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Taking a break from our series
on Romans, I want to deal with the doctrine of justification,
subtitled, The Biblical Doctrine of Justification by Grace in
Christ. through faith alone according
to the Holy Scripture as maintained in the historic Orthodox Christian
faith. We're going to first look at
an introduction to this topic area. Our scripture text is Romans
3, verses 21 through 26. But now the righteousness of
God apart from the law is revealed. being witnessed by the law and
the prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus
Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference. For all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set
forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate
His righteousness, Because in his forbearance, God had passed
over the sins that were previously committed to demonstrate at the
present time his righteousness, that he might be just and the
justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Shall we look to the Lord our
God and pray? Father, we are so thankful for your word and
what it means to us. And we ask, O Holy Father, that
we would settle our hearts and our minds as we go through and
study this great doctrine of Your redemption. We ask, O Father, that You would
bless us, encourage us, strengthen us, give us greater measure of
faith to go forward to advance the cause of Christ in our own
life and in this world as representatives of Your Church. For we ask it
in Christ's most precious and holy name. Now we ask, Father,
You would give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to
receive that which Your Word and Spirit would teach us. In
Christ's name, Amen. Throughout the history of the
church, there have been, in particular, four areas that I have noted
that have come under attack either from within or outside of the
church itself. One of the key areas is, of course,
the Bible. Whether or not the Bible is the
inerrant inspired word of God or not has always been a major
battle, not only within Christianity, but from outside of the church. People have constantly attacked
the Bible saying it's nothing but a book of men, or it's a
book written who were somewhat religiously inspired, and yet
it is still their writing. but it cannot be the infallible
and errant word of the living God. And so we've seen these
ongoing constant attacks throughout the history of the church. Another
area is the doctrine of the Trinity, denying that there is even such
a thing as a triune God. One in substance, three in persons. Another area has been the doctrine
of Christ's deity. The doctrine that says Christ
is the Son of the living God. He is the one who came and made
propitiation for our sin. If He is not God, He cannot redeem
us. It's impossible. for him to be
a sacrifice apart from being truly divine in his nature. And of course, this has been
a very hard hit area against the church. But the fourth area
has not been a hit as often, especially in the early church,
as much as it has since the time of medieval theology and in particular,
the Reformation. And that is this doctrine of
justification by faith. It is constantly and has constantly
been under attack ever since the Reformation. Because the
doctrine of justification by faith alone, as a doctrine of
the Reformation, was a counter doctrinal move to the dominant
church of its time, the Church of Rome, as well as the Church
of the East, the Eastern Orthodox Church. As relating to this doctrinal
issue, justification, I want to draw your attention to the
reason why this doctrine should continually be included in this
list. In the Solae Deo Gloria publication entitled, Justification
by Faith Alone, John F. MacArthur, Jr., a contributor
to the book, makes this observation concerning the importance of
this doctrine in the history of the church. And I quote, no
doctrine is more important to evangelical theology than the
doctrine of justification by faith alone. The Reformation
principle of sola fide. Martin Luther called it the article
that determines whether the church is standing or falling. History
provides plenty of objective evidence to affirm Luther's assessment.
