The Judaizers argued that to be a Christian a person had to first become a Jew, a descendant of Abraham, and subsequently obey the Jewish laws. Jews, including these Judaizers, were extremely proud of their lineage traced back to Abraham. At the heart of Jewish salvation theology was the concept of being “children of Abraham.”The Jews believed that they were automatically the people of God because of their heritage. But from Abraham’s own example, Paul showed that the real children of Abraham are all those who put their faith in God, those who believe in Christ and the salvation he offers. As Abraham was saved by faith, so each person is saved by faith. As Abraham was declared righteous because of his faith in God, so both Jews and Gentiles who believe are declared righteous because of their faith in Christ. Belief is the first and only step to salvation.
Paul added a further devastating application of the Scriptures against the Judaizers’ false teaching: not only are Gentiles and Jews saved by faith, but it was God who planned from the beginning to accept the Gentiles on the basis of their faith.
Faith did not begin in the New Testament; rather, it has been the key requirement for all believers from the beginning. God’s relationship with his children has always been based on faith. Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, exemplified faith in God, even though his faith faltered at times. Abraham clearly stands out among those before and after him who lived by faith.
Having shown that justification by faith is true according to the Scriptures, Paul here made the opposite point, that justification by the law is false according to the Scriptures—in fact, according to the law itself. Paul quoted Deuteronomy 27:26 to prove that, contrary to what the Judaizers claimed, obeying the law cannot justify and save—it can only condemn.
The law cannot save; neither can it reverse the condemnation. But Christ took the curse of the law entirely upon himself when he hung on the cross (Deuteronomy 21:23). He did this so we wouldn’t have to bear our own punishment. The only condition is that we accept Christ’s death on our behalf by faith as the means to be saved (Colossians 1:20-23).
When we have faith, we do not need the law. Because the law sets forth requirements that are impossible to fulfill, it serves as a curse. But there is hope because Christ has rescued us. How did Christ take upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing? Paul answered the question by yet another Old Testament quotation, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree” (Deuteronomy 21:23).
To be hanged on a tree signified to the Jews that a person had been cursed. Christ willingly allowed himself to become cursed for all humanity, and thus endured the Crucifixion. At the cross, the curse of the law was transferred from sinful humanity to the sinless Son of God. Christ took on himself the penalty for sin.
Sin affects all of humanity without discrimination; we are all prisoners of sin. Through Scripture we discovered that we could not earn a right relationship with God by our good works because our works were not good enough—they were always tainted by sin. But just like a dot of light shining into a dark prison cell, a ray of hope shone for us.
The law showed us our hopelessness on our own, caused us to look elsewhere for hope, and directed us to the Savior, Jesus Christ. We missed the promises by trying to keep the law, but we found that the only way to receive God’s promise is to believe in Jesus Christ.
What was the ultimate purpose of the law? That through faith in Christ, we are made right with God. The law had its usefulness in pointing out the wrong and providing constant reproof. The law, through imprisonment and discipline, taught us (though negatively) that justification with God really is through faith alone.
SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)
I read an article in the Contra Costa Times a few years ago. The scene was the Alameda superior court. Two men were on trial for armed robbery. An eye witness took the stand and the prosecutor got up to begin his questioning. He asked the eyewitness, "You were at the scene of the robbery?" Yes, answered the witness. "You saw a vehicle leave at a high rate of speed?" Yes. "Did you observe the occupants?" asked the prosecutor. Yes. The prosecutor in a booming prosecutor's voice said, "And are those two men in this courtroom today?" At this point the defendants sealed their fate. They both raised their hand.
The truth is, all of us at some point in our lives have to honestly say "I did it." There are things we've all struggled with. None of us is perfect. We're all in the same boat. James 2:10, says, "The person who keeps every law of God but makes one little slip is just as guilty as the person who has broken every law there is." You know what that means? In God’s eyes, everyone who sins is a sinner. Whether you sin one time or millions of times, you are a sinner.
Here’s what I know. Some of us in the San Ramon Valley don’t like that. We don’t like to think of ourselves on the same plane as everyone else. We think that somehow our economic status and the position we have attained in life kind of makes us exempt from thinking of ourselves as sinners. Man, are you wrong. Recognizing the fact that whether it's one sin or many in our lives we've all slipped, we've all sinned and we're all in the same boat.
So what's the answer?
When I was a brand new Christian – 31 years ago -- one of the first verses of the Bible that I was taught about how to live this new life that God was giving to me was 1 John 1:9. It says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." From this verse, we see God’s way of handling guilt. First there is my part – I need to come clean – I need confess my sins to God. You say, "God, I did it. I confess my sin." We need to lay out our sin before God and come clean with Him.
You say Pastor Mike what does the word sin mean? Sin is an old English term. It’s actually an archery term. If you were out shooting a bow and arrow and you had a big target that you’re shooting at. If you shot it and the arrow fell short, it missed the mark, that is called a sin. And sin literally just means “falling short.” It means missing the mark. You shoot an arrow toward the target and it doesn’t even get there. It falls short. That’s why the Bible says in Romans 3:23 “All have sinned and fallen short.”
The easiest way for me to understand sin is to look at the middle letter in the word. Sin is all about "I". It's all about my way. It's all about me saying to God, "Excuse me, but I'm going to live my life my own way. I've got my own plans." It's about me looking at other people and saying I want what I want and I don’t care who it hurts. That's what sin all about. Leaving God out.
How do you confess your sin? You tell God. You might as well tell Him, He already knows. He already knows everything so why not tell Him. Why not be honest about it? Psalm 69:5 "God you know what I have done wrong. I cannot hide my guilt from You." Why try to hide it from God? Tell Him. Be honest with Him. Telling God -- confessing to God -- means more than just admitting. The literal meaning of this word is "agreeing with God about your sin". You say to God, "I agree with You about this. I was wrong and I have hurt others – I left you out of my life. I put myself before you and others and I was wrong. That's what confession is all about.
Then, we must Accept God's forgiveness. If we confess our sins, He's faithful, He can be trusted to forgive us our sins. 1 John 1:9 ends by saying, "... and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." He will purify us from all unrighteousness. Not, "He'll purify us from most unrighteousness or a lot of unrighteousness." But He will purify us from all.
Listen to John 3:8 - "People who believe in God's Son are not judged guilty." When we believe in Christ and trust what He did for us on the cross, the Bible says you're not judged guilty.
If you've already trusted in Christ and believed in what He's done, why are you continuing to judge yourself guilty when God's already said, "I judge you not guilty." If you've never trusted in what Christ has done for you, His willingness to forgive you ‑- and God's saying, "I'm willing! I'm willing to say `Not guilty!' to you!" why not take advantage of that offer?
I have a verse for all of us today. Psalm 32:5 "I finally admitted all my sins to You and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, `I will confess them to the Lord.' And You forgave me. All my guilt is gone." Incredible! Go to God today.
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