Faith Alone

Overview

Faith Alone: The Righteousness That Comes from God

A century before Martin Luther, a Bohemian pastor named Jan Hus stood against the corruption of his day, insisting that there is only one Head of the Church—Jesus Christ—and that doctrine must be measured by Scripture, not by popes or councils. In July of 1415, refusing to recant, Hus was stripped of his clerical robes and burned at the stake. Before the flames were lit, he prophesied: "You may cook this goose, but a swan will come whom you cannot silence." A hundred years later, that swan came forth in Martin Luther.

Luther's great breakthrough began as a young professor wrestling with Psalm 71:2—"in your righteousness, deliver me and rescue me." He had been taught that righteousness was something the sinner produced to earn God's favor. But Scripture spoke of a righteousness from God, given as a gift. Driven into Romans 1:16-17, Luther saw that the gospel is the very power of God for salvation, and that "the righteous shall live by faith." As he later said, it was as though he had entered paradise through open gates.

This is the truth Paul presses home in Romans 4. Abraham was not justified by works—if he were, he would have something to boast about before God. Rather, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness" Romans 4:3. Hoping against hope, Abraham trusted the promise of God when his own body and Sarah's womb were as good as dead (Romans 4:18-21; see also Hebrews 11:8-10). Abraham looked forward to the Messiah; we look back to the Messiah who has come. The way of salvation has never changed. Justification is not a process by which grace is infused into us so our works become meritorious. It is an act of God by which Christ's righteousness is imputed—credited—to us. "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" 2 Corinthians 5:21. This is more than a pardon; it is God declaring the sinner just because of the perfect life and atoning death of Jesus Christ.

Two pastoral clarifications guard this good news. First, we are justified through faith, not because of faith. Faith is not the cause of our salvation—Christ is. Faith is the empty hand that receives what Christ has already accomplished, and even that faith is itself God's gift through Word and Sacrament Ephesians 2:8-9. To the one who works, wages are owed; but to the one who trusts the God who justifies the ungodly, faith is reckoned as righteousness Romans 4:4-5. Second, what saves us is not the strength of our faith but the object of our faith—the Lord Jesus Christ. This is mercy for every weary conscience. When your faith feels small or shaken, look outward, not inward. Look to Christ crucified and risen, to his promises and his finished work. Grace alone. Faith alone. Christ alone.

Transcript

Did you open your Bible, please, with me to the fourth chapter of the book of Romans? 0s

His name was Jan Hus. 6s

Jan Hus. He was born about 100 years before Martin Luther. 9s

He was born in a town called Hassanek. 16s

It means Goose Town. 19s

And then his early 20s, Jan Hus shortened his name to the Hus, 22s

so that he would be known as Goose. 28s

He became a pastor and a professor. 34s

And he proclaimed that indeed what the Pope and the cardinals were doing was not right. 40s

The Pope and the cardinals were establishing doctrine, contrary to scripture, 48s

