Not of Works, Part 1

Introduction: The Compendium of Salvation by Grace

0:03 We turn again this morning to Ephesians chapter 2, and resume our studies in this paragraph dealing with the great before and after contrast in the life history of the Ephesian Christians, and in the life history of every true Christian. Ephesians chapter 2, verses 1 to 3 of chapter 2, giving us the before, what we were by nature, verses 4 through 10, what we have become by grace, and our attention presently is focused upon verses 8 through 10, which I have called a compendium of salvation by grace. In these verses the Apostle summarizes, expands, and underscores the great truths.

0:56 Which have already been set before us in verses 4 through 7, the great truth focusing on the deliverance that God in grace brings from a state of bondage, death, and condemnation. And in this compendium of grace, verses 8 through 10, we have noticed that the nature of the deliverance is that of salvation. We are saved. We are delivered.

1:27 We are delivered from those very conditions described in verses 1 to 3, and into all of the gracious privileges described in greater detail in chapter 1. And then we notice that the Apostle underscores the principal cause of this deliverance. By grace are you saved, and then he turns us to the instrumental means. By grace are you saved through faith.

1:56 And so we have looked. At the means, its centrality. And we have looked at a description of it. And then last week we saw the Apostle's statement concerning the origin of that faith, which is the instrumental means of our salvation.

2:13 And he is careful to make plain that its origin is not in man, but in God. And that, that is, that faith, that being saved, is not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. And I said before you last week something of the problem of that phrase, and then my own conviction that it is properly to be referred to the subject of faith, because the grammar permits it, the immediate flow of thought favors it, and the remainder of biblical teaching demands it.

2:47 So thus far in this compendium of salvation by grace, we have seen three things. The nature of our deliverance, we are saved. The principle cause. Because it is grace.

The Qualifying Negative: 'Not of Works'

2:59 The instrumental means is faith. Now today we move on to consider the words in verse 9, or at least the first half of that collection of words, not of works, that no man should glory. Now what place do these words have in the development of the Apostle's thought? Well I would suggest that the words with which verse 9 begins, not of works.

3:28 Are a qualifying negative to everything that the Apostle has already stated. And then the words that none should glory are a positive statement of purpose. So you have in verse 9 a qualifying negative, and a positive statement of purpose. Our attention today is focused upon this qualifying negative.

3:53 Well you say, what in the world do you mean by qualifying negative? Well you know me well enough to know that if you are thinking, that, I'll attempt to answer the question. Your mother says to you children, I want you to come straight home from school today. That's a positive statement. Then she says, I do not mean with a layover at the Carvel ice cream factory, nor a break at the ballpark, nor a little time with your buddies in the backyard playing basketball. Now what has she done? She's made a positive statement, I want you to come right home from school. Now she's qualified her meaning with some negative statements. By that I mean, do not stop at the ice cream store, do not stop with your buddies to play ball, etc. Those final statements are qualifying negatives. I remember my mom and dad used to say to me, and some of you will really think, man, you're out of the dark ages, but I thank God I lived in the dark ages, if that's what it is. When I was old enough to start going out on a street, I would say, I want you to come right home from school. Now she's qualified her meaning

4:54 in the evenings while still a high school student. I was told, now son, you're to be in that door at 11 o'clock. That was a positive assertion, but it was generally followed with some qualifying negatives. I do not mean, my father would say, one minute after 11, five minutes after 11, 10 after 11, you're to be in that door by 11 o'clock. Do you understand, son? And I said, I speed in the short dashes was not the area of my strength when I was involved to the years in athletics. I'm convinced I broke the half mile record more than once from the bus stop to my front door when the bus would be a little late and let me off at about three or four minutes till 11 and I had almost a half mile to go before I could get through under the wire because when Pappy said that, that was no idle threat and I thank God for it. I don't know where I would be if I had not had those kind of restraints upon me. Well, you see, they're qualifying, negatives did not alter the impact of the positive, it simply made it so clear that I could not misunderstand. You see, if I amble in at five after 11, I say, well, dad, you said 11, but 11,

