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Turn in your Bibles to Galatians 
2. Galatians chapter 2. We're coming to the heart of, 
or we're in the heart of this epistle in terms of its doctrinal 
statement. We remember that Paul, predominantly 
in chapters 1 and 2, has been giving a bit of autobiography 
in terms of his call to the apostolic ministry and in terms of his 
gospel, the divine origin of his gospel. And we see the transition 
here from autobiography to the doctrinal section pretty specifically 
in verses 15 and following. But I do want to pick up at verse 
11 just to set the larger context. Tonight we're going to focus 
on just verses 15 and 16 because I want to deal with an issue 
that flows out of this particular text concerning the law. So, 
I want to read beginning in verse 11. It says, Now when Peter had 
come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was 
to be blamed. For before certain men came from 
James, he would eat with the Gentiles. But when they came, 
he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the 
circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also 
played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried 
away with their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were 
not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to 
Peter before them all, If you, being a Jew, live in the manner 
of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to 
live as Jews? We who are Jews by nature and 
not sinners of the Gentiles, 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. But if, while we 
seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, 
is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not. For if 
I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a 
transgressor. For I, through the law, died 
to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified 
with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but 
Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live 
in the flesh, 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 comes through the law, then Christ 
died in vain. Amen. Well, tonight there'll 
be a bit of a review in terms of the doctrine of justification. 
I know that we have covered this a lot in the last year or so, 
but a bit of review is good because this is the doctrine upon which 
the church stands or falls. And I want to consider two primary 
things this evening. First, the truth concerning justification, 
verses 15 and 16, and then a brief excursus. As we read the last 
portion of verse 16, it says, By the works of the law, no flesh 
shall be justified. in an unbiblical way reason that 
therefore we have nothing to do with the law. So I want to 
treat the three uses of the law this evening. In our studies 
in Galatians up to this point, I've recommended Martin Luther's 
commentary on Galatians. It's a very good and rich exposition. Sometimes, however, as you read 
that, he takes a very strong stand against the law. And it 
has caused some to reject or refuse Luther on that very reason. Well, he's taking a strong stand 
against the law in terms of justification. In terms of our status or our 
standing before the Lord God. And Paul the Apostle does that 
as well. But all that to say, as you read 
Luther, Make sure you keep that in mind. He's not anti-law in 
terms of the proper uses. He's anti-law in terms of the 
improper use. But be that as it may, there's 
a lot of difficulty, a lot of controversy surrounding law and 
gospel. It has been that way in the history 
of the church. And so it's good for us to understand 
not only justification, but what we do have to do with the law 
of God. Now by way of review, remember 
that Paul is talking about an incident that occurred with Peter 
in Antioch. Verse 11, when Peter had come 
to Antioch, I withstood him to his face. When the truth of the 
gospel was at stake, Paul did not shrink back. Paul was a fighter 
in terms of the gospel. He was being all things to all 
men so that he might save some on indifferent things. But when 
they were not being straightforward about the truth of the Gospel, 
the Apostle Paul would get in your face. And he did that with 
Peter. It doesn't matter if it's an 
angel. It doesn't matter if it's an apostolic leader. It doesn't 
matter who it is. If they are giving cause for 
offense with reference to the truth of the Gospel, Paul gets 
in his face. He explains specifically what 
happened. It says, before certain men came from James, we identified 
these men as Jewish Christians. Men from the Jerusalem church, 
perhaps coming into Antioch to see how things were going between 
Jews and Gentiles. Not necessarily to condemn Peter. 
Not necessarily to put the stop on his able fellowship with these 
Gentiles, but just to see how they were facilitating interaction 
between Jews and Gentiles. So Peter would eat with the Gentiles. But when they came, the Jewish 
Christians, he withdrew and separated himself. And then it says, fearing 
those who were of the circumcision. This is not the same party. This 
is not the same group. These are Jews in general. Unbelieving 
Jews. And the idea is simply this. 
Unbelieving Jews were putting pressure on Christian Jews. Because Christian Jews were having 
interaction with Gentiles. So Peter, in a well-meaning way, 
did not want the people in the Jerusalem church to be persecuted. He didn't want them to be harmed. 