Churches and denominations that hold firmly to sola fide remain
evangelical. Those willing to yield at this
point inevitably capitulate to liberalism. revert to sacerdotalism,
or embrace even worse forms of apostasy. Historic evangelicalism
has therefore always treated justification by faith as a central
biblical distinctive, if not the single most important doctrine
to get right." What John MacArthur has said
is very important for us. I do not believe there is a doctrine
more essential to Orthodox Christianity, upon which out of that doctrine
flows our proper understanding. And it's not the most important
doctrine, but it is one of the great anchors of doctrines within
the church. For when justification by faith
is wrong, The Church goes awry from its history and heritage,
and of course, apart from the teaching of Scripture in its
most purest expression. This series on justification
is designed to treat the topic from a biblical, historical,
and creedal perspective. We must realize that there is
no room for misstatement concerning this doctrine. It is that important
to the church. Just to relate how important
it is, let me go back to Martin Luther. As Luther began to realize
the very essential nature of this doctrine. We're talking
about a man who is looking at the issues concerning redemption
as one who is a part, coming out of, if you will, the medieval
scholastic theology of the Roman Catholic Church. When Luther
begins to realize the true teaching of redemption, how that man can
be made right with God, of a period of time, he began to see the
distinctiveness of that doctrine, that even within the historical
church, and Luther considered the western church the historical
church, though it had departed in many of its practices from
apostolic Christianity, nevertheless it still was the heritage of
the true church. He began to realize that the
church was going in an absolute different direction than that
which the apostles had set forth and established through the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit when they were writing the rest of the
canon of Scripture. And Luther began to say, you
know, one of the central themes of redemption that is essential
for us to understand is the work of God in His grace through Christ
to redeem us and make us right with Him. Listen to what Luther
states as he understood the essential importance of this doctrine of
justification. And I quote, This doctrine, that
is justification by faith, is the head and the cornerstone
It alone begets, nourishes, builds, preserves, and defends the Church
of God. And without it, the Church of
God cannot exist for one hour. For no one who does not hold
this article, or, to use Paul's expression, this sound doctrine,
is able to teach a right in the church or successfully to resist
any adversary. This is the heel of the seed
that opposes the old serpent and crushes its head. This is
why Satan in turn cannot but persecute it." Luther says, you see, justification
is so tied to Christ. that if you alter its teaching,
then you have altered the very meaning and purpose of Christ
in His redemption, a purpose in which He was to crush the
head of the serpent. Is it no wonder that this doctrine
will be attacked more than any other doctrine? And if you successfully
attack this doctrine, it really doesn't matter what you say about
the Bible, about the Trinity, about divinity, because once
you've altered this doctrine, And you must understand, this
is why the Reformers and the Puritans were so adamant about
teaching the doctrine of justification correctly. That's why they were
such precisionists on these issues. For if this doctrine is wrong,
even if you maintain, as Rome did, a Trinitarian view, a deity
view of Christ, Believe that the Bible was the Word of God.
Nevertheless, once they altered the doctrine of justification
by faith alone, they took the church in a different direction.
And that direction was apostasy. They were departing from the
faith. Now, just before I go on to read
Luther, just for your historical context, You must understand
that in the history of the church, the church dealt with questions
of heresy. One of the questions during the
Reformation posed to Philip Melanchthon was this. Why does not Rome persecute
the Roman Catholic Church? Why do not the Reformers persecute
the Roman Catholic Church as Rome has persecuted the reformers
for heresy. And Melanchthon said, because
true heresy has primarily been pinned around two major doctrines,
the Trinity and the deity of Christ. Rome has never denied the essentials
of the fundamentals. What they've done is added to
the doctrine of redemption and all of its theological connections,
which has not been a denial of essential truth, but they have
added so much to the truth that the truth no longer is the truth. Too much has now become too little,
because what they have not denied in essence They have apostatized
from in practice and in teaching by altering the doctrine of justification,
the doctrine of redemption. And so, within that structure
you must understand, although, We would not necessarily say
someone who altered justification by faith was a heretic historically. Today, the term heresy or heretic
does not and has not been applied in that historical context only. And you'll see that, as I quote
a few people here. But the importance, Luther is
saying, is this. Don't you understand? Even if
you have the Bible as the Word of God, even if you maintain
the distinctive of the Trinity and the deity of Christ. What
is worse is you have the form of historic Christianity and
yet at its heart you have denied it when you deny justification
by faith. Luther goes on to state, and
I quote, whoever departs from the article of justification
does not know God. Now, if you want to know why
Luther is so vilified after the Reformation and the history of
the church is because of statements like that. Luther's answer is,
as you know, a Christian cannot but know this doctrine, and he
who does not know it simply does not know God. Whoever departs
from the article of justification does not know God and is an Idolater. For when this article has been
taken away, nothing remains but error, hypocrisy, godlessness,
and idolatry. Although it may seem to be the
height of truth, worship of God, holiness, etc. When you destroy the doctrine
of justification by faith, you root out the heart of the gospel. In that which is being propagated
then is a false gospel. Now, theologically, we may be
correct to say someone might truly, I don't know if you can
say it in spite of the fact of God's sovereignty, someone might
alter. We have Arminians who do not
teach justification by faith properly at all. And yet we've
still identified many of them as being a part of the church.
