When asked regarding the security of salvation, only about 51% marked, 'Once saved, a Christian may not lose their salvation (eternal security).' Some of the comments entered for those who selected 'other' ranged from: · Salvation's work was done completely on the Cross. My redemption is a process I am immediately and always entitled to because of that work. This "entitlement" is secured for me forever. · I have been saved, I am being saved, and I hope to be saved. Salvation is not a one-time thing as evangelicals and/or born-again Christians like to claim. · Accepting Christ and striving to living according to his example ensures the security of one's salvation. · Once lost it can be regained back. · We are God's regardless of our actions or beliefs. Jesus teaches us to be participants in our salvation, by helping and serving others.
There are definitely some problems with the accuracy of the theological positions stated above, some potentially subtler than others, so what we want to discover today is what does the Bible say about justification, sanctification and preservation. We'll be looking at Galatians 2-3 to do that this morning. We have a problem in modern evangelicalism, and in many protestant Christian churches in America, where the true Gospel is being maligned in various ways, such as false teaching and preaching directly from the pulpit, from errant doctrinal statements, perhaps misunderstandings on a personal level, and by implied expectations that are contrary to Scripture. I once had a pastor years ago tell me that it didn't really matter whether one could lose their salvation or not because we're supposed to be living as an obedient Christian anyhow so that would eliminate the risk of losing one's salvation. Now that may sound simple enough on the surface, but on reflection where is the hope in that, and just how good is good enough? These distortions I'm referring to attempt to replace justification by faith with a variety of forms of justification by works. Similarly, they replace sanctification and preservation by faith with an expectation of having to work in order to maintain one's salvation, or in other words, not to lose their salvation, as if that were even possible. What I want us to look at this morning, is that, according to Paul, we are both justified by faith and preserved by faith and anything else is a falsification of the Gospel. This is what Paul asserts in Galatians 1:6-9… 6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. The term "gospel" itself is simply an anglicized term for "good news." Here Paul is saying that the truly good news or the authentic Gospel, is that of Christ's grace. By definition Grace = getting what we don't deserve. So, one primary key to understanding the good news is to understand the bad news, which is simply this, being dead in our trespasses and sins, we were enemies of Godand there was nothing we could do to earn or deserve reconciliation. Properly understanding that we could neither earn nor deserve this salvation apart from faith in the work of Christ should help us understand that we can't preserve or secure our salvation through any work either. That's why Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8-9, 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. In Galatians 1 then, Paul is saying they were turning away from the authentic Gospel of Jesus and turning to different gospel, which is not another. The whole point being that there is no good news in any other proposition apart from what Christ had established by grace through faith. The distortion of the Gospel that Paul was dealing with was Jewish legalism which was showing itself primarily in two forms: circumcision and the keeping of the Mosaic Law. Frankly, this Jewish legalism would be a problem whether we're referring to a Jewish Christian or a Gentile Christian. For as a Jewish Christian is saved out ofJewish legalism, a Gentile convert is saved apart fromJewish legalism. Specifically, though, these legalists were trying to convince the church that Gentiles had to convert to Judaism in order to be a proper Christian. Acts 13-14 recounts the background of Paul's first missionary journey through the region of Galatia, visiting the cities of Pisidian-Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. Then in Acts15 we see this problem of Jewish legalism addressed at the Jerusalem Council, and even Peter argued correctly that the Gospel of Christ was brought to the Gentiles directly, not as Gentiles who convert to Judaism and accept Jesus as the Jewish Messiah. And in the beginning of Galatians 2, Paul is informing these Galatian churches that this problem of legalism was already addressed in the Jerusalem Council. Additionally, Peter had been "living as a Gentile" in his freedom in Christ by putting away certain Jewish legal restrictions and "eating with the Gentiles" until the Jerusalem Jews showed up. Paul then says, in Galatians 2:11-13, that the hypocrisy of Peter and the others in ceasing to eat and socialize with the Gentiles was, in practice, the same problem of expecting the Gentiles to conform to Jewish legalism. This then brings us to the passage in which we have already read this morning in verses 14ff. Our first point for consideration this morning is that Paul proclaims that we are saved by faith. Let's read verse 14 again… II. Saved by Faith(Galatians 2:14-16) 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, "If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? A. Paul's confrontation of Peter (v.14) Paul is charging