Feb. 12, 2017 The Primacy of Faith by Pastor Josh Sheldon

Romans 3:27-31 and the Primacy of Faith

We'll turn now in your Bibles to the text for this morning's message. Romans chapter 3 beginning at verse 27 you'll find that page 941. Actually, I'll begin reading one verse above to remind us of what came before the preaching text again verses 27 to 31.

It was to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be the just and the justifier of The one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. But what kind of law?

By a law of works. No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of the Jews only. Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes of Gentiles also since God is one Who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised size through faith?

Do we then overthrow the law by this faith. By no means on the contrary. We uphold the law. Martin Luther wrote of this paragraph that he considered it to be the chief point of the whole Bible. Now if you want to intimidate a young Preacher just tell him that the sex that he has for this morning's message is one that Martin Luther the instigator of the Great Reformation Says that this is the most important one in the Bible.

He said once that the church stands by this one article the article that these verses teach us. And he says if this main point that is in this article this one paragraph if it fails the church fails. If this point falls the church falls.

The issue at hand is faith. It's faith. Faith is Paul's point in Romans chapter 3 verses 27 to 31. Faith is how the gospel is apprehended. Faith is key to our entire Christian life. For I'm not ashamed of the gospel.

Back in chapter 1 verse 16 and 17 the key to this book I think I'm not ashamed of the gospel for it is a power of God for salvation. To the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written the righteous shall live by faith faith.

Faith is what this book is about. Faith is what the Christian life is about. But grace you have been saved through faith. We walk by faith and not by sight. Chapter 3 verses 21 26 which we preached last week it ends with the verse I started The reading with this statement that God by means of redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Because of that he is both the just and the justifier of the one who has what? Faith. Faith in whom in Christ Jesus. Faith in what about this Christ Jesus we have faith in faith in the redemption that he accomplished on the cross the propitiation the turning away of God's wrath the forgiveness of sins that we have in Christ because of Christ and Therefore Forgiveness from God.

Now in verses 27 to 31 of this chapter. He draws out some of the implications of this wonderful truth. In chapter 4 which Lord willing is for next week He's going to show how faith played out in Abraham the father of Jew and Christian both.

But first he sets the table here with the absolute primacy of faith. Now we all know how important faith is I? Mean you can hardly read even in a cursory way Through the Bible Old Testament New Testament like but I could say even especially The New Testament without coming away with this idea that God demands faith.

Without faith it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11 6 and this is the victory your faith first. John 5 4 by grace you've been saved through faith. Ephesians 2 8. The whole issue is that is faith.

All of these and many many more verses they work towards this common goal to compel all human mind and most especially Christ's blood-bought church the faithful. Most especially us to divest themselves ourselves of any hope in anything other than faith in God's Son.

Faith in God's Son is all that we have Jesus said without me you can do nothing. As he insisted that any good works We can do can only be counted as such as they flow from bad branches. Which is us that are attached to him the true vine.

It's all of faith. And this morning in these verses in chapter 3 verses 27 to 31 We join the Apostle as he explains what faith actually does what is accomplished by God through the means or we might say through? the mechanism of faith.

Faith Unifies Jews and Gentiles in the One God

In three interconnected steps he shows That faith unifies the people of God as one in God. It's faith that unifies us together as one people in the one God. Now that's verse 29 in the first part of verse 30 verse 29 we would say verse 30 a.

He shows that faith trumps works. Faith is superior. Faith excels over works. And that's verse 28 with the second part of verse 30, and I'm gonna read those as we preach through them. I know they're chopped up a little bit.

We'll go through them as I preach them. The third point and that's verses 27 and 31 the last the first and the last verse taken together. The third point is Faith drives out boasting. It's excluded so I'll take these in the order that I just read those main Divisions to you.

The first one faith that unifies the people of God as one in God. That's verse 29 in the first part of verse 30. Let me read them to you that way. Or is God the God of Jews only. Is he not the God of Gentiles also.

Yes of Gentiles also? Since God is one. Those last four words are the first part of the following verse. And you'll see that I think they belong with verse 29 since God is one. Paul asks this question in the middle of this paragraph.

