So, as Johnny said, the Bible reading is taken from Romans chapter 3, verses 27 to Romans
chapter 4, verse 8.
And the Bible says, where then is boasting?
Is it excluded?
On what principle?
On what?
On that of observing the law?
No, but on that of faith.
For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.
Is God the God of Jews only?
Is he not the God of Gentiles too?
Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God who will justify the circumcised by faith
and the uncircumcised through the same faith.
Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith?
Not at all.
Rather, we uphold the law.
What, then, shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter?
If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about, but not before God.
What does the scripture say?
Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
Now, when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation.
However, to the man who does not work, but trusts God, who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.
David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works.
Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against them.
Here ends reading.
Thank you, Joanna.
Well, let's have our Bibles open there at Romans, and we'll pray together.
Father, thank you for the truth of your word.
Thank you that it is your voice to us, your word written down, so that we can hear about what we are like, about what you are like, what you have done for us, and how we should live in response.
Father, we pray that you would give us faith.
Faith to not only hear what you are saying, but faith that will apply it to our own lives, so that we become all that you call us to be.
We need your help.
We rest upon you.
We trust you.
We rely upon you.
Father, help us.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
How do you feel about facing God's judgment?
Just think about that for a moment.
Standing before God and giving an account to him of your entire life.
How do you feel about facing God's judgment?
Well, maybe you feel a little bit like our friend that we've been learning about, Martin Luther.
Luther was terrified of God's judgment.
Here's what he said.
You might identify with it.
He said,
I hated that word, justice of God.
That justice by which God is just, and by which he punishes sinners and the unjust.
I did not love.
No, rather I hated the just God who punishes sinners.
In silence, if I did not blaspheme, then certainly I grumbled vehemently and got angry at God.
He was so afraid of God's judgment that he joined the Augustinian monks in an effort to make himself a better person in the hope that he would become acceptable to God.
You see, the church that he grew up in had taught him that, well, you had to earn your way to God.
You had to earn your salvation.
So by doing things like going to confession, taking communion, praying to the saints, doing good deeds, you earned favour with God.
In some sense, you earned grace from God.
So in response to all your good things, God would give you some grace that would enable you and help you, equip you to be a more righteous kind of person.
And the more grace that you received, the more righteous you became and the closer you got to salvation.
It was salvation by works or salvation by efforts.
The problem with that was you were never sure if you had done enough.
You were never sure if God would accept you.
In fact, trying to earn our salvation would always lead to that experience that Martin Luther had a terrible fear and a hatred of God's judgment.
But as Luther began to read his Bible, and especially as he read the book of Romans, which we have just read together,
he rediscovered the wonderful truth that salvation was not earned by our works,
but was something that you received by faith in Jesus Christ.
He came to discover that you didn't need to fear or be terrified of God's judgment.
Here's how he put it, which is very helpful.
He said, on the one hand, Christ is full of grace and life and salvation.
On the other hand, speaking of himself and all people, the soul is full of sins, death and damnation.
Then he says, now let faith come between them both.
Let faith come between them and sins, death and damnation will become Christ's,
while grace, life and salvation will be the soul's.
There's a transfer, an exchange, which happens by faith.
So he came to discover that faith was the key.
Faith is the means by which we receive salvation.
And this rediscovered truth can be summarized, which is in your handouts or in your news sheets, you can see it there.
Salvation is according to scripture alone, so the source is God's word.
It's in Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, to the glory of God alone.
And we're going to be thinking about what it means to have faith in Christ alone.
Let's see how that is true from the passage that we read together in Romans.
Look at verse 27, chapter 3, verse 27.
Where then is boasting?
If salvation is all by faith, can anybody boast and say, I've earned it?
Is there anybody here in this room who thinks they can earn their salvation before God by being a better person?
Is there anyone here who can look at their life and all the things that they have not done and all the things they have done and say,
you know what, I've lived such a good life that God is going to accept me.
Well, what does verse 27 say?
Where then is boasting?
Well, it's excluded.
In other words, nobody can boast.
On what principle or on what basis?
On that of observing the law by doing good things?
No.
But on that of faith.
For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from observing the law.
He's making a statement that we don't earn salvation.
We receive it by faith.
And to help us understand what that means to receive salvation by faith, we're going to look at it under three headings.
Here's the first one.
Declared righteous.
Let's read verse 28 again.
For we maintain that a person is justified by faith.
So that's the little phrase justified by faith apart from observing the law.