He didn't want there to be any issues or troubles. So he thought 
to himself, I'll just withdraw from these Gentiles. But Paul 
saw the issue. If he withdraws from the Gentiles, 
then he is communicating to these Gentiles that they're second 
class. They're lower. They not only 
need to believe the Gospel, but they also need to subscribe to 
Jewish ceremonies. They need to subscribe to the 
Jewish law so that they can be brought up to that level. And 
Paul saw that as an addition to the Gospel of free and sovereign 
grace. That's why he withstands Peter 
to his face. And it's in this context that 
he then launches in to this statement concerning justification by faith 
alone, without works. without law, without merit, without 
what we produce or provide or perform. It is solely by grace 
alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. Our salvation 
does not hinge upon our obedience. Our salvation hinges upon the 
obedience of Jesus Christ the Lord. So, notice now in verses 
15 and 16, he speaks of the sinfulness of mankind and he speaks of the 
doctrine of justification by faith alone. He says, we who 
are Jews by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles. You might think 
that sounds a bit arrogant, a bit proud, but the Gentiles were 
referred to as sinners. The Gentiles were often referred 
to as dogs. They were referred to as less 
than Jews. And there was a reason for that. 
The Jews were given the oracles of God. They were a privileged 
people. They had a relationship with 
Jehovah. They were given blessings. Paul's 
comment in Ephesians 2 illustrates this a little bit more. If you 
turn over to Ephesians 2 at verse 11, when Paul is highlighting 
what they were before they came into that state of grace and 
faith in Jesus Christ. He says in Ephesians 2.11, Therefore 
remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh, who are called 
uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision made in the 
flesh by hands, that at that time you were without Christ, 
being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from 
the covenants of promise. having no hope and without God 
in the world. They were cut off by virtue of 
the fact that they were not a part of the covenant nation. They 
were not in the commonwealth of Israel. You had the commonwealth 
of Israel and then you had sinners. You had the people of the covenant 
and you had sinners. And so Paul is using that language 
here in Galatians chapter 2. And he says to Peter, we who 
are Jews by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles. Essentially 
what he goes on to say is that we have turned from the law unto 
the Lord Jesus Christ. Which puts us all at an equal 
footing. It puts us all in the same place. The Jews turned from law to Christ 
for justification. The idea is, therefore, why would 
a believing Jew, namely Peter, tell a Gentile he has to turn 
to law? It is simply incomprehensible. 
If we who are Jews by nature turn from law to Christ, why 
would you tell these Gentile sinners to turn from Christ to 
law? It is to undo the Gospel. It 
is to reverse things. It is to put all of our resources 
and all of our dependence upon our doing and upon our performance. That's why Paul takes issue with 
the Apostle Peter. Now, the remaining verses, 16 
to 21, it's difficult to know where the quotation ends. Paul 
is highlighting what he said to Peter. But how much of this 
is what he said, we really don't know. The quotation marks are 
supplied by the translators. But suffice it to say the entirety 
supports the contention that Paul has in terms of the Gospel. That Jew and Gentile are both 
totally depraved. Jew and Gentile both stand justly 
under the wrath of God, and Jew and Gentile have one recourse 
for salvation. It is not law, it is grace through 
faith in Jesus Christ. Most certainly, verses 17 and 
following weren't addressed specifically to Peter. This was not Peter's 
objections. This is not what Peter's actions 
led to. Paul is probably using this as 
a time to set forth in a larger bit of detail the truth concerning 
justification and the law of God. Well, notice the doctrine 
of justification by faith alone. Paul says in verse 16, beautiful 
statement, a passage you ought to memorize. I don't normally 
legislate and tell people what they should memorize, but Galatians 
2.16 ought to be in the top 10 list of Bible verses that you 
keep near and dear to your heart. He says, 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. Four observations briefly, then 
we'll move to the law itself. Notice first, justification is 
a legal declaration. That's what Paul is dealing with 
in this passage. He's not talking about a transformed 
life. He's not talking about holiness 
in character. He's not talking about holiness 
in pursuit. He is talking about a standing 
before our God. How do we stand before a thrice 
holy God? Job asked the question way back 
in Job 9. How can a sinful man stand before 
a righteous God. We need justification. We need 
a declared righteousness. We need a forensic justification. We don't need transformation. 
