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You may turn in your Bibles to 
Galatians chapter 5 as we continue through Paul's letter. Galatians 
chapter 5. We've covered a lot of heavy doctrine 
in this particular book, specifically beginning in chapter 2 all the 
way through chapter 4 with reference to justification by faith alone. There were those who had come 
after the preaching of the apostle to the churches in the southern 
Galatian region, and they undermined what he had said. They didn't 
undermine it directly. Rather, they said what Paul is 
preaching is good. You should believe on the Lord 
Jesus. But you Gentiles, if you really 
want to be committed to Christ. If you really want to go all 
the way, then you should be circumcised. You should submit to the laws 
of Moses. You should go through these ceremonies 
so that you'll really be accepted with God at that point. Well, 
he continues this theme in chapter five, verses one to six. Very specifically, he highlights 
the incompatibility between gospel freedom and the law. In other 
words, if we have been freed by God's grace through faith 
in Jesus Christ to then look to the law to bring us into God's 
favor, that is simply inconsistent. He then chides the agitators 
very specifically in the next section, and then at verses 16 
and following, he begins to get very practical in terms of exhortation 
or what we might call Christian living. In other words, justification 
by faith alone produces a man or a woman who wants to follow 
the Lord, who wants to fulfill or follow God's law. Not as a 
means of acceptance with the Lord, but as a means, a pattern 
of sanctification that the Spirit works in him or her. So I'll 
just begin reading in chapter 5 at verse 1. We'll look at the 
whole chapter, or read the whole chapter, but focus tonight on 
verses 1 to 6. Stand fast, therefore, in the 
liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled 
again with the 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 the whole law. You have become estranged 
from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law. You have 
fallen from grace. For we, through the Spirit, eagerly 
wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus 
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but faith working 
through love. You ran well. Who hindered you 
from obeying the truth? This persuasion does not come 
from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole 
lump. I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have 
no other mind. But he who troubles you shall 
bear his judgment, whoever he is. And I, brethren, if I still 
preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the 
offense of the cross is ceased. I could wish that those who trouble 
you would even cut themselves off. For you, brethren, have 
been called to liberty. Only do not use liberty as an 
opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled 
in one word, even in this, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. 
But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed 
by one another. I say then, walk in the spirit 
and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh 
lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. 
And these are contrary to one another so that you do not do 
the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, 
you are not under the law. Now, the works of the flesh are 
evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 
idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, 
selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, 
revelries, and the like. of which I tell you beforehand, 
just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice 
such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit 
of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, 
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law, 
and those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its 
passions and desires. If we live in the spirit, let 
us also walk in the spirit. Let us not become conceited, 
provoking one another and being one another. Amen. Let us pray. Father, there is much in this 
passage to consider, and we pray that you would just grant us 
the spirit so that we may understand your word. God, help us to get 
a grip on verses 1 to 6 tonight. Help us to understand what the 
Apostle is highlighting, that our acceptance with you is not 
based on us. It's not based on our performance, 
but it's based on what Jesus Christ has accomplished. I pray 
that we would learn that lesson well, that it would be a means 
of great encouragement, of comfort and strengthening. and that it 
would promote holiness in our lives. And I ask this in the 
name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Well, as I said, we're 
going to take up verses one to six this evening. There are four 
particulars that I want to focus on. First, there is an exhortation 
in verse one. We are to stand fast in gospel 
liberty. Secondly, he gives a warning. 
He says that circumcision is futile. Now, again, he's not 
talking about a Jew who is circumcised at birth. And in this particular 
instance, he's anathema. He's condemned to hell. The specifics 
in view are Gentiles who are getting circumcised in order 
to find acceptance with God. It is not cosmetic. It is not 
for cleanliness. It is not because of tradition 
or culture or anything like that. The circumcision in view here 
has to do with religious observance. So he issues this warning, the 
futility of circumcision. Thirdly, he highlights a consequence. If they rely on the works of 
the law, they are separated from Christ. And then, fourthly, he 
indicates the practical benefit of being justified by faith alone 
in verses 5 and 6. So that's a bit of a working 
outline for us as we seek to understand Paul's instruction 
in verses 1 to 6. Notice first the exhortation. He says we are to stand fast, 
therefore, in the liberty by which Christ has made us free. 
