JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH ALONE Lesson 4 for October

JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH ALONE Lesson 4 for October 22, 2011

Which is the right path? Starting from THE WORKS OF THE LAW THE FAITH OF CHRIST Through PERSONAL EFFORT Adding the FAITH OF CHRIST FAITH (believing) We receive JUSTIFICATION Once we are justified, we live a life of obeying God In order to know which is the right way, we must define what “JUSTIFICATION”, “WORKS OF THE LAW”, “FAITH OF CHRIST” and “FAITH” mean

JUSTIFICATION What does “justification” mean? Justification is a legal term, used in courts of law. It deals with the verdict a judge pronounces when a person is declared innocent of the charges brought against him or her. It is the opposite of condemnation. Additionally, because the words just and righteous come from the same Greek word, for a person “to be justified” means that the person also is counted as “righteous. ” Thus, justification involves more than simply pardon or forgiveness; it is the positive declaration that a person is righteous.

JUSTIFICATION According to Paul, who need justification? 1. The “Gentile sinners” (Galatians, 2: 15 NIV; Ephesians, 2: 12) 2. Everyone who has ever sinned, both Jews or Gentiles. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans, 3: 23)

THE WORKS OF THE LAW According to the Jewish interpretation in Paul's time, doing “the works of the law” involved to obey everything that was ordered in the inspired writings rigidly. That included all the Old Testament, although they put special emphasis on the Pentateuch. They frequently added their own traditions to that.

THE WORKS OF THE LAW In 1 st Century BC Essenian (Jewish) writings that where found in the Dead Sea, the author writes that if these “works of the law” are followed, “you will be reckoned righteous” before God. Nevertheless, Paul's concept is totally different: “by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified” (Galatians, 2: 16)

THE FAITH OF CHRIST What does the term “the faith of Christ” means? How is it related to justification? “Therefore we know that a man is not justified from the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus the Messiah, and we believe in him, in Jesus the Messiah, that from his faith, that of the Messiah, we might be justified, and not from the works of the law” (Gálatas, 2: 16, traducción siria) It may seem odd to us, but our faith doesn't justify us. We are justified before God by the faith of Christ, by the faithfulness Jesus showed in his life free of sin and in his undeserved death.

FAITH What is faith? How is it related to “the faith of Jesus”? Faith in an act of willingness by which we make Jesus' expiatory sacrifice ours forgiveness of sins, and we accept being justified by the life free of sin that Jesus lived in our place. “The only way in which he can attain to righteousness is through faith. By faith he can bring to God the merits of Christ, and the Lord places the obedience of His Son to the sinner’s account. Christ’s righteousness is accepted in place of man’s failure, and God receives, pardons, justifies, the repentant, believing soul, treats him as though he were righteous, and loves him as He loves His Son” E. G. W. (Selected Messages, vol. 1, cp. 57, pp. 367)

X Starting from THE WORKS OF THE LAW Starting from THE FAITH OF CHRIST Through PERSONAL EFFORT Through FAITH (believing) Adding the FAITH OF CHRIST We receive JUSTIFICATION Once we are justified, we live a life of obeying God “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” (Galatians , 2: 16)

“Grace is unmerited favor, and the believer is justified without any merit of his own, without any claim to offer to God. He is justified through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, who stands in the courts of heaven as the sinner’s substitute and surety. But while he is justified because of the merit of Christ, he is not free to work unrighteousness. Faith works by love and purifies the soul. Faith buds and blossoms and bears a harvest of precious fruit. Where faith is, good works appear. The sick are visited, the poor are cared for, the fatherless and the widows are not neglected, the naked are clothed, the destitute are fed. Christ went about doing good, and when men are united with Him, they love the children of God, and meekness and truth guide their footsteps. The expression of the countenance reveals their experience, and men take knowledge of them that they have been with Jesus and learned of Him. Christ and the believer become one, and His beauty of character is revealed in those who are vitally connected with the Source of power and love. Christ is the great depositary of justifying righteousness and sanctifying grace” E. G. W. (Selected Messages, vol. 1, cp. 62, pp. 398)