Now, to be justified by faith means to be declared righteous by God.
It's a legal term.
Here's what one writer said to explain it, which is very helpful.
It's the exact opposite of condemnation.
So to condemn is to declare somebody guilty.
To justify is to declare them righteous.
And in the Bible it refers to God's act of unmerited favour or God's act of grace by which God puts a sinner right with himself,
not only acquitting him, but accepting and treating him as righteous.
Now, most of Romans up to this point before chapter 3 has been showing us that every single person is not righteous.
That we are guilty before God.
Let's have a look at what that looks like.
Look at chapter 1, verse 18.
Chapter 1, verse 18.
So it says there,
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.
So God is rightly angry with all the unrighteous behaviour,
all the wickedness, the evil, the godlessness that we see in the world.
All around us, all the time.
And we're included in that.
Because instead of turning back to God and running to God for help,
we've run further away from God.
So chapter 2, verse 5.
Chapter 2, verse 5.
But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart,
you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath,
when his righteous judgment will be revealed.
And instead of getting better,
and again, instead of running back to God in repentance,
we've gotten worse.
In fact, there is no desire within us to want God.
So look at chapter 3, verse 9.
Chapter 3, verse 9.
What shall we conclude then?
Are we any better?
Not at all.
We have already made the charge that Jews,
that is religious people,
or Gentiles,
non-religious people,
everybody,
whoever we are,
we're all the same.
We're all under sin.
As it is written,
there is no one righteous,
not even one.
There is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
All have turned away.
They have together become worthless.
There is no one who does good,
not even one.
You see,
even if we wanted to be good people,
even if we wanted to improve ourselves,
by ourselves,
we can't.
No matter how hard we try,
we cannot be better people.
And what does all that mean?
Well, look at chapter 3, verse 20.
Therefore,
no one,
will be declared righteous
in God's sight
by observing the law,
by doing good things.
So it leaves us in a predicament,
in a great difficulty.
But the good news of the gospel is,
is that God declares us to be righteous.
So look down at verse 28,
chapter 3, verse 28,
what we just read.
For we maintain
that a person is justified
by faith
apart from observing the law.
So there is a way
to be made righteous.
And it's something that God does for us.
In other words,
God gives us a righteousness
that is not ours.
So we who are unrighteous,
guilty,
deserving of God's judgment,
by faith,
are now declared righteous,
not guilty,
and free from God's judgment.
Again, look how Martin Luther
puts it.
He says,
there is a righteousness
that God imputes
or attributes to us
apart from works.
In other words,
it is a passive righteousness.
So it's not something we work for,
something we earn.
He asks the question,
so then,
have we nothing to do
to obtain this righteousness?
No,
nothing at all.
For this righteousness
comes by doing nothing,
hearing nothing,
knowing nothing,
but rather in knowing
and believing this only,
that Christ has gone
to the right hand of the Father
not to become our judge,
but to become for us
our righteousness,
our salvation.
So you see,
I do not make myself righteous,
rather God declares me
to be righteous.
He doesn't make me righteous
as a process over time.
It's an immediate act.
He declares me
just as a judge
would pronounce in court
to somebody,
you are not guilty.
So God declares us
to be absolutely righteous.
Now,
we must understand
that what that means is
it's a change in our status,
not a change in our nature.
That means,
on the one hand,
we will always be righteous
before God
if our faith is in God.
We will always be righteous
in our status.
That is never going to change.
But at the same time,
we will always be sinful
in our nature.
Always righteous
in our status,
but at the same time,
always sinful
in our nature.
So as God looks upon us,
as God views me,
he looks at me,
he says,
you are righteous.
Yes,
you fail
and you mess up
and you do things
that are wrong,
but you know what?
The sins,
the failure,
that will never ever
change your status.
we have been declared
righteous by God
and that will not change
because of my sinful behaviour.
We are justified,
declared righteous,
not guilty,
by faith in him.
So that's the first thing
that we need to understand.
That we are justified
by faith,
that first of all means
we have been declared
righteous,
not guilty,
before God.
The second thing
that we need to understand
that this faith
is faith in Jesus.
We are declared righteous
by faith
in Jesus.
Have a look at chapter 3,
verse 22.
This righteousness
from God
comes through faith
in Jesus Christ
to all who believe.
The same is said
at the end of verse 26.
The one who justifies
those who have faith
in Jesus.
So our faith
is not just faith
in an abstract
or kind of a...