If you have the New King James, you'll notice the marginal reading. It says, for freedom, Christ 
has made us free. Stand fast, therefore. Well, 
even without that marginal reading, without that particular variant, 
it follows on the heels of a statement that Paul has already given to 
that effect. Notice back in chapter 4 at verse 
31. He says, So then, brethren, we 
are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. We have freedom. We have liberty. The gospel has 
produced this in our lives. We, by God's grace, have believed 
on Jesus, and as a result now, we have been brought into the 
sphere of blessed gospel liberty. In other words, what he is stressing 
here is what we call the indicative. What is true? What God has done? What God has accomplished? in 
and through the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospel 
is indicative. It is a message. It is a declaration. It is an announcement. We are 
to believe it. And by God's grace, believing 
it, we receive forgiveness and we receive righteousness. It's 
based on that indicative, the fact that we've received this, 
that He then gives this command or this imperative. And He says, 
stand fast therefore. in the liberty by which Christ 
has made us free. This means literally to persevere, 
to persist, to keep your standing. Don't sacrifice what you have 
by God's grace. Don't give that up because a 
few guys come in and preach to you the higher Christian life. 
Or they preach to you ceremonial observance to the law so that 
you will have acceptance with God. Now, the Bible is very clear. The way of acceptance with the 
Lord is by trust, by belief on the Lord Jesus Christ. Hearing 
gospel truth and believing on it. That is the basis, or that 
is how, rather, we are justified. It is by justification, or justification 
is by faith alone in Jesus. And so Paul tells the people, 
stand fast. Don't go backward, don't go to 
the temple, don't go to Moses, don't go to these ceremonies 
to try and garner favor with the Lord God Most High. Notice 
what he says here in verse 1 specifically. He says, and do not be entangled 
again with a yoke of bondage. Now the law is a blessed thing. 
Paul says it's holy. It's good. The commandment is 
right. We see throughout the Bible a celebration of God's 
law. That is, provided we use it lawfully. We're not using the law in order 
to gain acceptance with God. The law serves as a tutor to 
show us our need for the Lord Jesus. The law serves to restrain 
people in a society. And the law serves as a pattern 
for our Christian living. Those are the appropriate uses. 
But when we misappropriate the law, when we try to use it unlawfully, 
when we try to use it as a means of justification before God, 
we will be entangled. We will be in a yoke of bondage. 
We will be striving to do the impossible, not simply because 
doing all of the law is difficult, but because we're sinners. We're 
wretched. We're totally depraved. We're 
totally unable to merit God's favor. We need to remember that 
the law is good. We are not. And so we cannot 
use the law in order to gain favor with God. We need to rely 
upon. We need to rest and we need to 
cast our faith upon the only one who was able to keep the 
law perfectly. completely and perpetually, even 
Jesus Christ. Paul says a retreat from salvation 
by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to a position 
of Christ plus works is to bring oneself into bondage. And again, 
this isn't confined to the Judaizers preaching circumcision. You can 
look at a whole host of ministries today. Believe on the Lord Jesus 
and do these principles. Believe on the Lord Jesus and 
buy these books. Believe on the Lord Jesus and 
attend these conferences. Believe on the Lord Jesus and 
engage in this particular conduct. Whatever it may be, whatever 
the shibboleth of the day might be. And people preach that as 
a means for acceptance with God. We need to be very careful here. 
