationship with Jesus, of course. But not a relationship with Jesus, it's even more specific than that. What exactly does this relationship with, Jesus? Do for us, what, what is the point of it? It's not helping us with our daily problems, and it's not just success in this material world or something. More fundamental about our relationship with Jesus. That makes salvation. What it is. What it is salvation. What could be saved? Just to be safe from something. If I, if we hear about a story I'm up at somebody jumping into a river to rescue a person drowning. Then that person was saved from drowning a person was saved from somebody runs into a burning building to pull a person out that person was saved from a fiery death due to be saved, means to be saved from something, it's to have a something hanging over you. Something that's about to get you in at the last minute. Somebody pulls you out of the way and save you. What? What is, what is it that were saved from, in, in Salvation, we're safe from the wrath of God. We're safe from the wrath of God. That is the essence of Salvation. That's the beginning point of Salvation. Without that there's no salvation. Don't question. Our modern therapeutic culture. Everybody is so sensitive. And we don't like to call people, you know, Sinners and we pretend that everything is better than it is. That's the stock could be armenta, we just pretend that everything is okay, even when it is, The truth of the matter is that the human race is under the condemnation of God. That's what the Bible teaches from beginning to end. We're only three chapters into Genesis and already humans have fallen by disobeying the one command. You had one command, and you couldn't keep that one command. And we're already seeing the human race plunged into misery death. That was not part of the original creation is now part of the creation. Human beings from Adam and Eve down to the present have been under the Wrath and condemnation of God. And when we die, we stand before God, we will be judged and condemned and sent to hell. And that is what we need to be safe from.

All the rest is is extra. It's it's it's wonderful sure. Salvation doesn't many other things for us. It may even make you more conscientious employee. Get you a promotion. It might make you a better wife for a better husband, and it made me walk kinds of things for you because you are changed in child salvation. There will be all kinds of benefits, but the essence of it, the beginning of a thing with without, which there is no, real salvation is to be saved from judgement. Save from condemnation, save from hell, and that's a transformative thing.

Now we don't have time to do the entire doctor in Salvation. The way that I would do it, if I was teaching a course on it because they're these 10 steps are all part of Salvation. It begins with God, election of those who he predestined to be saved in eternity. It begins there and then there's a calling. There's a, there's a hearing of the Gospel of the Holy Spirit, takes the words and makes them real, and Powerful in our minds. And, and that causes us to be regenerated to be born again. Be made new creatures. And that, that means that we, we have faith that we repent, and we're converting, and then were Justified at that moment. And there were adopted as sons and made errors and Joint heirs with Christ. And then we are gradually Sanctified over the rest of our lives. As we become made, holy and made made by Kim. And then we we endure we persevere to the end then and we're saved if we're really saved and that we die and we die in the Lord and the death of it. The death of a Christian is not the same as the death of a non-Christian. The death of a Christian is walking through a doorway into eternal life. Another glorification. What happens to us after death? The resurrection of the body, the infusion of the spirit being made perfect attaining to that status, that Adam and Eve could have attained to. But didn't because they disobey finally were glorified all of this is salvation stretching from eternity past to Eternity future. I just want to single out three essential steps in this in this process. But over these next three weeks to think about justification, sanctification and glorification. What is justification justification is God's act by which he pardons us for our sins, on the basis of the penal, substitutionary sacrifice of Christ on the cross and imputed to us the righteousness of Christ. Now, there's much in this definition that we could unpack. There are there are sermons upon sermons. Almost every word in the stuff in ition, deserves its own sermon. Justification is God's art. It's something he does not something we do. He doesn't to us, and he pardons us for our sins. That's why we're no longer condemned on the basis of the penal substitution, Pinot means that he paid the penalty, as our substitute, in his death. He paid the penalty of our substitute, it is done, and that was his sacrifice, and it was done on the cross, and then God imputed to us the righteousness of Christ when God looks at us now. He doesn't see. He does see but he chooses to see and regard you not as the week they yelling. Sinful person that you are, but he sees you as having the righteousness of Christ. He sees the images that the righteousness of Christ is put on us as the father in the parable of the Prodigal Son. Brings out the best robe and drapes it over the prodigal son, and close him in that beautiful robe in it. In spite of the fact that he's wearing Rags ski is closed in the beautiful robe that the father provides for him, and that's a picture of our Salvation. He closed Us in the beautiful righteousness of Christ and what he looks at us. He sees, Christ's righteousness, and you would be. That's what it means to be justified. It doesn't mean that we've been changed yet, that's coming next week, think of acacian. But first, in order that sanctification can get started. He sees us at a new, like he sees us as righteous. We get the righteousness of Christ imputed to us. It's given freely to us. It's nothing we can do to earn it. Becomes ours. Why salvation is so precious to Christians? This is why the doctrine of justification by faith alone is so important to us. This is why it's worth dying for because it's this is that which makes us acceptable in God's sight.

