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Years ago a song was penned and the lyrics are jesus is just all right with me jesus is just alright oh yeah jesus is just all right with me jesus is just alright i don't care what they may say i don't care what they may do i don't care what they may say jesus is just all right oh yeah now that gospel song was written by arthur reynolds and he first recorded with his group The Art Reynolds singers in 1966 and I like the album title.
Telling it like it is Kind of picking up on the slang. Jesus is cool. Jesus is all right. But is that really the right way to think about Jesus see just all right. Everything's kind of cool between you and Jesus I'll make it more biblical and more pointed.
Are you right with God? Are you right before God when you stand before him? Are you right with him and even a more pointed question? Is this is God right with you? That's an even more important question.
Is God in fact right with you? If you'll take your Bibles and turn them to Romans chapter 3, that is the question we'd like to ask and then answer the doctrine of Justification by faith alone. How is a person justified before God?
How can you stand before a thrice? Holy God? We're sinful. We're fallen. We have Adams inherited sin Adams imputed sin and our own sin. How could we stand before God in his holy heaven? Thankfully there is a way and once you understand this way It turns your Gloom into joy to stand before God.
What greater feeling could there be to stand in the presence of God with great? Joy. To think God has cast all my sins behind his back and I can stand in his presence. To say with David bless the Lord.
Oh my soul and forget none of his benefits including I am justified by faith alone. If you understand justification by faith alone sola fide it unlocks everything for you. It unlocks assurance it unlocks judgment day.
Hopes and unlocks godliness. But of course the background of sola fide comes from an argument between Protestants and Roman Catholics. Oh. It might go back to Augustine you say but it it boiled up in the 1500s when the Reformers Luther and Calvin and Zwingli and others Would say you're justified by faith alone and the Roman Catholic Church would say no you're not and Rome hasn't changed and we haven't changed.
What will be interesting today as we go through this passage? Both Protestants and Catholics can't be both right at the same time when they teach different things. I Think Robert just told me he drove past the Oakdale rest home.
And what was it what their signs say? Love unites it doesn't divide that close. Where are you when I need you? Okay. Yes, I mean That's why we don't try to put up like kind of dumb slogans in front of the church here.
We just try to put the sermon, you know titles. Love rejoices with the truth. It is important even so important that we might have to disagree with our family our relatives our Roman Catholic neighbors.
Yes, how do you stand before God both cannot be correct. This is important in Paul's day. It was important in Abraham's day David's day. This issue is not peripheral and it never will be. How is a sinner right in the eyes of God?
No wonder One reformer said we might take great pains and care to know it. For if we do not know what God's will toward us is we will have no foundation on which to establish our Salvation or builds us up in piety and fear of God.
This is one of the doctrines that Jan Hus is burnt for. Burnt alive at the stake for refute for refusing to recant this truth. He said God is my witness in the same truth of the gospel. Which I have written taught and preached drawn upon the sayings and positions of holy doctors.
I am ready to die today and Sadly in evangelicalism people aren't willing to die for this doctrine at all. They can't fast enough say this doctrine doesn't matter anymore because love must triumph over everything.
We must be unified. So last week we looked at Romans chapter 3 Justification by faith alone and today we're going to look at chapter 4 as well and ask some questions. About the errors that can creep into this doctrine.
We're going to be taught the right thing justification by faith alone. But then what are the errors that could creep in because if any doctor needs to be taught with crystal clarity. This must be the doctrine.
And I'll ask you questions as we go and the questions relate to sola fide not as a scholastic enterprise. But as a heartfelt truth, are you trusting right now on the Lord Jesus Christ? Are you resting in him?
The entrance to be right with God is through faith alone based on the merits of Christ. So are you believing? Paul said in Galatians curse. It is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law to perform them.
Now that no one is justified by the law before God is evident the righteous man shall live by faith. You will stand before God one day and you will stand as justified as long as you're trusting alone in Christ Jesus has work that means you're not trusting in your baptism not trusting in your Confirmation not trusting in your catechism not trusting in your church membership not trusting in anything else.
