Sola Fide. Galatians 1:6-9 & 2:15-16

Transcription

1 Sola Fide Galatians 1:6-9 & 2:15-16 Galatians 1:6-9 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel These are true believers that are entertaining other views on how to be justified before God. Paul calls it a different gospel which means another good news about how to be right with God. In his commentary Luther says, If they had taken better hold of the Word they could not have been removed so easily. Luther also says of this different gospel, Their objection to Paul s gospel is identical to that recorded in the 15 th chapter of the Book of Acts to the effect that it was not enough for the Galatians to believe in Christ, or to be baptized, but that it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses As though Christ were a workman who had begun a building and left it for Moses to finish. 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. There is no other good news about how to be right with God. There are some people in the church claiming that there is. It probably seems like a good and gracious act of these people, but Paul says they are actually troubling the Christians and distorting God s good news concerning man s justification. God s good news is all about Jesus and the work he has done to justify the elect. Again, listen to Luther, Either Christ must live and the Law perish, or the Law remains and Christ must perish; Christ and the Law cannot dwell side by side in the conscience. It is either grace or law. To muddle the two is to eliminate the gospel of Christ entirely. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. Although it seems like it, this is not hyperbole. Paul literally means that if an angel from heaven or even another apostle, whom the Lord has authorized to deliver the gospel first, should tell them anything concerning justification that differs from what they already heard from Paul, they should have nothing to do with them. That person, persons, or angelic beings should be accursed and sent to the pits of Hell forevermore. What is the gospel of Christ that they had received?

2 Galatians 2: We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; (this comment is in reference Paul s rebuke of Peter in the previous passage) 16 yet we know that a person is not justified (counted righteous) by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. (Sola Fide) Introduction: - The authoritative Scripture alone teaches that the gospel of Christ is salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone for the glory of God alone. - Luther called Sola Fide the summary of all Christian doctrine, and the article by which the church stands or falls. - Sola Fide, or faith alone, means that man receives complete pardon for all his sin, past, present and future by nothing more than trusting in the completed work of Jesus Christ on the cross. - It is often misunderstand that Sola Fide was a refutation of Rome s view of justification, but that is not entirely accurate. Luther and the Reformers changed the definition of the word justification, which placed it in a separate category than the RCC s definition. Rome s definition has more to do with sanctification, the act of cleaning from sin and making one holy, than salvation. The reformers believed the Scriptures taught that justification is the declaration that one is pardoned from all sin. It is not a process but a one-time judgment. - The battle between RCC and Luther was between biblical justification and priestly pardon and absolution. The RCC believed pardon was from God but had to be dispensed through priests. Luther was so troubled because he witnessed the ungodly and immoral priests dispensing pardon to lowly sinners when it benefited the church and withholding it when they wanted. Luther recognized this was contrary to the scriptures. - Another misconception about the Reformation is that Luther had an epiphany one day and wrote the 5 Solas. The 5 Solas were not actually established as the tenants of the Reformation until well after it had begun. Sola Fide came to Luther through a process that lasted approximately 4 years or more. 3 aspects of Luther s theological journey that led to Sola Fide and how they affect us today. 1. His Conviction of Sin - Most of us are pretty familiar with the stories about Luther s struggle with his convictions. Staupitz, Luther s priest to whom he made confession, once sent him away from confessions saying, Look here, brother Martin, why don t you go do

