"Christ Lives in Me" Sermon: Galatians 2:15-21

“Christ Lives in Me”
[Galatians 2:15-21]
October 25, 2009 Second Reformed Church

Have you ever done anything wrong? Have you ever not done what you ought to have done? That’s a very simple way of explaining what sin is – it’s doing what God has said not to do and/or not doing what God says we ought to do. And God tells us, even if we do not want to admit it, we have all sinned – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:3:23, ESV). And what happens to those who sin? God tells us that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a, ESV). And that is not just physical death, but eternal death – eternal war with God – the Eternal Wrath of God against those who are never reconciled to God (cf. I Corintthinas 6:9-10).

It would seem, then, if we really consider it, the most important question we could ask is “How does a person become right with God?” How can you – how can I – become right with God? How can we come out from under God’s Wrath and enter into His Kingdom of Life?

From the beginning of the Church, two different ideas were taught. In first century Jerusalem, there were some who taught that salvation is by faith plus keeping all of the laws of the Old Testament. Today, the Roman Catholic Church teaches that salvation is by faith plus doing enough good works and/or buying enough indulgences and/or by serving enough time in purgatory. Today, some charismatic and Pentecostal groups teach that salvation is by faith plus the good work of speaking in tongues. And some of the Seventh Day Adventists teach that salvation is by faith plus worshiping on Saturday.

The Reformers – John Calvin, Martin Luther, and others – understood that “faith plus something we do equals salvation” is not what is taught in the Scripture. God says and teaches us through His Word that salvation is by faith alone – we become right with God through faith alone. This faith by which we are reconciled to God receives and believes in Jesus and what He has done for all those who will believe in Him. Let us consider, on this Reformation Sunday, what it is that we believe and receive through faith alone through which God reconciles us to Himself.

Paul’s letter to the Galatians is, among other things, confronting the Judaizers – those who were teaching that salvation is by faith plus keeping the Old Testament Law – and telling the Galatian Christians not to believe them – that salvation is by faith alone – keeping the Law could not save anyone and it does not make what Jesus did any more effective. In fact, it makes it look as though Jesus’ Sacrifice was not enough. It makes it look as though what Jesus did was great, but it only gets us so far – we have to keep the Law, which brings us the rest of the way to being right with God. Blasphemy! Heresy!

Paul tells the Galatian Christians to remember that they were born Jews, under the Law, but they knew, even as Jews, it is not possible to be justified by works of the Law, and as David wrote, “no one living is righteous before [God]” (Psalm 143:2b, ESV).

Well, what does it mean to be justified? To be justified is to be declared legally innocent. Understand, when we are justified through Jesus Alone, we are not merely declared not guilty, but we are declared innocent – and we’ll see how that is in a moment. But it is by being justified through faith alone in Jesus Alone that we are reconciled – made right – with God.

Paul tells the Galatian Christians that they believed in Jesus Christ Alone – the He is the Promised Savior, God become Man, Who lived under His Own Law, suffered, died, rose from the dead, and ascended back to His throne – in order to be justified. They knew that every mere human being is born a sinner and therefore condemned, so no matter how much of the Law a person keeps, it can never be enough to merit perfection, which is the only way a person could “work” his way into the Kingdom.

Then Paul addresses a hypothetical question: “If Jews are justified by the Law, and not sinners, like the Gentiles – the non-Jews – does that mean that Jesus makes the Jews sinners?” You see, there was an idea amongst the Jews that it was possible for them to keep the Law and be holy without the Savior. We remember the rich young ruler who said he had kept all of the law perfectly from his youth. Paul answers, “Certainly not!” Jesus unveils our sin – He makes us understand that we are sinners – He removes our self-imposed blinders and shows us for who we truly are, but He does not make us sinners. We are sinners of our own doing.

So, in verse eighteen, Paul says if we argue that the Law justifies us – saves us – in any degree or in any part – all we do is prove that we are sinners. The Law was given to us to show us what God requires and to expose our sin. To try to use the Law to show were are not sinners backfires.