Historically, we would probably be accurate to say they're not
heretics, but the problem is, is they're propagating a false
gospel. It's not the purity of God's
Word as it relates to redemption in Christ. It is altering the
very purpose and essential nature of redemption when they do not
teach the doctrine right. And it will lead to apostasy. The Lutherans were very tough. I mean, we try to somewhat be
beneficial. Well, you know, some of our erring brothers just get
this dark little wrong. Luther comes along and says,
of course, you can see Luther's characters coming through here.
He's a very staunch individual. I mean, the guy who stands up
against the whole world of the church and takes it on, it's
not some wimpy little guy who neatly announced the gospel.
This is a guy with real character. Listen to how he deals with it.
He who denies this doctrine doesn't know God, and he's involved in
idolatry. That is a very hardcore statement. Nothing remains, he says, when
you've taken away the truth of justification by faith alone.
Error, hypocrisy, godlessness, idolatry. That's all you have. You don't have the gospel. in its purity. Luther, of course, confirms the
worst about those who deny the doctrine itself. And I quote,
if the article of justification is lost, all Christian doctrine
is lost at the same time. And all the people in the world
who do not hold to this justification are either Jews or Turks, papists
or heretics. You get four categories with
Luther. Take your choice. You deny the doctrine of justification
by faith alone, you've got to either be a Jew, a Turk, referring
to the fact that they're Muslim, a Papist, or a heretic. For there is no middle ground
between these two righteousnesses. That is the righteousness of
God, or Christ, and the righteousness of man. The active one of the
law and the passive one which comes from Christ. Therefore,
the man who strays from Christian righteousness must relapse into
the active one. That is, since he has lost Christ,
he must put his confidence in his own works." Luther has clearly given us direction that we can
neither add nor subtract to this doctrine. lest we fall short
of God's glory and honor in the truth that He has given to us.
That truth that redemption is truly all of grace. It is all of God. On the one
hand, we must not fall into the false theological position of
what is called semi-Pelagianism or synergistic redemption. That
is the idea of a cooperative work between God and man, that
which was being propagated at the time of the Reformation by
the Church of Rome. Nor, on the other hand, can we
fall into the theological position of antinomianism. As Samuel Horsley
noted when he wrote, and I quote, that a man is justified by faith
without the works of the law was the uniform doctrine of our
first reformers. It is a far more ancient doctrine. It was the doctrine of the whole
College of Apostles. It was more ancient still. It was the doctrine
of the prophets. It is older than the prophets.
It was the religion of the patriarchs. And no one who has the least
acquaintance with the writings of the first reformers will impute
to them more than to the patriarchs, the prophets or apostles, the
absurd opinion that any man leading an impenitent, wicked life will
finally, upon mere pretense of faith, obtain admission into
heaven." On the one hand, there must be
a balance. We are saved by faith alone. But faith itself is never alone,
because the testimony and the evidence of true faith is the
good works that God has ordained for us. And so the pretense of
arguing faith is all that is necessary with nothing else considered
leads eventually to that damnable doctrine of antinomianism. We
do not need the law of God. We are free from the law, free
from its curse, free to do as we please. And that we cannot. in any way support as a doctrine
of the church. The doctrine of justification
must carefully, as the Reformers and Puritans did, carefully be
defined and considered in order to avoid any misrepresentation
of the gospel. We must give full attention to
the doctrine even from its earliest developments through to its theological
maturity and expression as defined by our own creedal statements. Well, having said that, then
let me continue on. By way of talking about the importance
of this doctrine of justification by faith, R.C. Sproul makes this
observation about the ongoing controversy that continues even
to this day. We have been hearing about it
and we've been reading about it and the various conflicts
that have gone on on this doctrine of justification. He writes,
and I quote, Every generation throughout church history has
seen doctrinal struggles and debates. Heresies of every conceivable
sort have plagued the church and provoked fierce argument,
even schism at times. But no doctrinal dispute has
ever been contested more fiercely or with such long-term consequences
as the one over justification. There were other ancillary issues
debated in the 16th century, but none so central or so heated
as justification. Historians often describe justification
as the material cause of the Reformation. That is, it was
the substantive and core issues of the debate. It was this doctrine
that led to the worst rupture Christendom ever experienced
and the fragmentation of the church into thousands of individual
denominations." I think it would be proper for
us to state that the importance of a correct interpretation An
application of the doctrine of justification by faith is essential
to the whole knowledge of saving grace, including doctrines of
election, calling, regeneration, repentance, adoption, the church
and its ministry in the presentation of the gospel, as well as the
rightful administration of the sacraments. This doctrine, in
all of its connections, gives great implication to what
we are and what we believe. If this historic doctrine, which
is the centerpiece of the Reformational theology, cascades in disrepute
among the Christian church, the church itself shall be destroyed. Because the way of salvation
will have been lost to a false gospel. Listen to what Charles
Haas wrote, and I quote, How can a man be just with God? The
answer given to this question decides the character of our
