The death and destruction caused by the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria remind us that all is not well in this world. Since this unwell world is all we have known, it's easy for us to think that this is just natural, it's normal, it's just the way things are supposed to be. But we would be wrong to think that way. This is not the way it was in the beginning, and it's not the way it should be. When God made the universe, he made it very good. And when he made us, he made us upright and good. And he told us to multiply and take dominion of the earth and to reign over it. We were meant to possess and to flourish and to delight in the very good world that God had made. In short, we were meant to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. But everything changed the day we rebelled against God. And instead of knowing, loving, and worshiping God, we now suppress our knowledge of God, we hate God, and we worship the creature instead of the creator who is blessed forever. Instead of doing good, prospering, and experiencing all manner of blessing, we do evil, we suffer evil, and we stand condemned before our Maker. Instead of living with God, we are estranged from Him and live under the control of the evil one. In other words, what has happened because of our rebellion against God, to quote our Shorter Catechism, is that we have lost communion with God, we are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever. Or in short, we live in this present evil age. Now, having said all of that, that does not mean that this world and we who are in it are completely evil. God is good to us, and people still do good, and we still enjoy many wonderful blessings. But the presence of the good doesn't mean that the evil is gone. The earthquakes, not to mention the war in Ukraine, remind us of all of that. So don't be deceived by God's goodness into thinking that all is well, or at least well enough in this world. We still live in this present evil age. And when it comes to the end, when this present evil age comes to an end, we will all have to face the judgment of God. And that is why a fundamental question we all need to ask is this. How can I be rescued from this present evil age? How can I not be condemned for my sins on the day of judgment? Or, in terms of John 3.16, how can I not perish but have eternal life? That is the question. And it's only because of the goodness of God that there is in fact a way to be rescued and a way to be given and to receive eternal life. But what is that way? That is the question. And the answer to that question is what our text is all about. Paul addresses a wrong answer to that question and a right answer to that question. The wrong answer is by works of the law. And that is what the Judaizers were preaching, and Paul has already called it a false gospel. It's not good news, because no one can be justified or saved by the works of the law. No one can be justified that way. The right answer, indeed the only right answer, is by faith in Christ Jesus. And this really gets to the heart of what this book is all about. Paul will spend chapters three, four, and part of five explaining and defending this very point, that we are not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. And this morning we're going to focus on what Paul has to say about this in our text this morning. But more specifically, we're going to focus on the wrong answer that he talks about. That is, we're not justified by the works of the law. And we want to begin looking at this text by beginning to look at the word justify. You might have noticed that that word comes up quite a bit in our text this morning. In fact, in verse 16, it comes up three times. A person is not justified. In order to be justified, no one will be justified. And again in verse 17, in our endeavor to be justified. And then in verse 21, you have justification, or some translations have righteousness. The word righteousness is the same word as justify, but it's in a noun form, and so it can be rightly translated as justification or righteousness. But to justify means to declare that someone is in the right or that someone is righteous. It's a forensic term, and so it's courtroom language. It's what a judge does. A judge may condemn or he may justify. If he condemns, then the accused person is convicted, declared guilty for the crime of which he has been charged. If the judge justifies, then the person is not convicted, but he's declared to be innocent of all charges that were laid against him. So to justify is simply the opposite of to condemn. And so when Paul uses this word justify and righteousness, he's talking about God as judge and judging all of mankind on the day of judgment. But this is not to say, though, that we have to wait until the day of judgment to find out if we will be justified or not. In fact, we can be justified now. the verdict that will be pronounced publicly on the Day of Judgment God makes now in heaven for those who believe in His Son. This is why Paul can say in Romans 5 that we have been justified, past tense, we already have been justified. It's also the reason why Paul can also say that because we have been justified, we will be saved from the wrath of God, which is to say a day is coming when God will judge the world and he will pour out his wrath. That is to say, he will punish everyone with everlasting destruction for their sins, except for