If I keep going I'm gonna fall right off of this and I'm gonna need surgery again an utter dependence upon and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ taking God at his word plus nothing sola fide. And Justification by faith alone means this when God looks at you believer the gavel comes down a legal declaration is announced and you are declared to do two things number one have no sins to pay for because Jesus has paid for them all and Secondly God declares you as if you've perfectly obeyed the law of God.
If you take the two greatest commandments to love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength and love your neighbor. As yourself God says every time you didn't do that Paid because Jesus paid for them and even though you didn't do those things Jesus did and then credited to your account and so when you stand before God he can't hold anything against you because they're paid and He says I commend you because you've perfectly kept the law that is Jesus has kept it for you.
Justification means to pronounce it means to treat as just. Because the question is really how much righteousness do you need to enter heaven a? Little more than your neighbor Jesus said in Matthew 5 for I tell you unless your righteousness Exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
You just pick the most religious person. You know you need more righteousness than they have to get to heaven. And there's two ways to approach this the righteousness of the law some would call it and that is you need to perfectly obey.
Are the righteousness of the gospel you're trusting in one who perfectly obeyed for you and paid for your sins. At Calvary I Look back at chapter 3 verse 24 with a brief Reminder Romans 3 24 this great book about righteousness that God is righteous, and he thankfully bestows righteousness to all those who would believe in the risen Savior 324 and are justified by his grace as a gift to the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
God declares us righteous based on the righteous one Jesus Christ. And what you have to wrap your mind around initially when you think of justification is this there's a difference between state and standing.
Justification has nothing to do with your state or the inward heart or your affections or your person. There's a different category for that and it's called regeneration. What we're talking about here is standing before the tribunal of God.
God doesn't want to know your state. He wants to know your standing and your standing is not guilty if you're a believer. It's your status before God. God deems you righteous on the basis of another. There's therefore no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus not Guilty, so this is so important.
You know Satan must attack it he's not going to attack these peripheral issues. He's gonna go straight for the heart for the hinge. And so let me give you no particular order. Some errors about justification by faith alone.
And then we'll take a look at scriptures to make sure we see these errors properly and will be particularly in Romans 4 today. Error number one. People believe that it is justification by faith plus. Instead of faith alone so Lafitte they believe in faith plus.
How do you stand right with God. You stand right with God by believing plus doing something else plus not doing something else. So Luther comes along and Luther says the just shall live by faith. I can stand in the presence of God on behalf of another man's work Jesus Christ work.
And who also is the sin bear and God has nothing to hold against me. I have no sin to bear. Jesus bore it and God's not going to have double punishment. Double jeopardy and Jesus as my representative perfectly obeys.
This was what was going on in 15 19 15 25 15 30. But of course that didn't set well with Rome the counter-reformation begins. And if you would have gone with me to Rome just a few weeks ago I was in a church a Roman Catholic Church, and it has a big statue of Mary and This part, I'm not.
I'm not trying to make light of. She has a huge cross a bronze cross and She's wielding it like she is a sword and she has her foot on the neck of Luther and Calvin and The little postcard in the gift shop says Mary crushing the heretics.
With little demon imps at the very bottom of Calvin and Luther where their books are ripping the pages out. And I automatically feel the need to make sure you understand the second we talk about these issues.
If your default is there goes more Catholic bashing. Then then I would appeal to your reason. How do you stand before God? Both can't be right. You're either on the narrow road that leads to eternal life or on the broad road.
Don't you want even if you're a visiting Catholic today? Don't you want to know what the Bible says? The Council of Trent recognized. It's not by faith alone in their opinion. This is what the Trent says.
That has not been revoked to this day if anyone says that by faith alone. The impious is justified by the way. I am saying that In such wise as to mean that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to the obtaining of the grace of justification and That it is not in any way necessary that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will.