We need declaration. We need the gavel on the judge's 
bench to drop and declare not guilty. And that's precisely 
what we have in this doctrine of justification by faith alone. Our London Baptist Confession 
in 11.1 says, those whom God affectionately calls, He also 
freely justifies. Not by infusing righteousness 
into them. They're speaking specifically 
against the Roman church. They're speaking specifically 
against the Roman institution, which saw justification as the 
infusing of righteousness, the changing of the moral character. That's not what Paul is talking 
about. Paul is talking about a legal 
declaration by God. The Confession goes on to say, 
not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their 
sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous, not 
for anything wrought in them or done by them, but for Christ's 
sake alone. That is a great statement. Westminster 
Confession 11.1 as well. That is the truth of justification. That is what Paul is declaring 
here. Knowing that a man is not justified 
by the works of the law, we are justified by the grace of God 
through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. So it is, first, a legal 
declaration. Secondly, it is not by works 
of the law. It couldn't be more conspicuous. 
Paul says this three times. Some have interpreted works of 
the law here as only a reference to the ceremonial law. That simply 
does not do. Now, while the ceremonial law 
may be in the backdrop in Galatians, if the lesser circumcision in 
order to be counted among the covenant people, then certainly 
the greater, the moral law, don't steal, don't lie, don't cheat, 
don't commit adultery, don't murder, certainly those things 
are included as well. And so what the Apostle is saying 
is that we are not justified by the works of the law. Look 
at Galatians 5.2 for just a moment. We know that this isn't only 
a reference. We're only confined to the ceremonial law, which 
is an idea put forth by a lot of the proponents today of what's 
called the new perspective on Paul. But it's quite intriguing. 
This isn't a new perspective. It's an error that has been around 
for a long time. And faithful commentators spend 
the time to refute the idea that works of the law refer to the 
ceremonies of Moses. It refers to the entirety of 
the law. Now, circumcision may just be 
the first step, but notice what he says in Galatians 5. Verse 
1, he says, Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ 
has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke 
of bondage. Indeed, I, Paul, say to you that 
if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And 
I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that 
he is a debtor to keep what? The whole law. There's one of 
two ways to approach God. One is by law. That means perfect, 
perpetual, constant, sinless obedience to that law, which 
because of our sin no man can render, or by faith. There's 
only one of two ways to approach God. And if you choose circumcision, 
you become a debtor to the entirety of God's law. If you think that 
it depends upon you that much, it depends on you completely. 
Law and grace are mutually exclusive when it comes to the matter of 
justification. So Paul says three times that 
it is not by words of the law. knowing that a man is not justified 
by the works of the law, 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." So what do you mean, 
Paul? He means simply this. If you 
seek to approach God through law, you are dead. You are damned. You will go to hell forever and 
ever and ever. Any man who thinks that he's 
able to keep the law and avail with God has not learned the 
first principles of Christianity. A third observation. This justification 
is by faith in Jesus Christ alone. And it's interesting. Notice 
the text. Faith in Jesus Christ. That we 
might be justified by faith in Jesus Christ, not by works of 
the law. Faith there is the instrument. 
It's not the cause. Some people have taught that 
we believe, and because we believe, God justifies us. That's not 
true. Faith is the instrument by which 
we receive, by which we accept, by which we rest upon the Lord 
Jesus Christ. It is not meritorious. It in 
itself is a gift from God. Ephesians 2, 8-10, Philippians 
1 tells us that man who is dead in their trespasses and sins 
cannot conjure up a saving faith. God gives that grace. We believe 
by His grace, and that is the instrument by which we are attached 
to the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, the London Baptist Confession 
says, not by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any 
other evangelical obedience to them as their righteousness. 