We need to be very clear on what gospel is. It is the message 
of Jesus Christ and him crucified. We tell men to believe that and 
they will be saved. God then sanctifies, God then 
deals with, as we will see later in this very passage. So the 
exhortation is to stand fast in gospel liberty. Do not retreat. Do not go backwards. Don't go 
back to Mount Sinai as a place of acceptance with God. You've 
come to Mount Zion. You are God, our sons and daughters 
of Sarah. You're of the free woman. You 
are part of the Jerusalem, which is above and is the mother of 
us all. Don't abandon that place. Fight 
for gospel liberty. Stand fast for gospel liberty. Contend earnestly for the faith 
which was once for all delivered to the saints. Don't give in 
to the Judaizers, whether they be Romanists, whether they be 
whatever cult or whatever religion. Seek to add to the finished work 
of Jesus Christ so that you may be saved. That is wretched. It 
is vile. It is Christ alone who saves 
to the uttermost. All those who draw near to God 
Notice, secondly, the warning that he issues, the futility 
of circumcision, verses 2 and 3. There are two specifics that 
we need to understand here with reference to circumcision. And 
again, we're not dealing with the cosmetic or the cultural 
or the tradition or what have you. We are dealing with a religious 
observance of the ceremonial right under the Mosaic Covenant. Two problems with circumcision. One, it renders Christ's work 
ineffectual. And two, it necessitates obedience 
to the entire law. Now, trust me, we don't want 
to do either one of these things. We don't want to render Christ's 
work ineffectual. And we certainly don't want to 
make ourselves obligated to keep the entirety of God's law. But that is precisely what the 
apostle says. Notice in verse two. Indeed, 
I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will 
profit you nothing. It's a horrible statement. If 
you listen to the Judaizers, if you follow them in this particular 
right, and you're basing your acceptance with God on this right, 
then Christ profits you nothing. You see, there is an exclusivity. It is either Christ or works. It is either faith or law. It is either approach God in 
the manner that he has specified or go to hell. Those are the 
two alternatives with reference to our acceptance with God. These are strong words that Paul 
is issuing forth. Indeed, I, Paul, he says, say 
to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. F.F. Bruce says, for the Galatians 
to submit to circumcision as a legal obligation would be an 
acknowledgment that law keeping was necessary for the achievement 
of a righteous status in God's sight. Such an acknowledgment 
would be to nullify the grace of God. You know, you might think 
about this and you say, what's the big deal? Right? God has 
specified the way of approach. But, you know, sometimes people 
get things wrong. So they have a little Christ 
and they have a little law keeping. So they have a little Jesus and 
they have a few words. So they mingle the two together. 
What's the big deal? Because God the Lord is holy. 
God the Lord has prescribed the way of approach. God the Lord 
has instituted one way of access into his presence. And it is 
through the blood of Jesus Christ alone. The big deal is to call 
into question the very wisdom of God, the decree of God, the 
power of God, and the efficiency of Jesus Christ's work at Calvary. John Calvin says, we see then 
that the smallest part of justification cannot be attributed to the law 
without renouncing Christ and His grace. This is serious business. This is absolutely crucial. That's why we're going through 
the book of Galatians, because there is too much fuzzy thinking 
in this regard. There is too much muddled headedness 
with reference to this issue. What is your standing? What is 
your basis? What is the ground upon which 
you have acceptance with God? If you think it's you and Jesus, 
you're wrong. If you think it's Jesus and what 
you have performed, you are wrong. Your justification relies solely 
and is grounded fully in the finished work of Christ alone. You have to understand that these 
are two mutually exclusive ways of approaching God. Look at Galatians 
2, verse 20. Galatians 2, verse 20. 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. So for a man, a woman, a boy 
or a girl to say faith in Christ, plus my circumcision, faith in 
Christ plus my education, faith in Christ plus my performance, 
faith in Christ plus how I look, how I live, how I perform. That 
is to nullify and destroy the grace of God. There's no additions. There's no supplements. The gospel 
is pure. It doesn't need you to contribute. 
It doesn't need your assistance. God doesn't need you to help 
yourself. Jesus Christ, brethren, is a 
savior, not a helper. It is he who will save his people 
from their sins. It's not he who will help his 
people save themselves. You need to understand that. 
We need to get that. The Judaizers no doubt assured 
their audience that compliance with the mosaic ceremonies were 
not a rejection of Christ. You can almost hear them now 
in their flowery pulpit speech. Paul's a good brother. He's preaching 
faith in Christ. That's excellent. That's awesome. 
But to really have it in with the Lord God, you need to be 
circumcised. Don't think for a moment that 
this will hurt you. This will complete you. You ever 
heard that in the Christian world, the higher Christian life, or 
to be fully complete, or to be fully in the gospel? You ever 
meet people where there's just this one other element that you 
have to have, and some of the more rabid forms of Charismaticism 
or Pentecostalism, you have to speak in tongues. Well, what's 
that saying? Jesus died on the cross, and 
you have to speak in tongues in order to truly have acceptance 
with God. That is to fly in the face of 
God's way of salvation. And it's not just the rabid charismatics. 
We all have our shibboleth. We all have our preferences that 
we will elevate to a place of acceptance with God. We can be 
very judgmental about others. They don't do it the way I do 
it. They don't do it the way he does it. They don't do it 
the way our church does it. They don't have the 1689 Confession. Praise God we're saved, not by 
our adherence to the 1689 Confession. We are saved by grace through 
faith in Jesus. That's what Paul wants us to 
get. It's Christ alone. Don't miss it. Notice, secondly, 
not only does it render Christ's work ineffectual, it necessitates 
obedience to the entire law. Verse 3, And I testify again 
to every man who becomes circumcised, that he is a debtor to keep the 
whole law. You see, it doesn't stop there. 
