Modernized by Cliff Collins
This
passage is also expressed in the same way in the 3rd chapter of Romans. The subject of tonight’s message is
Justification by Faith. I will pursue
this discussion in the following order:
I.
What is justification by law, or legal justification?
II.
By the deeds of the law, no flesh can be justified.
III.
What is gospel justification?
IV.
What is the effect of gospel justification, or the state into which gospel
justification brings a person that is justified?
V.
Gospel justification is by faith.
VI.
I will answer some questions.
I.
What is legal justification?
1.
Legal justification in its general legal sense means ‘not guilty’. To justify an individual legally is to
declare that he is not guilty of any breach of the law. It is proclaiming that he has committed no
crime. It is pronouncing that he is
innocent.
2.
Technical justification is a form of pleading to a criminal charge, where the
individual who is charged with a crime admits it, but brings forward an excuse
on which he claims that he had a right to do as he did, or that he is not
blameworthy. Thus, if a person is
charged with murder, the plea of justification admits that he killed the man,
but alleges either that it was done in self-defense and he had a right to kill
him, or that it was by an unavoidable accident and that he could not help
it. In either situation, the plea of
justification admits the fact, but denies the guilt on the ground that the
person involved has a sufficient excuse.
II.
“By the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” (Gal 2:16)
This is true under any form of justification.
1.
Under the legal form of justification, the burden of proof is on the accuser
who is required to prove the facts charged.
In this case, he only has to prove that a crime has been committed
once. If he is able to prove that the
crime was committed at least once, the individual is guilty. He cannot be justified in any way by the
law. He is found guilty. He is not in a position to argue that he has
done more good than harm, or that he has kept God’s law longer than he has
broken it, but he must clearly show that he has fulfilled every jot and tittle
of the law. Who can be justified by the
law in this way? No one!
2.
Under the technical form of justification, the burden of proof lies on the one
who makes the plea. When he pleads his case for justification, he admits the
alleged fact, and therefore he must make his excuse good, or fail. There are two points to consider. Whatever he pleads as an excuse must be
true, and he must have a good and sufficient excuse for justification, not some
frivolous apology, or an excuse that does not fit the situation. If that person’s excuse is false, or if it
is insufficient, and especially if it accuses the court or government of
misconduct, it is an infamous aggravation of his offence. Now, you will see the importance of this remark
as we continue.
I
will now mention some of the most important reasons that sinners use for justification,
and I will show what is the true nature and bearing of these excuses, and the
light in which they stand before God. I
don’t have time to discuss all these pleas, but will only share two excuses
that are good excuses if they are true, and two excuses that are true but
worthless.
(1.)
Sinners often point to their sinful nature to justify their sins.
This
excuse is a good one if it is true. If
what they claim is true, that God has given us a nature that is sinful all by
itself, and as a result, all the necessary deeds of our nature are sin, it is a
good excuse for sin. In the presence of
heaven and earth and on the Day of Judgment, it would be a good argument in
favor of justification. God must
annihilate all rational thoughts in the universe before anyone will ever blame
you for sin, or if God made you sin, or if He gave you a nature that is sinful
all by itself. How can your nature be
sinful? What is sin? Sin is a transgression of the law. (I John 3:4) There is no other sin but this.
Now, does the law say you must not have the nature that you have? Definitely not!
The
fact is, this doctrine of a sinful nature overlooks the difference between sin
and the occasion of sin. Our bodily
appetites and constitutional susceptibilities of our body and mind, when
strongly excited, become occasions for sin.
The same was true with Adam. No
one believes that Adam had a sinful nature.
But he had, by his constitution, an appetite for food and a desire for
knowledge. These appetites and desires
were not sinful, but were as God made them, and were necessary to prepare him
to live in this world as a subject of God’s moral government. But the excitement of these natural desires,
as you know, led to prohibited indulgence, and thus, they became the occasion
of his sinning against God. His
appetites and desires were innocent all by themselves, but he yielded to them
in a sinful manner, and that was his sin.
When we talk about our sinful nature as a justification, we confuse
these innocent appetites and susceptibilities with sin itself. When we do this, we charge God foolishly,
and accuse Him of giving us a sinful nature, when in fact our nature with all
its elements, is essential for us to be a moral agent. God has made our nature as well as it could
be made, and perfectly adapted it to the circumstances that we live in here on
earth. (Ps 139:14) The truth is, our nature is just fine, and
is just as able to love and obey God, as it is to hate and disobey Him. Sinner!