Probably, as many churches is that they fight over the wrong doctrines. I don't say that. The problem with many churches is that they fight over doctrines. The problem is that they fight over minor doctors. The fight over things that aren't ultimate importance or the things that aren't totally clear. Listen, if you want to fight over the doctor and over a doctor and fight over the document Vacation by faith, this is the central heart of the Christian faith. This is what makes Christianity Christianity and not works righteousness or something else. This is so Central. It's so important that it defines us as people who are you Sinner, who are you?

You can say I'm a Justified sooner. That's who you are. That's the essence of your identity. That's what makes you who you are and that is a belief and a conviction and a truth that is worth giving your life for because, without this, We have no life.

Justification. The Book of Romans is important, because in this book, Paul is explaining his Doctrine salvation. And we're so grateful to God in his Providence for the way that he arranged things. So that Paul would would write this letter because in this letter, Paul is explaining to the church wrong, which she had never visited, which was made up of both Jews and Gentiles, he's explaining to them. What is the he preaches on his missionary journey, written about 57 a d on his third missionary journey. Probably from Courant. And he's been he's been going around the the Mediterranean Basin establishing churches, in every city and these churches are are made up of some juice. Some Gentiles and an end. So he's writing to the church wrong because he wants their support. We know we learn from chapter 16 that he intends to go to Spain and which would be the far end of the Mediterranean, the far end of the Greco-Roman world because Paul starred as his message, is Mission to take the gospel to the whole world in fulfillment of the Great Commission. And he wants the Roman Church to be his support base. As he jumps off from Rome and heads towards Spain further mission that any he had ever done before and he's writing to them because if they're going to support him, Then they need to know. What is, what is his message? What is his, what is he preaching? And they need to be as convinced as he is of the truth of his message. And so, he lays it all out in the way that he doesn't lay it out anywhere else. He lays out the whole doctor of Salvation in Romans in the most complete fashion of any of the New Testament letters. And that's why the book of Romans is so important to the church. It's a, it's a doctor, it's a book that defines the Salvation that defines the church. And so that's why it's so important. So he was a leading Rabbi. He was involved in persecuting the church. We know from the book of Acts that he was he was there at the martyrdom of Steve and and in chapter 8 and then he he is converted by Jesus himself. He has an encounter with the Risen Lord. Jesus on the road to Damascus and acts 9 and Jesus commissions him to be the Apostle to the Gentiles. And that's the source of Paul's Mission and his and his his, his calling in life. And so, so he's explaining to them. This is what I preach. If you sponsor me and help me to go to Spain and preach the gospel, to the Gentiles there, this is what I'm going to preach.

I'm so the doctor that he lays out in the Book of Romans has justification, sanctification, glorification and assurance. Now, just to clarify that the difference between these three, this is a slide this than the next one that we're going to come back to every week this month. But justification is a point in time when we are declared to be righteous in God's eyes by an act of God alone, that's just the keishin. Sanctification is a process over time and which we are gradually made righteous and holy by God and cooperating we cooperate by by dying to self and by surrendering and by letting the grace of God dominate us and and changes. And then ghorfa keishin is a point in time when were resurrected from the dead and made perfect, by the infusion of God's spirit into us, in such a way is a greater infusion than we know. Now it's it, it's in such a way that we actually become all that God declared us to be interested.

There's another way to look at it. you noticed that the color scheme is trying to say,

But the point out the differences justification and Garfield. Keishin are both a point in time, they happen instantaneously, they're not process. But sanctification is an ongoing process that begins when your regenerated begins when you're saved and goes to your dad, to the point of death all through line. Its Progressive it. We become more and more. Holy we never become perfect. In this process. And then justification is a Judicial declaration unlike both sanctification glorification because those are actual changes to us. They actually change us at the justification. Dustin actually change our our being it gives us a different legal status.

And justification and glorification are both done by God Alone. But we cooperate in scientific notation. It's very important to make this distinction between justification and sanctification. because if you don't, if you can flight justification and sanctification, if you bring them together and speak about them as if they were the same thing, you know what, you end up You will end up with Works righteousness or you will end up with antinomianism that his auntie Norma anti-law. And that means just lawlessness just not even obey any laws of God, just Living annual way you want. You're going to swing from that extreme to Works righteousness and back again unless you make this key distinction between justification and sanctification. Justification is God declaring you righteous sanctification is the process by which he gradually makes you righteous. So, important to understand these things, these things give shape to our prayers. These things give shape to our worship. These Doctrine shape, our hours, hymns that are song. It's very important.