Verse 27 28 and then verse 29 is this question that I'm starting with on its immediate border. One verse up. He summarizes a point that he's been laboring at for quite a while in this letter that Justification is by faith and not by the works of the law and.

Then one verse below what I just read to you in verse 29 and 30 a verse below makes a similar point. Verse 30 be the second half of verse 30 says that God will justify through faith. Justified by faith by faith alone.

And then verse 27 and the last one verse 31 they combine to explain the relationship of what of faith to the law. But pride of place is the center. Verse 29 and those first four words of verse 30. Now there's more at stake here than might meet the eye at first when you read these.

The first four words here in verse 30. Are crucial to us? Since God is one. Think about these words for a moment. Since God is one. Is it God only of the Jews. Is he not also the God of the Greeks the Gentiles of all else.

Is how the question is yes of the Gentiles also. Since God is one. There's a lot at stake here this Greek word that's translated as since it's used only six times in all of Scripture and All six of them by this morning's author by the Apostle Paul.

Now in English, it sounds sort of conclusive doesn't it? It sounds as if Paul has written seeing that Conclusively God is one but the word actually carries a sense of contingency to it. Romans chapter 8 verse 9 just gonna give you three examples of how this word is used elsewhere.

Romans 8 9 if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. This idea of possibility. Contingency. Paul already having affirmed before he says that the Spirit of God does dwell in the church in the faithful.

If in fact though The Spirit of God dwells in you. Romans 8 17 provided we suffer with him. Just one more first Corinthians 15 verse 15 if it is true that the dead are not raised. It's an idea of possibility contingent contingency if you will.

What Paul is saying here though? We need to slow down as we read these words is why I started this message with the middle of the paragraph. What Paul is saying is that in a sense God's oneness is Set at risk here.

He harkens back here to what's called the great Shema. This is what John read to you just a moment ago the Shema which is the Hebrew word for here here. Oh Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one. This is the foundation of Not just our faith, but Jewish faith before us.

This is the key the Lord our God here. Oh Israel the Lord is one. There are two aspects of command in this short phrase first is to hear which means in Scripture to obey and Second is to believe that God is one an aspect of his person.

That's no less important than his holiness or his glory. Jesus himself said Mark chapter 12 and verse 29 that this Hero, Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one. Jesus said that this is quote the most important Commandment it was Paul saying here.

Here's a paraphrase Paul saying that if God is the God of the Jews only And he's not also the God of the Greeks then he is not one. Because he's saying these things are true. That God is the God of the Jew and the Gentile God is the God of all because he is one.

So we can't deny the one without denying the other. That's how important this is. His singularity is at stake and this implies even more if God is not one. Then neither is he triune. Think about this a moment.

If God is not one then nor is he triune. Our Trinitarian theology rests on the Shema That the Lord is one. If the most important command is untrue than the Father the Son the Holy Spirit cannot be three persons all equally.

God all Equally powerful all omnipotent and all omniscient and all holy and just and all unified as distinct persons under a singular Godhead now that was a Long sentence in a real mouthful, and I want to say it again Because I believe Paul puts these as grave words for us to consider Their implications to the way we conduct ourselves our Trinitarian theology.

Which is that God is one in three persons. There's no division. There's no confusion. There's no bleeding the the the the categories of the borders. Three persons he is one unified God All equally what it means to be God.

Under a singular Godhead that is what Paul sets at stake here. When he says since God is one I can almost see the Apostle hesitating to write these words you can almost see him stopping for a moment. Taking a break and going and praying before committing these words to scripture because they are so heavy so important.

The church is unity you see. Our unity together is a testimony to the oneness of God himself. Psalm 133. I'll read the entire psalm. It's only three verses. Behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity.

It is like the precious oil on the head. Running down on the beard on the beard of Aaron running down on the collar of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon which falls on the mountains of Zion for there the Lord has commanded the blessing life forevermore.

How important is it is it to God for brethren to dwell together in unity? It's as important as the anointing oil that anointed the first high priest who took that intercessory role. Which was a type a precursor of the eternal Intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ, that's how important this is to God.

If he did chapter 4 verses 4 and 5 there is one body and one spirit just as you were called to the one hope. That belongs to your call one Lord one faith one baptism one God and father of all Galatians 3 28 there is neither Jew nor Greek.