The day is not too far away, when you will know whether this is a good excuse
or not. Then you will know whether you
can face your Maker with this excuse in your hand; and when He charges you with
sin, turn round and throw the blame back on Him.
Now,
what influence did Adam’s sin have in producing the sin of his posterity? I answer, Adam’s sin has subjected us to
aggravated temptation, but his sin has, by no means, made our nature sinful in
itself.
2.
The second excuse that falls into this category is inability. This is also a good excuse if it is
true. If sinners are unable to obey
God, this is a good plea to use to justify themselves. When you are charged with sin, when you are
charged with not obeying the laws of God, all you have to do is to show, if you
can, by good proof, that God has required you to do something that you are not
able to perform, and the whole intelligent universe will resound with the verdict
of not guilty. If you have no natural
power to obey God, every intelligent creature must give this verdict, or cease
to be reasonable beings. A first law of
reason is that nobody can be required to do what he has no power to do.
Suppose
God required you to undo something that you have done. This, everyone will see, is a natural
impossibility. I remember the saying,
“You can’t put an egg back together after you’ve stepped on it.” Now, can you be guilty for not undoing
something that you’ve done? God
requires repentance of past sins, and not that you should undo them. Now, suppose it was your duty, on the first
of January, to warn a certain sinner, but he is now dead. Are you now under obligation to warn that
individual? No. That is impossible. All that God can now require is that you
should repent. It never can be your
duty now, to warn that individual who died.
God may hold you responsible for not doing your duty to him when it was
in your power. But it would be absurd
for God to require you to do what it is not in your power to do.
This
excuse is false! It throws the blame of
tyranny on God, and makes the offense even worse. If God requires you to do what you have no power to do, it is
tyranny. We know that what God requires
you to do is under the penalty of eternal death. If God threatens you with an infinite penalty for not doing what
you have no power to do, then He is an infinitely wicked tyrant. Therefore, this excuse charges God with
infinite tyranny, and is not only insufficient for the sinner’s justification,
but it also makes his sin even worse.
Let
us change this situation a little.
Suppose God requires you to repent for not doing what you never had any
natural ability to do. You must either
repent, then, of not doing what you had no natural power to do, or you must go
to hell. Now, you cannot repent of
this, nor can He make you repent of it. What is repentance? It is to blame yourself and justify
God. But, if you had no power, you
can’t blame yourself or justify God. It
is naturally impossible for a rational being to blame himself for not doing
what he knows he had no power to do.
Nor can you justify God. Until
the laws of everyone’s minds are reversed, the verdict of all intelligent
beings must declare that it is infinitely wicked and tyrannical to require
anything that is powerless to perform.
Suppose
God required you to repent for not flying.
By what process can He make you blame yourself for not flying when you
know that you have no wings and no power to fly? If He could fool you into believing that you had the power and
make you believe a lie, then you might repent.
But what sort of behavior is that for God to take with his creatures?
What
do you mean, sinner, by using that kind of an excuse? Do you mean that you want God to declare that you have never
sinned? You strangely contradict
yourself, when you admit that you should repent, and in the next breath, you
say have no power to repent. You should
stand your ground one way or the other.
If you seriously want to rely on this excuse, then come out with it in
full, and take your stand before God and say, “Lord, I am not going to repent
at all. I am not under any obligation
to repent, for I have no power to obey Your law. Therefore I plead not guilty, because I have never sinned!”
Which
of these ways can justify any one of you?
Will you, dare you rely on this excuse, and throw the blame back on God?
3.
Another excuse which sinners offer for their continued unrepentance is their
wicked heart.
This
excuse is true, but it is not good enough.
The first two excuses that I mentioned were good if they were true, but
they were false. This excuse is true,
but it is not an acceptable excuse.
What is a wicked heart? A wicked
heart does not refer to the bodily organ that we call our heart, but a wicked
heart is the affection of our soul, our wicked disposition, feelings, thoughts,
and intentions. If these will justify
you, they will also justify the devil.
Isn’t his heart as wicked as anybody’s heart? Suppose you commit murder, and you stand before the judge with
this excuse: “It is true,” you say, “that I killed the man, but then I have
such a thirst for blood, and such a hatred of mankind, that I cannot help
committing murder whenever I have an opportunity.” “Horrible!” the judge would exclaim, “Horrible! Let the gallows be set up immediately, and
let this fellow be hung before I leave the bench; such a wretch should not live
one hour. Such a plea! Why, that is the very reason why he should
be hung. If he has such a thirst for
blood, than no one is safe.” This is
the sinner’s plea, that because he has a wicked heart, then he is justified in
his sin. “Out of your own mouth will I
condemn you, you wicked servant.” (See
Matt 18:32-36, 24:48-52))
4.