Not as if God says, wow, that's great that you believe. Now I'm 
going to justify you. That's another doctrine, that's 
another departure, that's another heresy that has been running 
alongside this doctrine of justification by faith alone. People have taught 
what's called Neo or New Gnomianism, New Law-ism. We believe that's 
a requirement of the New Covenant, and based on our belief, God 
then justifies us. That's not the Apostles' doctrine. Faith is the instrument. Faith 
is the hand that receives the gift given by our great God. It is not a merit. It is not 
something performed. It is not something we even have 
in us intrinsically. It is given by God alone. The 
Confession says, but by imputing Christ's active obedience in 
His death for their whole and sole righteousness, they receiving 
and resting on Him and His righteousness by faith. which faith they have 
not of themselves, it is the gift of God. So, we are saved 
by grace through faith. It's not saved by grace on account 
of faith. That's a very important distinction 
and one that the Greek makes very clear. It is never, in any 
context, salvation because of faith. We are saved through faith. It's an instrument, not the cause, 
not the ground, not the foundation. John Murray, commenting on Romans 
3, 27-31, says, "...justification by works always finds its ground 
in that which the person is and does." It's one of the best quotes 
on this subject. I really encourage you. I know 
it's late. I know it's hot. I know it's didactic, but follow. This is good stuff here. He says, 
"...justification by works always finds its ground in that which 
the person is and does." It is always oriented to that consideration 
of virtue attaching to the person justified. He says the specific 
quality of faith is trust and commitment to another. It is 
essentially extra-spective. And in that respect is the diametric 
opposite of works. Faith is self-renouncing. Works are self-congratulatory. Faith looks to what God does. 
Works have respect to what we are. It is this antithesis of 
principle that enables the apostle to base the complete exclusion 
of works upon the principle of faith. When we say we are saved 
by some contribution of ourselves, whether it be our works, whether 
it be our faith, whether it be our merit or our performance, 
we are congratulating ourselves. When we look solely to Jesus, 
when we understand it's by grace alone, all glory, all laud, all 
praise and all honor go to our triune God. That's what Mr. Murray was highlighting. And 
then the fourth observation with reference to justification by 
faith here in chapter 2, verse 16. For by the works of the law, 
he says, no flesh shall be justified. It is impossible to be justified 
by the works of the law. It is absolutely impossible. 
There might be people out there that think they can do it. They 
can't. You might be in here saying, well, you know, it's not that 
tough. I can do it. Remember that rich young ruler who came 
to Jesus? All these I have kept. What does Jesus say to him? Go, 
sell everything you have, and then follow me. Was Jesus teaching 
salvation by law there? Was Jesus teaching salvation 
by duty there? No, he's showing the man that 
he's a sinner. Maybe you didn't murder anybody. Maybe you didn't 
commit adultery. Maybe you haven't lied or cheated 
or stolen, but you're a covetous man. He was a rich young ruler 
with a lot of possessions. When Jesus told him that, what 
happened? He went away sorrowful. Why? He didn't want to get rid 
of his stuff. Jesus used the 10th commandment to show him 
that he was a sinner. This rich young ruler thought 
that he should avail with God. There are many people like that 
today. Well, I don't do anything really bad. I've never really 
killed anybody. I remember being an unconverted 
man saying that very thing. I never killed anyone. I've never 
done any of the big sins. See, Romanism teaches you that. 
There's mortal sins and there's venial sins. If you've not done 
the mortal sins, well, then you're alright. So you get a bunch of 
papists out there boasting that they've never killed anybody. 
Oh, and that's the requirement to get into heaven? That you 
never killed anybody? No, God demands perfect obedience 
to every jot and every tittle of His law. And while you may 
never have physically strangled somebody and taken the life out 
of them, how many times have you hated in your heart? How 
many times have you called a brother or sister a name? How many times 
have you told lies or slandered somebody? How many times have 
you harbored hatred in your heart? You see, there is no justification 
by the law There is no salvation by the law. That's why Paul summarizes, 
why Paul puts it in this way in verse 21. I do not set aside 
the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ 
died in vain. It's absolutely useless for the 
Son of God to hang there on Calvary's tree if you and I could merit 
our salvation. was absolutely useless for God 
to send His Son to die in our place if we could have pulled 
up our bootstraps, tried a little bit harder, and fulfilled the 
law in order to enter into eternal life. There is no justification 
by law whatsoever. It seems that Paul has in his 
backdrop here, in his mind, Psalm 143 and verse 2. It says, Do 
not enter in judgment with your servant, for in your sight no 
one living is righteous. by the works of the law, no flesh 
shall be justified. He says this in Romans 3, a context 
not dissimilar to what we find here in Galatians 2. Paul has 
summarized that Gentiles and that Jews are all liable to God's 
just wrath. All men everywhere have sinned 
against the Holy God. He charges that. He corroborates 
it with the Old Testament. And he ends that section in chapter 
3, verse 20 by saying, Therefore, by the deeds of the law, no flesh 
shall be justified in His sight. He's talking about God. You can 
look great to your husband or wife. You can look great to that 
person that you know at work. You can look like the holiest 
person in the world. to those looking at you horizontally. That's not what Paul is treating. 