religion and have practically adopted our future destiny. To give a wrong answer is to
mistake the way to heaven. It is to err where error is fatal
because it cannot be corrected. If God requires one thing and
we present another, How can we be saved? If he has revealed a method in
which he can be just and yet justify the center, and if we
reject that method and insist upon pursuing a different way,
how can we hope to be accepted? The answer, therefore, which
is given to the above question should be seriously pondered
by all who assume the office of religious teachers and by
all who rely upon their instructions." Listen to what the German theologian
Zacharias Ersinius writes in a more polemical way concerning
this doctrine of justification, and I quote, The doctrine of
justification, which now follows is one of the chief articles
of our faith, not only because it treats of those things which
are fundamental. But also because it is most frequently
called in question by heretics. The controversies between the
church and heretics have respect principally to two points. that
one is concerning God and the other concerning the justification
of man in the sight of God. And as such is the importance
of these doctrines, that if either one of them be overthrown, other
parts of our faith easily fall to pieces. Hence it becomes necessary
for us to fortify and establish ourselves especially in these
doctrines against all the assault of heretics." I cannot express to you the importance
that you will find in the history of the church that has been laid
upon this doctrine of justification by faith alone. It's not a phrase you find in
Scripture, justification by faith alone. It is clearly one of our
developed articles of doctrine, but derived from the teaching
of Scripture alone. The biblical truth of justification
is simply that God pardons and accepts believing sinners only
on the basis of Christ's righteousness. That's the whole argument. Either
we are redeemed through Christ's righteousness, or we are redeemed
in some other fashion. There is no other position. This
is why we so adamantly maintain the importance of teaching the
pure truth of God's Word, especially concerning redemption. Because
once you move one letter away from this definite article of
faith, you have added or subtracted some type of a component that
has altered the truth of Christ's righteousness as necessary for
our redemption. We see this expressed in our
Scripture text. Look at Romans 3, 21-26. But
now the righteousness of God apart from the law, apart from
the ability of man to do anything to make himself right with God,
to be just, legally accepted with God, is revealed. Being witnessed by the law and
the prophets. The law and the prophets are
a testimony to this truth. Even the righteousness of God
through faith in Christ. It is tied to Christ through
faith. "...to all and on all who believe,
for there is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as
a propitiation by His blood through faith to demonstrate..." What? Righteousness. Because in his forbearance, God
had passed over the sins that were previously committed to
demonstrate at the present time his righteousness, that he might
be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. God justly condemns all men. Paul says all have fallen short
of the glory of God. All men have sinned. And God, being just, condemns
all who transgress His law. But in order to demonstrate His
righteousness, the purpose of God in Christ, He hath chosen a people to be
redeemed in His Son. And those who have been given
faith by the work of the Spirit are made right with God on the
basis not of something they could do, apart from the law, apart
from man's ability, apart from anything the law could have done
for man. It is accomplished in Christ
Jesus alone. The Paulian doctrine of justification
by faith is an analytical exposition of truth in all of its theological
connections. It impacts the whole doctrinal
system of faith. It impacts what we practice concerning
that faith. One needs to understand that
according to the Holy Scripture, the doctrine of justification
determines the whole character of Christianity, as it being
a true organic union in Christ upon the basis of His righteousness
alone. Further, we should consider that
justification clearly defines the saving significance of Christ's
life and death by relating both. And that is Christ's death and
life as it relates to the law of God. In Romans 8, verses 3-4,
Paul wrote, For what the law could not do, in that it was
weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh on account of sin, what did He do? He condemned
the sin. Sin could not redeem man. God
must redeem Him by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful
flesh. He condemned sin and the flesh. That the righteous requirement
of the law, that which the law demands, perfect obedience, No
transgression might be fulfilled in us. We do not walk according
to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. This is the essential truth that
we've been studying for weeks now. In the act of justification,
we see God's justice in condemning and punishing sin, as well as
in His mercy in pardoning and accepting sinners. That's what
this doctrine is about. Again, Romans 3, 21 through 26,
look at the last part of that passage. Being justified freely
by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom
God has set forth as a propitiation by his blood through faith. Christ, clearly the intermediary,
the propitiation, the substitute, the penal substitute who redeems
us through his death. as a propitiation by His blood
through faith. That is, we must believe what
Christ has done according to the promise of God concerning
His Son as He has set it forth in the Scripture. Through faith,
we believe that to be the case, and in believing by faith that
which is given to us as a result of the regenerative work of the
Spirit, we are declared. We are declared right, legally,
with God. We should also clearly note the
justification by faith is that work of Christ as the legal surety
to whom we are to believe. That is, attuning death and resurrection
by the regenerative work of the Spirit. The sinner is thus declared