those who have been justified. they and they alone will be saved from the wrath of God. And so Paul says, Romans 5, those, or because we've been justified, how much more will we be saved from the wrath of God that is coming upon this present evil age? And so when Paul is talking here, the issue that he's addressing is how can we be justified? How will we be able to stand on the day of judgment? That is the issue here. And Paul says it's not by the works of the law. Not by the works of the law. Now, the Judaizers were saying that it's in fact by the works of the law that we are justified. And Peter was implying the same thing when he acted hypocritically as we looked at last week. But what is this works of the law? Well, that phrase refers to the works prescribed by the Mosaic law. And so it would include things like circumcision and Passover, sacrificial offerings for sin, Sabbath, and dietary laws, and so on. It's akin to what Paul has said in verse 14 about living like Jews. To keep the works of the law is to become a Jew and to live like a Jew. Indeed, you can't keep the works of the law certainly not the core of them, unless you become a Jew. And so the Judaizers were saying to the Galatians that if you want to be justified, if you want to stand on the day of judgment and be saved from the wrath of God that is coming upon this world, then you need to become a Jew and live like one. You need to Judaize. That's the Greek word that Paul uses. You need to keep the works of the law. And when you think about it, it's not too hard to see why they might say that. Consider the Old Testament. Genesis makes it quite clear that in and through Adam, all of mankind fell away from God. All had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That's why, as Paul says, we all die. In Romans, death is the wage of sin. Even Abraham had fallen away from God as being a descendant and in Adam. So at one point he was a pagan, estranged from God, and by nature a child of wrath. But then God called Abraham to himself. and later the nation of Israel. And he made a saving covenant with them. He gave them circumcision as a sign and seal of that saving relationship. And he gave them the law, the Mosaic law. which set them apart as well from every other nation because the law taught them how they as sinners were to relate to the one true living God. It was through the Levitical priesthood and through the law itself that they were able to be cleansed from their sin and enter into the presence of God. It was through the law that they had a priest and they had sacrifices and atonement. And it was through the law that they were directed how they were to relate to God and to one another, how they might serve him and follow him. And of course, out of all the nations of the earth, God only knew Israel in this way. It was only with Israel that God had made a loving, saving, covenantal relationship. I mean, consider how Paul describes Gentiles before they are converted to Christ in Ephesians chapter 2. He says that we are by nature alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. And in another place, in Romans, Paul says that to the Israelites, not to the Gentiles, but to the Israelites, belong the adoption, glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. And so life and salvation, a saving, renewed relationship with God is found in Israel. All the other nations are without God and without hope. And so you can see why they might say, look, if you want to have hope, if you want to be justified, What do you need to do? You need to belong to Israel. You need to be circumcised and live like a Jew. You need to keep the works of the law because that's how you deal with your sin. That's how you're made acceptable to God. You need the sacrifices. You need the temple. You need the Aaronic high priest and all these things to be able to approach God and dwell with him and he with you. You need these things to be and remain clean and acceptable to God. Otherwise, you will not stand on the day of judgment. And so in short, they taught you need to be justified by the works of the law. But Paul emphatically, emphatically states that that is not true in verses 15 and 16. And here Paul is simply continuing his rebuke of Peter. And he says, we ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners. They were born Jews, so Paul and Peter were part from the very beginning of the covenantal people of God. They were people who kept the works of the law from day one. And they weren't like Gentile sinners. That is, people outside of the covenant who were without God and without hope in the world. But you see, even Paul and Peter came to know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, as he says in verse 16. Well, how did they come to know that? Well, Jesus appeared to Paul, and Peter learned it in part from a triple vision and from his interaction with Cornelius. He began to see these things. But that's not all. Paul certainly learned it, as he says here, from thinking about the death of Christ. and why Jesus came to die. That helped things click for Paul when he sought to understand all these things. Because look at verse 21. He says, if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. See, if it were true that a person could be justified through the priesthood and through the sacrifices and through observing the works of the law, then you need to ask yourself, why on earth did Jesus