He says, therefore, by the deeds of the law, no flesh shall be 
justified in his sight. But then he goes on to say, for 
by the law is the knowledge of sin. So there is a proper use 
of the law. Here we find that you are not 
to use it in order to be justified. But scattered throughout the 
Bible, we see several uses of the law. We're not supposed to 
use it for justification. Does that mean we throw it away? 
Does that mean we cast it off? Does that mean we become what 
theologians call antinomians? Anti means against. The law. Namas is the Greek word for law. Whenever you hear namas or nomian, 
it refers to the law. I already used neonomian, a new 
law. Or antinomian is someone against 
the law. Hopefully we are pronomians in 
a proper biblical sense. So while we may not seek justification 
by law, we may not as well get rid of the law. We mustn't cast 
it aside. And that brings us to consider 
the three uses of the law. This is traditional, historic, 
reformed theology. It is not novel. It is not something 
developed recently. It is something that has stood 
the test of time, and I believe accurately reflects the teaching 
of Holy Scripture. Now, with the first and the second 
use, sometimes you'll find them in a bit of a different order. 
I'm referring on Richard A. Muller's Dictionary of Latin 
and Greek Terms, and he says, the first is the civil use. What 
he means by the civil use is simply this. The political or 
civil use according to which the law serves the commonwealth 
or body politic as a force for the restraint of sin. That's 
a proper use of God's law. In society, we ought not to murder. In society, we ought not to steal 
from one another. In society, we ought not to commit 
adultery with each other's wives or with each other's husbands. 
In society, there ought to be restraint. There ought to be 
law. And God's law functions in that 
capacity. If you turn for just a moment 
to 1 Timothy 1, I think this is one of the ways Paul says 
it is lawfully used. 1 Timothy 1. And I actually think in verses 
8 to 10, we see some evidence of all three uses here. But the 
one I want to focus on primarily is this civil use of the law. Notice in chapter 1, verse 7, 
here's the context. Paul tells Timothy to fight against 
false teachers. Look at what they are doing. 
Verse 7, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither 
what they say nor the things which they affirm. They had a 
bunch of men in Ephesus wanting to be teachers of the law. Paul 
says, teach them correctly. Oppose them. They're heterodox. 
Keep them away from the faithful. Keep them away from the godly. 
Rage the good warfare. Do not let them tamper with good 
doctrine. And then he says this statement 
in verse 8. But we know, something we know. We know that the law 
is good if one uses it lawfully. Which does imply there is a lawful 
use. And an unlawful use. We've already 
seen it in Galatians 2.16. It's unlawful to use the law 
as a means of justification. Never ever do that. But that 
doesn't mean you throw away the law. Notice what he says, "...knowing 
this, that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for 
the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, 
for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers 
of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for 
kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing 
that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel 
of the blessed God which was committed to my trust." He uses 
a series of couplets there. And his referent is the Decalogue, 
the Ten Commandments of God Most High. When he says that the law 
is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, 
he's talking about the civil use. And I think this is easy 
to see when you look at a law like counterfeiting. I've used 
this example before. Most of us, I hope, do not counterfeit 
money. I suggest we probably all break 
the law in one way or the other, the civil law. But counterfeiting 
probably isn't our issue. That's what Paul means. The law 
is made not for the righteous person, the one who's already 
in conformity to it, but it's made for the insubordinate. It's 
made for the ungodly. It's made for the unrighteous. 