Know the password. We are looking at is chapter 4 of Romans, but just before chapter 4 is a key passage a paragraph that goes from vs21 to 2521 to 26. I mean is where Paul comes to the conclusion of his argument? All through chapters one and two, and into the beginning of chapter 3, he has been arguing that all caps and he's argued that the Gentiles. He's argued that the Jews that's in that the Gentiles have gone against conscience in the light of nature that Jews. Have sinned against the law that they were given through Moses himself. The whole human race is, is sinful before God, everybody's under judgment. That's why we all need salvation. And then in this key paragraph, he defines that salvation, he says but now in contrast to all this talk of sin for all the sins and so on but now The righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law for 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 means no distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles 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, who God put forward as a propitiation by his blood to be received in faith.

And then in chapter 4, he goes on to explain more about justification. What does it mean to say we're Justified? And his key example reading, spend all traffic for talk about Abraham is because Abraham is critical understanding justification. You see the law. Didn't remember, Paul was a Pharisee that a Jew and a rabbi and many of the Christians or Jews. And in those days, there was still debate, within the church. Because some Jews were saying all these Gentiles when they come in that, they really need to take on circumcision and dietary laws and keep kosher kitchen, and follow the laws of the pentateuch. Can be good Jews and believe in Jesus as Messiah, then they could be part of the church. But Paul said, no. The Gentiles don't have to keep kosher kitchen, they don't have to take on the law of Moses, they don't have to be circumcised, they don't have to become Jews. All they need to do is have faith in the Messiah, Jesus. This was a huge debate. And Paul is defending his gospel here. He's defending his View. And who does he appeal to Abraham? The father of the faithful? And he portrays Abraham as as everybody acknowledges, he's the father of the Jewish Nation. I talked to the father of many nations. Is the father of the Gentile believers. Who will come into the Covenant, through faith, as well as being the father of the Jews and the Jewish Nation. This is July 4th in our neighbors to the South are celebrating, the founding of their country, and they will tell you that the father of their nation is George Washington. And it's, it's common for a man, a great man in history to be the father of a Nation, but Abraham is the father of many nations. Because he's the father of both the Jews and the Gentiles in Paul's trying to explain in this chapter. How that works. And it's critical to understanding the nature of justification to understand how the Gentiles can come into the Covenant and be considered part of the church. I'd be considered Heirs of all the tremendous promises that God made to Abraham. Without ever keeping the law. How can that be what? Paul explain. He says, first of all, the thing you need to remember is that the law was given through Moses, which happened around 1500 BC,

The Paul's writing in the first century ad. And he says, you know, we Jews look back to Moses. The law was given through Moses. When did Abraham live Abraham lived before? Moses 500 years before Moses? When there was no law? This is critical for Paul's argument Abraham live. When there was no law, there was no Moses. There was no Genesis 2:2 Deuteronomy, there were no 613 Commandments. There was no law. And yet Abraham was declared to be righteous. Why how Genesis 15:6. He was declared to be righteous by God on the basis of faith alone.

So Abraham is Justified, he says, in vs128 apart from the works. So the law was given through Moses five hundred years after Abraham but Abraham wasn't saved by keeping the mall Abraham was saved by faith. Eddy quotes Genesis 15:6. Abraham. Believed God. And it was counted to him as righteousness if you were paying attention as the, but as the scriptures, we read you noticed that phrase come from Office quoting Genesis 15:6. And and Genesis 15:6 is the is the story of Abraham believed in God and it being counted to him for righteousness and then Paul coach 30, Psalm 32 1 + 2 + 7. + 8 coach, those songs with talk about that's always talks about. Blessed are those whose Lawless Deeds are forgiven. Him sins are covered. Blessed is the man against whom. The Lord will not count. You sit who is the man? Who the Lord will not countenance in its Abraham.

Abraham was justified without circumcision to swell. You noticed that? Always preaching to Gentiles that they that they use preaching. The Gentiles only needed to put their faith in the side of Jesus to be saved. And by save Paul mean inheriting the promises of the abrahamic, Covenant coming into the Covenant. They said they didn't have to become Jews first and take on the burden of the law. And this is the key move in his argument. when was circumcision given Every Jew reading the book of Romans would know, instantly that is 217. Circumcision is given to Moses as a covenant sign in Genesis 17th. But God, counted his faith as righteousness in Genesis 15.

In other words, Abraham was justified by faith. before he even received circumcision,

I suppose argument is how can you say to the Gentiles that they have to be circumcised and become Jews before they can have faith in Messiah? Jesus, and be safe. When even our forefather Abraham didn't have to do that.

