THE ACCUSATION AND ARGUMENT AGAINST JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH (Part 1)
KEY VERSE – It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Gal. 5:1) SECONDARY THEME VERSES: “A man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ” (Gal. 2:16); “If righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing” (Gal. 2:21).
THEME: Salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone releases us from the yoke of the law, freeing us to live a life of love through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Legal (Imputed) Righteousness: We are justified by faith in Christ (Gal. 2:16). Imparted Righteousness: Immediate Moral Change at conversion (Gal. 6:15); Gradual Moral Change through the fruit-growing work of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22) which requires our cooperation (Gal 5:16-17, 25, 6:8). We cooperate by using CCRC (Concentration, Choice, Reflection, Confession/Thanksgiving. Foundational verse, “By one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” (Heb. 10:14)
Good Teachers: (1) Constantly re-evaluate what they are doing; (2) Set large goals; (3) Ask – “Does everything I do contribute to learning?”; (4) Prepare well; (5) Check for understanding; (6) Like teaching; (7) Get results from their teaching; (8) Have perseverance. Don’t give up.
TEACHING GOAL: Show how Paul’s enemies are seeking to undermine his teaching on Justification by Faith.
TEXT FOR THE DAY:
“But if, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker.
“For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! (Gal. 2:17-21)
ACCUSATION AND ARGUMENT AGAINST
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH (Part 1)
1. The Accusation Against Justification by Grace
2. The Underlying Assumptions in the Accusation
PAUL’S REBUTTAL (Part 2)
INTRODUCTION
Gal. 2:17 contains a major accusation. Paul deals with it in 2:18-21 an on into chapter 3.
Various translations of Gal. 2:17
If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does this mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! (NIV)
But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean that God has led us into sin? Absolutely not! (NLT)
If we, the same people who are seeking for God’s approval in Christ, are still sinners, does that mean that Christ encourages us to sin. That’s unthinkable! (God Word Translation)
Have some of you noticed that we are not yet perfect? (No great surprise, right?) And are you ready to make the accusation that since people like me, who go through Christ, in order to get things right with God, aren’t perfectly virtuous, Christ must therefore be an accessory to sin? The accusation is frivolous.” (The Message)
Romans 6:1-2a is a parallel verse, same accusation: What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!
I. THE ACCUSATION AGAINST JUSTIFICATION BY GRACE
If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does this mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! (NIV)
“Seek” is variously translated as searching, endeavoring, trying, desiring to be justified.”
“IT IS EVIDENT THAT WE OURSELVES ARE SINNERS.”
“Simul Justis Et Peccator” = “Righteous and at the same time a sinner.” (Martin Luther)
Justification apart from the law will lead to lower moral standards, to libertarianism, hedonism, antinomianism, lawlessness, licentiousness.
Look, you Christians are breaking ceremonial laws by eating with the Gentiles. Moral laws will follow. You are not perfect! You sin too!
Paul is aware of this. Look at the list of sins in Gal. 5:19-21, the acts of the sinful nature.
“CHRIST PROMOTES SINS?”
QUESTION: Why would Paul’s enemies says that Christ’s idea of justification promotes sin or that Christ promotes sin?
“Promotes” is variously translated as a minister of sin, a servant of sin, leads to sin, encourages to sin.
Their conclusion: Christ obviously promotes sin. His disciples are not practicing Jewish table fellowship laws, e.g. eating with Gentiles. What more they don’t have to even practice a moral code in order to be saved.
Obviously “justification by faith” produces a lower moral standard. All we can conclude is that Christ promotes sin.
If Christ takes away the law as a protector, then He promotes sin. Remove the law as a moral fence and licentious behavior is the automatic outcome. Then you say that they are freely accepted with God apart from doing good works. In reality you encourage people to break the law.
“To the Jew, Paul’s gospel of salvation by free grace through faith in Christ would remove all incentive for moral effort and all desire to avoid sin. In their eyes, such a doctrine would lead to a lower moral standard than under the law of Moses. Therefore, even Christ would have only become an agent of sin, or ‘an abettor of sin’ (NEB), one who ‘promotes sin’ (NIV). (Cole, 122)
“Paul’s critics argued like this:” ‘Your doctrine of justification through faith in Christ only, apart from the works of the law, is a highly dangerous doctrine. It fatally weakens a man’s sense of moral responsibility. If he can be accepted through trust in Christ, without any necessity to do good works, you are actually encouraging him to break the law, which is the vile heresy of “antinomianism”.’ People still argue like this today: “If God justifies bad people, what is the point of being good? Can’t we do as we like and live as we please?” (Stott, Commentary on Galatians, pg. 64)
QUESTION: What is behind this accusation? What is the crux of the accusation?
The real discussion here is about what keeps a person from lawlessness, antinomianism (without law or against law)
Their assumption is that grace promotes lawlessness whereas the law controls the individual and keeps him from being lawless. Religion by imposing and demanding adherence to moral guidelines as a means of eternal salvation restrains lawlessness in the individual and community.
In other words grace does not promote holiness. In fact grace promotes lawlessness.