There is neither slave nor free. There is neither male nor female for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Chapter 5 verse 6 of Galatians for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision or uncircumcision counts for anything.

But only faith working through love and just one more. First Corinthians chapter 1 of verse 13. Want you to hear the alarm in the Apostles words here to the Corinthian Church. He says is Christ Divided.

Do you see how important this is? There's oneness of God and how it relates to these things then when Paul says He is the God of Jew and Gentile and he supports that by saying since and contingently since.

Since God is one this is important. And God is one because he is one. I Put that out as a contingency for you. I think I've told it to you the way the language would have us read it. But let me be clear God is one why.

Because he is one. We don't make him one by anything that we do or say nor can we change anything in him? There's nothing to suggest that and what I'm saying. I'm saying our oneness as a church is based upon the oneness of the God and our belief in that implies something and if we behave in a different manner that implies something too.

And Brethren, I'm not going to turn this into a long theology lecture. But we cannot be Trinitarian if God is not one. The two are hinged together. Our oneness together is based upon the oneness of God.

It's the same argument Paul makes in Ephesians chapter 5 verses 29 to 31 where he speaks of a husband and a wife being Analogically one the way God is one and if a husband and wife are not one flesh in that way Then they're not reflecting the oneness of God which they must and the same is true for the church.

Why is God known? Why are we sure that God is the God of the Jew and the Gentile and whoever else could come in here and have faith in? The Lord Jesus Christ. Because he's one if we're not one if we are not one that God's Word has failed.

It is that serious. Now we need to think about this. You think about this when you consider that brother or sister. Next to you for whom Christ also died. Think on this the next time you can't shake off some controversy or some seeming controversy.

That the oneness of the church is based upon the oneness of God himself. And Paul says contingently contingently. Since God is one. If God is one then we must be. Think on this as we rank the doctrines over which we cannot compromise.

We cannot give room for an alternative alternative interpretation. Honestly come by from someone else, but it's different from yours. We say nope that's got to be in there. We're gonna put in these words blasphemy or heresy or Damnable heresy or whatever the case is those categories do exist, and we must not compromise on them.

But before we jump into them. Let's go a little cautiously because our oneness is based upon. Can we say the most important aspect of God himself hero Israel the Lord our God. Jesus Christ said this the most important the first the pride of place.

He is one Lord, it's how sometimes interpreted. Compare the importance of your particular way of thinking your view of how things should or shouldn't be. To the most important command the very one that Paul risks for the unity of the church our oneness.

Faith Trumps Works and Excludes Boasting

Because God is one we learn from this short paragraph how faith trumps works. Faith excels in every way over anything we can do. Verse 28 and the second half of verse 30 for we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works from the works of the law.

And he goes on in verse 30 the second half. God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised Size through faith, how are we justified? By faith. Paul has been working on this one Truth for us since much earlier in this book.

You're justified by faith given as a free gift of God justified by faith and by faith alone. That's what verses 21 to 26 are all about this one thing justification by faith. This idea of justification by faith is something I've covered every time it's come up in the preaching.

And I've resisted the idea of Lumping together all the references to justification by faith and preaching them as one topical message to you. I've resisted resisted that for a couple of reasons. First and most importantly Paul doesn't do that.

He keeps coming back to this theme again and again. We're dull of hearing. We need to hear it again and again. Your preacher is thick of heart he's to read it again and again and preach it to you the way Paul presents it to us.

And secondly. This is a theme that the church can never get tired of hearing. We can't get tired of here. We can never treat it as something blase that were justified by faith. This free gift of God this thing that is foreign to ourselves this imputation of Christ's righteousness.

Righteousness to us so we can stand before God as righteous literally righteous. Because of the imputation that we have by faith in Christ, how are you justified by faith? How is God's righteousness imputed to you by faith?

What is the object of our faith? The Atonement that God worked. Who is the object of our faith. Jesus Christ the one who worked that Atonement so that God's wrath would be expiated propitiated and that we could be redeemed Church.

Do not get tired of this theme. I Have not been criticized once for hitting this too many times. So I'm not trying to prevent anything like that. But Paul comes over this one thing again and again and again and let us Rejoice in it and every time we hear it not go.