There's two ways of approach to God. It's either through the 
bloodshed work of Jesus Christ at Calvary, or it's through the 
law. No mingling, no mixing. No, a 
little bit of this and a little bit of that. We're not making 
a soup here. And I've asked my wife before. 
She can make really excellent soups, but she doesn't use a 
recipe. So chances are I'll never get that soup again. She says 
the magic happens when I'm in the kitchen. And I believe that. There's magic happening. She's 
throwing this in the pot. She's throwing that in the pot. 
A little bit of this, a little bit of that. And out comes this 
great, wonderful soup. That ain't our approach to God. 
It ain't a little bit of this and a little bit of that. It 
ain't a pinch of this and a pinch of that. It is Christ only. That's 
the message of Galatians. No additives. No substitutes. No supplements. No compliments. 
No pinch of this, along with a bleeding, crucified Savior. 
It is that bleeding, crucified and risen Savior, or it's nothing. 
This is an exclusive means, an exclusive way. If you take on 
circumcision as a means of acceptance with God, it does not stop there. You need to obey the law. You 
need to obey it perfectly. You need to obey it completely. 
And you need to obey it perpetually. There can never be a day when 
you don't love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, 
mind and strength, and when you don't love your neighbor as yourself. 
Can any of us ever say that we've got that down in five minutes? That there have been five minutes 
in our lives where we were just caught up with love to God and 
love to our fellow man? Can any of us say that that has 
characterized us for five seconds in our lives? Do you really want 
to take on that yoke? Do you really want to take on 
that obligation? Do you really want to commit 
to the obedience that God calls in terms of entirety? This is 
Paul's argument. Do you see what you're doing, 
Galatians? These Judaizers don't care about 
you. He's going to say as much later. 
They want to boast in the flesh. They want to boast in the circumcised. They want to be able to boast 
in the altar calls. Yeah, we had 15 decisions for 
Jesus. We had 15 foreskins for Jesus. We had. That's what he says. 
It's horrible. I don't care about you. This puts into perspective his 
statement, Galatians 1 6. I'm amazed that you are so quickly 
deserting him who called you in the grace of God to another 
gospel. That's why he says, if I or anyone 
preaches another gospel than what we preach to you, let it 
be a curse, let it be damned to hell, let it be anathema. 
If you take on the yoke of the law, it is in its entirety. Again, F.F. Bruce says this, 
he who submits to circumcision as a legal requirement necessary 
for salvation accepts thereby the principle of salvation by 
law keeping. You raise your hand for circumcision, 
you are entering into a covenant. A covenant of life which is achieved 
only by your complete, your utter, your total and perpetual obedience 
to the law. Now, if you know anything of 
the Bible and you know anything of your own heart, you want to 
avoid that position. You want to say, nothing in my 
hand I bring simply to thy cross I claim. You want to say, foul 
I to the fountain fly, wash me, Savior, or I die. You want to 
sing, Jesus paid it all. You don't want to think for a 
moment that you have to obey in order to garner salvation 
with God. Bruce says he accepts thereby 
the principle of salvation by law keeping and salvation by 
law keeping implies salvation by keeping the whole law. Little experiment. Tomorrow. 
It's your holiest opportunity. Ask yourselves, did I just love 
God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my strength, 
with all my might, and do I love my neighbor as myself? I don't 
think we do it for five billionths of a second, to be honest with 
you. I don't even know if that's legit, but you get the drift. Now think about it. Could anybody 
here raise their hand and say, you know, Pastor? Yeah, I do. 
I love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. And 
I do it for a sustained period. Or I love my neighbor as myself. Do you ever wonder why so many 
things in the Bible are repetitious? Do you ever wonder why we're 
told several times to love one another? I suspect it's because 
we don't do it. We don't do it well. And so we 
need constant reminder. We need constant exhortation. 
We need to be constantly called to our place before God in the 
area of the Christian life. So can you for a moment say, 
you know, I've done pretty well with reference to the law. I 
suspect that if you can, if anyone had the chutzpah to raise their 
hand, you would have the sin of pride in your heart. Because 
those who understand the Scriptures in themselves properly, they 
can't even look up into heaven when they pray. They pound on 
their chest and they say, God, be merciful to me, the sinner. I can't avail with the Lord. 