that this hypocrisy and legalistic behavior by Peter is a dishonest representation of the Gospel itself. Paul says bluntly, "they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel." The word translated "straightforward" could accurately be translated as "walking uprightly," from which we get our term orthopedics, the medical specialty dealing with skeletal deformities. Paul, having just read Victor Hugo's, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, was telling Peter and Barnabas that their orthopraxy was all bent out of shape. And it's hypocritical because these Jews, Peter and Barnabas specifically, were living in the freedom of the Gospel, essentially behaving like Gentiles on one hand, apart from certain legalism of the Mosaic Law, and yet they were inferring by their separation from these Gentile converts that they needed to be more Jewish if they were going to continue in public fellowship. And then Paul brings the hammer to bear…because they knew better! B. Justification is by faith in Christ(v.15-16) 15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. In verse 15, Paul states that he, Barnabas and Peter had every perceived advantage, being Jews by birth, God's chosen people, and having received the revelation of the Law of God through Moses. But eventheyknew the Law was not enough! 2. Not justified by the works of the law (v.16) "16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law" Even Jews knew that obedience to the Law does not justify… a. If they were being honest with themselves, they knew they could not keep it perfectly; the standard was too high. b. If obedience to the moral and civil Law (their behavior) were sufficient, there would be no requirement for the ceremonial law and the blood sacrifices to atone for sin, which had to occur twice daily, at a minimum. They knew God still required a blood sacrifice for their sins, and even in that ritual, they knew these symbolic sacrifices weren't enough because they had to keep doing them over and over again. 3. Justification is by Faith in Jesus Christ Not by works of the law, "but by faith in Jesus Christ" Then Paul doubles down…Even "we," as morally superior Jews, believed in Christ for Justification by Faith. "even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law;" 4. Works of the Law justify/save no one. "for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified." Paul straight forwardly declares, one cannot be saved through works or legalism. Now before we get too far into the text, let's define a few key terms beginning with justification. C. Excursus on Justification Westminster Shorter Catechism Question 33: What is justification? A: Justification is an act of God's free grace, wherein he pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone. So, let's break this down quickly: a. Justification is one act with two results: 1. Our sins are pardoned, 2. We're accepted as righteous. b. The actor or author of justification is God. c. The act of justification is performed freely, not in response to a merit earned, but by grace. 1) Grace = getting what we don't deserve; 2) Mercy = not getting what we deserve; 3) Justice = getting what we deserve d. The results of God's act of justification is only through the righteousness of Christ being imputed to us. e. The instrument of imputation is by faith alone. f. The object of our faith is Jesus Christ alone. So, one might reasonably ask, what is imputation? "The word imputation comes directly from the Latin. It is an accounting term; it means "to apply to one's account." Expenses are debited and income is credited. In theological terms, we speak of a double imputation that takes place in justification." For example, 2 Corinthians 5:21, where Paul says plainly, "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." Here we read that our sin is imputed to Christ. Christ's righteousness is imputed to us. Having defined justification and how Christ's righteousness is imputed to us and our sin imputed to him. I also want to define for us the term sanctification because of its relevancy to this discussion. WSC 35 asks that question: What is sanctification? And the teacher answers, Sanctification is the workof God's free grace, whereby we are renewedin the whole man after the image of God, and are enabledmore and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness. 4. Justification v. Sanctification So how do justification and sanctification differ? The first thing we note is that justification is an act and sanctification is the work. Whereas an act implies a one-time exertion, work on the other hand is defined as an uncountable noun. a. Justification is a matter of imputation, that reckoning or charging transaction of righteousness from Christ to us and our unrighteousness to him. Whereas, Sanctification is a matter of transformation. They are distinct but not separate." b. In simple terms, justification is a legal declaration of righteousness, and in sanctification it is application of righteousness. c. WLC Question #77: Wherein do justification and sanctification differ? Answer: Although sanctification be inseparably joined with justification, yet they differ, in that God in justification imputes the righteousnessof Christ; in sanctificationhis Spirit infuses grace, and enables to the exercise thereof; in [the former] justification, sin is pardoned; in [the other]sanctification, it is subdued: [the one]justificationdoes equally free all believers from the revenging wrath of God, and that perfectly in this life, that they never