die? To what end or for what purpose did Jesus willingly lay down his life? The answer is, well, for no purpose, if righteousness or justification is by means of the works of the law. Because if you argue that we're saved by the works of the law, or by extension, anything else, then you have just rendered Jesus's death completely unnecessary. there would have been no reason whatsoever for Jesus to die. And so why would he have died then? Is it because his death was just a tragedy? Is his death just another example of injustice in this world? Did Jesus's enemies get the better of him? Did he not want to die, but he was blindsided by Judas's betrayal and outwitted by the cruelty and cunning of the Jewish leaders who wanted to put him to death? Is that why he died? Of course not. But you see, at the end of the day, you make Jesus's death a mockery if you argue that you were saved and justified by the works of the law. You, as Paul says, nullify the grace of God. You make God's gracious gift of his son and his son's death for us, you make that to be a colossal waste of time and effort. if you argue that we're saved by anything other than the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. But Paul also learned that we're not justified by the works of the law from the law itself. In verse 19 he says, for through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God. You see, when he discovered the proper meaning, the use and function of the law, he realized that the law itself was not designed to give life, that the law itself said that it was only temporary and would one day come to an end, and that the law itself pointed to the one who would fulfill it and therefore bring it to an end. Now, Paul will elaborate on this later in this letter, Also Hebrews, it goes at great length to discuss these things. But one thing that Paul does say later on is that the law was our guardian until Christ came. That means that the law was going to come to an end. It was, by design and nature, temporary. And because that's the case, that means it can't be used to justify anyone. Because you see, once it goes away, then we have nothing by which we can be justified before God. Once the law is taken away, then how are we going to be justified if we're justified by the works of the law? And of course, this is going to be an enormous problem when God does take away the law and destroys Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70. Because then if you're counting on the works of the law for your justification, then when it disappears, when the way to keep it is gone and unable to be kept at all, then your justification is gone too. But still further than this, Paul understood that we're not justified by works of the law from Psalm 143. In verse 16, he says, because by works of the law, no one will be justified. Now this is an allusion and elaboration on Psalm 143 in verse 2, which says, enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you. Now the psalmist there is being persecuted, and he does look to God for help, for mercy. But he doesn't plead for help on the basis of his own innocence or righteousness, but on the basis of God's mercy. And that's because he's, at that moment at least, acutely aware of his own sin. And so he doesn't want God to judge him. Indeed, he knows that no one living is righteous. And so nobody's going to be able to withstand God's judgment. Now, at this point, we might say something like this. Well, now, wait a minute. What if the psalmist kept the works of the law? What if he offered, for example, sacrifices for the atonement of his sins? What about all those times he participated in the Day of Atonement, and the Passover, and all these things? Why wasn't he righteous because of that? Why wouldn't he be acceptable to God and able into his presence because of that? Well, the psalmist clearly doesn't think so, which is why it seems to me that Paul is right to add in his citation of this verse, the works of the law, as he says in verse 16, by works of the law, no one is righteous or no one will be justified. Now, this is not to say, though, that the psalmist doesn't believe that there isn't forgiveness with God or that there's no salvation found in God. He simply understands, though, that it's not the basis of what he does. It's not on the basis of the works of the law or the sacrifices that he offers to God or through the high priest that he's able to bring those sacrifices to. Salvation will be based upon what God does for him. And this is similar, I think, of what is going on in Psalm 130. There, the psalmist says that if God should mark iniquities, nobody could stand. Again, the idea, no one is righteous before God. All have sinned. Everyone is guilty. But again, we might say, well, wait a minute. Didn't God already give a way for sins to be taken care of? What about the works of the law? Didn't the sacrifices they offer make them clean so that they can stand before God? And again, the answer has to be no. And that is because the psalmist goes on to encourage Israel to wait upon the Lord and to hope in the Lord. He doesn't encourage them, look, quick, go back to the temple and offer your sacrifices so that you can withstand God's judgment and receive forgiveness. No, he encouraged them to wait for God's redemption. Because yes, there is forgiveness with God. And one day in the future, he says, the Lord will redeem Israel from all his