We describe sometimes
people say,
oh I've got faith.
Well,
where is that faith
placed?
It must be faith
that is placed
in the person
of Jesus Christ.
And this is the same
for everybody.
Have a look down
at verse 29.
Is God
the God of Jews only?
Is this only applying
to people
who are religious?
Is he not
the God
of Gentiles
or irreligious,
non-religious people too?
Those who don't
read the Bible
or go to church?
Yes,
of Gentiles too.
Since there is
only one God
who will justify,
who will declare
people right before God,
the circumcised,
the religious people,
by faith,
and the uncircumcised,
the non-religious,
through that same faith.
So it's exactly
the same for everybody,
whoever we are,
whatever culture
we were raised in,
whatever our religious
background might have been,
whatever our racial identity,
it is the same
for every single person.
The only way
we can be declared
right before God
is by faith
in the person
of Jesus Christ.
Now,
faith isn't just
an intellectual exercise
saying something like,
oh yes,
I have faith in Jesus,
I believe Jesus exists,
and I have kind of
a faith in him.
No,
it's a trusting exercise.
It's a personal trust
or reliance,
a complete dependence
on the person of Jesus.
Jesus.
And our trust is in Jesus
that his righteous life
becomes my righteous life.
Let me try and explain
that for you.
When you go for a job interview,
or if you can remember
back to the last time
you had a job interview,
you bring with you
your CV.
CV.
And it's a record
of your complete performance
over your life so far.
It has a list
of all your grades,
how well you've done
in school,
in college,
all the points
that you earned.
It might tell you
the position
that you had
in your last job
or any promotion
that you got
and how that was deserved.
And whether you get
that job or not
will depend
on how well
you've performed
in the past
and how well
you perform
in the interview.
So you get the job
completely by merit,
by all your performances
over time.
But when it comes
to our salvation,
when it comes
to the record
of our life,
our CV,
if you like,
before God,
it's not good enough.
The grades
that we have scored,
the points
that we have built up,
all the times
I've been to church,
all the times
that I've told people
about Jesus,
all the times
that I've prayed,
all the good things
that I've done,
it will count
for nothing.
Zero.
So in God's grace,
in his goodness,
what he does
is he offers us
the free gift
of Christ's
performance record.
So what God does
is he gives us
the CV of Jesus.
He credits us
with the performance
of Jesus Christ.
He gives us
the righteousness
of Christ
in place
of our
unrighteousness.
That is what it means
to have faith
in Jesus.
We're given two examples
of what that true
faith looks like.
Have a look at
chapter 4.
Two great heroes,
Abraham
and David.
Two religious people.
And if anybody
was going to make it
to God,
well,
they would.
And how did they do it?
Well, let's look at
the first example,
chapter 4, verse 1.
What then shall we say
that Abraham,
our forefather,
discovered in this matter?
If, in fact,
Abraham was justified
by works,
he had something
to boast about.
But not before God.
So the question
here before us is,
what did Abraham do
to earn his salvation?
Well, the answer is
absolutely nothing.
There was nothing
that he could point to
in his life
that he had done
or said
that would earn
favour with God.
He simply believed
in what God said
he would do.
Verse 3.
What does Scripture say?
Abraham believed God.
He had faith in God
and it was credited
to him
as righteousness.
He did not trust
in his own righteousness
or in his own record,
but in God's gift
of righteousness.
Another example
we're given in verse 6.
David,
King David,
another hero
of the faith.
David says the same thing
when he speaks
of the blessedness
of the person
to whom God credits
righteousness
apart from works.
Blessed are they
whose transgressions
are forgiven,
whose sins
are covered.
Blessed is the man
whose sin
the Lord
will never
count
against him.
That is what it is
to receive
the righteousness
of God.
It means that
God does not
look upon us
the way our sins
show us up to be.
He never holds
our sin
over us
or against us.
They have been
removed completely.
David did not
trust in his
own righteousness,
but in the gift
of God's
righteousness.
It's what we call
the great exchange.
By faith,
our record
is given
to Christ
and Christ's
record is
completely
given over
to us.
So Christ
takes all
our unrighteousness,
the complete
record of how
we've lived
before God,
all our
disobedience
is taken
from us
and placed
upon Christ.
And in
exchange for
that,
by faith,
all the
righteousness,
the complete
record of
Christ's
perfect life,
his perfect
obedience,
is now
transferred
and
credited
to us.