and Jan Hus would have nothing to do with it. 52s

And he spoke out and he spoke boldly. 56s

Hus maintained that there's only one head of the church, 63s

and the head of the church is Jesus Christ. 66s

The church didn't take to kindly to the teachings of Hus. 74s

And then a day in July, 1415 to be exact. 80s

Hus was brought to the cathedral and they asked him, 88s

Do you recant? Do you recant what you're teaching? 95s

You said no. 102s

They had brought him to the cathedral and all his clerical robes, 105s

and one by one they stripped him of his robes, 111s

tied him to a stake and burned him to death. 117s

Luther, as the spirit was giving him enlightenment to the truth, 126s

born of scripture, Luther came to the understanding 132s

that he was following in the footsteps of Jan Hus. 138s

Luther earned his doctorate in theology, 152s

and he was pointed a professor of biblical theology 155s

at the University of Wittenberg. 158s

It was the academic year 1514 to 1515. 161s

Exactly 100 years to the day to the year of Hus's birth. 167s

Luther during that year was teaching a class on the Psalms. 175s

And he came to Psalms 71, and in Psalms 71 he read, 180s

in your righteousness, deliver me and rescue me, 185s

in your righteousness, deliver me and rescue me. 190s

He was struck by that verse. 194s

Because what Luther had been taught was that righteousness 198s

was something that a human did. 203s

Righteousness was that which the human did to try and earn their way 206s

into the good graces of God. 209s

And so when Luther came to Psalms 71 and read, 212s

in your righteousness, deliver me and rescue me, 216s

he was taken back. He poured himself into Holy scripture, 221s

studying the topic of the righteousness from God. 227s

He studied a famous passage. 235s

Look at it with me. Would you please Romans 1 chapter, 237s

Romans 1 chapter 1 verse 16. 241s

There the Apostle Paul wrote this, 247s

from not ashamed of the gospel, 250s

it is the power literally in the Greek, 252s

the word is dynamist means dynamite. 256s

It is the dynamite of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, 260s

to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 265s

For in it the righteousness of God, 268s

better translated righteousness from God, 273s

righteousness from God is revealed through faith, 276s

for faith as it is written, 280s

the one who is righteous will live by faith. 282s

What Luther discovered was what had been 292s

long all these years with roots of old. 296s

Look at me please, at chapter 4, verse 1 of our text. 303s

What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, 308s

our ancestor, according to the flesh. 311s

For a Abraham was justified by works. 314s

In other words, if God declared him not guilty of his sin, 318s

because of what he did, if Abraham was justified by works, 321s

he has something to most about, 325s

but not before God. 327s

See legends abounded in the day. 331s

The Jews were propagating the message, 334s

and they believed that God had given to Abraham the law long before it was given to Moses, 338s

and they were saying that Abraham had kept the law. 345s

So when Judaism developed, the emphasis was on keeping the law of God, 351s

when you see Islam then start to develop what is emphasized, 357s

but Abraham who keeps the law, Judaism, Abraham who keeps the law. 361s

What do the scriptures say? 370s

Look at verse 3, for what does the scripture say? 373s

Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. 377s

Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him. 386s

As righteousness. 391s

Look over a please at verse 18 of chapter 4. 393s

Hoping against hope, he Abraham believed that he would become the father of many nations, 397s

according to what was said. So numerous shall your descendants be. 404s

He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, 409s

which was already as good as dead. 413s

For he was about a hundred years old. 416s

Or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 418s

No distrust made him waiver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith, 423s

as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 429s

Why in Hebrews the 11th chapter, it says by faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called the 440s

out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. 446s

He said out, not knowing where he was going. 450s

By faith, he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised as in a foreign land, 453s

living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 459s

For he looked forward to the city that has foundations whose architect and builder is God. 465s

How was Abraham justified? Same way we're justified. 476s

Abraham looked ahead to the coming of the Messiah. We look back to the Messiah that has come. 481s

We proclaim the truth. The old truth, Romans 1, for in it the righteousness from God is revealed 490s

through faith, for faith as it is written. The one who is righteous will live by faith. 500s

This was shattering to Luther. Who is shattering? Who is shattering to the whole system? 516s

You see what Luther had been taught was that justification is a process and that justification 525s

is a matter of being infused with God's grace. 531s

So what he was taught was at your baptism you receive grace and that grace then makes your works 539s

meritorious before God. So you receive that grace and baptism. That mixes with the works. 546s

It makes you meritorious then to earn salvation. You come to communion. He was taught. 555s

You receive the grace infused in you in communion. That makes your works then meritorious before God. 560s

He was taught that then if you are not perfectly righteous when you die you go to purgatory 570s

and there you just keep working until you have earned your way to be able to get into heaven. 577s

That's what he was taught. He was taught that justification was a process that justification was a matter 585s

of being infused. That's not what the scripture says. The scripture says, 595s

justification is a matter of infusion. Scripture is a matter of imputation. 606s

When Jesus Christ died on the cross our sin was reckoned to Him. Our sin was put upon Him. 615s

When Jesus died in our place then he took the wrath of God upon Himself and his perfect life 626s

that He lived was credited to our account. It was reckoned unto us. 634s

Second Corinthians, the fifth chapter says this, for our sake he made Him to be sin who knew no sin. 644s