Another great excuse that people make is the conduct of Christians.
Ask
any one of your neighbors why he or she is not religious, and most of them will
immediately point to the conduct of Christians as his excuse. “These Christians,” he will say, “are no
better than anybody else. When I see
them practice what they preach, then I might attend to religion.” Thus, he hides behind the sins of
Christians. His own words reveal that
he knows how Christians should live, and therefore he cannot plead that he has
sinned through ignorance. But, what is
the ground of justification? I admit
the fact, that Christians behave very badly, and do a lot that is completely
contrary to their profession. But is
that a good excuse for you? Just the
opposite! This is one of the strongest
reasons why you should be religious.
You know so well how Christians should live, you should set an
example. If you had followed them
ignorantly, because you did not know any better, and had fallen into sin in
that way, it would be a different situation.
But the plea, as it stands, shows that you know they are wrong, which is
the very reason why you should do right, and exert a better influence than they
do. Instead of following them and doing
wrong because they do, you should separate yourselves from them, rebuke them,
pray for them, and try to lead them to a better way. This excuse, then, is true in fact, but it cannot be
justified. You only make it an excuse
for charging God foolishly, and instead of clearing you, it only adds to your
dreadful, damning guilt. A fine excuse
this is; to hide behind some deacon, or some elder in the church, and from
there shoot your arrows of malice and accusations at God!
Who
among you, then, can be justified by the law?
Who has kept the law? Who has a
good excuse for breaking the law? Who
dares to stand at the judgment seat of God with these excuses, and face his
Maker with such apologies?
III.
I will show what Gospel Justification is.
First,
Negatively.
1.
Gospel Justification is not the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ.
Under
the gospel, sinners are not justified by having the obedience of Jesus Christ
credited to their account, as if He had obeyed the law in place of them. It is a common error to believe that when sinners
are justified under the gospel, they are seen as righteous in the eye of the
law by having the obedience or righteousness of Christ imputed to them. I don’t have the time to examine this subject
now. I can only say that this idea is
absurd and impossible because Jesus Christ was required to obey the law for
Himself, and could no more obey on our behalf, than anybody else can. It was His duty to love the Lord His God,
with all His heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love His neighbor as
himself. If He had not done so, He
would have sinned. The only work that
He could perform on our behalf was to submit to the sufferings that were not
deserved. This is called His obedience
unto death, and this is credited to our account. But if His obedience of the law were credited to our account, why
would we be called on to repent and obey the law ourselves? Would not God exact double service, yes,
triple service, first to have the law obeyed by Jesus who assumes the
responsibility to obey for us, then have Jesus suffer the penalty for our
disobedience, and then have us repent and obey God ourselves? God never demands any such thing. God does not require that the obedience of
another should be credited to us. All
we owe is perpetual obedience to the law of love. And for this there can be no substitute. If we fail to do this, we must endure the
penalty, or receive a free pardon.
2.
Justification by faith does not mean that faith is accepted as a substitute for
personal holiness, or that faith is credited to us instead of personal
obedience to the law.
Some
believe that justification is this: that God sets aside the need for personal
holiness, arbitrarily does away with the requirement of the law, and gives us
faith as a substitute. However, this is
not the way. Faith is accounted for
just what it is, and not for something that it is not. Abraham’s faith was credited to him for
righteousness, because his faith was itself an act of righteousness, and because
his faith worked by love, his faith produced holiness. Justifying faith is holiness, as far as it
goes, and produces holiness of heart and life, and justifying faith is imputed
to the believer as holiness, not instead of holiness.
3.
Nor does justification by faith imply that a sinner is justified by faith
without good works, or personal holiness.
Some
believe that justification is by faith only, and it has nothing to do with good
works or holiness. They draw this
conclusion from what Paul said, where he insisted on justification by faith so
strongly. But remember that Paul was
opposing the error of the Jews who expected to be justified by obeying the
law. In opposition to this error, Paul
insisted that justification is by faith, without works of the law. He did not mean that good works are
unnecessary for justification, but that works of law are not good works, because
they spring from legal considerations, from hope and fear, and not from a faith
that works by love. After Paul wrote
this, the false theory, that justification is only by faith, began creeping
into the church. Later, James took up
this matter, and showed them that they had misunderstood Paul. To show this, James looks at Abraham’s
situation. “Was not Abraham our father
justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together
with his works, and works made faith perfect?