Let him be Anathema if you think it is justification by faith alone adding nothing else trusting in Christ alone. Rome says you're damned. Now How can I just say when I live around 80 Roman Catholics and my grandmother was a Roman Catholic my friends are my neighbors my?
Loved ones, you know what we both believe the same things. That's categorically not true Canon 14 if anyone says that man is truly absolved from his sins and justified. Because he assuredly believes himself absolved and justified that no one is truly justified.
But he who believes himself justified and that by this faith alone. Absolution and justification are affected. Let him be Anathema yet. What does Paul say right there in Romans 3 24 being justified as a cooperation?
Justified by faith plus justified as a gift by his grace. It's free. That's what the word gift means without cause remember they said of Jesus. Our Jesus said they hated me without a cause for no reason they hated me.
And Paul uses the same language here justified for no other reason except God just says I I'm a generous God. I give you these things sovereign grace. First Peter 2 24 he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
Second Corinthians 5 21 for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him We might become the righteousness of God. When we say our sins were imputed to Jesus we're talking about a Standing before God.
Jesus has not turned into a sinner and the same thing when God pronounces us righteous He's not turned us into a saint. When it comes to justification it affects our standing. He turns us into a saint via regeneration, that's true, but with justification our nature doesn't change.
By Christ righteousness imputed to us any more than Christ nature is changed by our sin imputed to him. The priest John Eckert writes on EWTN. The Catholic Church affirms the necessity of faith for salvation, but it is not of itself sufficient for salvation faith.
If the first step which leads to the essential step of baptism. Which is followed by the obligation to live in accord with the law of Christ and the church. Yes, it's faith, but it's not faith alone. It's faith plus and what that father just said.
The Catholic position we start with believing and then it's baptism and then my friends. Here's the bad news keep the law. How could anyone do that? Justification is a declaration. It's not some kind of infusing.
I remember being in in Europe and We'd rent a car and so the fun part about renting the car was the autobahn. That was a lot of fun in Germany, and I had this. I actually was driving a ford suv and so I got up to about 128 miles an hour.
That seemed pretty fast until the maserati flew by me at like 160. And so I would fill up my car with benzene with petrol with diesel. And then we would drive for a while and by the time I got into belgium I'd have to stop again and fill it back up and then we got over to normandy.
I'd have to stop again and fill it back up. That's the version of catholicism. Grace is something that's Stemming into a declaration. It's like medicine. It's like fuel you get Fill up with baptism and then throughout the week you run out of gas you come back on sunday and you have the mass again.
Etc. And it all starts with baptism. My question to you if it's faith believe the lord Jesus christ and you shall be saved that's faith alone. So why add baptism and for me I don't have to only pick on catholics for me.
It was baptism when I was a lutheran. It's faith alone. What are you trusting in to stand before god? Because what what the bible wants you to do is to get away from yourself because I have bad motives sinful motives fallible things.
I've sinned. I do sin. How can I have my sin stand before god? I can't I need another vatican .va website catechism of the catholic church. Baptism is also called the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the holy spirit 12 57 the lord himself affirms that baptism is necessary for salvation 12 63 by baptism all sins are forgiven original and personal as well as all punishment for sin.
Well, let's like look at romans chapter 4 and see What the biblical mandate is? Is it sola fide or is it faith plus? You may have asked yourself the question how is anybody saved in the old testament?
This is the answer. How is anybody ever saved? This is the answer. If I heck if I must enter heaven on god's terms, what are the terms? This is the answer. And when you look at it says abraham justified by faith even in my liner notes of the bible.
The star don't forget isn't abraham. It's the one abraham believes in. Faith alone our faith plus circumcision. There's nothing in here about baptism, but everything here is a circumcision. Is it faith plus a religious ordinance prescribed by god?
Or is it faith alone? For abraham, is it faith plus circumcision? Or is it faith alone for our modern day application? Is it faith plus baptism our faith alone? Faith plus my parents faith our faith alone.