What's the basis upon? Which our pain, which you and I are gentle deserve to be in God's Church. Why do we presume to believe that we have inherited the promises? The Covenant promises made to Abraham Because of faith in the Messiah. We don't deserve it as unbelieving Gentiles, we were sinners, like all the other Gentiles we, we have no reason to. We have no basis upon, which to, to claim membership in the Covenant. Show me because of Christ. It's only because of his sacrifice on the cross. It's only because of our faith in him. And then in verses 13 to 15 equals on to say that. If so if Abraham wasn't justified by the law and if he wasn't justified by circumcision he must have been justified by faith alone. Not face. And this is very important, not faith and circumcision. Not faith and the law by faith alone. That's where we get the doctrine of justification by faith alone. That's the point.

Then. In verses 16 225. He goes onto to start a drive. The point home. he says, all of us verse 16 who are saved by faith, We're Saved By Faith because salvation is by grace. How could salvation if it comes by Grace? Be by anything? But faith. If it's Grace, then it's not by works. If it's Grace, that is by definition, not something we learned. And so faith is the only way we can receive it. It just means to its faith is just the empty hand. That receives the gift of God. Faith is not a work. Faith is not a merit. Faith is not a, a, an accomplishment face is not something that you get credit. For faith is what you do when you have run out of possibilities when you are, all hope is gone. When you're at the end of your rope, when you have no other option face is, all you got left. That's what it means to be justified by faith alone. When you come to the end of yourself, when you come to the end of your effort, when you come to the end of your strength, when you come to the end of your goodness, when you send so many times, I've gone back for forgiveness, that the devil Whispers In Your Ear. You are never going to be perfect and you said you're no double, you're right. I would you accept that? That is the moment that you're ready to have faith. And not a moment before.

This is how Gentiles can be the Seed of Abraham. This is how Gentiles can inherit the Covenant promises. This is how Jim house can be incorporated into the Covenant. This is why Paul said that the Gentiles in his churches in Corinth in Philippi. And that's the Nikon Ephesus did not have to become Jews before they entered into the church. That's why you. And I did not have to become Jews in the sense of taking on the requirements of the Mosaic law in order to be part of the people of God.

Because we are the Seed of Abraham. When God said to Abraham, that you will be the father of many nations. We have many nations represented in our church. Asian Nations. British Nations, European nations, South American nations have come to this part of the world are represented in our congregation. And and and the goal of Salvation is that around the Throne of God, there would be people from every tribe and Nation. Worshipping the lamb. That's the goal that God hasn't salvation. And so Abraham becomes the father of many nations and you may be from an African nation or from an Asian Nation or from whatever Nation. But God, is drawing people from all the nations together in the faith in Jesus, the Messiah. Paul says, if you have but eyes to see it's all right there in Genesis It's all right. There in Genesis 15 When God says that Abraham, you will become the father of many nations. He practically was prophesying were predicting the poem mission that Paul is trying to get the Romans to join him in and taking the gospel to the entire world. Why does he want to go to Spain? Because there are nations there who have people in them that God intends to save. And the Great Commission means to take the gospel to everybody in the world. So that those who are elect can hear it and be incorporated into the body of Christ, and the church is meant to be that body that represents on Earth and prefigures on Earth, the Heavenly reality of all the tribes and Nations gathered around the Throne of the Lamb of God worshipping him forever. That's what the church is. That's what Wesley is that what you are? You Are the Seed of Abraham.

Is that not a doctor in worth dying for?

Certainly a Doctrine worth living for an any Doctrine worth living for is worth dying for.

Hold on to this Doctrine. Believe it.

Love it. Read the scriptures in the light of it and let the holy spirit of God. Use it in your life.

It's just one last thing I want to say. The doctrine of justification by faith alone is the basis of the Protestant Reformation. What makes Protestants Protestant. And one of the reasons that our forefathers in the faith for centuries, now have stood for this doctor. It's because it ensures that all the glory and salvation goes to God.

Folks, if you want to be spiritually, happy and healthy, you need to get this point. It's not all about you.

The whole point of this salvation thing is not. Just about you and your needs and your happiness.

you know, we human beings

We're very warped because we think they're what we want to make us happy. It's just to have all your needs met and no problems. That's what we think. We think we want an easy life. We think that we just want everything to be centered around us so that we never have to be sad. We never have to go without. We never have to be frustrated. we think that that would make us happy, but it was

What makes people happy? Its meaning.

We all struggle. We all suffer. Is there, meaning in that struggle in that suffering?

If there's meaning, we can endure almost anything.

But if it's me unless we can endure. Scratch on the finger.

Salvation is not about you.

You are not at the center of it. It is about God. It is about his eternal purposes for this world. It is about his glory. It is about the Lamb on the throne being worshipped by people from every tribe and every nation. Every tongue it's about God being at the center and you having a role in worshipping him that is the meaning of life. That is what will make you happy. That is what will give you the ability to endure anything.

That is the doctrine of salvation.