And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and
it was accounted to him for righteousness.’
And he was called the friend of God.
You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith
only.” (James 2:21-24) Many people thought that this epistle
contradicted Paul, and some of the ancient churches rejected it for that
reason. However, they overlooked the
fact that Paul was speaking about one kind of works, and James was speaking
about another kind of works. Paul was
speaking of works performed from legal motives. But, Paul always insisted that good works sprang from faith, or
the righteousness of faith, and is indispensable to salvation. All that he says is that works of law, or
works based on legal motives have nothing to do with justification. And James teaches the same thing when he
teaches that men are justified, not by works nor by faith alone, but by faith together
with the works that are based on faith; or as Paul says it, faith that works by
love. Please remember that I am talking
about gospel justification, which is very different from legal justification.
Second,
Positively.
4.
Gospel justification, or justification by faith, consists in pardon and
acceptance by God.
When
we say that people are justified by faith and holiness, we do not mean that
they are accepted on the ground of law, but that they are treated as if they
were righteous because of their faith and works of faith. This is how God justifies a sinner. Faith is not the foundation of our
justification. The foundation of our
justification is in Christ. But the way
sinners are pardoned, accepted, and justified, is that if they repent, believe,
and become holy, their past sins shall be forgiven for the sake of Christ.
Justification
under the gospel differs from justification under the law. Justification under the law, or legal
justification, is a declaration of actual innocence and freedom from
blame. Gospel justification is pardon
and acceptance, as if a person was righteous, but on grounds other than his own
obedience. When the apostle says, “By
works of the law shall no flesh be justified” (Gal 2:16), he uses the word
‘justification’ like a lawyer would use it, in a strictly legal sense. However, when he speaks about justification
by faith, he is not talking about legal justification, but about a person who
is being treated as if he were righteous.
IV.
The results of this method of justification; or the state into which it brings
those who are justified.
1.
When an individual is pardoned, the penalty of the law is released. The first effect of a pardon is to set aside
the execution of the penalty of the law.
The pardon admits that the penalty was deserved, but sets it aside. Then, as far as punishment is concerned, the
individual no longer has to fear the law.
It is just like he had never transgressed the law. He is completely set free. Those, then, who are justified by true
faith, as soon as they are pardoned they no longer need to be influenced by
fear or punishment. The penalty is so
effectively set aside, it is as if it had never existed.
2.
A pardon removes all the liabilities incurred when the law was broken, such as
forfeiting certain goods, or not being able to be a witness, or to hold any
government office. A real pardon removes
all of these, and restores the individual back to where he was before he
transgressed. So, under the government
of God, the pardoned sinner is restored to God’s favor. He is brought back into a new relationship,
and stands before God and is treated by God, as far as the law is concerned, as
if he were innocent. The pardon does
not suppose or declare him truly innocent, but it restores him to the same
state as if he were innocent.
3.
Another operation of pardon under God’s government is that the individual is
restored to sonship. In other words, it
brings him into such a relationship with God, that he is received and treated
as truly a child of God.
Suppose
the son of an earthly king had committed murder, and was convicted and condemned
to die. A pardon, then, would not only
deliver him from death, but also restore him to his place in the family. God’s children have all gone astray, and
entered into the service of the devil; but the moment a pardon is issued to
them, they are brought back; they receive a spirit of adoption, are sealed
heirs of God, and restored to all the privileges of children of God.
4.Justification
also secures all the grace that we need for God to rescue us out of the snare
of the devil, and all the innumerable entanglements caused by sin.
Beloved,
if God simply pardoned you, and then left you to work your way out of sin by
yourselves, your pardon would be useless.
If a child runs away from his father’s house, wanders into a forest, and
falls into a deep pit, and the father finds him and decides to save him. If he only pardons him for running away,
what good would that be if he doesn’t lift him up out of the pit and lead him
out of the forest. The same is true in
God’s plan of redemption. Whatever
helps and aids that you need are all guaranteed if you believe. If God undertakes to save you, He pledges
all the light, grace, and help that are necessary to break the chains of Satan
and the entanglements of sin, and lead you back to your Father’s house.
I
know when individuals first break down under a sense of sin, and their hearts
gush out with tenderness, they look over their past lives, they feel condemned,
and they see that it is all wrong.