6:07 you know, that's round figures. But when he said you're to be home by 11, and I do not mean one minute after or five minutes after that qualifying negative sharpened the impact of the positive assertion. Now, that's precisely what the Apostle Paul has done in this text. Look at it. How does God save dead, bound, condemned sinners? Well, he saves them by grace, that's the principal cause, through the instrumentality of faith, and then parenthesis, a faith that itself is the gift of God, now the qualifying negative, not of works. In other words, Paul knew that the human heart was so slow to grasp the nature of God's salvation that there was this constant tendency to pervert the pure stream of grace, that he is not content to give us a compendium of salvation by grace in holy positive statements alone. He starts with the positive, but then he hedges up, and God's

7:22 guards his positive statements by this qualifying negative, not of works, and then he gives us this positive statement of purpose that no man should glory. In few areas is the Spirit of God more careful in guarding the truth stated than at this precise point. The great issue in Paul's day, the great issue in Augustine's day, the great issue in Reformation days, the great issue during the time of the development of our own nation, both religiously, excuse me, and politically, and the great issue of this day, in every period of church history, the great issue is this question. Is man saved by grace through faith, and that not of himself, and not of works? Or is he saved in some way, that has the mixture of his own performance in it? Few small phrases in the Bible are more vital than the one before us for consideration today. Having shown the place, then, of these words,

Meaning of 'Not of Works' in Pauline Language

8:42 not of works, they are a negative assertion to qualify and sharpen his meaning, let us proceed now to ascertain the meaning of the words, not of works. works. Well, in Pauline language, which is simply the language of the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul, these words, not of works, are always set in contrast to the words by or through faith. Whenever the Apostle addresses himself to the question, how does a sinner come to possess the salvation of God in Christ, his answer is always, by faith, apart from works. Let's look at several examples to underscore this assertion. In Romans chapter 3, we can better understand the meaning of the words, not of works, when we see that to which they are always set in contrast. Romans 3 and verse 28. We reckon, therefore, that a man

9:52 is justified by faith, apart from the works of the law. In other words, justification by faith is of such a nature that the works of the law have nothing to do with the justifying act. Faith alone is involved in the justifying act, not works. Chapter 4, verses 4 and 5 of the book of Romans.

10:23 Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned as a reward, but as a reward. Not as of grace, but as of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness. Now you see this trilogy of words, grace, faith, justification. And the moment you add a fourth word, namely work, you have destroyed the significance of all three of the others. The moment works enters the picture, it is no more grace. The moment works enters, it is no more justification in its truly biblical sense. The moment works enters, it is no more of faith. The apostle uses the phrase, not of works, to set in clear

11:12 perspective the nature of God's salvation. It is wholly gracious, and it comes exclusively to faith. And then one final passage, Galatians chapter 2. Galatians chapter 2, and all we're attempting to do, is to give you the feel of the meaning of the words, not of works. To show that the assertions made are the universal testimony of Holy Scripture. Galatians 2, verses 15 and 60. We being Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but through faith in Christ Jesus, not works through faith, even we believed on Christ Jesus that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Now do you see

12:15 how he's careful to make this vigorous contrast, not of works is always set in opposition to salvation by grace through faith. Therefore the main thrust of the apostles' negative, qualifying words should be clear. If faith is the instrumental means of our salvation, and it is, by grace are you saved, not apart from faith, but through faith, not on account of faith, but through faith, if faith is the instrumental means, and since faith is but the empty hand receiving the offered Savior, the thirsty mouth drinking of the provided water of life, the hungry soul eating of the bread of life, then nothing I do can be the procuring cause of my salvation. The very nature of faith excludes any concept of my performance as becoming the instrumental means of my acceptance. Or, if we think of faith in the more formal description we gave of it, if it is the knowledge of my sin and the knowledge of Christ as the only Savior of sinners, if it is that knowledge passing into conviction that I am helpless and that He is mighty and willing to save, and if that knowledge and that conviction passes into trust, the recumbency,