right and in true union with God by grace. through faith alone. 2 Thessalonians 2, 13-14, Paul
wrote, But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you,
brethren, beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning
chose you for salvation. Election is a part of that relationship
to this doctrine. For salvation through sanctification
by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you
by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ. If He has appointed the means
of the Gospel by which He calls men to Himself through His Son,
must not that Gospel be presented in purity? How can you believe
what God has said if what you have heard is not the truth of
what God has done? The question is, how can you
believe a falsehood? How can you believe a lie? How
can you believe a deception and still be redeemed? That's the question. We must believe the truth. But in believing the truth, we
must understand the very essential nature of that truth. That it is Christ alone whose
righteousness makes us declared right with God by faith. It's nothing that we bring. It's
not a man-made faith. It is a gift from God. Remember what Ephesians 2, 8-10
says, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest
anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand,
that we should walk in them." Now note, one aspect of this
doctrine also demands in its proper theological connection,
Not that works bring us to a place of God accepting us, but as a
result of being accepted by God on the basis of faith alone,
given to us by God, added to that. Not an acceptance. But in a living faith is those
works that God has ordained that we should walk in them. Thus
justification directly leads to an understanding correctly
of sanctification of the believer. And even in that doctrine of
sanctification, The believer is dependent upon the righteousness
of Christ that preserves, as well as maintains and fulfills
its work in glorification to the day of the resurrection through
the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We are sustained at all times
in the righteousness of Christ. There's never a point in which
we shall ever stand right with God based upon something we could
do. But even in our sanctification, the human element can produce
nothing but righteousness of filthy rags. But in the righteousness
of Christ and the Spirit of God applying that redemption to us,
we can produce the good works that come from the Spirit indwelling
us, applying Christ's righteousness. Thus we profess that biblical
morality for the Christian is law-keeping out of gratitude
to the Savior, whose gift of righteousness made law-keeping
needless for acceptance, but a testimony of the works of righteousness
as ordained by God of those who profess faith in Christ. It's
not out of the need for acceptance, but rather as a testimony to
the righteousness of Christ that has been imputed to us. Well,
lastly, and as quickly as we can, justification provides the
basis on which Christianity becomes a living faith, in that it is
the only means of acceptance by God to escape His wrath and
condemnation. Justification is the heart of
the biblical gospel. And to alter the truth is to
create a gospel that knows not the sovereign God of redemption,
nor of His saving grace, nor of His Son, Jesus Christ. That's
what the church has said over and over again. That's what the
theologians were saying. That's what Luther, Yersinius, that's
what all of those men were saying. You can't alter this without
altering the very character of Christianity. And thus there is a necessity of defending the truth of justification
against all attacks. James Buchanan wrote concerning
the need for personal acceptance and experience of this doctrine
as it relates to an individual realizing its true meaning, and
I quote, there are many, even in Protestant communities who
have long been familiar with the sound of the gospel. to whom
this inward sense of it, in its application to their own souls,
would be nothing less than a new spiritual revelation." You know
what he's saying? Well, we've heard the gospel
so much, and we're so attuned to it. The truth is, people have
heard the doctrine of justification, but the problem is, if they really
personally grasp the doctrine, if they truly have really come
to the understanding, having been united to Christ by His
Spirit, It would actually be a new revelation to them, even
though it's been an old gospel that we've been preaching. He
says the doctrine of justification by grace through faith in Christ
is the old doctrine of the Reformation. And the still older doctrine
of the gospel, yet the vivid apprehension of its meaning and
the cordial reception of its truth must be a new thing in
the experience of everyone. When he is first enabled to realize
and to believe it. the free pardon of all sin, and
the sure title to eternal life, conferred by the mere grace of
God and resting solely on the redemption and righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ, this as the actual and immediate privilege
of every sinner on the instant when he began to rely on Christ
alone for salvation as He is offered to him individually in
the Gospel of God." Buchanan said it's not enough
for the church just to have the doctrine. It's important that
the people embrace that truth. Begin to rely upon the righteousness
of Christ when they truly have, by the Spirit, been renewed and
they recognize this great truth. The impact upon their life will be unmistakable. Why do we have so many people
today running around, teaching, preaching, practicing the Christian
faith who are just so wishy-washy about their salvation? Because
the dominant doctrine today in the church is not a correct understanding
of justification by faith alone. And what I've been trying to
say to you in our series in Romans that we've been dealing with
this issue, And what I'm saying to you today is this, you cannot
settle your redemption apart from the truth. And the key element
of this truth is how is a man right with God? Either he's going to be right
on the basis of Christ's righteousness alone, or he's going to depend
upon himself in some methodological redemption that he has created
through his own ability. There is no middle ground here.