3 something worth confessing? Kill your mother or father! Commit adultery! Quit coming in here with such flummery and fake sins! - Let s look at why Luther felt so overwhelmed and hopeless with his sin. - I believe through those dark days, Luther was lost. Luther himself believed has was converted 2 years after his Ninety-Five Thesis. It is obvious he was a desperate man looking for pardon from sin and a peace that endureth. What he needed was the gospel of grace. But, the RCC church believed that a person was saved from original sin by God s grace alone through baptism, (habitual grace), but they also believed actual grace (forgiveness of individual sins) was needed to maintain justification and go to heaven. Actual grace can be attained through confession, penance, good works, and indulgences. Luther was a very reasonable thinker. He feared that he would forget sins or simply not be aware of them and they would go unforgiven. He also had questions like, How much is enough? Which works are good enough? In which case, he feared he would not be accepted by God into his eternal presence. Luther was trying to do something that is impossible and unlike most of his contemporaries, he was willing to admit it and search for truth. - The church still struggles with the temptation to add stipulations to justification and/or sanctification today. There are many legalistic churches and individual Christians adding to the gospel of grace. It may be unintentional and we may be unaware, but it is just as damning today as it was in the sixteenth century. Some examples are Free-willism, traditions, strict church rules, and baptismal regeneration. 2. His Love for the Bible - It was Luther s love for the Word of God that caused all these problems. Even he said, I did nothing, the Word did it all. - This was also not the first Reformation. Josiah led the first one recorded in history (2 Kings 22 and 2 Chronicles 34). - Back to the 16 th Century. It wasn t so much that the RCC forbade laity to read the Scriptures, that officially happened after the Reformation, but it was what they believed about the Scriptures that influenced Luther s actions. The RCC believed the Word of God was a book of divine truths and moral standards, but that was all. They believed it was written beyond the abilities of laity to understand and so the priests and papacy were entrusted with the task of deciphering and dispensing the teachings to the people. They believed God was the source of authority, but the papacy was God s means of grace to the world. - Through studying the Scriptures, Luther discovered that it was more than doctrines and morals. He discovered that it was a means of grace even without the church. He discovered that people from all educations and backgrounds could read and understand enough with the Spirit s guidance, to hear, believe, and be saved. This caused him to study and teach the Scriptures tirelessly. - We give so much lip service to believing in the power of God s word to save souls and sanctify lives but our actions tell a different story. Too many preachers are not

4 preaching the Bible and too many professing Christians are not reading it consistently, much less studying it thoroughly. - Luther didn t lead the first reformation. Josiah did. What caused the problems in his day? The abandonment of the Word of God. We are making the same mistake today. 3. His Divinely Appointed Rebellious Spirit - In many ways, Luther was like that little child who asks too many questions and follows each of them up with several whys until they are satisfied with the right answer. Luther questioned his own motives, every interpretation and teaching on Scripture, papal authority, and on and on. You can find 95 very specific questions of his in his Ninety-five Thesis. - His final and famous declaration at the Diet of Worms reveals the heart of Luther s rebellion when he said, Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and 3 contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. I cannot do otherwise, here I stand, may God help me, Amen. - Luther s rebellion was against the world in which he lived in so far as it contradicted the world in which he so desperately long to live in, the kingdom of God. Paul tells all believers not to be conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Rom. 12:2). Luther was the epitome of this command. When his mind became enlightened to the Word of God, he began to see just how fallen and corrupt this world is, including the church. He refused to accept status quo and rebelled against the corruption of the church because he was informed by the Scriptures. - We must have the same rebellious spirit in us, yet it must be tamed by the Word of God. We must question everything. We must compare all things, people, traditions, programs, songs, entertainments, friends, family, ect by the standard of God s holy Word. When it contradicts it we must have the courage and zeal to take a stand for truth. But, we must do it in love and kindness and compassion, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. We need to remember that we are all called to be reformers, but not everyone is called to be Martin Luther. God gifts people in different ways to accomplish this task. - This cannot be done if we do not know the Word of God through and through. No surface level reading or reliance upon what we have always believed will suffice. 4. The Glory of God - This series on the 5 Solas will conclude with the purpose of all things; the glory of God alone. That is the chief end of man and it was Luther s greatest concern. It nearly cost him his life. It would have if it were not for the grace of God. - If God is not our supreme concern the church of our generation will miss the blessedness of reformation. Semper reformanda was the cry of the Protestant Reformation. We are not a Reformed church because there is no such thing. We

5 are a reforming church. The only true reformed church will the consummated church in glory. Until then, we fight the good fight. We seek constant reformation, conformity of all things to the Word of God with the love of Christ and to God s glory, forever and ever, Amen! Conclusion: - Where are you as a reformer? - To the unbeliever: Where is your trust? What are you trusting in to be justified? CG Questions 1. Was there any particular aspect of Luther s person or journey that you identified with, and why? 2. Can you think of some ways in which the doctrine of salvation by faith alone is being distorted today? 3. One of our greatest problems today is that we have become calloused to sin. What can we do to increase our sensitivity toward our sin? 4. What did Charlie mean by we are all called to be reformers, but not everyone is called to be Martin Luther? 5. What is the true source of biblical reformation? The Bible. How was that demonstrated in Josiah s reform? How was that demonstrated in Luther s reform? 6. Can you think of some areas in the church today where biblical reform is needed or being accomplished? 7. A true reformer is a person who is steeped in Scripture, transformed and deeply convicted by it, and bent on the glory of God in all things. Where are you today as a true reformer of God?