So that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 653s

See this isn't a pardon here by God. When a president pardon someone, a president then 663s

forgives the person who has been convicted of the crime. 671s

But this isn't a pardon. He's not only is there forgiveness, but God declares us righteous. 678s

He declares us just because of the perfect righteous life of Jesus Christ. 688s

When a president pardon's a president doesn't say, this person I've just pardoned who had been 696s

convicted, this person now is absolutely just no. They've just had their sentence forgiven. 701s

See this isn't a pardon? This is an actual imputation of the righteousness of Christ to us. 712s

That's why Luther said that when the Holy Spirit brought him to this understanding, 723s

he said, it was like I had entered paradise through open gates. 730s

Okay, here are some questions now. You ready? Are we justified 741s

because of our faith or through faith? I'm not going to ask for a show of hands here. 751s

I just think the answer here. Are we justified because of our faith or through faith by faith? 761s

If you're thinking through, you're exactly right. Exactly right. 774s

You see, we are not justified before God because of our faith. We're not the cause of our justification. 781s

Scripture tells us in 2 Corinthians 5, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, 790s

not counting their trespasses against them. Faith doesn't effect the forgiveness of sins. 798s

Oh, that forgiveness of sins has already been won, but faith receives the forgiveness of sins. 809s

And grace upon grace that faith is a gift. 819s

It's not something you have to drum up. It is God's gift through word and sacrament. 825s

The Ephesians 2 says this, for by grace you have been saved through faith. 832s

And this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God. 841s

Look at verse 4, please, of our text. Paul goes on and he says, 852s

Now, to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift, but as something do. 861s

Now, to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift, but as something do. 870s

When you receive a paycheck, I'm sure that your employer does not turn to you and say, I want to thank you 875s

for these last two weeks. Here's a gift for you. No, you've received your wage. Why? You work for it. 882s

Don't job. You've worked. You've received the wage. It's not faith. 891s

Verse 4 again, not to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift, but as something do. 900s

But to one who with out works, trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness. 905s

Your faith is absolutely the work of God and it is a gift to you. Your faith that God has given you. 918s

Through word and sacrament is simply the vehicle that you receive, what he's already accomplished 931s

through the cross and the amplitude. There's a second question. 942s

The strength of your faith is that what saves you. The strength of your faith is that what saves you. 952s

Through false. You're thinking false and correct. You see, it's not the strength of our faith that saves us. 964s

It's the object of our faith. That saves us. Isn't that a gracious, gracious word of God 976s

that omits all of the fluctuations that can come in life with regard to our faith? 983s

It is the object of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ, that God lifts our eyes unto. 989s

So that instead of turning inward and reflecting on our faith, we turn outward to his promises 998s

and his grace. It's two of the great tenets of the Reformation. Grace, 1005s

alone, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, alone, alone. 1015s

When Martin Luther was ordained to be a pastor, 1036s

he came into the chapel and he lay on the floor. He put his hands to his side. So his body 1041s

formed the shape of a cross. He was face down before the altar. Right underneath where he was laying 1051s

was a little placker. It was a little sign. And interestingly, 1060s

that little placker, that little sign, mentioned the name of the bishop that had condemned 1070s

Jan Huss to be burned at the stake. In fact, that little sign marked where the bishop had been buried. 1077s

So the bishop had been buried right in front of the altar. This little sign was put indicating 1088s

that right below there was the body of the bishop that had condemned Jan Huss to death. 1097s

Before they burned Huss to death, Huss said this, you may cook this goose, but the day will come 1108s

when a swan will come forth, that you will not be able to silence. 1123s

You may be able to cook this goose, but the day will come when a swan will come forth, 1132s

that you will not be able to silence. I just wonder, I just wonder, 1141s

after Huss said that line, I wonder if the bishop looked at him and said, 1153s

over my dead body. And the swan came forth and the swan would not be silenced. 1164s

And the swan proclaimed, grace, alone, faith, alone, alone, alone. 1181s