iniquities. And so you won't be saved by the works of the law, which is something that they have done and continue to do. No, Israel in the Old Testament even need to wait and hope in the Lord who will one day in the future redeem Israel from all his iniquities. And of course, we know that he does precisely that by sending his son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins, not just of Israel, but of the world. And so Peter and Paul, as Jews, came to know that a person is not justified by the works of the law. And that is why in their endeavor to be justified, they did not seek to keep the works of the law. And if Jews, of all people, if Jews aren't justified in this way, then of course Gentiles won't be justified in this way. Indeed, no one will be justified this way. Now Paul does address an objection to this in verse 17. since Peter and Paul aren't seeking to be justified by the works of the law, but seeking their justification in Christ, and therefore they feel free to no longer keep the works of the law, which in part is manifested by their eating with the Gentiles, the argument goes, well, since you're breaking the law, how does that not make Christ a servant of sin? I mean, God gave the law to Israel for it to be kept by Israel. God's people are required to do these things, to be circumcised, and keep the dietary laws, and offer sacrifices, and so on. But you see, now, as Christians, you aren't requiring people to be circumcising, or to keep the Passover and so on. And you yourselves, as Jews, are breaking the law by eating with Gentiles and doing these other things. So clearly, you're turning Jesus into a lawbreaker. You're turning Jesus into somebody who commands people to sin. And Paul answers that charge with, by no means, or God forbid. Because if Paul were to require Gentiles to keep the works of the law for their justification, or if he were to stop eating with Gentiles, that is, as he puts it, if he were to rebuild what he tore down, then he himself would be sinning at that point. And so this objection is far from being true. In fact, the opposite is the case. The shoe is on the other foot. The Judaizers are the ones who are sinning by requiring Gentiles to be circumcised for the justification. Not Christ or Paul. They are not the servants or ministers of sin. The Judaizers are at this point. Because, as Paul says in verse 19, for through the law, I died to the law so that I might live to God. So again, he learned in the law itself, the law doesn't justify, and that the law with the coming of Christ has come to an end. And so the law itself tells Paul, tear these things down. And so he doesn't look to the works of the law for life and justification, he looks to Christ, so that he might truly stand on the day of judgment. No one, Jew or Gentile, will be justified by the works of the law. Now, this is important that we understand this, because obviously we're not tempted to begin again the works of the law, or seek our justification through these things. And so we need to understand, since this is the case, it follows that nothing else will justify us either. I mean, think of the many ways in which people have in the past sought to be made right with God. Or think of the many ways that people today might seek to be made right with God. I mean, there have been and continue to be many religions that talk about how you can escape this evil world, or how you might attain life, or protection, or rather perfection, or paradise, or something of that nature. Or simply of how you might be able to be made right with your maker. And people have looked for these things because everybody knows that no one is righteous. I mean, we even have sayings, don't we, that to err is human. No one's perfect. We all know that we are fallen, imperfect beings. And so the question that we all have to wrestle with is, how do we get rid of our guilt? And we might think that we can do that by doing a lot of good deeds. We can make up for all the bad things we've done by doing a lot of good stuff for people in this world. What good deeds might we try to do? Well, we might give money to charity, or work for a charity, or focus on helping the poor and oppressed, maybe going to church. The list could go on and on and on. But we have to realize, of course, that no good deeds can make up for our bad deeds, and nothing that we can do can take away from the guilt that exists for what we have done. So no matter how much good that we might be able to do, we still stand condemned before God. And no religious ritual or rite or way of life can take away your sin or guilt. I mean, after all, if the works of the law the law that the one true God gave to Israel. If that didn't justify you, then certainly no false religious ritual, rite, or way of life will save you either. And so when Paul says that by the works of the law no one will be justified, it follows that there is nothing that we can do, nothing that we can offer to God, so that God will then justify us, so that then we can stand on the day of judgment. We are completely helpless. There is nothing that we can bring that will make God somehow declare us not guilty. Only God can save us. And the good news is that he offers salvation to the world. in and through our Lord Jesus Christ. That's why Jesus says that he is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through him. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.