That law functions as a restraint to keep people in the commonwealth 
from carrying on in any manner that they desire to do. That's 
a legitimate function of God's law. We ought not to discount 
that. We ought to pray that magistrates would rule with law, with a genuine 
desire to restrain the wickedness of man. One man in history said 
the law cannot change the heart, but it can restrain the heartless. And Christians ought to advocate 
this particular use. The second use is the pedagogical 
use. Pedagogue means child tutor. I didn't understand it, because 
I'm telling you, a pedagogue is a tutor. A pedagogue is a 
teacher. A pedagogue is somebody who tells 
you what's what. The law in this sense functions 
to show us our sin. The law in this sense is for 
the confrontation and refutation of sin and for the purpose of 
pointing the way to Christ. That's what Paul meant in Romans 
3.20, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. If we don't preach the 
law, men won't see their sin. If men don't see their sin, they'll 
never cry out for a Savior. You see how these things are 
intimately connected. In fact, John Bunyan, the author 
of Pilgrim's Progress, he said, the man who does not know the 
nature of the law cannot know the nature of sin. And he who 
does not know the nature of sin cannot know the nature of the 
Savior. A lot of people out there are 
unsaved because they've never learned the first lesson of the 
law, that they're sinners, that they stand justly condemned before 
the bar of a holy God. This pedagogical use is absolutely 
crucial in Christian preaching. We need to call men to consider 
their breaking of the law. I already referred to Jesus. 
That's what He's doing with the rich young ruler. He's not teaching 
salvation by words. He's teaching this young man 
that he is a sinner who stands in need of God's holy grace. Galatians 3.24 This is where 
the word pedagogue comes from. Galatians 3.24, Therefore the 
law was our tutor to bring us to Christ that we might be justified 
by faith. But after faith has come, we 
are no longer under a tutor. In that sense, in terms of needing 
to come to Christ, we're in Christ. We've been saved. We've been 
justified. In fact, I think Paul is alluding 
to this use in Galatians 2.19. Galatians 2.19, he says, I through 
the law died to the law that I might live to God. The law 
does what it's supposed to do. It doesn't justify us, but it 
kills us. It shows us our sin. It shows 
us our depravity. It defines for us the fact that 
we stand in need of a gracious salvation and a justification 
by faith alone. The Apostle Paul admits this 
in his own life and in his own experience in Romans 7.7. He 
says, I would not have known lust if the law had not said, 
do not covet. We see this apostolic example 
in the preaching in the book of Acts. What do they continually 
set before their hearers? You murdered Jesus Christ. You killed the Son of God. You 
hung Him on a tree. Why are they doing that? Are 
they agents of guilt manipulation? Do they just like running around 
making people feel bad? No, they're trying to show them 
their sin, trying to show them their need for this Jesus, whom 
they crucified, in order to be justified by grace. The Westminster 
Larger Catechism says, with reference to this second use of the law, 
what particular use is the moral law to unregenerate men? The 
moral law is of use to unregenerate men to awaken their conscience 
to flee from the wrath to come, and to drive them to Christ upon 
their continuance in the estate and way of sin, to leave them 
inexcusable and under the curse thereof." Brethren, it ought 
not to surprise us that we see such a shallow, such a perhaps 
faulty Christianity in our day. Men know nothing of sin. Because 
they've heard nothing of law. I'm speaking in generalities. 
I realize it is going on. There is some good things happening 
throughout the earth. But there is some very shallow 
understanding of what it means to be a Christian. Because men 
have never been brought to Moses. Men have never learned how it 
is they've offended the thrice holy God. And as a result, they 
have never fleed to the Lord Jesus Christ. And the third use 
is what's called the normative use. the normative use. Moeller explains, this pertains 
to believers in Christ who have been saved through faith apart 
from works. In the regenerate life, the law 
no longer functions to condemn, since it no longer stands electrically, 
that means teaching, over against man as the unreachable basis 
for salvation. But the law acts as a norm of 
conduct, freely accepted by those in whom the grace of God works 
the good. So the idea is simply this. Moses kills us. Moses shows us 
our sin and sends us to the foot of Calvary. And there we are 
justified freely by His grace, having the pardon of sin and 
the imputation of righteousness. And when by God's grace we stand 
up and ask, how then shall I live? Jesus points us to that beautiful 
law that reveals the will and the mind and the holiness of 
God. And He says, I will empower you. I will give you of My Spirit. 