Then, they break down at God’s feet and give themselves up to Jesus
Christ. They rejoice greatly in the
idea that they have dealt with sin. But
after a while they begin to feel the pressure of their old habits and former
influences. They see so much that needs
to be done before they overcome them all, that they often get discouraged, and
cry, “Oh, what shall I do, with so many enemies to meet, and so little strength
of resolution or firmness of purpose to overcome them?” Let me tell you, beloved, that if God has
undertaken to save you, you have only to keep near to Him, and He will carry
you through. You don’t need to fear
your enemies. Though the heavens should
thunder, the earth should rock, and the elements melt, you don’t have to
tremble, or fear enemies without or within.
Because God is for you, who can be against you? “Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is
also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession
for us.” (Romans 8:34)
5.
Justification enlists all the divine attributes in your favor, as much as if
you had never sinned.
See
that holy angel, sent on an errand of love to some distant part of the
universe. God’s eye follows him, and if
He sees him in danger of being injured in any way, all of God’s attributes are
enlisted at once to protect and sustain him.
Just as absolutely are they all pledged for you, if you are justified,
to protect, support, and save you. In
spite of the fact that you are not free from the possibility of committing sin,
and that you are so totally unworthy of God’s love, yet if you are truly
justified, the only wise and eternal God is pledged for your salvation. And shall you tremble and be faint-hearted
with such support?
If
a human government pardons a criminal, the government is then pledged to
protect him as a subject, just as if he had never committed a crime. The same is true when God justifies a
sinner. The apostle Paul says, “Being
justified by faith, we have peace with God”.
(Romans 5:1) From that time
forward, God is on his side, and God pledges Himself as his faithful and
eternal Friend.
Gospel
justification differs from legal justification in this respect: If the law
justifies an individual, it only lasts as long as the individual remains
innocent. As soon as he transgresses
once, his former justification is no good.
But when the gospel justifies a sinner, it’s a little different. But “if any man sin, we have an Advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous”.
(I John 2:1) A new and peculiar
relationship is now established. The
sinner is now brought out from under the covenant of works, and placed under
the covenant of grace. He no longer
retains God’s favor by the tenure of absolute and sinless obedience. If he now sins, he is not thrust back again
under the law, but receives the benefit of the new covenant. If he is justified by faith; and is now a
child of God, he receives the treatment of a child, and is corrected,
chastised, humbled, and brought back again.
“The gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” The meaning of this passage is not that God
calls and saves the sinner without his repenting, but that God never changes
His mind (repents) when once He undertakes the salvation of a soul.
I
know many people think that this is a very dangerous doctrine, to teach that
believers are perpetually justified, because they think it will encourage
people to sin. Indeed! Imagine!
Telling someone who has truly repented of sin, heartily renounced sin,
and sincerely desires to be free from sin that God will help him and certainly
give him the victory over sin, will encourage him to commit sin! What strange logic that is! If this doctrine encourages anyone to commit
sin, it only shows that he never did repent; that he never hated sin, and never
loved God for His own sake, but only pretended to repent, and if he loved God
it was only a selfish love, because he thought that God would do him some favors. If he truly hated sin, the consideration
that in spite of all his unworthiness, God had received him as a child and
would treat him like a child is the very thing to break him down and melt his
heart in the godliest sorrow. Oh, how often
has the child of God melted in adoring wonder at the goodness of God in using
means to bring him back, instead of sending him to hell as he deserves! What consideration is calculated to bring him
lower in the dust than the thought that, in spite of everything that God had
done for him and the gracious help God was always ready to give him, he should
wander away again when his name was already written in the Lamb’s book of life!
6.
Gospel justification secures the discipline of the covenant. God has pledged Himself that if any who
belong to Christ go astray, He will use the discipline of the covenant, and
bring them back. In the 89th psalm, God
says, putting David for Christ, “If his sons forsake My law And do not walk in
My judgments, if they break My statutes And do not keep My commandments, then I
will visit their transgression with the rod, And their iniquity with
stripes. Nevertheless, My loving
kindness I will not utterly take from him, Nor allow My faithfulness to
fail. My covenant I will not break, nor
alter the word that has gone out of My lips.”
And
so, you see that professing Christians may always expect to be more readily
visited with God’s judgments if they stray from that narrow path, than the
impenitent would be if they strayed.
The sinner may grow fat, and live in riches, and die comfortably, all
according to God’s established principles of government. But let a child of God forsake his God, and
go after riches or any other worldly object, and as certain as he is a child,
God will smite him with His rod. And
when he is smitten and brought back, he will say with the Psalmist, “It is good
for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but
now I keep Your word.” (Psalms
119:71,67) Perhaps some of you have
known what it means to be afflicted in this way, and to feel that it was good.
