know that a man is not justified by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because no flesh will be justified by the works of the law.Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed on Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law: because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
6 sermons cite this verse
This is the teaching found throughout Paul's letters. We saw in Romans 3.20, for the work by works of the law, no human being will be justified in his sight. Galatians 2.16, we know that a person is not justified by works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ. You see the contrast, not this but that. So if it's not this but that, you can't say it's that with a little bit of this. Galatians 3.11, it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for the righteous shall live by faith. Philippians 3.9, not having a righteousness of my own that comes through the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ Jesus. does. Famously, Martin Luther emphasized that Romans 3.28 means we are justified by faith alone. And it's true that that precious gospel doctrine was obscured, but I don't want you to think that it was the invention of the Reformers. Several church fathers and medieval theologians understood verse 28 in this way. For example, one of the commentaries that I'm using through this series is from John Chrysostom, the most famous preacher from the fourth century, so the 300s. Here's what he says. What is the law of faith? This is Chrysostom, Fourth century, commenting on verse 28. …
… of right and wrong that God puts on the human heart. This phrase in the plural, works of the law also appears later in verse 28. And then it appears several times in Galatians 2.16, there are three times, and then in Galatians 3, verse 2, verse 5, and verse 10. And what's important about Galatians is the contrast there in Paul's argument is with Abraham who is justified by faith, and he's going to come to that here in Romans 4 as well, and not by works of the law when, remember, Abraham lived before the Mosaic law. So, Paul cannot be talking simply about these ethnic boundary markers for the Jewish people that came in the Mosaic law. He's talking about law even broader than that, that principle of works. And though it's true that the Old Testament is a gracious expression of the one covenant of grace. We don't want to think otherwise. It's also true that the Jewish people did not always live as well and as graciously as their theology on paper would have them. And this is part of the human predicament. We can have one thing on the church website about salvation by grace and faith in Christ and alone, alone, alone, and then we can have in the human heart this continual instinct to stand before God with something we have done and to boast before others about some kind of works. Now, the force in this concluding argument would make no sense if Paul is now retreating to some small point just …
… Paul said, I didn't know what sin was until the law told me. In Galatians 3, 24, the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Another function of God's law is to act as a schoolmaster to bring us to Jesus Christ that we might be justified by faith in his blood. The law doesn't help us, it just leaves us helpless. It doesn't justify us, it just leaves us guilty before the judgment bar of a holy God. Here now is the tragedy of modern evangelism. About 80 years ago, when for some reason it abandoned the law to stop the mouth and convert the soul and drive sinners to Christ, It had to find another reason for sinners to respond to the gospel. And the issue that modern evangelism chose was one of life enhancement. The gospel degenerated into Jesus Christ will give you peace, joy, love, fulfillment, and lasting happiness. Now listen very carefully to this following anecdote, this illustration, because everything I'm saying pivots on this illustration. …
… but let's read from God's Word together. Galatians 2, verses 15 and 16. Hear now God's Word. We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners. Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ. And so we also have believed in Christ Jesus in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law. Because by works of the law, no one will be justified. Let's pray together. Father in heaven, as we turn to this important question tonight, and as we open up your word and are reminded of this great doctrine of justification by faith we pray Lord that you would teach us again this wonderful truth this all-important truth help our hearts Lord to be open we pray that the word of God as a seed would fall into our hearts and bear much fruit and that we would be drawn to Christ to look to him for all of our righteousness And we ask these things in Jesus' name, amen. …
… for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Galatians 2.16, a man is not justified by the works of 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 will be justified. You can't do it. So what we could not do, God did. That's the beauty of it. That choice in the garden, the sin that was brought into the world was resolved in another garden the garden of Gethsemane and the cross very near where Jesus hung taking upon him the sin of all of the world and in the same way that snake that bronze snake was a symbol of judgment the cross is to us today what it was to them as they had been bitten by the snake. You've been bitten by sin and all you gotta do is look and live. So what we couldn't do, God did for us. …
… of our lives. Grow in this knowledge of the grace of God that alone saves us. Paul put it briefly this way. We know that a person is not justified by works of the law, but through faith in Christ Jesus. So we also have believed in Christ Jesus in order to be justified by faith in Christ. Galatians 3, 16. So now, in this wonderful time from childhood through early adulthood, grow. Grow from a child to a young woman or man. Grow in understanding of our faith, and grow in understanding of how people work and think and what leads them best. And grow in the grace of God, standing evermore in awe of the mercy that alone saves us. And that brings us to the next stage. Every age has a stage, and the next is the span from age 25 to 50. Our text from Numbers 8 says, This applies to the Levites. From 25 years old and upward, they shall come to do duty in the service of the tent of meeting. …