13:42 the casting of myself upon Christ, then of course works cannot enter at all. The very nature, the very biblical description of faith precludes any thought that works will be mixed in with it. Mark it well. Few phrases, more vital to biblical religion than the phrase, not of works. You will never know true peace unless you are settled in the truth conveyed in these words, by grace are ye saved through faith, not of works. And we will not know the unfettered power of the word, both in us and through us, unless we can enunciate with the greatest clarity and with unfettered liberty that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believe it plus nothing. The history of true revivals is the history of the proclamation of this

14:48 truth with unfettered liberty, without the tongue-in-cheek to the slightest doubt, to the greatest degree, daring to come to the vilest of sinners and say the gospel is the power of God to salvation to every one that believe it. This then is the essential meaning of the words, not of works. There is no mixture of works in the salvation that comes with its principal cause being grace, its instrumental means being faith. Now, having shown the significance of the words in the flow of the gospel, I would like you to take a moment to reflect on this. I would like you to take a moment to reflect on this. I would like you to take a moment to reflect on this. Having opened up the meaning of the words, now the heart of our study today, I want to amplify the significance of those words. A study of the word in church history in our own hearts reveals that the refusal to face these words and their implications has cut three polluted streams that have flowed right through the history of the church, bringing death and spiritual sickness, wherever those streams have flowed. When the scriptures say we are saved by grace through

Excluding Ceremonial Works

16:05 faith and not of works, what kinds of works are included in the phrase not of works? And the failure to grasp the answer to that question and to enunciate it clearly has created these three polluting streams, and my friend, I have no doubt but that they're flowing through this assembly today. Defiling and polluting and crippling and making sick some of you sitting in this place. Well, the first one is this.

16:36 When Paul says not of works, he is excluding all ceremonial works. Then we'll consider the second, all legal works, and thirdly, all evangelical works. First of all then, by grace he is saved through faith, not of works. Here is this negative qualifying statement and the apostle means ceremonial works do not enter. Now, what do I mean by ceremonial works? Precisely this.

17:04 I am referring to those external acts and rituals connected with the practice of religion. Those external acts and rituals connected with the practice of religion. In the Old Testament, they consisted of circumcision, the dietary laws, the feast days, and all of the Levitical trappings, relatives, and the worship that God had directed through Moses to the people of Israel. Now then, no one was saved by them. God never gave these as saviors to his people. Never.

17:41 Christ has been the one Savior given to his people and he was given to them in divine purpose from the foundation of the world. And any soul that was ever saved before or after or under the giving of the Levitical law was never saved by the offering of sacrifices. He was saved by the offering up of the one sacrifice, Jesus Christ the Lamb of God. However, God did ordain the Levitical system, those ceremonial aspects of the old economy, as teachers to his people, as tutors that would ultimately lead them by the hand to Jesus Christ.

18:21 But the human heart is so reluctant to have a salvation that is holy of God that man took what was given to be a teacher and he made it his destroyer. And people mixed the performance of ceremonial works as part of the instrumental means and also the very ground of their acceptance before God. And you have the classic picture of the expression of this in the times of the New Testament in Luke chapter 18 with that character that comes sauntering into the temple, draws his lungs and pulls down his diaphragm to force it out loud enough that everyone can hear. And he says, I thank thee I'm not like the rest of the crowd. I fast, I tithe, I perform what? The external acts and rituals connected with the practice of religion. Therefore, I must be accepted.

19:22 He would rewrite Ephesians 2 by saying, By grace plus performance. Which completely neutralizes the meaning of grace. I am accepted and whatever place faith has, my ceremonial works are the real ground of my confidence. And would that that spirit had died with that cursed Pharisee.

19:46 But it was very much alive. And it played the early church. The apostle had to write these vigorous words that I now read from Galatians chapter 3. Galatians chapter 3.

20:01 Oh foolish Galatians verse 1. Who did bewitch you? What vivid language. He said somebody came along and spooked you.