Verse one of romans four what then shall we say was gained by abraham our forefather according? To the flesh. So paul asks these questions and paul is so brilliant. He can see the hand going up in class and the hand's going to go up in class and says you know.
What if you're saying paul that no one gets to heaven based on their own righteousness? Well, I think abraham. I think he maybe did Abraham, didn't he get to heaven by keeping the law? And paul's going to say that's not correct, but this is what he's anticipating.
And if you're a jew do you love father abraham? When you read the new testament how many people uh, how many times is there a reference to abraham over and over and over? Remember when my kids were little father abraham had many sons.
And i'm like, you know, like all songs they just dive into and spiral down into bad theology. So I had to rescue that song. Here's how I rescued it. Obviously not by singing it father abraham and many sons.
Many sons had father abraham. I'm, one of them and so are you if you believe so, let's just praise the lord. Paul's anticipating this objection father abraham. He's in he kept the law. He got circumcised.
That's why he's in it's not faith alone. And you can just hear you mean to tell me I can live any way I want to as long as I can. As long as I believe. No, i'm telling you. As long as you believe and trust in the work of another you will be saved.
They loved abraham. He's the embodiment of salvation. But paul knew these jews thought justification by faith plus works. Here's some jewish writings. Quote at that time this has nothing to do with the old testament, but just traditions of the jews.
Apocalypse of barack taught at that time the unwritten law was named among them and the works of the commandment were then fulfilled. Before even moses had given the law abraham kept that law completely.
Ecclesiasticus not ecclesiastes. Said abraham kept the law of the most high and was taken into covenant with god. Therefore god assured him by an oath that the nation should be blessed in his seed. One of the mishnah said Abraham was blessed because he obeyed me and kept my charge my commandments my statutes and my laws.
How do you get to heaven by obeying? I just have a side rejoined her so abraham obeyed was that the first time he said sleep with my wife. She's my sister are the second. To obey all the law not just externally.
Remember jesus wants the heart of the matter. Book of jubilees abraham was perfect in all his deeds. The prayer of manassas. God didn't appoint repentance to abraham. Why. Because he kept the law. Did he verse two?
For if abraham was justified by works by law keeping. By getting righteousness by him personally obeying what god said. He has something to boast about. But not before god. Abraham would be in heaven saying I did it.
I kept the law. I perfectly obeyed. But there's no basis for that because standing before god you can't work your way to heaven. Well, what does scripture say? Maybe that would be helpful. Verse three.
Paul appeals to scripture thankfully. What does the scripture? Say if you were to say what does the scripture say? What does the bulk of the old testament say but he he has a particular verse he's honing in on what does scripture say.
Literally what he means is what does genesis 15 6 say? Here's what 15 6 says genesis 15 6 abraham believed god. He trusted in god. He relied on god. He he entrusted himself to god and it was counted. This is justification by faith alone.
Language. It was counted to him as righteousness. And Wonderfully in the greek that word believed Is put in a position in the greek sentence that it's it's leading. It's up front so you can't miss it.
Abraham relied on god. He trusted in god. It's not faith and faith it's not abraham's faithfulness. Faith has an object and that object was the messiah. Who even back in genesis chapter 3 was talked about?
I love john 8 56. Jesus said abraham rejoiced to see my day the day of the messiah. Jesus said and he saw it and was glad. Abraham was looking forward to the messiah that would come he was trusting in god's promises.
Abraham's faith wasn't the ground for his salvation. Why are you in heaven abraham? Because I myself believed. No, no, that's that's the ground of something that can't be he would have something to boast in.
But the channel the means that god gives him righteousness is through his faith. And god says to sinful abraham the moon god not long ago. Worshiping nanar the moon god and he says in my sight you're justified.
Based on the work of another I see you as perfect. This person abraham is righteous in my sight. Paul goes on verse four now to the one who works. You get a paycheck his wages are not counted as a gift, but as his due.
You've heard many pastors explain it this way. You work all week and the boss Calls you into his office at friday at 501 says by the way. You've been a hard worker this week, and I have a gift for you.