7.
Another effect of gospel justification is to insure sanctification. Gospel justification not only insures all
the means of sanctification, but it insures the actual accomplishment of the
work, so that the individual, who is truly converted, will surely persevere in
obedience until he is prepared for heaven and actually saved.
V.
This is justification by faith.
Faith
is the medium by which the blessing is conveyed to the believer. The proof of this is in the Bible. Our passage today clearly says, “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”. (Gal 2:16) Justification by faith is mentioned too
often in the New Testament to need a detailed proof. It is clear from this passage, that if men are saved at all, they
must be justified in this way, and not by works of law, for “by the works of
the law shall no flesh be justified.”
VI.
I will now answer several questions that some of you may have concerning this
subject.
1.
“Why is justification said to be by faith, rather than by repentance, or love,
or any other grace.”
Answer. It is nowhere said that people are justified
or saved by faith as the ground of their pardon, but only that they are
justified by faith as the medium or instrument of their pardon. Faith is chosen as the instrument, rather
than any other exercise of our mind because of the nature and effect of
faith. No other exercise of our mind
could be used. What is faith? Faith is that confidence in God which leads
us to love and obey Him. We are
therefore justified by faith because we are sanctified by faith. Faith is the appointed instrument of our
justification, because it is the natural instrument of our sanctification. It is the instrument of bringing us back
into obedience, and therefore faith is designated as the means to obtain all
the blessings of that return. Faith is
not credited to us by some kind arbitrary act for what it is not, but for what
it is as the foundation of all our real obedience to God. This is the reason why faith is made the
medium through which pardon comes. It
is simply set down to us for what it really is; because faith first leads us to
obey God, from a principle of love to God.
Our sins are forgiven because of Christ. It is our duty to repent and obey God, and when we do so, this is
credited to us as what it is, holiness, or obedience to God. However, for the forgiveness of our past
sins, we must rely on Christ.
Therefore, justification is said to be by faith in Jesus Christ.
2.
The second question is very important “What is justifying faith? What must I believe, in order to be saved?”
Answer. (1) Negatively, justifying faith does not
consist in believing that your sins are forgiven. If that were necessary, you would have to believe your sins are
forgiven before you commit them. That
means you would have to believe a lie.
Remember, your sins are not forgiven until you believe. But if saving faith is believing that your
sins are already forgiven, it is believing something before it takes place,
which is absurd. You cannot believe
your sins are forgiven before you have evidence that they are forgiven; and you
cannot have evidence that they are forgiven until it is true that they are
forgiven, and they cannot be forgiven until you exercise saving faith. Therefore saving faith must be believing in
something other than that your sins are forgiven.
(2) Nor does saving faith consist in believing
that you shall be saved at all. You
have no right to believe that you shall be saved at all, until after you have
exercised justifying or saving faith.
But
(3), justifying faith consists in believing the atonement of Christ, or
believing the record which God has given of His Son.
Some
doubt that this definition is correct; and I confess my own mind has undergone
a change on this point. The Bible says
that Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. (Gal 3:1; James 2:23) But what did Abraham believe? He believed that he should have a son. Was this all? By no means! But his
faith included the great blessing that depended on that event, that the Messiah,
the Savior of the world, should spring from him. This was the great subject of the Abrahamic covenant, and it
depended on his having a son. Of
course, Abraham’s faith included the “Desire of all nations”, and that was
faith in Christ. (Haggai 2:7) The apostle Paul showed in the 3d chapter of
Galatians, that the sum of the covenant was, “In you all nations shall be
blessed.” (v. 8). In verse 16, he says, “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.”
Some
people say that not all the saints mentioned in the 11th chapter of Hebrews believed
in Christ. But if you look at this
chapter carefully, you will find that in every situation, faith in Christ is
either included in what they believed, or implied by it. Take the situation of Abel. “By faith Abel offered to God a more
excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was
righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still
speaks.” (Hebrews 11:4) Why was his sacrifice more excellent? Because, by offering the firstlings of his
flock, he recognized the need for the atonement, and that “without the shedding
of blood there is no remission of sin.”
(Hebrews 9:22) Cain was a proud
infidel, and offered the fruits of the ground, as a mere thank offering, for
the blessings of Providence, without any admission that he was a sinner and
needed an atonement as the ground on which he could hope for pardon.