20:11 Spooked you. Foolish Galatians. Spooked you. Before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly set forth crucified.

20:26 When the gospel came. He said I didn't speak of grace through faith in a perfect savior who has wrought a perfect salvation. I set him. I placarded him openly before you.

20:38 None of you could miss my message. This only would I learn from you. Did you receive the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? One of the most powerful texts to show that any doctrine that makes reception of the spirit subsequent to belief of the gospel is totally unapostolic.

20:59 Paul identifies reception of the spirit with hearing the message of Christ. Which says all who believe are saved. He says when did you get the spirit? By doing or by the hearing of faith?

21:14 The answer is obvious. They received the spirit when Paul proclaimed Christ as the only savior and faith is the only means of entering into his salvation. Are you so foolish having begun in the spirit that you are now perfected in the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain?

21:30 If indeed. If it be indeed in vain. He therefore that supplies. To you the spirit and works miracles among you.

21:38 Doeth he it by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? You see what he's saying? He's saying you people have moved from the grounds of Ephesians 2 8 to 10. And you're beginning to include other things as the instrumental means of your salvation.

21:54 And in the case of Galatians specifically what were those things? Was it that in love to Christ they were seeking to use the Ten Commandments as a valid guide for their conduct? No. And when anyone takes the book of Galatians to teach modern day antinomianism that a Christian has no relationship to the moral law of God and quotes the book of Galatians carelessly.

22:17 You just very sweetly come up to him and say sir when Paul says works of the law what's he talking about? Well he tells us what he's talking about in chapter 4 explicitly. Verse 8. How be it at that time not knowing God ye were in bondage to them that by nature are no gods.

22:34 But now that you've come to know God. Or rather to be known by God. How turn ye back again to the weak in beggarly rudiments. Wherein ye desire to be in bondage over again.

22:45 Ye observe days and months and seasons and years. I'm afraid of you. Lest by any means I bestowed labor upon you in vain. And all the way through he mentions circumcision.

22:57 Here he says days, months, seasons. What was their problem? Their problem was precisely this. They were mixing.

23:04 Those external acts and rituals in the practice of their Old Testament religion. With the concept of being saved by grace through faith. Apart from. And these ceremonies which could innocently be engaged in even by a believer.

23:22 Well you read that in the book of Acts. And Paul himself took some Jewish vows subsequent to his conversion. He said to the Jew I become like a Jew. There was nothing wrong in that transition period.

23:32 With the innocent engagement of these external practices. If you did not mingle the pure stream of grace. With the vile polluting influence of ceremonial works. And this was the problem.

23:49 They had mingled the stream. And they felt that somehow their ceremonial works were essential to full salvation. You say you're reading a little bit more in there than I see. All right.

24:02 That's why I do it. Turn to chapter 15 of Acts. This is exactly what they were teaching. Verse 1.

24:15 Certain men came down from Judea. And taught the brethren saying. Except ye be circumcised after the custom of Moses. Ye cannot be saved.

24:30 There it is. This was the polluted stream of ceremonial works. Faith has a place. Grace has a place.

24:40 Christ has a place. But. It is not pure grace. Through faith alone.

24:49 It is grace operating by means of faith. Pyramonies. And the Apostle Paul. Bless God for his spirit.

25:01 Had not been made drunk. With the wine of ecumania. So that he thought. Well if I give these negative qualifying statements.

25:10 I'm going to include some of our. Exclude some of our ritualistic brethren. Thank God he didn't have that spirit. He saw that if that poison was allowed to get into the stream.

25:22 And become part of the stream of the historic Christian testimony. It would bring nothing but death. So he says anybody that will pollute the stream. Chapter 1.

25:32 Even though an angel tries to do it. Let the curse of God come down upon his head. And I've been made sick this past week again. Standing in a bastion of evangelicalism.

25:47 In the cross winds of. And the cross section. Of the cream of our evangelical churches. In an evangelical college such as Gordon College.