Oh great. Here's your paycheck. No, no, I I earned that. His wages aren't counted as a gift, but it was due but abraham received something as a gift. Righteousness god's righteousness. And if you could get to heaven by having jesus not die in the cross.
Then maybe I would understand it. But why have jesus die if you could get there on your own just by circumcision just by baptism. Verse five. And to the one who does not work. We're talking about for salvation.
We're not talking about your job your nine-to-five job, but the one who doesn't work for salvation. But believes in him. You say the words alone not there. Well, yes, it is. Theologically, it's there but believes in him.
No work. No work, but faith faith alone. No works. Who justifies the ungodly? So you don't have to be better to be saved. He he justified people who ungodly his faith his faith in the messiah is counted as righteousness.
And if you want to describe mike avendroth before I was saved. Probably the best word you could use is I was ungodly. The way god thought. I didn't think. How god was holy. I was unholy. What I did wasn't like god.
My words weren't like god and that was the exact same thing with abraham. That was the exact same thing for noah. But what god does is says here's the promises that I have for you. And the response of abraham was I believe.
That's the doctrine of faith alone. And everything in us wants to say no. No, no, that's not how it works. We work we contribute we we do things. You get because you give. What goes around comes around work hard karma and the list goes on.
But abraham was ungodly. He was a pagan. And god just blessed him anyway. I mean, isn't this the gospel? God justifies the ungodly by the way, if you're here today and you say to yourself I have committed so many sins.
I'm, i'm not a christian, but i've committed so many sins god could never forgive me. Because in my heart of hearts in those quiet moments in places that no one ever knew that I went to I am Sinning so much god could never accept me.
And you know what the bible says God justifies people just like you who are ungodly. I mean, why was noah picked? To be the standard bearer in the ark and you say because he was blameless and upright in the sight of the lord.
No. He was running around like everybody else a pagan but the text says what he found favor in god's eyes. Don't ever let anyone tell you you're too sinful to believe in the lord. Jesus christ and be forgiven.
I can think of somebody else who was sinful and god forgave. And isn't he a hero of the faith. Verse six. Just as david also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom god counts. Righteousness apart from works friends.
That is faith alone. He counts righteousness apart from works. You can't say abraham's the He he's the one that's you know, the exception to the clause. No, no david too. What about david? Here's a comparison just as.
And there's lots of reckon and imputing language both in genesis 15 and now in psalm 32. How can david stand before god approved? Can you imagine on that day standing before god david? I approve you now.
Remember god is so holy. Every sin has to be taken care of. David can't get to heaven with one sin. Let alone adultery let alone murder let alone Cowardness let alone let alone let alone. But god can look at abraham abraham and david and say based on the work of jesus the last adam I accept him.
Through faith. And you see that in verse seven. Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven. Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven. And whose sins are covered? Have you ever broke the law and got in trouble for it?
And the judge just said forgiven. I think you'd be happy. In europe you drive around and they don't have a lot of policemen there in germany, but they have cameras everywhere. So when you speed you get your picture taken and uh I was just hoping a lot of my pictures weren't would not be sent to christian andreessen as I borrowed his car.
And so I got to back to his house after one of our excursions and he put some mail out for me. I have no german address. But merkel knows where I live. And I opened it up and I thought I know I was feeding.
I'll just pay. And I opened it up. It was for the ikea family pass. I made it so happy. This isn't just a regular lawless deeds. You get caught cheating on your taxes and they give you a deferral. They give you Forgiveness, this is before god.
Who's a blessed person no matter what you're going through no matter what's going on in your life this week. Particularly wednesday at 10 o 'clock in the morning. Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven.
How'd you like to be forgiven? Whose sins are covered? Your sins are hurled away cast away put off. No wonder micah says who's a god like you who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of his remnant.
Who's a god like you. Who forgives? Verse eight blessed is the man against whom the lord will not count his sin. Remember augustine what a wicked sinner he was. Augustine running around. With all kinds of loose ladies and prostitutes.