It's the
complete exchange,
my unrighteous
life,
for Christ's
unrighteous
life.
Now that
means,
as we've been
saying,
that we are
now declared
righteous,
not guilty
before God.
But that
does not
mean
that we
are perfect,
that we
never ever
sin.
It does
mean that
our position
before God
has changed,
our status
before him
is clear,
we now have
the record
of his
righteousness,
so as God
looks at us,
we are
perfectly
right.
But,
it means
that I
will continue
to sin,
I will
continue to
mess up.
There will
be an
ongoing
change and
process in
that as I
become more
like Christ,
but I
will still
sin.
And that
can be a
complication
for us,
because sometimes
we think,
I'm declared
righteous before
God,
God looks
upon me as
not guilty,
but I do
sin and I
am guilty.
How is God
going to treat
me now,
because I've
messed up?
Well,
listen to
this,
again from
Martin Luther,
although I
still sin,
I
don't
despair,
because Christ
lives,
who is both
my righteousness
and my
eternal life.
In that
righteousness,
in Christ's
righteousness,
I have no
sin,
no fear,
no guilty
conscience,
no fear of
death.
I am
indeed a
sinner in
this life
of mine
and in
my own
righteousness,
but I
have another
life,
another
righteousness
above this
life,
which is
Christ,
the Son
of God.
So can
you see
what he's
saying there,
that at
one level,
yes,
I have a
status before
God,
declared
righteous,
that will
never ever
change.
No matter
how many
times I
sin or
fail or
mess up,
God will
always see
me as
not guilty.
That's a
wonderful
truth,
a wonderful
way to
live life.
On the
other
hand,
my sinful
nature is
I will
continue to
mess up,
I will
continue to
fail.
Yes,
we continually
need God's
grace and
strength and
help and
the power of
his spirit to
put sin to
death.
That will
always be an
ongoing struggle.
But if our
faith is in the
Lord Jesus,
know this
today,
you are
declared
righteous,
no matter
how much
you sin.
So,
we are
declared
righteous by
God through
our faith in
Jesus Christ.
So, it all
depends on
having enough
faith.
If I have
enough faith,
then I will
be saved.
Right?
If I've got
enough faith
within myself,
I can be
saved.
Is that
right?
It's wrong.
You see,
the danger is
we think that
faith is
something that
I have.
It comes from
within me.
I can muster
it up myself.
I can kind
of spur
myself on
to faith.
But that's
wrong.
Faith is
also a
gift from
God.
Look at
verse 27,
chapter 3,
back to
verse 27.
where
then
is the
boasting?
Where's
the boasting?
If we can
say, I
did it.
I earned
my salvation.
He's saying,
nobody should
boast.
Let me put it
this way.
If somebody
asks you
why you are
a Christian,
so if you're
a Christian
here, and
somebody comes
up and says,
why are you
a Christian?
And you
answer and
respond something
like this,
because of
my faith,
or because
I had
faith,
you're
actually
boasting.
You're saying,
I have
faith.
It's me.
My faith
saved me.
I had the
ability to
respond to
God.
I saw what
God was
saying and
what I was
like and
what I
needed and
I mustered
up that
faith and
I trusted
in God.
So it's
my faith.
But that's
boasting.
That's saying
it's coming
from me.
Salvation
no longer
becomes God's
gift, but
something we
deserve because
of my ability
to have
faith.
But that's
wrong.
Let me try
and explain
that a bit
more.
Sometimes we
can treat
faith like
our Tesco
club cards
or whichever
shop you
go to.
You have
your little
plastic card,
you buy
some things,
it scans
in and
you get
points put
onto your
card.
And after
so many
weeks or
so many
items of
buying
things,
you can
cash in
your points
and get
your shopping
for free.
Except for
it's not
really free,
is it?
The selling
point says
it's free,
but in
reality you've
had to pay
for all of
those points
in your
previous shops.
And then
what you do
is you
exchange
those points
and you
get a
free bag
of spuds
or whatever,
something like
that.
Now in
the same
way we
can think
that we
have to
cash in
our faith
to God.
We kind
of earn
some faith
along the
way,
we add
to our
faith
points by
doing good
and right
things,
and when
we've
built up
enough
faith
points,
then we
can cash
it in
and God
in return
gives us
his salvation.
I've got
enough faith
today,
I feel
I've got
that faith,
so I
cash it
in and
God accepts
me and
God loves
me and
I know
I'm saved.