fall into condemnation; [the other] sanctificationis neither equal in all, nor in this life perfect in any, but growing up to perfection. This then leads us to our second main point in this text from Paul, which is that we are Sanctified by Faith. III. Sanctified by Faith(Galatians 2:17-21) Gal. 2:17 "But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not!" A. Justified by Christ but Neglecting the Law? (v.17) Remember that justification is a one-time effective act of God declaring us righteous. Whereas, sanctification is the process by which God conforms us to the image of Christ so of course in this life we are still found to be sinners. What Paul is saying is that "If the Judaizers are correct in maintaining that we, in seeking to be justified solely in Christ, and thus neglecting the law, turn out to be gross sinners just like the Gentiles, then would you say that Christ, who taught us this doctrine, is a sin-promoter?" In other words, the accusation is that Christians were taught to turn to Christ in faith, and Jewish converts were then free from the tyranny of the law that could not save. Now the appearance is that Jewish Christians are just like Gentile sinners because they have neglected the Mosaic law. So, if Jewish Christians are simply following the teachings of Christ does that make Christ a minister of sin having forsaken the law? Paul declares, "Certainly not!" In fact, Jesus was the only onewho has actually fulfilled the law. Paul goes on to clarify that the opposite is in fact true… B. Transgression comes through Legalism not Justification by Faith (v. 18) "18 For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor." The transgression does not lie in neglecting the law in favor of Christ. The transgression results from having attained justification through faith in Christ, but then heap on legalism in an attempt to earn, deserve or preserve our salvation with our own works. Paul continues, C. Died to the Law in order to Live to God 19 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. Paul shows us in other passages that he strove to achieve perfection through obedience to the law, but even herealized in his conversion that his only hope was in Christ. He declared to the Philippians, 3:2 "Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, 4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead."
And so, to the Galatians he writes, "20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which 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 set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain." Paul's professed, we have been justified by faith in Christ, and we are being sanctifiedthrough faith in Christ. IV. Secured by Faith(Galatians 3:1-14) A Christian can't earn or deserve salvation, it is wholly the work of Christ. Likewise, it is wholly the work of Jesus and the Holy Spirit that we are sanctified and our salvation is secured. Listen again to the emotion pouring out of Paul in opposition to this false gospel… 3:1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? 2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Paul is saying plainly, you did not receive the Spirit by works and you aren't made perfect by works. YOU CANNOT be saved by works, and YOU CANNOT keep or secure your salvation by your works. We receive the Spirit by faith, and we are preserved by faith. Paul in Ephesians actually clarifies that even our faith cannot be considered our work toward salvation because even that is a gift of God. Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Remember our definition of justification from earlier? Here Paul spells it out; it is an act of God's free grace that you are saved through faith, and even that faith is a gift of God. Why? So that no man can claim he is saved by his works. There is no boasting in any aspect of our salvation; it is all a gift of God. Verse 10 tells us that our good works are simply the outpouring of the workmanship of God in our lives through Jesus Christ. This is why Paul and James are in agreement. You aren't saved through works, one simply evidences their salvation by works that God had planned for his people to live out, on account of the love he poured out on us. Paul then continues his argument that Old Testament faith still required looking forward to the Messiah. Even Abraham was saved by faith. Gal. 3:5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? — 6 just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Remember that the act of having righteousness accounted to Abraham is the same definition we used for justification. Abraham was justified by faith, just like Paul's audience of Jewish and Gentile Christians are justified by faith. That's what Paul is reiterating in verses 7-9. Gal. 3:7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed." 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. And then he reminds the Jewish audience that the standard is high for the one who tries to justify himself through the law. It is so high, in fact, that it requires nothing else but perfection in the sight of God, which is an evidential impossibility. In fact, it is a curse! Gal. 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them." 