And augustine realizes, you know, I I know I shouldn't do this lord. I want continence sexually, but not yet. That was his prayer to god and then god saved augustine. And he took a little piece of wood and engraved Romans 4 8 and put it at the edge of his bed.
So when every night he went to bed. He looked and saw blessed is the man against whom the lord will not count his sin credited to jesus account were his sins. You say but what about these works issues what about circumcision.
I mean baptism's in the bible. Well, very good parallel here verses 9 and following circumcision is prescribed in the bible as well. We're not making up some kind of weird church Ceremony that's not in the bible both baptism and circumcision in the bible.
Do they contribute to your salvation or is it faith? Alone verse 9. Is this blessing then only for the circumcised or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to abraham as righteousness.
You can see paul is talking to that person who's maybe raising his hand, uh, don't forget i've read the bible paul and abraham was circumcised. That right makes us. That right rite gives us a right standing with god right.
Well, how will paul answer that. Don't forget in this melu of of circumcision that was going on in paul's day. They taught that if you were circumcised, you'd never die and go to hell. Rabbi menachem our rabbis have said that no uncircumcised man will ever see hell.
They even taught That if a jew got into idolatry That before god would send them to hell. He would uncircumcise him. Because if you're circumcised, you're certainly not going to go to hell really. Verse 10.
How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? Here's what paul is saying. What's first in the bible genesis 15 or genesis 17. Because genesis 15 is when god declared abraham righteous through faith alone and genesis 17 is when he got baptized and so paul is saying have you forgotten which comes first?
He answers verse 10. It was not after but before he was circumcised. And when you hear things you go to a mass a funeral mass and one of the first things you hear besides Greetings or a prayer is we know this person's in heaven because of what?
Because they've been baptized. Really. Not while circumcised but while uncircumcised. Verse 11. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of righteousness. This is important, but it's not salvific that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.
That's all it is is a seal a sign. The purpose was to make him the father of all who what believe without being circumcised. So that righteousness could be counted to them as well. This is just an evidence.
This circumcision is that I belong to god and I believe his promise. That's all that is to mean verse 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who not merely circumcised. But who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father abraham had before he was circumcised.
Now time is going to prevent us from going through the whole chapter. But I want you just to see the faith that abraham had. I love the way romans 4 describes Abraham's faith not his works not his good deeds.
Not anything else verse 20. What what's saving faith like? What's a real trust in god like hebrews? What's a real rest upon christ like no unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of god. Even though he's old even though he cannot have children.
He didn't what does the king james say? I can just hear my brother-in-law steve say it. He staggered not at the promise of god. But grew strong in his faith as he gave him glory. You want to know what real faith is fully convinced that god was able to do what he had promised?
That's what faith is. I'm trusting my entire life. Yea my eternity on jesus's claim that he's the eternal god who lived a perfect life who died for my sins and was raised from the dead and Frankly, if jesus is a liar i'm ready to go to hell.
Are you? In other words i'm trusting only in him. I have no other hope because every other hope boils down to this. I stand before god and I hope my good outweighs my bad and friends I'm telling you they won't because you stand there with one sin.
James 2 10. And you're held guilty of all. Even if you stop sinning today and never sin again in the future. You still have to pay for all those sins. Friends if god could get you to heaven any other way.
I mean god is merciful and compassionate and gracious and he wants people to come to his heavenly holy heaven. But he cannot compromise his justice or his holiness. So, how do you get wicked sinful ungodly people to heaven.
Well just get circumcised just get baptized just have last rites. You see how that demeans the work of jesus. Do you see how that taints everything everything I touch? It's like I have pitch on my hands you ever get tar or pitch sometimes I I think it's about that time of year again.
You redo your driveway with all the black. Um, what's it called sealant last year? I thought I was going to really do a good job. And instead of buying the cheapest thing and putting it as thin as possible I got like the extra five year plus stuff.