Oh, yes that again. No praise God. Hallelujah. Thank you that your spirit Inspired Paul to write this for us this many times because if it comes up that often it's got to be important. Just count the number of times.

So we'll go through it and it's going to come up again. Prepare yourselves it's going to come up again and again and I rejoice in that and I can't wait to keep giving this to you. The whole Reformation rose or fell on this one premise sola fide by faith alone.

Faith is more than just the means by which we're saved. Faith is the entrance into freedom from the terror of the law. What is justification? Declared not guilty before the bar of God's law free from its condemnation its terror.

Remember when the law was given not an animal could touch the mountain while God was there giving his will to Moses for the people for us terrifying event and people. Said Moses you go. You get on up there.

You come back and tell us what he said. We're not going we're not getting near this place. His face glowed when he came back from meeting with God and that scared them to faith. Faith apart from the works of that law.

Faith is what Paul is pushing us to faith freedom from the constant effort of the law of Always having to do better of the constant pressure of just don't be bad. Just don't do those wrong things anymore.

Faith in. The justification we have in Jesus Christ and what does that mean? What's this freedom? I'm talking about here is that Christ did it all is It Jesus Christ and his accomplishment of the law.

Credited to your account if you will, but believe he died for your sins against that very law. That's what it is to be declared righteous. By faith were justified. Pronouncement of a favorable adjudication.

It's a judge saying you're not guilty. I Read once I believe it's in the book Papillon the autobiography of the man who? Escaped from the French penal system many years ago. That the French system for the jury has not just guilty and not guilty as we have.

They can pronounce you guilty if the evidence supports it. They can pronounce you not guilty if the evidence doesn't doesn't support it, but they have one more option. I believe innocent. You see in our system not guilty could mean what the evidence was damning against you, but it was wrongly collected.

Your rights were violated somehow on a technicality the jury has no choice, but to say not guilty, but innocent is Different that is total exoneration that is no this is baseless. This person is not even related to this particular crime.

Justification by faith is like that. It's a declaration of your innocence. It's a declaration that what Christ accomplished has been Credited to your account. This is what we mean by imputation. Not a mistrial not a hung jury.

Not gotten off on technicality. Not because of the eloquence of our defense before God. Exonerated you leave the courtroom innocent. Why? Because by faith. Christ's accomplishment his obedience to the law stands for you.

That's how important this is. Except we are hardly innocent. The evidence against us is overwhelmingly unassailably true. Our advocates small a not Jesus our advocate our lawyer has no answer for the piles of proof presented against us.

And what is that evidence. The evidence is the law law capital L the Mosaic law from Moses from Sinai to the Israelites? With a small L. We might say from earlier in Romans. That's the law of God written on the conscience and.

By either one of those we are all what? Guilty condemned sinners. Was Paul saying here the Jew is justified by faith the gentle Gentile is justified by what? By faith. The difference in prepositions by faith through faith.

That's just stylistic. It doesn't mean anything towards what Paul is arguing for here Jew Gentile alike. Justified by like by the same one faith in the one true God since God is one. There's not one type of or quality of faith of the Jew and another for all others.

If that were the case then we have to go back to verse 38 since God is one and wonder what on earth He's talking about Ephesians 4. I read in a moment ago one Lord one faith one baptism. The verse begins with we hold that one is justified by faith.

Martin Luther to quote him again. He does a little bit better. He says we conclude not hold we conclude that and he goes on he says this quote. The words we conclude must not be taken in the sense. We think as though there were attached to the righteousness of faith any doubt.

The expression rather means we believe most assuredly and firmly indeed. We know and are persuaded by the divine word to believe that sinners are justified by faith. Few doctrines more important for us to get a handle on in the transaction of salvation leaving behind any arguments about predestination and God's free choice of who he will save and when he will save them and how he shall do that all Determined before the foundation of the world setting all that aside for a moment.

We believe in those things. But just on these verses bring nothing else in to them. What do we learn? We learn that our futile and vain efforts to make ourselves, right? Whether by complying with the law or by doing good deeds or by following the dictates of conscience.

