Righteousness through faith… vs. 21-26

• Saved by grace – not by works… vs. 21-24
  • Righteous – apart from God’s Law…
    • Most people have it set in their minds – they are good because of what they do
    • If they do not cheat / lie / steal / hurt others – then they are good people
    • If they go to church / help those in need / are kind to strangers – really good people!
    • That is trying to be right with God – ‘righteous’ – by keeping ‘the Law’ – doesn’t work
    • We might keep 612 of God’s Laws – but the moment we break 1 – we are not righteous!
    • No matter how hard we try – mistakes – cannot be right with God by keeping the Law
    • So there has to be another way to heaven – apart from our own efforts – good works…
  • Witnessed by the Law and the Prophets…
    • Turns out the Law anticipated our inability to meet its standard…
      • Deuteronomy 31:26, 29 – “Take this Book of the Law… that it may be there as a witness against you… For I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you…”
      • God had given Israel the standard of righteousness – He had given them the Law…
      • But even before Moses died he told Israel they would not be able to keep the Law…
      • In fact the Law would be a witness against them – revealing their sinful nature
    • There was a need for a better way – one that did not depend on us…
      • Since the ‘Old’ way did not work – there was a need for a ‘New’ way…
      • Jeremiah 31:31-32 – “The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant… not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke…”
      • What was needed was a way to get to heaven apart from our own ‘works’
      • A New Covenant – where God does all the work for us – He makes us ‘righteous’
    • Our part is simply to have faith – believe in God…
      • Habakkuk 2:4 – “The just [righteous] shall live by faith…” – in Jesus!
      • We can have all the faith in the world – but if it is not placed in the right place – useless
      • The problem isn’t a lack of faith – it is where our faith is placed…
      • If we put our faith in something that does not have the power… it does not work
      • If I have faith I can swim an ocean – or fly to the moon – that does not mean I can…
      • If we think our good works can get us to heaven – we have faith in ourselves
      • If we think our religion can get us to heaven – we have faith in a men
      • Only when we place our faith in Jesus – who has the power to save us – we get to heaven
  • This ‘new way’ of salvation is available for all who believe
    • There is no difference – because all have sinned (missed the mark) and fallen short…
    • We are all sinners – all of us missed God’s standard of glory – being ‘good’
    • Penalty – Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death…” – literally hell – eternal death
    • So we all need salvation – and anyone who has faith in Jesus – will be saved!
    • Romans 10:13 – “Whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
  • Justified freely by grace – through the redemption of Jesus
    • We are made ‘righteous’ – right with God – justified – ‘freely’ by the gift of Jesus…
    • It was free for us – but our forgiveness came at the GREATEST of all costs…
    • Because of our sin – we owed a debt we could not pay – the consequence was hell
    • Jesus paid our debt for us – He died for our sin in our place
    • It was as though sin had kidnapped us – and Jesus willingly paid the ransom – His life!
    • Mark 10:45 – “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
    • The Good News – the New Covenant – is ‘The Price’ for sin has been paid if full…
    • God loves us so much – was willing to die – that we might live forever with Him

• In Jesus God showed the world – He was Just and justifier… vs. 25-26
  • Justice – the penalty for sin…
    • God had a dilemma – one in which the cross was the only solution
    • God loves us – He desires for us to be with Him forever in Heaven – but…
    • God is perfect / holy / righteous / and just – He could not just ‘overlook’ sin
    • If you have a law – but do not enforce it – then there really is no law at all
    • If I say you have to wear a seatbelt – but don’t enforce it – you don’t really have to…
    • God gave us the Law – standard of righteousness – if there was no penalty – no Law
    • Therefore someone had to pay the price for sin – breaking the Law – 1 penalty death
    • By paying the price for sin on the cross – God showed He was just…
  • Justifier – by faith in Jesus…
    • Through the cross of Jesus – God put Himself in our place – paid our price for us
    • By faith in Jesus we ‘swap’ righteousness – He takes ours / we get His!
    • If we took a test in school – got an (F) – but the best student in the class – got an (A)
    • That student came to us and offered to change grades – take our (F) – give us an (A)
    • We failed the test of life – we got an (F) – Jesus got it all right – He got an (A)
    • He took our sin (F) and gave us His righteousness (A)
    • The New Covenant simply says we need to ask and receive His free gift!
      

The Law of Faith… vs. 27-31

Gives us the power of God’s Spirit to live a changed life – one that upholds the Law

No more boasting… vs. 27

Under the Law – men had the opportunity to boast about their righteousness…

Men love to act ‘holy’ – boast about how good they are – all their works

Men love to tell you how much better they are compared to others – self-righteous…

Walk into a church and see the ‘donation plaque’ or the ‘thank you announcements’

The Law encourages boasting – that is why the Pharisees were so self-righteous

Under Faith – there is no more boasting – God does all the work…

The Law of faith removes all boasting – we do not do anything – God did all the Work!

Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

If you bought a new motor – you could boast in what you had – you ‘earned it’

If you were given a new motor – might boast about who gave it – not about yourself

Jesus did all the work to save us – we go to heaven as a ‘free’ gift from God!

We cannot boast how good we are – we are no good sinners – we can only boast in God

Psalms 34:2 – “My soul shall make its boast in the LORD…”

The conclusion… vs. 28-31

Bottom line – Justified apart from the Law… vs. 28

Having established awe are all sinners – godless & religious – and all will be judged

Having established good works – keeping the Law – cannot save us

Not that the Law does not serve a purpose – its purpose is just not to save us

Without the Law we would have no ideas we were sinners – we’d think we were OK

The Law is there to condemn us – so we see our GREAT need for salvation

Justification – being forgiven – made right (righteous) before God – apart from the Law

Paul concludes we can only be justified by the New Covenant under Jesus Christ

Salvation by Grace alone / though faith alone / in Christ alone!

There is no other option – there is no other way to get to heaven

If there is any other way to get to heaven – Jesus died for no reason!

Galatians 2:21 – “I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

God of the Jews and the Gentiles… vs. 29-30

There is only one God – and only one way to be saved…

It does not make a difference if you are a Jew or a Gentile – same God / same salvation

There is not a ‘God of the Catholics’ and ‘God of the Baptists’ or ‘God of the Adventists’

There is only One God – and only One church – those who believe by faith in Jesus!

Ephesians 4:4-6 – “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

Establishing the Law… vs. 31

One might argue this makes the Law of God – the commandments – irrelevant…

One the contrary – it makes keeping the Law possible!

The Law only has the power to convict us – we had no power to live up to the Law

The Law can me what to do / not to do – but it cannot change my desires so I want to

That Law can tell me not to be angry / drunk / or covet what my neighbor has

The Law can tell me to love my enemies / be kind to those who hate me

But it cannot change my heart so that I can/want to do those things!

It is only through the gift of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus…

God changes our desires – changes our hearts – molds us into men of God