Title: Justification by Faith
Text: Gal 2:11-21
One of the age old questions on the hearts and minds of most of humanity it that uttered by Job, how can a man be righteous before God?
Paul begins to explains God’s answer to that age old question in chapter 2 of Galatians beginning in verse 11. This chapter continues Paul’s autobiographical defense of the gospel message. In verse 11 Paul recounts a confrontation that took place with Peter in Antioch. While we commented last week on Martin Luther’s contention that this biographical section didn’t contain doctrine, we saw that doctrine undergirded or supported what Paul was sharing with the Galatian Christians. When we look at his confrontation with Peter we see Paul is rebuking him because he has breached a number of doctrinal issues.
Dr. Warren Wiesbe, in his commentary on Galatians points out five biblical doctrines, or biblical teachings that were being denied by Peter’s actions. That’s not to say Peter intellectually denied these doctrines, but in effect his actions gave the impression of his denial. That’s an important lesson for us to learn – our actions often speak louder than our words. We have to learn to live what we profess to believe if we expect to be salt and light in our world, if we expect to have an impact on family or friends.
The five doctrines Peter’s actions denied (in no particular order) were (1) the unity of the church – that Jews and Gentiles were the same in God’s eyes. (2)freedom from the law which Peter had called an unbearable yoke, at the meeting of the Jerusalem Council (3) The gospel message itself, Peter’s actions denied the validity of Christ’s sacrifice (4) The grace of God that salvation was a result of good works or obedience to the law, and (5) the one we are going to talk about this morning – justification by faith.
The problem in Galatia was not outright repudiation of the Christian faith by apostates or non-believers. It was the corruption of the gospel by those who wanted to add something more to the gospel of grace. The central premise Paul wanted to impress upon the Galatians was that acceptance by God comes about by a simple act of trust in Jesus Christ and nothing else. (V. 16) The doctrine of justification by faith is clearly set forth in verse 16:
“nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified.” (NAS)
Justification by faith is the doctrine that launched the reformation, that turned the church from religious bondage back to the Bible. It’s a battle that is waged over and over. The Pharisees of the Old Testament really only reflected the mind of humanity. The Judaizers Paul was confronting in Galatia reflected that same mind-set, as did the pre-reformation church and unfortunately much of the modern church reflects that image as well. It is the mind-set of humanity that says I must do something to be right with God. I must somehow seek to measure up, I must in someway seek to tilt the scales of God’s justice in my favor by things I do.
The Bible teaches a large number of important and essential doctrines, but it’s central message has always been how sinful human beings can be brought into a right relationship with a holy and righteous God. Our spiritual conditions as humans is one of unrighteousness, our judicial and moral standing before God is not right. Men and women throughout history have attempted to make themselves right before God in a variety of ways; through forms of legalism with it’s works, or asceticism with it’s sacrifice and discipline. The universal characteristic of all human systems of justification as opposed to the divine method is they all seek justification of the basis of self-righteousness or self-sufficiency. But none of these systems none of these attempts are adequate. Mankind simply cannot understand how men and women can be justified or made right before God if we don’t contribute something to the process. That’s why the Galatian Christians were so quickly turning their back on the gospel; that’s why people keep turning back on it today. That’s why people fall away from the church and from their “faith” today, they never understand what it is Christ has done for them and they come to the point where they realize their self-righteousness and their efforts at self-sufficiency are insufficient. They realize they can’t live up to what they perceive as God’s expectations and if they can’t be good enough they simply abandon the effort; they quit trying; they walk away. People never truly experience the true joy of salvation because they are working so hard they never have time for a relationship. They don’t have time to get to know Jesus or fellowship with Jesus because they’re working so hard trying to win His favor, trying to please Him, trying to somehow appease Him.
When Peter withdrew fellowship from the Gentile believers in Antioch, Paul indicated he was in effect agreeing with Jewish legalists that works of the flesh could somehow justify. Paul’s response was no way!
He also made that clear in writing to the Roman church:
Rom 3:28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. (NAS)
Rom 5:1 Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (NAS)
Rom 5:8-9
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath {of God} through Him. (NAS)
When Paul wrote about justification he was using a term borrowed from legal terminology. It means to declare righteous or innocent. “Justification is the act of God whereby He declares the believing sinner righteous in Jesus Christ.” (“Be Free,” Warren Wiersbe, p. 53) It is the exact opposite of condemnation. Justification in the Bible refers to Gods act, and it’s important to understand that it is God’s act, of unmerited or unearned favor by which He puts a sinner right with Himself, accepting him and treating him as righteous.
The concept of justification being a legal term involves an objective standard by which a person is judged. Since true righteousness is a unique characteristic of God alone, the standard for judgement is the divine standard. We know no human measures up to that divine standard, all have sinned and fall woefully short of God’s glory. (Rom 3:23). But, in Christ, God declares righteous all those who place their faith in Jesus Christ, imputing divine righteousness to them.
Justification by faith expresses the judicial action of God, apart from any human merit, by which the guilty are pardoned, acquitted, and then declared to be God’s children and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. This legal action takes place only through the channel of human faith. Timothy George says Justification is not to be confused with forgiveness, which is the fruit of justification, nor with atonement which is the basis of justification. It is the favorable verdict of God that a person who formerly stood condemned has now been granted new status. I have heard and you may have heard the explanation or definition that justification means “just as if I had not sinned.” But I think that over simplifies what justification is. In other words God never says we are not guilty, but rather the penalty for our guilt has been paid, and because it has been paid we are no longer condemned.
It’s important to also realize God doesn’t make us righteous, but He declares us to be righteous. We’re not made perfect nor sinless when we trust him as Savior, but positionally before the judgement seat of God we are declared to be righteous by the blood of Christ.
Why is that important? That means our salvation is secure and eternal because it’s not based on our personal righteousness to obtain, nor is it based on our personal righteousness to maintain it. It’s based on Christ’s perfect righteousness alone which is imputed or credited to us by grace through faith.
God is love, but God is also absolutely holy, and perfectly just. The Bible declares that we are all sinners every single man woman boy and girl. The result of Adams fall is that all humanity is under the curse of sin (Rom 5:12) and the wages or the consequences of sin is death, not just physical death but spiritual death.
Because God is perfectly holy and righteous he can not abolish the judgement bound up with that holiness. It would be unjust for God to forgive sin without His holy standard of divine justice being satisfied. Because of His love, He gave His only begotten Son, the Word became flesh so God’s divine judgment could be satisfied. All the judicial requirements for righteousness were provided for undeserving sinners. The atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross perfectly and completely satisfied the righteous demands of a holy God. By His grace God provided that everyone who places their trust in Jesus Christ might be justified, declared right before Him by faith and not by works.
One day each of us will stand in God’s court room and face the eternal righteous Judge of creation. Will you try to enter heaven based on your own merits or will you stand before Him justified by faith in Christ? You can have secure hope and complete assurance before His throne if you trust Jesus because Jesus paid it all for you.