None of this avails. And will you plead that case before God will you hold to him the law of God implanted in your being and Testified to you by what has been created and make yourself vulnerable to charges of any violations.

And think carefully about this Chapter 1 verse 20 Recovered some time ago. It says that creation itself reveals to us about God his invisible attributes his eternal Power his divine nature. That's a lot of communication.

That's a lot about God that you know just by looking at what is Revealed to you. Are you willing to stand before a God? Who's communicated those aspects of his nature to you and somehow answer? For your actions your words your thoughts your attitudes your agendas that do not meet with.

What he has revealed these qualities that God has informed you of and are supposed to inform us and everything we do. The Jew who had tablets of stone written with the finger of God. He's no better situation.

But Paul is fully convinced of something glorious. The truth that God is an act of his mercy forgives the sins and justifies the person of those who have faith in him in His Son in the redemption he accomplished.

The object of that faith. We covered last week. I think I mentioned a few times a moment ago. It bears repeating look up at verse 24 of this chapter Romans 3 24. And are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption.

That is in Christ Jesus whom God put forth as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith. Faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ whose blood was spilled for your redemption this. All of this is what it means to be apart from the law.

But we hold we believe we are completely convinced by the Word of God. By the pen of the Apostle here in this book of Romans that one is saved apart. From the works of the law by faith, this is what Paul means.

Something that Paul in this paragraph has particularly the Jew in mind something is particularly the Gentile. I think it's both. The oneness of God in the oneness of the church populated by Jew and Gentile supports this idea.

Now the oneness of saving faith adds to it and on top of that the oneness of the object of saving faith. The only object worthy of our faith is Jesus Christ our Lord. Since God is one He's terribly important words.

And everything hinges on it. A third and final point this morning is that faith trumps works. Tramp faith is better than works faith. Does something? God has regard only for this for faith. God's good regard for faith is that which particularly and solely and completely focused in on his son Jesus Christ.

Now it seemed that by now every reader of this letter will be convinced of their need to abandon any hope of salvation. By works by effort by law-keeping by anything other than this one thing faith. And what God the Father has done for you in Christ Jesus his son.

As I said a moment ago, I hit this theme over and over because Paul does. Why does Paul hit it so many times. Well primarily because Paul is writing by direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God. And so God would have us hear this many times.

You see we don't let go of our self-sufficiency very easily. We want to have works. We want to be able to say look what I done. I've got my checklist. I've got my report card. I Deserve something. I want some credit.

We don't let go of our self-sufficiency very easily. Babies have no problem with complete dependence. Teenagers are usually a bit harder to convince of their dependence. It's not an easy thing to drive out of us.

Now what does Paul say it is to remain if even only a little bit. Reliant on myself as a means of salvation. Where does he go next? He calls it boasting sheer braggadocio. These are our last two verses 27 and 31.

Third and final point. Faith trumps works. What becomes of our boasting it is excluded by what kind of law. By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? No by no means.

On the contrary we uphold the law. Now the question relates all the way back to what he had said in verse 21. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law has been manifested. And verse 26 it was to show his righteousness at the present time.

So that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in christ. Jesus. So that being the case that god's righteousness has been manifested in the gospel and his of his son. That he is just when he justifies.

That being the case. All these things being true. Where's our boasting? Well, the quick answer is it is excluded just as he says is jettisoned is the dead weight that it is. We need to be a little careful here again.

Because boasting is our inveterate tendency. You know you think of babel in genesis chapter 11. You think of the waters of judgment having just receded? And what is the first thing that man comes to? The very next thing in our scripture man wants to build this tower so he can make a name for himself.

He's going to reach up to god. He's going to go where god is make himself equal with god. Humankind except for eight souls had just been destroyed. And here's his next great effort. It's not not boasting.

Pride leads to boasting. The more we boast the prouder we get sheer boasting. Sennacherib's Captain when they see besieged jerusalem. He said beware lest king hezekiah mislead you by saying the lord will deliver us.

Has any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of assyria boasting against the lord god? Isaiah chapter 10 verse 12 speaks of that very king's boastful looks. Think about nebuchadnezzar and his boasting and he was driven mad.