Some
believe that an individual could exercise justifying faith while denying the
divinity and atonement of Jesus Christ.
I deny this. The whole sum and
substance of revelation, like converging rays, all center on Jesus Christ, His
divinity, and atonement. All that the
prophets and other writers of the Old Testament say about salvation points to
Him. All the Old and New Testament
types and shadows point to Him. All the
Old Testament saints were saved by faith in Him. Their faith terminated in the coming Messiah, just like the faith
of the New Testament saints terminated in the Messiah who had already
come. In the 15th chapter of 1
Corinthians, the apostle Paul shows what place he would assign to this
doctrine: “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried,
and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” Please notice that phrase, “first of
all”. It proves that Paul preached that
Christ died for sinners as the “first” or primary doctrine of the gospel. Therefore, you will find from one end of the
Bible to the other, that the attention of men was directed to this new and
living way as the only way of salvation.
This truth is the only truth that can sanctify men. They may believe a thousand other things,
but this is the great source of sanctification, “God in Christ, reconciling the
world unto himself”. (II Cor 5:19) Therefore, only this can be justifying
faith.
Many
other acts of faith may be right and acceptable to God. But, only believing the record that God has
given of His Son is justifying faith.
Simply believing what God has revealed on any point, is an act of faith;
but justifying faith fastens on Christ; it takes hold of His atonement, and it
embraces Him as the only ground of our pardon and salvation. There may be faith in prayer, the faith that
is exercised when offering up prevailing prayers to God. But that is not justifying faith.
3.
When are men justified?”
This
is also a popular question. I
answer: Just as soon as they believe in
Christ with the faith that works by love.
Sinner, you don’t have to go home from this meeting
tonight under the wrath of Almighty God.
You may be justified here, on the spot, right now, if you will only
believe in Christ. Your pardon is
ready, made out and sealed with the broad seal of heaven; and signed by
Almighty God, and the gracious pardon delivered as soon as, by one act of
faith, you receive Jesus Christ as He is offered in the gospel.
4.
“How can I know whether I am in a state of justification or not?”
Answer. The only way you can know it is by hints or
suggestions. God has not specifically
revealed it in the scriptures, that you, or anyone else, are justified; but he
has set down the characteristics of a justified person, and declared that all
who have these characteristics are justified.
(1.)
Do you have the witness of the Holy Spirit?
All who are justified have this.
They have fellowship with the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit explains the Scriptures to them, and leads them
to see their meaning. He leads them to
the Son and to the Father, and reveals the Son in them, and reveals the
Father. Do you have this? If you have, you are justified. If not, you are yet in your sins.
(2.)
Do you have the fruits of the Spirit?
They are love, joy, peace, and so on.
(See Gal 5:22-23) These are
matters of human consciousness. Do you
have them? If so, you are justified.
(3.)
Do you have peace with God? The apostle
says, “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God”. (Romans 5:1) Christ says to his disciples, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I
give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be
troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
(John 14:27) And again, “Come to
Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11:28) Do you find rest in Christ?
Is your peace like a river, flowing gently through your soul, and
filling you with calm and heavenly delight?
Or, do you still feel a sense of condemnation before God?
Do
you feel a sense of acceptance with God, of pardoned sin, of communion with
God? This must be a matter of
experience, if it exists. Don’t imagine
that you can be in a justified state and have no evidence of it. You may have great peace filling your soul,
and yet not conclude that you are justified.
I remember the time when my mind was in a state of such sweet peace that
it seemed to me as if all nature was listening for God to speak; but yet I did
not really know if this was the peace of God, or if it was evidence that I was
in a justified state. I thought I had
lost all my conviction, and actually tried to bring back the sense of
condemnation that I had before. I did
not conclude that I was justified, until after the love of God was so shed
abroad in my soul by the Holy Ghost, that I was compelled to cry out, “Lord, it
is enough, I can bear no more.” I do
not believe it is possible for the sense of condemnation to remain, when the
act of pardon is already past.
(4.)
Do you have the spirit of adoption? If
you are justified, you are also adopted as one of God’s dear children, and He
has sent forth His Spirit into your heart, so that you naturally cry, “Abba,
Father!” He seems to you just like a
Father, and you want to call Him Father.
Do you know what I am talking about?
It is one thing to call God your Father in heaven, and another thing to
feel towards Him as a Father. This is
one evidence of a justified state, when God gives you the spirit of adoption.
REMARKS.
I.