I can't accomplish the law, Paul says in Romans 3, 24. By the 
deeds of the law, no flesh will be justified in His sight. He says the same thing in Galatians 
2. Verse 16, knowing that a man 
is not justified by the works of the law. What's the implication? We're sinners. So many unbiblical 
treatments of the Gospel, or unbiblical treatments of justification 
by faith alone. Don't take that very seriously 
our sin, our depravity. You've got to go back to Calvin 
and the old brothers to get the full weight of that, to understand 
just how bad the situation is. There are some current authors 
as well that speak to these things equally well. Brethren, by and 
large, people just don't understand this whole sin issue and what 
it means to forsake Jesus in an attempt to gain favor with 
God through the law. Notice, thirdly, the consequence. 
The consequence. So he's given an exhortation, 
stand fast in the gospel. He's given a warning, the futility 
of circumcision. And now he speaks of the consequence, 
separation from Christ. Verse four, he says, you have 
become estranged from Christ or separated from Christ. You attempt to be justified by 
law. You have fallen from grace. Let's 
just take that center clause for a moment. Not the center 
clause, but the center clause. You who attempt to be justified 
by law. That's the issue in Galatians. 
That explains very clearly why Paul comes out of the chute in 
Galatians 1.6 and lets them have it. They are seeking justification. They are seeking acceptance with 
God based on the law. It is not who is in the covenant 
and who isn't. It is not the tension that may 
still exist between Jews and Gentiles in the church. It is 
not the failure to fully appreciate God through Christ is fulfilling 
the promise to Abraham. The issue is the wretched practice 
of seeking one's acceptance through the law. That is an unlawful 
use of the law, and Paul will not have it. So that's what's 
going on. That's why his dander is up, 
if I can use that expression. You who attempt to be justified 
by law. He says, the beginning, you have 
become separated from Christ. The Judaizers would say this 
will bring you closer to Jesus. Do you know what happens? a man, a woman, a boy or girl 
who begins to follow this path, he sees his accomplishment. He sees that he's a bit better 
off because of his circumcision. He sees that he's a bit better 
off, not because Jesus has saved him and washed him in his own 
precious blood. I mean, that's a help. But the 
really discriminating thing here is that I've been circumcised. 
Or I went to this school. Or I go to that church. We're 
always looking to pat ourselves on the back. We want to take 
credit. We want to have God say, good 
job. We want to hear from God, kudos. We want to hear from other people. 
We want people to recognize what noble, wonderful people we are. 
We don't like the thought of people seeing us as filthy, wicked, 
wretched, horrible sinners. I'm not saying that's psychologically 
easy. But if we understand ourselves 
properly, it becomes a lot easier. You see, this is the issue. You 
put your resources into keeping the law, you separate yourself 
from Christ. As they're chasing after the 
mohel in order to get circumcised, they are running from Jesus. 
As they are chasing after that man who's got the knife to engage 
in that rite, they have left Jesus behind. That's the problem 
in Galatia. They have become estranged. from Christ. Notice how he goes 
on the end of verse four. You have fallen from grace. This 
passage does not speak to the doctrine of the perseverance 
of the saints. He is not telling us in this 
passage that a genuine believer can lose his or her salvation. He is simply contrasting those 
two ways of approach. It is either by grace through 
faith in Jesus or it is by law. If you choose law, you have fallen 
from grace. You have departed from that system. You have turned your back upon 
it. He's not dealing with what we 
might think is the doctrine of perseverance. We would go elsewhere 
to deal with that particular doctrine. If an Arminian ever 
says, look here, Paul teaches us that a real believer can lose 
his or her salvation. That's not the point of Galatians 
5. The point is when you choose 
the means of law, you have fallen. from the means of grace. John 
Eady says it this way, Christ's method of justification is holy 
of grace. And those who rely on law and 
merit are in opposition to grace, are fallen out of it. The clause 
has really no bearing on the doctrine of perseverance of the 
saints or on their possible apostasy. And then that brings us fourthly 
to consider the practical benefit He's been trafficking in abstract 
theology. He's been trafficking in this 
righteous status that we have before God. He's been trafficking 
in justification by faith alone. Yes, he's alluded to the fact 
that we have received pardon. Yes, he's alluded to the fact 
that we have received the Holy Spirit. Here he brings that into 
focus now. He brings that into a sharp focus. 