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith." 12 Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who does them shall live by them." 13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. In conclusion, I want to answer the question "So What?" And the first answer is that this should lead us to… Most Christians today aren't entrapped by Jewish legalism, but don't we see it in other forms today? a. Let's call the first form Theological Legalism: These are legalists who misunderstand the theology of salvation by grace through faithand thereby teach a false gospel. Arminianism has crept into many, if not most, American evangelical churches, and preachers are telling their people that Christ died in order formen to have the opportunityseek God and find salvation. There are a couple problems with this. 1) Man attempts to take the credit for his salvation in either the act of seeking, or in the wisdomfor having made a wise decision to follow Christ. It's a form of pride, which detracts from the glory of God. This is contrary to the teaching of Scripture. 2) The other inevitable outcome of wrong thinking in the process of salvation is believing then that it is possible for one to lose their salvationif they do not continue in the works which provided their salvation in the first part. This too is contrary to the teaching of Scripture. 3) Arminian theology doesn't truly understand the origins of salvation, namely regeneration by the Spirit, leading to faith that justifies, and preservation of the saints, and so they believe they must work in order to retain and maintain their salvation. b. Let's call the second form of modern legalism Practical Legalism: This form evidences itself by adding rules to the moral law in order to maintain the appearance of sanctification through legalism. Ironically, those who push this form of legalism actually have a low view of Scripture and believe they must somehow add to Scripture certain rules in addition to those laid out by God himself. 1) The Jewish Rabbi's did this consistently by taking a specific law and determining rules so that in order to not break this law, we will put a cushion of legalism around this law in order to ensure the law itself doesn't get broken. Jesus scolded the pharisees harshly for this practice: Luke 11:46 And He said, "Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 2) We've seen things like this in the American church as well: 1. For example, in order to avoid drunkenness, we simply outlaw alcohol. I once heard a preacher stand on his platform during a sermon and declare, "the Bible doesn't say anything good about booze." The problem with making statements like that is that it is neither truenor wise. And thereby in denying the good things the Bible does teach about alcohol,we fail to teach wisdom in the right use of alcohol and how to avoid the wrong use of alcohol, namely drunkenness and neglect of duties and obligations.Now, alcohol is simply one example. 2. I grew up outside of Amish and Mennonite country in Pennsylvania. In order to avoid immodesty, they simply choose to completely regulate all forms of clothing, and adhere to a very strict dress code. 3. The point is knowing God's Word in order to apply practical wisdom in obeying Scripture, avoiding sin, and displaying love to others. We can't simply avoid our responsibilities to be thoughtfulChristians by tacking on additional rules and standards that the Scripture hasn't laid out. The second answer is that this should lead us to… 1. Respond to the Gospel: All of us here today are sinners and there is only one way to salvation. Perhaps you're asking yourself, "saved from what?" This is what we have been talking about in regards to justification and it is this; you need to be saved from the wrath of God and his punishment of sinners in hell. The only means for salvation is to have the righteousness of Jesus credited to you. You must respond to the Gospel today in one of two ways: you must either accept it or reject it. There is no middle ground. I pray today that you would turn to Jesus in faith for salvation. Even before you rise from your seat, cry out to God in repentance. There is nothing stopping you from becoming right with God today if the Holy Spirit is calling you. 2. Hope in the Gospel: If you are a believer today, rejoice and revel in your salvation as a gracious gift from God. Find great encouragement in knowing that it was God's free grace which both saves you and preserves you. Remember Paul's words in Ephesians 1:13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 whois theguarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. a. First, we are called to share the Gospel with others: 1) Jesus— Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. 2) Peter— 1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 3) Paul— Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!" 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?" 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. b. Second, you have to know the Gospel to share the Gospel: 1) Private study: Read your Bible daily; study it 2) Public study: Attend church and Bible studies; this ties into our third point of application in living out the Gospel… c. We are called to love the Gospel, by loving the church: 1) You can't love the church if you don't gather together. This is what the author of Hebrews warns against, Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. 2) John reminds us that we know we love God because of our love for the brethren, 1 John 2:10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. d. There is certainly more that can be said here, but let's begin with meditating on these principles as we look forward to starting our week anew today. Know the Gospel, Share the Gospel, Live the Gospel, Love the Gospel and Hope in the Gospel.
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