WRAPPING CHAPTER 2
Justified By Faith
·
Read 2:15-21
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(KEY) 2: 15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and
not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of
the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ
Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law,
because by works of the law no one will be justified.
·
Define justification/Justified
o
Old Line: just-as-if-I’d never sinned… too
simple?
o
Wimber:
“Justification by
faith,” as theologians call this cardinal truth of the Christian life, has 2
parts. First, God forgives the sins that we have committed, so we no longer
have to live in bondage with guilt and fear; second, God declares us righteous with the same righteousness
as that of His own Son.
o
Mirror: What Jesus believes concerning our
innocence matters most; He is persuaded that He did enough to declare man
righteous. Our best intentions to do good cannot add any weight to our
righteousness. Righteousness is not a reward for our good behavior.
o
Be Free: Justification is the act of God whereby
He declares the believing sinner righteous in Jesus Christ.
§
An act NOT a process.
§
An act of God.
§
An act of God declaring the believing sinner
righteous.
§
Not simply forgiveness or a pardon, but the act
of God remembering our sins no more.
·
2:19 For through the law I died to the law, so
that I might live to God. 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. 21 I do
not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then
Christ died for no purpose.
o
This is
very strong.
§
Belief is
all that matters
§
We must not
downplay what Jesus did for us.
§
We
mustn’t try, just “be.”
o
Philippians 3:8-10 8 Indeed, I count everything
as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For
his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish
(SKUBALA), in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a
righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through
faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I
may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings,
becoming like him in his death,
Galatians 3
IDENTITY: Righteous v. Cursed
Background
·
Who is Abraham? (Genesis 12-25)
o
Retelling of his story.
o
His promises.
o
Father of the faith.
o
Romans 4:1-12 and 4:22-25
·
Covenant Talk
o
Abramic covenant (Genesis 12, 15 and more). –
GOD’S Effort
o
Mosaic covenant (Exodus, Deuteronomy). – MAN’S
Effort
o
What does Jesus say? What did Jesus do?
§
Matthew 5:17-20 and 6:33
What happened to you?!
·
Read 3:1-9
·
3:1a O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?
o
Foolish (ano-ay-toy) – without thinking. It
describes acting in a spirit, which manifests the absence of wisdom. Paul does
not accuse them of lacking intelligence, but of an inability or a refusal to
recognize the real situation.
o
Bewitched (ebaskanen) – to cast a magic spell,
to seek to bring damage to a person through an evil eye or a spoken word. Their
new behavior was so strange that it appeared as if someone had put a spell on
them.
o
Do you understand how strongly Paul is
attacking?
§
You’re mixing grace and law!
§
You’ve created some weird, false gospel!
§
You’re trying to become justified by works!
§
You’re not living as one who is righteous!
§
This is so crazy that it appears as if a magic
spell has been cast upon your church.
§
(Mirror) “Galatians! Galatians! Have you
completely lost your common sense? Can’t you see how the law bewitched you and
blurred your vision to distort the revelation of what the cross of Christ
accomplished in you?
·
Isn’t the Holy Spirit enough?
o
He rebirths us (John 3)
o
He baptizes us (1 Cor. 12)
o
He is our guarantee/seal (Ephesians 1)
o
He lives in us (1 Cor. 6)
o
He walks with us (Gal 5)
o
He abides with us (John 14)
·
Holy Spirit convicts us (John 16)
o
The unbeliever of sin
o
The believer or RIGHTEOUSNESS
o
Satan of judgment
·
3:6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was
counted to him as righteousness”?
·
3: 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed
along with Abraham, the man of faith.
·
Defining Righteousness
o
Right standing (legal term).
o
A declaration by God that we have the same
identity as Jesus (see Wimber’s quote).
o
The righteousness of God conveys the thought of
God’s active help of man in the miracle of His grace. (NBD)
o
This righteousness is proclaimed by Jesus as a
gift of the Kingdom. (NBD)
o
By faith in Jesus and His work on the cross, we
are given a brand new relationship with the Father. Not only are we forgiven, but
also we are given a new moral standing with God because HE dealt with the sin
problem on the cross and HE maintains the order in which we can have fellowship
through grace.
o
Romans 1:17 à
“For in it (the gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for
faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
·
The law:
o
Cannot justify the sinner
o
Cannot give us righteousness
o
Cannot give the Spirit
o
Cannot make us God’s kids
o
Cannot give life
o
Cannot give liberty/freedom
Righteous Have Life Due to their Faith
·
Read 3:10-14
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3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the
law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is
hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might
come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through
faith.
o
Apple/Fruit: story of sin put back on the tree.
(3:13)
o
Habbakuk 2:4
·
Works righteousness can never save the sinner;
only faith righteousness can do that.
·
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God
and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
·
Salvation is not exchanging one form of bondage
for another. Salvation is being set free from the bondage of sin and the law
into liberty of God’s grace through Christ.
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