2025-12-14 Sermon Notes - Daniel Lyons' Notes

type:
  - "[[Sermon Notes|Sermon Notes]]"
speaker: "[[Archibald Allison]]"
date: 2025-12-14
location: "[[Emmaus Orthodox Presbyterian Church]]"
passage: Galatians 2:16
sermon series: "[[Allison on Galatians]]"
sermon link:
subjects:
  - "[[through faith alone|sola fide]]"
title: Justified By Faith In Christ
takeaways:
  - Salvation comes only by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Speaker	Archibald Allison
Date	2025-12-14
Location	Emmaus Orthodox Presbyterian Church
Passage	Galatians 2:16
Title	Justified By Faith In Christ
Takeaways	Salvation comes only by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
Subjects	["[[through faith alone	sola fide]]"]

💡Big Idea

Takeaways and Next Steps

📖Bible Passage

Galatians 2.16

yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law, because no flesh will be justified by the works of the law.

Points

the biblical doctrine of justification by faith alone (sola fide) is:
- the greatest antidote to heresy.
- It is also a great encouragement.
Unfortunately only about 34% of self-professing Christians currently believe in sola fide.
We learn from our scripture that justification is the sovereign work of God, not us.
- Galatians 1.6 I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different "good news",
- Galatians 1.16 to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I didn't immediately confer with flesh and blood,
- Romans 3.24 being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus;
justification involves two things.
- 1. The forgiveness of sins
- 1. the right to eternal life.
Justification and law are inseparable.
- No matter who you are, you and I stand guilty before an all-consuming God.
- We should love the ten commandments and honor and obey them. But none of us do that.
- We have all sinned.
- The law of God is inflexible, irrevocable and immutable. It cannot be changed.
- Anselm said to Boso that we have sinned immensely against our God.
  - In Romans 1-3, God shows us the vast immensity of our sins.
  - By sinning we are robbing God of His glory.
- When we understand the immensity of our sin, then and only then will we understand that we can only be justified by faith.
That grace that we need only comes in Jesus Christ.
- sola Christus
- Even as Christians we think that Jesus saves us almost reluctantly, but the Bible teaches us that Jesus saves us freely. His grace is abundant and generous.
In Leviticus 16 we learn about the Day of Atonement.
- There are two goats.
  - One goat is a righteous sacrifice before God.
  - Another goat is exiled from the camp, betrayed and abandoned to be eaten by wild animals.
  - Christ fulfills the prophecy of both goats.
We are justified by faith in Jesus Christ.
- ❓Why are we justified only by faith?
  - The answer is because only in faith in Christ can we be united with Christ.
    - How can we be united with Christ when we do not believe in Him?
- Faith, by definition, means to rely totally outside of yourself.
Faith in Jesus Christ excludes boasting. We cannot boast in our justification. We have no reason to boast whatsoever.
- Romans 3.27 Where then is the boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.
Justification by faith makes salvation free to ALL.
- The very faith by which we receive Christ also gives us the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit empowers us to live righteousless.
- Luther said that the Gospel is a stick that beats us into submission to God, but that same stick is also a cane that supports and empowers us to live rightly.

Application

Jesus obedience to the Law is the only criteria by which we are saved.
- Romans 1: Therefore, being justified by God we have ultimate peace in God.
- My peace within is always granted in the objective peace of Christ that God has given to me.
- Everyday of my life when I sin, I must say Lord forgive me.
  - My personal righteousness is never enough, but Jesus' righteousness is always enough!!
This doctrine is so important to me because it is my identity. My identity is not found in me, or my worth, or works or righteousness. My identity is only found in Christ.
- Every time that I sin, it is utterly inconsistent with my identity in Christ.
  - Romans 6.11 Thus consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This doctrine encourages us in the midst of our sins and failures.
- Romans 5.3 Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance;
This gives us access to God
- Romans 5.2 through whom we also have our access by faith into this grace in which we stand. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
- So often I am prone to believe that God puts up with me, because I am still such a big sinner. That He accepts me but only begrudgingly. This is not so.
- He delights in His people.
Justification by faith alone is our shield by which we quench the fiery dart of Satan.
- When Satan would regularly attack, accuse and criticize Luther, Luther found his strength and encouragement in this doctrine of Justification by Faith alone.
- The next time Satan says you are not good enough, respond to the devil, my God loved me even when I was lost and sinful, He will not abandon me, He loves me too much, He paid to great a price for me.
Justification by faith is the only good news worth telling to others.
- When we meet those who are hopeless, helpless and broken, what have we to say to them. Only the Gospel.

Further Study

💬Discussion Questions

2025-12-14 Sermon Notes

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