He says, based on law, based on its resources, we don't have 
the Spirit. We don't have a righteousness 
that avails with God. It's by faith. It's faith. Believe on the Lord Jesus. Look 
to Christ. Remember when the fiery serpents 
went out and bit the Israelites and God told Moses to make that 
brazen serpent and erect it into the wilderness. They were to 
look and live. Not look and suck the blood out 
of their wound. Not look and put a bandage on. Not look and go to the triage 
nurse. They were to look and live. It's a gospel. Look and 
live. You think the sucking of the 
blood out of the arm of your of your sin is going to avail 
with God? No, it's Christ who avails with 
God. You look to him and you will 
have life. And so here he says that there 
is practical benefit. Notice in verse five, the spirit 
promotes hope. Verse five, for we through the 
spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. Remember that we've already seen 
that upon one's justification by faith, they receive the spirit. 
Notice in Galatians three verse two. This only I want to learn 
from you. Did you receive the spirit by 
the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? Are you so 
foolish having begun in the spirit? Are you now being made perfect 
by the flesh? How do you receive the Spirit? 
By the works of the law? When you got circumcised, did 
the Spirit indwell you? Absolutely not. It's when you 
believe the Gospel that the Spirit is your seal and guarantee. Notice 
in chapter 3, verse 14, that the blessing of Abraham might 
come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus that we might receive the 
promise of the Spirit. Notice, through faith, not through 
works. Not through the flesh. Not through 
our obedience. Not through our tongues. Not 
through our whatever. It is through faith. Galatians 
4 verse 6. And because you are sons, God 
has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying 
out, Abba, Father. Therefore, you are no longer 
a slave, but a son. And if a son, then an heir of 
God through Christ. So Paul says that based on God's 
dealings with us, based on justification by faith alone, we have the spirit 
And we have this hope of righteousness by faith. Doesn't it almost sound 
like Paul is saying we have the hope that we're going to get 
righteousness in the future. I don't think that's what's in 
view here. We know that the moment we believe 
the moment a sinner looks to Christ and you listen here tonight 
if you don't know Jesus. You need to listen to this very 
clearly. The Bible says that God is a holy God, that he must 
punish sin. The Bible says that you are a 
sinner and you deserve to be punished. Again, not a popular 
subject, but the Bible is clear that men who sin against God 
deserve his wrath and his curse, both in this life and that which 
is to come. It will be forever. It will be 
conscious. It will be torment. It will be 
separation from God Most High. That's bad news. The good news 
is that Jesus came to live and die and rise again so that all 
those who look to him in faith will have life. So the moment 
you believe, God justifies you. Beautiful. Just like that man 
who got bit by the fiery serpent. When he gazed upon that grazing 
serpent lifted up in the wilderness, he lived. He was healed. He was blessed. Well, the moment 
you and I believe the gospel, we are justified. That's why 
Paul can say in Romans 8, therefore, there is now no condemnation 
for those who are in Christ Jesus. This is why in Romans 5, 1, he 
can say, therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace 
with God. We're not waiting for a future 
justification. We're not waiting for a final 
justification. Justification is not a process. We currently possess it by God's 
grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. So, what does he 
mean here when he says, for we through the Spirit eagerly wait 
for the hope of righteousness by faith? F.F. Bruce again says, 
the hope of righteousness is the hope of a favorable verdict 
in the last judgment. For those who believe in Christ, 
such a verdict is assured in advance by the present experience 
of justification by faith. In other words, we know that 
one day we'll stand before the Lord God Almighty, but by His 
grace we've already received the verdict. We've already been 
declared not guilty. We've already been forgiven. 
So what the final day will simply bear forth is the confirmation 
or the validation of what's taken place presently. He goes on to 
say, with its concomitant rejoicing and hope of the glory of God. 
In their case, the eschatological verdict of not guilty is already 
realized. Their hope is not vague or uncertain. It is fostered and kept alive 
by the indwelling spirit of God. I think that's pretty decent, 
but I think it may go in a different direction. Take this reading, 
which the grammar does allow. Fung says the statement can be 
understood what's called subjectively instead of objectively. That 
has to do with the genitive. I don't want to get you confused 
here but I want to read this. So instead of by the spirit we 
hope for righteousness. He says, we have by the Spirit 
the hope to which the justification of believers points them forward. In other words, we've been justified 
by faith. As a result of that, because 
of the Spirit's indwelling, the justified by faith ones have 
hope. Not for a final justification, 
not for the process to end, but the hope of heaven. The hope 
of Jesus, the hope of Emmanuel, the hope of eternal inheritance, 
the hope that when we die, we go to be with Him. The righteousness 
of faith that we possess gives us ground for hope in the coming 
blessed realities that awaits God's people. And then notice, 
finally, he speaks of love. For in Christ Jesus, verse 6, 
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but faith working 
through love. Now, some Roman Catholics and 
those who follow that take this faith working through love to 
say, there it is. It's not faith alone. Well, it 
would be very interesting if after spending so much time stressing 
justification by faith alone, Paul now smuggles in love. It's 
faith and love in order to be justified. That's not the point. 