But on the
days where
I'm not
quite so
sure I
haven't got
enough faith,
I can't
quite cash
it in
yet,
and where
am I?
faith is
measured
like that.
Faith is
a gift
from God,
a faith
that is
complete
and sufficient
and enough
that comes
from God.
So look
at chapter
four,
verse
four.
Now
when a
man works,
so when
you go
to your
job in
the morning,
his wages
are not
credited to
him as a
gift,
but as
an obligation.
So when
you get
your weekly
or your
monthly
wages,
it's not
a gift
that your
boss comes
and says
here's
something I'd
like to
give to
you.
No,
you earned
it by
your hard
work,
you deserve
it,
it's yours
by right,
it came
by your
effort,
your boss
is obliged
to give
you what
is owed
to you.
It's not
a gift.
However,
look at
verse five,
to the
man who
does not
work,
but trusts
God,
who justifies
the wicked,
his faith
is credited
as righteousness.
You see,
when we
receive
righteousness,
it's a
gift from
God,
it's something
we don't
earn or
deserve,
we're not
cashing in
our hard
earned
faith,
it is a
gift from
God.
God,
so that
implies
that even
faith itself
is something
that God
gives to
us so
that we
are enabled
to receive
righteousness.
So it's
never dependent
about how
great or
how high or
how low
my faith
is,
or how
great my
faith is,
but the
faith that
God gives
me to
enable me
to believe
and trust
so that
I can
be declared
righteous,
not guilty
in God's
sight.
Well,
you're sitting
there going,
well,
where do I
get this
faith from?
How can I
have this
faith for
myself?
Well,
that answer,
or that
question is
answered if
you go to
chapter 10.
Have a look
there just
briefly.
Romans
chapter 10,
verse 13.
Here's where
we get an
answer to
that question.
Well,
how do I
get that
faith?
Where does
faith come
from for
me to be
able to
believe?
So let's
pick it up
in chapter
10,
verse 13.
He makes
this statement.
Everyone,
religious or
non-religious,
who calls
on the name
of the Lord,
that is,
when it says
calls,
that is,
who has
faith or
trusts in
the name
of the
Lord,
will be
saved.
So we
can agree
with that,
we get
that.
Everybody
who has
faith in
the name
of the
Lord will
be saved.
Where does
faith come
from?
Well,
he answers
the question,
verse 14,
how then can
they call?
How can
they have
faith in
the one
they've
not
believed
in?
And how
can they
believe in
the one
of whom
they've
not heard?
And how
can they
hear without
somebody
preaching to
them?
And how
can somebody
preach unless
they are
sent?
As it is
written,
how beautiful
are the
feet of
those who
bring good
news.
But not
all the
Israelites
accepted the
good news.
For Isaiah
said,
Lord,
who has
believed
our message?
So how
can we
have this
faith?
How can
we believe?
Well,
the answer,
verse 17,
consequently,
faith comes
from hearing
the message.
And the
message is
heard through
the word
of Christ.
So,
as we're
reading
scripture,
as we're
reading the
good news
about Jesus
Christ,
as you
listen,
as you
hear,
so God
is at work
in at the
same time
by his
Holy Spirit,
that as we
hear the
good news
about Jesus,
God,
by his
Spirit,
gives us
faith that
we may be
able to
respond to
him.
Other parts
of the
Bible talk
about it,
rebirth,
a renewing
of our
life.
God gives
us faith.
As we hear
the good news
of Jesus
explained,
God works
through his
word by his
Spirit and
enables us
to have
faith and
to trust
in him.
So,
maybe you're
here this
morning,
you're thinking,
I always
feel guilty
before God.
Maybe you've
never trusted
him.
And as you
hear,
we can cry
out to God
and say,
give me that
faith that I
might trust
in him
alone.
Maybe,
on the other
hand,
you struggle
with your
sinful life
and you're
always bogged
down by the
fact that,
well,
I do
sin and
I get
things wrong
and I'm
so guilty.
We need
to look at
how God
views us,
that he
declares us
as righteous
in his
sight,
a gift
from God
through faith
in the Lord
Jesus and
that status
will never
change.
You are
his forever,
which will
enable you
and encourage
you to go
on living
for him,
knowing that
we do not
have to sin
any longer.
So,
faith alone,
it's faith
in the person
of Jesus
Christ and
as we
exercise that
gift of
faith from
God,
we are
declared
righteous
in his
sight.
Let's pray
together.
God,
we are
you
guilty
of
you