I have given this written code. Seek by God's grace to obey. 
When you fall, I'll forgive you. When you fail, I'll forgive you. 
When you sin, I'll forgive you. But this is to be the norm. This 
is to be the pattern. Hence, the normative use of God's 
law. And we need to understand that 
this view is often looked at as being legalistic. Legalism 
teaches justification by law. This isn't legalism. We believe 
in justification by faith. But we believe that a justified, 
by faith sinner looks to God's holy law as a pattern and rule 
of life. We don't believe that just because 
we think it. We see it in Scripture. What's the prophesied role of 
the Decalogue, of the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament? Jeremiah 
31. I will write my law on their 
hearts. I will put my law in their minds. And then we get 
to Hebrews chapter 8 and Hebrews 10 and what happens? They're 
celebrating this reality. John Murray says, it is symptomatic 
of a pattern of thought current in many evangelical circles that 
the idea of keeping the commandments of God is not consonant with 
the liberty and spontaneity of the Christian man. The idea that 
keeping law just does away with all of that freedom and that 
liberty that we have in Jesus. He says that's an idea that is 
current. He says that keeping the law has its affinities with 
legalism and with the principle of works rather than with the 
principle of grace. It is strange indeed that this 
kind of antipathy to the notion of keeping commandments should 
be entertained by any believer who is a serious student of the 
New Testament. Did not our Lord Jesus say, if 
you love me, you will keep my commandments? Of course He said 
that. The normative use is seen throughout 
the New Testament. Romans 13. We all like to talk 
about love. We always celebrate love. What 
does a new Christian look like? Love, love, love. Well, how does 
love look? Owe no one anything except to 
love one another. For he who loves another has 
fulfilled the law for the commandments. You shall not commit adultery. 
You shall not murder. You shall not steal. You shall 
not bear false witness. You shall not covet. And if there 
is any other commandment, they're all summed up in this saying. 
Namely, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm 
to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment 
of the law. We see it repeated or the idea 
in Ephesians 6, 2 and 3. Paul is addressing Gentile children 
in Ephesus and he says, honor your father and your mother. 
This is the first commandment with promise. The first commandment. What's he talking about? The 
Ten Commandments. This is the first in that series 
with a specific promise. That it may be well with you 
and that you may live long in the land. 1 John, he tells us 
that the commandments of God are not grievous. They're not 
burdensome. to somebody who is filled with 
the Spirit, to somebody who is redeemed by grace, to somebody 
who has been justified by faith. He doesn't look at the law and 
say, oh dreaded law, oh how horrible that law, oh how it is my hatred 
each and every day. No, he delights in the law. He 
loves the law. He only wishes, by God's grace, 
he could do more in terms of fulfilling the law. Not because 
he wants to be saved, but because he's saved and he, by God's grace, 
is working out his own salvation in fear and trembling. Realizing, 
of course, that it is God who is at work in him, both to will 
and to do for his good pleasure. Particular application in the 
New Testament, the normative use, it is to define. We are 
called to be holy as God is holy. God doesn't leave us guessing 
what it is that pleases Him. He tells us, don't do this, go 
do that. That makes God happy. Sometimes 
us human fathers, us earthly fathers are very arbitrary in 
our rule in our homes. God is not that way. It is to 
convict us. We often go astray in the Christian 
life, and the Spirit uses the law to bring us back. prone to 
wander, prone to leave the God that I love. And the Lord, through 
His grace and mercy, shows us that. The Scripture, the law 
of God is to be our guide. And it is to always exalt Christ. 