And I just lathered that thing on. I slathered that thing on. I was all happy I didn't do things like the cheap avondroth way. Let's just cut corners, you know when possible. That thing still isn't looking awful this year.
I was duped my original strategy was much better. Cheap is better. Some things cheap is better. Some things it's not. I tried to keep that stuff off my shoes. The star the tar sealant. I tried to keep it off my Legs, I tried to keep it off my shorts.
I tried to keep it off my hands. But if you just look at the old broomstick deal squeegee thing that I had it's everywhere. And it's like i'm trying to get rid of my own sins and it just keeps multiplying and multiplying.
That's exactly what works righteousness does and so abraham could never make it. David could never make it. Adam could never make it. Sarah could never make it. Paul could never make it because if you've got one sin.
You're not going to make it. What a lie for the devil to just go just have some water put on your head when you're a kid you're good to go. Really? If you're here today and you're a roman catholic. Can't you as you read romans 4 say?
Well, I might not like it. It does say faith alone. I'm still trusting in what my priest says, but it still says faith alone. What did paul say to the jailer? Believe on the lord jesus christ and you will what?
Be saved. Does that sound like faith alone to you? What about the thief on the cross far away from water? Does that sound like faith alone. What could the thief contribute? And again, I can feel the pressure because we live in crazy world.
And crazy world is don't ever criticize anyone because it's unloving friends. If you just let your catholic friends go to hell and never tell them don't trust in baptism because it's faith alone. Then i'm not the unloving one you are.
And if you're a catholic and you don't try to convince me that your way is right. I'm not the unloving one you are. This is no game. And it affects evangelicals. Oh, you know what I prayed the prayer.
Decisional regeneration. I asked jesus in my heart. He has to save me. We're good to go. I go live like hell really. But see I know you because I am one of you i'm weak and this mind that god has given me for creativity.
Think about how people compose music and art. We are so creative because we've been made in god's image and likeness. But what do we then do our creative minds come up with machinations to figure out I don't really care what god says.
I'll get to heaven on my own. And we even then begin to think my faith is the one that saves. Faith is not the cause of your salvation. It's a gift Philippians 1 29 for unto you it is given in behalf of christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.
For by grace you've been saved through faith. That's not because of faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of god. The instrument of our salvation is faith, but the ground. Is christ's work?
We have evidence in our life of fruit. That's certainly true, but the fruit has nothing to do with Justification. So I ask you Are you trusting in anything except jesus for your salvation? Spurgeon remember this or you may fall into error by fixing your mind so much upon the faith.
Which is the channel of salvation as to forget the grace, which is the foundation and source even of faith itself. Faith is the work of god's grace in us. No man comes to me says jesus except the father who sent me draws him.
So that faith which is coming to christ is the result of divine drawing. Grace is the first and last moving cause of salvation and faith essential as it is Is only an important part of the machinery which god's grace employs.
We are saved through faith. But salvation is by grace. Sound forth those words as with the archangel's trumpet by grace. You are saved. What glad tidings for the undeserving? And I rejoice that god's grace could find out a man like me.
Enslaved in the lutheran system that says as long as you're baptized you're good. And if god can open my eyes to faith alone, he can open your eyes and your neighbor's eyes true. Because god loves to save sinners.
He wants sinners to bow the knee because why have his son do that if it was for no reason? Jesus's death on the cross was not merely an act of love. Although it was. It was so that god could uphold his standards and say I can be both holy.
And gracious at the same time. Let's pray. I thank you father for these words found in romans 4. I pray for those who are trusting in jesus alone today to rejoice. There's nothing they have to add to stand in your presence believing in jesus and his promises.
That's the channel. I pray for those who do not believe for whatever reason maybe young. Maybe visiting maybe a member. Holding on to something. I just pray. That you would let them see those somethings are tainted by sin and just let them go and rest in your son.
And father I pray. I pray for my dear catholic friends and neighbors. That they could see free grace for what it is. Exactly that and they would believe by faith alone in his name we pray. Amen.