“For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ.” This is the first half of how were are justified – how we are made right with God: as we already said, the punishment for sin is death, and every mere human being is a sinner. The Law exposes our sin and condemns us. The only way we can live is if Someone Who never sinned voluntarily takes our place – as our Substitute – and receives the full punishment – God’s Wrath – on Himself. That is what Jesus has done for everyone who will believe. Jesus has taken your place and my place and your place, and suffered the punishment for your sin and my sin and your sin. Jesus acted as our Representative and Substitute before God and received the penalty we were due for our sin. So, just as we became sinners “in Adam” – because Adam was humanity’s representative at the creation, we receive new life – forgiveness for our sins – as we have been crucified with Christ. As Paul also wrote, “So you must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Jesus Christ” (Romans 6:11, ESV).

That’s the first half – Jesus as our Representative – our Substitute – stood in our place – we were crucified in Jesus and with Jesus – and the debt for our sins was paid. Our guilt has been removed. We are forgiven.

But the second half is this – Christ does not just put us back in the place of Adam before the Fall – a human being who is innocent, but has the ability to sin. No, “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” You see, Jesus kept the Law of God perfectly. He never sinned. He is holy. And Jesus imputes – He credits to our account – His perfect righteousness – His perfect keeping of the entire Law of God, so that when God looks at us He sees the whole Law perfectly fulfilled in us. And, as we have seen, He gives us the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit to remind us of all that He has said in His Word and to help us understand all of it.

Christ’s obedience to the Law is our comfort, because we know that no matter what our failures in this world may be, we are eternally credited by Jesus with the full keeping of the Law. And, we are also forgiven for all of our real sin, because Jesus has already taken the punishment of all of the sin we will ever commit on Himself.

How could anyone possibly think that what we do can and would add to the Work of Jesus? Now we live by faith alone – receiving and believing that Jesus has lived a Perfect and Holy Life under God’s Law, that He has voluntarily been our Substitute, taking the punishment for our sin – so we were crucified in Christ, and He has credited us with His Holy keeping of God’s Law and given us the indwelling of the Holy Spirit – so Christ lives in me – the Father sees Christ when He looks at us.

As Paul wrote, “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised” (II Corinthians 5:14-15, ESV).

If, Paul concludes in this morning’s reading, if we could be justified through the Law – if we could be forgiven and made holy through the keeping of the Law – then Jesus would have died for no purpose. Do you understand? If we can or have to do anything to have God declare us innocent and bring us into His Kingdom, then Jesus’ Death was worthless. If Jesus did not do it all – if Jesus did not have to do it all – then the Incarnation was worthless.

But it was not worthless, dear brothers and sisters – and that is why we celebrate Reformation Sunday, remembering the rediscovery of the biblical teaching of justification by faith alone.

We know from the Word of God that Adam sinned as our representative, so every mere human being is born a sinner.

We know that God’s Law exposes our sin and condemns us to eternal death, and no one can completely keep the Law.

So, we need a Savior. We need God to become man, live under His Own Law, suffer, die, rise from the dead, and ascend back to His throne. We need the God-Man to voluntarily take our place on the cross as our Representative – as our Substitute – and take God’s Wrath upon Himself for our sakes – for our sin. And we need the God-Man to impute – to credit us with His Holy Keeping of the Law, so we would be seen as righteous in the Eyes of God and be received into His Eternal Kingdom.

And, brothers and sisters, that is exactly what Jesus did. And if you believe in Jesus Alone by faith alone – not relying on your own good works to save you – He will save you. He will forgive you. He will make you right with God. He will prepare a place for you. And you will have an eternal home with God.

What should our response to this be? What else can it be but to thankfully obey God? How else could we show our everlasting thanks to God, but by doing those things He has commanded us to do and not doing those things that He has forbidden – not because they have any part in our being right before God, but because we are so thankful to God for what He has done for us – (because we cannot help ourselves!) – that we want to do everything we can, by the help of God the Holy Spirit Who lives in us – to please God?

We have been crucified with Christ; our sins are forgiven.

Christ lives in us; we are seen as holy by the Father.

Let us rejoice, give thanks, and live for Jesus.

Let us pray:
Almighty God and Savior, You came to us when we had nothing but sin to offer, and You chose to die for us and to give us life through You. How amazing is our God Let us be thankful and live ever more thankful lives, letting others know about the Only Savior, our Only Hope. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.