I would go around to all of you who are listening to me tonight, and ask you
one by one, “Are you in a state of justification? Do you honestly think you are justified?”
I
have briefly covered this subject, and I have showed you what justification is
not, and what it is. I have showed you
how you can be saved, and the evidences of justification. Do you have evidence that you are
saved? Would you dare to die now? Suppose the loud thunders of the last
trumpet were to shake the universe right now, and you should see the Son of God
coming in judgment. Are you ready? Could you look up calmly and say, “Father,
this is a solemn sight, but Christ has died, and God has justified me, and who
is he that shall condemn me?”
II.
If you think you ever were justified, and yet you do not currently have the
evidence of it, I want to ask you a question.
Are you under the discipline of God’s covenant? If not, do you have any reason to believe
you were ever justified? God’s covenant
with you, if you belong to Christ, is this:
“If they backslide, I will visit their iniquity with the rod, and
chasten them with stripes”. Do you feel
the stripes? Is God awakening your
mind, and convicting your conscience, that He is smiting you? If not, where are the evidences that He is
dealing with you as a son? If you are
not walking with God, and at the same time are not under chastisement, you
cannot have any good reason to believe you are God’s children.
III.
Those of you who have evidence that you are justified should maintain your
relationship with God, and live up to your real privileges. This is very important. There is no virtue in being distrustful and
unbelieving. It is important to your
growth in grace. One reason why many
Christians do not grow in grace is, that they are afraid to claim the
privileges of God’s children that belong to them. Believe me, beloved; this is no virtuous humility, it is criminal
unbelief. If you have the evidence that
you are justified, take advantage of it to press forward to holiness of heart,
come to God with all the boldness that an angel would, and know how near you
are to Him. It is your duty to do
so. Why should you hold back? Why are you afraid to recognize the covenant
of grace in its full extent? Here are
the provisions of your Father's house, all ready and free; and are you
converted and justified, and restored to His favor, and yet are you afraid to
sit down at your Father's table? Do not
plead that you are so unworthy. That is
nothing but self-righteousness and unbelief.
True, you are unworthy. But if
you are justified, that is no longer an obstacle. It is now your duty to receive those promises that belong to
you. Take any promise that you can find
in the Bible, that applies, and take it to your Father, and plead it before
Him, believing. Do you think He will
deny what He has promised you? These
exceeding great and precious promises were given to you for this very purpose,
that you may become a partaker of the divine nature. Why then should you doubt?
Come along, beloved, come up to the privileges that belong to you, and
take hold of the love, peace, and joy offered to you in this holy gospel.
IV.
If you are not in a state of justification, no matter how much you have done,
and prayed, and suffered, you are nothing.
If you have not believed in Christ, if you have not received and trusted
in Him as He is presented in the gospel, you are yet in a state of condemnation
and wrath. You may have been, for weeks
and months, and even for years, groaning in distress, but in spite of all of
that, you are still in the gall of bitterness.
Here you see the line drawn; the moment you cross that line, you are in
a state of justification.
Dear
listener, are you now in a state of wrath?
Believe in Christ right now. All
your waiting and groaning will not bring you any closer. Do you say you want more conviction? I tell you to come to Christ now. Do you say you must wait until you have
prayed more? What is the use of praying
in unbelief? Will the prayers of a
condemned rebel avail? Do you say you
are so unworthy? But Christ died for
just a person as you. He comes right to
where you are sitting at right now.
Where do you sit? Where is that
individual I am speaking to? Sinner,
you don’t need to wait. You don’t need
to go home in your sins, with a heavy load on your heart. Today is your day of salvation. Hear the word of God: “that if you confess
with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised
Him from the dead, you will be saved”. (Romans 10:9)
Do
you say, “What must I believe?” Believe
just what God says of His Son. Believe
any of those great fundamental truths that God has revealed concerning the way
of salvation, and rest your soul on it, and you shall be saved. Will you now trust Jesus Christ to dispose
of you? Do you have confidence enough
in Christ to trust yourself to Him to dispose of your body and your soul for
time and eternity? Can you say “Here, Lord, I give myself away; that’s all
I can do?”
Perhaps
you are trying to pray yourself out of your difficulties before coming to
Christ. Sinner, it will do no
good. Now, throw yourself down at His
feet, and leave your soul in His hands.
Say to Him, “Lord, I give myself to You, with all my powers of body and
of mind; use me and dispose of me as You see fit, for Your own glory. I know You will do right, and that is all I
desire.” Will you do it?