That's not what he's speaking of. Paul is completing one of 
his favorite triads. Faith! Hope! What's the third? Love! When 
Paul speaks of faith and hope, love is surely to follow. Paul 
is saying that practically, as justified by faith among believers 
in Jesus, we have the Spirit indwelling us. Because we have 
that righteousness by faith, we have hope in the coming glory 
that awaits us. And in the present, we live in 
the manner of love. Our faith is fleshed out in the 
way that we live. Our faith is not purchased or 
required or bought by the way we live. It's the faith that 
God has given to us by which we've laid hold of Christ. That 
faith then manifests itself in the working out of love. As Calvin says, how faith functions 
is in view, not how it is formed. It is the grace of God, it is 
the gift of God wherein He gives us faith. He goes on to say in 
his commentary, it is not our doctrine that the faith which 
justifies is alone. You've got to get this because 
this is a misrepresentation. We believe we're justified by 
faith alone. But once we've been justified, 
that faith flushes itself out in sanctification. Justification 
inevitably leads to holy living. It inevitably leads to putting 
off the deeds of the body. It inevitably leads to putting 
on the Lord Jesus Christ. So Calvin says it is not our 
doctrine that the faith which justifies is alone. We maintain 
that it is invariably accompanied by good works. Only we contend 
that faith alone is sufficient for justification. And Fung says 
he is saying simply that the faith which justifies is of such 
a nature that it will express itself through love. That's the 
point of Galatians 5 verse 6. So what does he do here? Very 
simply, he exhorts the people. Stand fast, gospel liberty. He 
tells the people the warning with reference to circumcision. 
If you submit to circumcision for acceptance with God, it renders 
Christ's work ineffectual. It necessitates obedience to 
the entire law. He says there's a consequence. 
If you choose you this day, you choose this particular path, 
you know what you get? You don't get closer to Jesus. You don't 
get more enlightened. You don't get more committed 
to Jesus. You're separated from Jesus. It's very important we 
get that. Certain ministries peddle that 
sort of a thing, do this and you'll have more come to Christ 
and you get everything right. What does Paul say in Ephesians 
chapter one? He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing 
in the heavenly places in Christ. Is there room for more? I don't 
think we celebrate what we've got. And we want more. It's like your kid coming to 
you. I want more toys. You've got 
a whole room of toys you haven't touched. Get in there and play 
with them. Have fun. We have ministries 
today peddling more blessings, super blessing, extra blessing. 
What more is there? You've been justified freely 
by His grace. You're being sanctified by the 
power of the indwelling spirit. You will be glorified and brought 
into the presence of Jesus. You will see him as he is. Your 
eyes will focus upon the Lord of glory. And what could you 
possibly want? You have it all. And then fourthly, 
he says there are practical benefits to this faith, practical benefits 
that flesh out in the means of hope and through love. So, believer, 
you need to stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made 
us free. If you don't understand some 
of these things, ask Pastor Cam. Ask me. Let's sit down. Let's 
make sure you get justification. Read the Confession of Faith, 
the 1689. It is a wonderful, articulate 
statement that gathers together in the space of a few paragraphs 
what the Bible says on this most essential doctrine. You must 
stand fast. You must guard your heart. You 
must guard against the tendency that lies in each of our hearts 
to seek credit on our own. To seek favor based on our performance. We need to reckon with the fact 
that in the Christian life, any good things that we actually 
do, do, God gets the glory for. And all the bad things that we 
do, do, we get the blame for. Some people say, well, that's 
not fair. Well, you know what? Life isn't fair. I don't know 
who ever told you it was. Stand fast. You need to be clear 
on these matters for your eternal well-being depends on it. And rejoice in the pardon of 
sins received. Rejoice in the righteousness 
of Christ imputed. Rejoice that God, in his mercy 
and in his grace, has reached down, picked you up out of the 
bungee and cleansed you through the precious blood of Jesus and 
has clothed you in a righteousness not your own. Go often to Zechariah 
3. Play that picture over and over 
in your mind. Zechariah 3, Joshua the high 
priest standing before God in all of his filth, in all of his 
wickedness, in all of his garbage. Satan standing there ready to 
accuse him. And before the devil could open 
his mouth, God says, the Lord rebuked you, Satan. The Lord 
knew Joshua was filthy. The Lord saw the wickedness of 
him. The Lord saw through this. And 
he says, take off those filthy garments, not to Joshua, to the 
attendants. Strip those garments off of him 
and put these clean garments on him. Put a turban on his head. 