It is either Christ alone, or it is man that's fundamental
to the formula of redemption. But Buchanan says, you know what,
the problem is, even in Protestant circles, we don't have people
who truly have understood and realized the necessity of relying
upon Christ. But had they do it, it would
be a new experience and revelation for them as well. Because once one settles their
heart upon this doctrine and its understanding and implication
and application of redemption, One may settle their heart and
their life as to their redemption, as to their salvation, to whom
they really belong in Christ Jesus alone. Well, let me just
ask in closing, do you know this very nature of being pardoned
from sin? Do you know what it means to
be forgiven? I'm not asking you to feel like
you've been forgiven. It's not an experiential thing.
Can you know through the Scripture, by the testimony of God's Spirit
with us, that we have been granted pardon in Christ Jesus? Because
we believe that element of truth. And it is witnessed by those
good works that God has ordained in our life as a testimony to
the truth of Christ in us. It is the only sure title for
everlasting life. One of the great aspects of this
current justification controversy that has come out was the men
who have been propagating this among some of the reformed people
said, well, one of the things we're having a problem with is
trying to convince our people that they have eternal life.
They keep wishy-washing around. I'm not really sure if I'm redeemed.
My answer is that the problem is you're preaching a false gospel. That's why they don't understand
it. If you'd been teaching and preaching
the truth of the Scripture as set forth in our own creedal
positions, you would have settled their heart and their mind. But
instead, you've gone to the emotions, you've gone to the very basics
of their human nature, to try to make them feel comfortable
with themselves and not with a real understanding of being
accepted by God through Christ alone. And that which they want
to escape, they have made even worse. For
you cannot escape that question of eternal salvation At any point
in time when man is an element in the formula, it just can't
be done. Well, therefore, over the next
few weeks, we're going to be continuing looking at this doctrine.
We're going to look at the doctrine from not only the historical
development of it within the church, we're going to look at
the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. We're going
to spend time talking about its true proper meaning. We're going
to be looking at Paul in particular, who spends much time on this
doctrine. And then we're going after that
to examine the current controversy. I don't know how long I'm going
to spend on that because so much has been written already. But
I want to bring it out and make it very clear. We must set our
course carefully when it comes to this doctrine in the history
of the church. I agree with Luther 100 percent. If this doctrine
is lost, the church is lost. The problem is we do not live
in a generation that will stand for sound doctrine. This is not
what people want to hear. They want to hear something about
men. We have become the humanist generation. And it's not just in the things
of the world. It's in the things of the church.
including its doctrine and all of its practices. But when you
have the doctrine right here, it will get all the other theological
connections and bring them into their proper perspective concerning
not only what we believe, but how we practice that belief. Let us assure ourselves of one
thing, that we know This doctrine of justification. We know this
righteousness is of Christ, upon which I stand right with God
alone. And let us have great consolation and steadfastness
in that faith, in that belief. as the most definite article
of our church, that in Him and Him alone, by faith, we stand
not only right, but eternally redeemed in Christ. Shall we pray?
01- Introduction to the Doctrine of Justification
Series Justification
| Sermon ID | 9919172032300 |
| Duration | 49:58 |
| Date | |
| Category | Sunday Service |
| Language | English |
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