When we see that holy law, we ought to praise God for the Lord 
Jesus Christ who has saved us from our sins. So that, the three 
uses of the law, the truth concerning justification. Brethren, remember, 
the exclusivity of justification by faith alone. You are not going 
to make it to heaven by your work. You're not going to make 
it to heaven by your merit. You're not going to make it to 
heaven by what you do. You need to give up. You need to wave 
the white flag. You need to surrender. You don't 
need moral reform. You don't need a little bit of 
help. You don't need a little bit of assistance. God helps 
those who helps themselves is not true in justification at 
all. God helps those who cannot help 
themselves. God saves those who are dead 
in their trespasses and sins. You need to believe the Gospel. 
That's wherein justification lies. The practical benefit of 
justification by faith is that assurance is grounded upon a 
solid foundation. We have seen this in the past, 
Romans 5.1. Therefore, having been justified 
by faith, we have peace with God. That's the foundation for 
your assurance. Not your work, not your sanctification. Paul connects assurance of salvation 
with justification by faith alone. I suggest that you do the same. 
When you connect assurance of salvation based on your Bible 
reading, based on your performance, based on your church attendance, 
based on your ability to rehearse the sermon perhaps later on in 
the week, you're not going to have assurance. You need to look 
to the doing and the dying and the rising of our Lord Jesus. 
Robert Raymond says, it means that saving faith is directed 
to the doing and dying of Christ alone and not to the good works 
or inner experience of the believer. How many times have you met somebody 
who lives their Christian life based on their experience? If things are good in their life, 
they're happy Christians. If things are bad in their life, 
they're not sure they're saved. That's why Edward Mote said, 
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' 
name. On Christ the solid rock I stand, 
all other ground is sinking sand. Don't trust the sweet frames. 
Trust Jesus. Don't trust in your sanctification. Don't trust in your obedience. 
Trust in justification by faith alone. Not trust in that. Trust 
in Jesus. Some say, well, you believe that 
you're saved by believing that doctrine. No, we believe we're 
saved by believing in Jesus Christ. That doctrine demonstrates this 
whole reality. Raymond goes on to say, it means 
that the Christian's righteousness before God is in heaven at the 
right hand of God in Jesus Christ and not on earth within the believer. It means that the ground of our 
justification is the vicarious, that means substitutionary, work 
of Christ for us. Not the gracious work of the 
Spirit in us. It means that the faith righteousness 
of justification is not personal, but vicarious. Not infused, but 
imputed. Not experiential, but judicial. Not psychological, but legal. Not our own, but a righteousness 
alien to us and outside of us. Not earned, but graciously given 
through faith in Christ that is itself a gift of grace. Herein 
lies happiness. Herein lies genuine Christian 
comfort and assurance. Therefore, having been justified 
by faith, we have peace with God. You look to Him for your 
comfort. You look to Him for your assurance. And finally, brethren, we ought 
not to neglect this threefold use of God's holy law. We understand we are not justified 
by it. We understand it will never bring 
us to heaven. We understand it has its limitations. But there is a lawful use. It is used by God in the civil 
realm to restrain the wickedness of men. It is used by God as 
a tutor to plow up the conscience and send us to Jesus. And it 
is used in the Christian life in a normative manner. J. Gresham 
Machen said this in the early part of the 20th century. A new 
and more powerful proclamation of that law is perhaps the most 
pressing need of the hour. Men would have little difficulty 
with the gospel if they had only learned the lesson of the law. 
So it always is. A low view of the law always 
brings legalism and religion. A high view of law makes a man 
a seeker after grace. Pray God that the high view may 
again prevail. We got it all backwards. We believe 
that if you preach the law biblically, men will become legalists. No, 
if you preach the law biblically, men will seek after grace. May 
God indeed bless His churches and may God indeed give us wisdom 
to understand those lawful uses of the law and to proclaim that 
justification by faith alone. Well, let us pray. Father, we 
thank You for the Word of God. We thank You for its beauty and 
for its clarity. And Lord, we thank You for this 
epistle to the Galatians and pray that You would teach us 
these lessons, help us to love You, help us to draw near to 
You, And God, we pray that You would watch over us in this coming 
week. We ask now that You would go with us, that You would grant 
us Your peace, cause Your face to shine upon us. Let us know 
the beauty of Your countenance upon our lives. And we ask in 
Jesus' holy name, Amen.