That is a beautiful picture of the transaction that takes place 
when a sinner believes on Jesus. The filth is removed. The righteousness 
is imputed. We ought to fight for this doctrine. 
We ought to die for this doctrine. We ought to live for this doctrine. 
We ought to preach this doctrine. And we ought to refuse and reject 
those who would twist this doctrine. We need to take seriously what 
Paul says in Galatians, chapter four, verse 30, cast out the 
bond woman and her son for the son of the bond woman shall not 
be heir with the son of the free woman. A man comes into this 
church preaching justification by faith and words, get out. Cast him out. There is no place 
for such a doctrine in the house of the living God. And for those 
who have not come to Christ, tonight you have one of two options. 
One of two options. You can either A, believe on 
the Lord Jesus Christ and receive all the benefits that He purchased 
at Calvary, or B, you can go it alone. Go it alone is not 
a good way. Going it alone means that you 
need to rely on your performance, you need to rely on your obedience, 
you need to rely on your law keeping. And let's just suppose, 
in the world of hypotheticals, that from this moment on, you 
could live perfectly in obedience to the law. You couldn't. But 
let's just suppose it for a moment. And let's just suppose you're 
25 years old tonight. If you're 25, I'm not picking 
on you. I just threw a random number out. I hope I am talking 
to you. But just imagine from 25 to 80, 
80 is a good life. We'd all agree, you know, if 
we live to 80, some of us might think, yeah, 60 is cool. We'll 
be with Jesus, right? Let's say 25 to 80. You grinned 
and bared it. You reached out and pulled up 
your bootstraps. You listened to this message 
and you said, you know what? I am going to obey. I'm going to do 
it perfectly. I'm going to do it completely. I'm going to do 
it perpetually. So from 25 to 80, in the world of hypothetical, 
you actually do it. What happens when you stand before 
God? Depart from me. Why? You've got 25 years worth 
of sins that need to be dealt with. You see that? There's only one 
place to go to deal with sin. It's the blood. Hebrews 9.22, 
he says, without the shedding of blood, there is no remission. 
You go to Christ. The blood of Christ shall wash 
and cleanse you from all your sin. Paul celebrates this reality 
over and over again. In him, we have redemption through 
his blood. In Colossians 1, he says he has 
made Peace through what? The blood of his cross. Things that seem completely contrary. It is through the blood of the 
cross that Jesus brings peace. So please, do not choose your 
own resources. Do not choose your own law keeping. 
Do not rest upon your own merits. Do not present yourself before 
God on that day and say, well, I never killed anyone. I never 
committed adultery. I always tried to do the right 
thing. Your heart is deceitful above all things and desperately 
wicked. There is one alone who can deal 
with you, and he's in the business of doing so. Jesus says, come. The prophet Isaiah says, come. The prophet asks you specifically, 
as we read in Isaiah 55, why do you spend your wages on that 
which does not satisfy? Why are you giving all your money, 
time, effort, resources and energy to that which cannot satisfy? He says, come by and eat without 
money. We sang it. Venture on him. Venture 
holy without money, without price. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and you shall be saved. Let us pray. Father, we thank 
you for your word and we thank you for this wonderful doctrine 
of justification by faith alone. We just pray, God in heaven, 
that you would help us to think clearly on Paul's epistle to 
the Galatians, to think clearly with reference to Romans and 
the entirety of the Old and the New Testaments on this most crucial 
subject. We pray, Father, that sinners 
would be saved, that the power of the gospel would be manifested 
and lives changed. We pray, Father, as well, that 
your people would evidence, hope, and that we would love, that 
we would love you and that we would love one another. And in 
so doing, bring glory and honor and praise to our blessed God. 
We ask that you would go with us now. Watch over us in this 
coming week. Be with your people who are having 
trials and difficulties. We know that you are the great 
physician, and you tend not only to us spiritually, but physically 
as well. And we rest in this, and we find 
comfort and joy in these truths. We ask now that you would bless 
us for Jesus' sake. Amen.