He he walked around on all fours and eight ate the grass with the cows. That's what boasting is. And see we think of boasting as that kind of bragging which it is. Those are in scripture and it's called boasting called bragging.

We think of it as an overweening egotism that can't help but gloat over its own excellencies. Which it is. But see when we stand before god when we think of the terms of our Selves in relation to god.

The standard of what constitutes a boast or boasting is much much lower. In chapter 3 verse 24 paul wrote that justification is a free gift earned by christ's atoning sacrifice. Received by faith neither you nor I are included anywhere in that transaction.

It's all of god. Ephesians 2 9 he writes as salvations of grace not of works so that no one may boast. Boasting before god is now what? What does it mean to boast before god? What can we say that then gets defined as boasting?

Well, very simple. Is taking any credit? Be it ever so slight any credit at all. For what god the father has done for sinners like you and me in and by and through and exclusively in and by and through his son jesus christ and all we can do.

Is fall down in humble adoration? And thanksgiving and by faith. Accept that. That's all we have. The gospel wherein god freely justifies sinners like you and me just cannot lead to any taking credit.

And take the smallest amount you can say I get got all of it except for this one. Word this one syllable this one beginning of a thought that I had towards it. And you've boasted. That's what paul's excluding.

I'm going to close with a word about faith in the law. In verse 27 Law refers to a principle to a rule if you will. What becomes of our boasting is excluded. By what kind of a law you can substitute the word principle.

What. By what principle? By a principle of works. No, but by the principle of faith. And if you look at the last verse and I think verse 27 31 combined to make a single point about the law and faith in verse 31.

When he speaks of the law now he's speaking about the law the mosaic law. Do we then overthrow the law the law by this faith. By no means on on the contrary we uphold the law. Paul says that we by faith jew and gentile alike are upholding.

Some versions say establish the law. Some people think this means that the life of faith is what the law has always been meant to reveal to us. And so if we have faith in jesus, we are fulfilling. We're upholding if you will the law's purpose.

I think what paul is saying here though is Something a little different. And something we've been saying. That it's jesus who fulfilled the law. Jesus fulfilled the law. In romans 8 verses 3 and 4 for what god has.

For god has done what the law weakened by the flesh could not do. By sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin. He condemned sin in the flesh in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us.

Who walk not according to the flesh but according to the spirit? So what does it mean that we uphold the law we establish the law? I think it means simply this. That we by faith confess that the righteous requirements of the law were fulfilled by christ jesus.

This is how and why we are justified. The law wasn't set aside. The law wasn't changed to meet our poor compliance. It was fulfilled. It was made complete. Its righteous requirements were met and not by you or me.

Because then we could boast by jesus by jesus christ. Paul is saying that we uphold the law. We establish the law by believing that. We don't cast aside the law. We uphold it. We don't ignore it. We say it's established by us by the faith that we have in the fact that jesus did the law.

We could ask do you struggle with your sin? Do you mourn over your inability to be right? Do you work hard to make yourself good and acceptable before god? There is one Great takeaway one application if you will from all this everything in romans, but maybe most especially these verses 327 to 31.

Stop struggling. It's useless. It's futile. It gets you nowhere. You will never achieve what you're after. By working against the requirements of the law or towards those requirements. We're not in a boy scout troop where we get merit badges.

And you get enough merit badges and then you get the next rank. Nothing against the boy scouts. I was a boy scout. But that's not the way salvation works. That's not the way the law works. Do you struggle?

Do you mourn over your sin and just keep trying harder and harder to get it, right? They put your faith in jesus christ. He and he alone got it right. Stop boasting that you even think you can. Give it up.

Because only christ jesus can do what you're trying to do. Only he did what you're thinking you're going to accomplish. Only he can bring you to god. Not you yourself. That's boasting. What does paul say?

It's excluded by the works of the law any law. No flesh will be justified in god's sight. Only by grace through faith in his son. I call you look to him sinner. Look to him and be saved. Look to him. Oh you who strive and be relieved of your useless effort and rather rest in what christ has done.

What is our basis for all this? What do we hold on to? Remember that the way we conduct ourselves. The way we strive after making ourselves, right? What do we rely on for that great accomplishment? It all implies something.