II. THE UNDERLYING ASSUMPTIONS OF THE ACCUSATION
QUESTION: What are some of the underlying assumptions in the accusation contained in vs. 17?
1. FEAR IS THE BEST MOTIVATOR FOR HOLINESS
QUESTION: Why and how does fear work as a motivator for ethical behavior?
People will always do what is in their own self-interest.
What if their self-interest is not holiness. We all have a philosophy of life, the philosophy / motivations that drive us. Ayn Rand’s philosophy was Ethical Egoism: The normal ethical position that moral agents ought to do what is in their own self-interest.
Self-interest: we don’t want to be punished, penalized, fined, go to jail.
Self-interest: We don’t want others to think lowly of us, pride.
2. COMMON VIRTUE EQUALS CHRISTIAN VIRTUE
QUESTION: What do we mean by “common virtue” and “Christian virtue”?
Common virtue is good, important and is what holds civilized society together. If there was not the possibility of punishment, anarchy would tend to reign. We see this during a major catastrophe or war when martial law needs to be declared.
But ‘common virtue’ is not ‘true Christian virtue’.
The underlying motivation for common virtue is fear and/or self-interest. The underlying motivation for Christian virtue is love and grace. The motivation is selflessness not selfishness.
ILLUSTRATION: Apocryphal story. Jesus tells his disciples all to pick up a stone for him. All pick up large stones. Peter thinks this through and says a stone is stone and picks up a small one. They walk for four hours and then Jesus says, let’s have lunch. He turns all of the stones into bread. Peter has a very small lunch. Jesus tells them again to pick up a stone for him and carry it. Peter now understands and picks up a large stone. He carries it for four hours and almost gets a hernia. Jesus leads them to the side of a river and tells them to all throw their stones into the river. Then Jesus directs them to continue their journey. Peter remonstrates about throwing the stone into the river instead of turning it into bread. Jesus asks, “Who were you carrying the stone for, Peter. For yourself or for me?”
The underlying motive of Christian virtue is grace and love. Grace is really costly love.
ILLUSTRATION: Oh the love that sought me / Oh the blood that bought me / Oh the grace that brought me to the fold / wondrous grace that brought me to the fold. (Grace is love in action)
“. . . the grace of God . . . teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives . . .” (Titus 2:11)
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” (Eph. 2:25)
ILLUSTRATION: A husband threatens his wife with divorce. She is fearful. She doesn’t want a divorce. She continues to serve her husband but now every action is motivated by fear or at least tinged with fear. Pure love does not underlay all of her actions in her marriage.
ILLUSTRATION: Peter withdrew from eating with the Gentiles. Why didn’t Paul accuse him of being a racist? Would not that have been adequate? But what was Paul’s charge? “When I saw that they were not walking in line with the Gospel . . . “ (Gal. 2:14) Love and grace did not dominate Peter’s life and decision re relationship with the Gentiles. He made his decision based on fear, “. . . he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid . . .” (Gal. 2:12)
What motivation undergirds our moral, ethical life? Why do we do what we do?
You can ask this another way, “What is our functional savior?” What do we live for?
ILLUSTRATION: A person cannot stand to go out if they don’t look exactly right. They really worry about how they look, how they appear to others. (2) The house always has to be spotless. If not a person becomes very nervous, stressed. (3) An Adult Community presentation has to be right on, touch our hearts etc. (4) A woman that always needs a man even though abused verbally and physically.
3. GRACE IS AN INADEQUATE MOTIVATOR FOR HOLINESS
In a marriage relationship is spousal care for one another motivated by fear superior to care motivated by love?
What is the motivation for selfless care among the members of the Triune God, the trinity?
“My food, said Jesus, is to do the will of him who sent me and finish his work.” (John 4:34)
“. . . I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” (John 5:30)
“. . . I always do what please Him.” (John 8:29)
“. . . I love the Father . . .” (John 14:31)
“This is my dearly loved son” (NLT), “My Son , whom I love.” (NIV) (Mt. 3:17)
“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26)
Jesus said: I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.” (Mark. 3:28-29)
We as Christians need to restructure our heart so that neither fear nor self-interest is the motivator for our ethical, moral lives. We need to see love and grace (costly love) undergird or moral lives.
I love my God,
But with no love of mine,
For I have none to give;
I love Thee Lord;
But all the love is Thine,
For by Thy life I live.
I am as nothing,
And rejoice to be
Emptied, and lost
And swallowed up in Thee.
Thou, Lord, alone,
Art all Thy children need,
And there is none beside;
From Thee the streams
Of blessedness proceed
In Thee the blest abide.
Fountain of life,
And all-abounding grace,
Our source, our center,
And our resting place.
(Jeanne Marie de la Motte-Guyon, 1648-1717)
SO WHAT???
1. Those justified by grace are not perfect. They still sin. They are “Simul Justis Et Peccator.”
2. Justification through faith in Christ appears to be a dangerous doctrine because it removes obedience to moral codes as a means to eternal salvation.
3. Fear is not the best motivator for holiness. Holiness generated by fear is sub-Christian.
4. Common virtue does not equal true Christian virtue.
5. Love and grace (costly love) should be the main motivator and undergirding of a Christians ethical and moral behavior.