25:57 And to see the total. Almost total absence in the minds of these students. Of the biblical mentality. That biblical concepts must be preserved.

26:07 At any cost. It's a matter of life and death beloved. It's not enough simply to say. By grace through faith.

26:14 Somehow. If it is by grace through faith. It is not of works. Ceremonial works must not enter.

26:23 And thank God that truth was proclaimed. Articulated. Defended and hedged up. That ceremonial works.

26:34 Will have no part. In our salvation. But oh how tragic is the history of the church at this point. With such a clear testimony in the word.

26:44 With such clear hedging by the apostolic letters. What happened. Early in church history. Baptism was turned into a ceremonial savior.

26:56 And people began to bring their pagan notions. Superstitious religious mumbo jumbo. Into the sacraments of baptism in the Lord's supper. And when they began to think that the waters of baptism.

27:09 Somehow had a magical power. Then if a believer was incapacitated physically. To be immersed in the name of the triune God. Well they talked about clinical baptism.

27:18 We must begin to pour water on him where he is. Because without the water he won't have grace. Well then you see where you are. If you better get the water on him under any circumstances.

27:28 Because without it he may not have grace. Then you better get the water on everybody. Because they may miss grace. And then the curse of infant baptism entered the church.

27:36 In the second century. Till you had the full blown doctrine. That came to light in Romanism. Of the saving ethics.

27:43 And the efficacy of baptism. That actually purged away Adamic sin. And set a man on a new footing with God. And Lutheranism never purged itself of that leaven.

27:54 Nor did Anglicanism ever purge itself of that leaven. And the great reformed church movements under Calvin. And others half purged themselves of that leaven. In certain areas.

28:05 But it's been a polluting influence. In the stream of the church's life. Throughout its history. Why?

Excluding Legal Works

28:11 Because there was some saving efficacy. In a ritual. And the same thing happened with the simple supper of remembrance. And volumes are written.

28:21 About the mysterious magical presence of Jesus. And he's in the bread but he isn't in it. And he's under it but he isn't over it. And he's through it but he.

28:29 All he said was break bread and drink wine. In remembrance. And this simple supper of remembrance. Which when engaged in with hearts of flame.

28:39 To Jesus Christ crucified and risen. Becomes a wonderful stepping stone. To new measures of devotion and love. And humility before him.

28:49 Has been shrouded with magical mystery. That even the greatest and most profound theologians cannot penetrate. Why? Because the sacramentalist heart is in every man by nature.

29:01 But you come right down to our day. And we've got sacramentalism. You take your walk down the aisle. You're in.

29:11 Raise your hand and pray your prayer. You're in. What is that but turning these external acts into a saving sacrament. Now listen carefully.

29:21 I'm not saying that everyone who comes down an aisle does that. I'm not saying everyone who prays in an inquiry room does that. Thank God there's some of you whom God saved. While you're walking down an aisle or after there in an inquiry room.

29:33 Now don't anyone go out and say that Pastor Martin said that. I did not say that. But I am saying it is accurate to affirm. That in the minds of multitudes.

29:44 Throughout evangelicalism. We're walking down aisles. And raising hands. And going to inquiry rooms.

29:53 Has become part and parcel of the whole way of life. These things have become a sacrament. Assuring people that if they've done it. They have it.

30:02 The only proof they can give that they're saved. Is the decision card that they slipped in their Bible 20 years ago. By grace you're saved through faith. Not of works.

30:19 No ceremonial works. Whether those works have their roots in the Old Testament. Levitical system. Whether they have their roots in the heresies of the early church.

30:29 With regard to the sacraments. Which have never been thoroughly purged. Even from the best of the reformed churches. Or whether the contemporary ceremonial heresy.

30:39 Of decision making. And aisle walking. And hand raising. I stand to assert today.

30:44 With this negative qualifying statement. By grace you're saved through faith. Not of works. Not of works.

30:52 There is nothing. To come between the needy sinner. And the gracious and the almighty savior. Nothing.

31:01 Well the second kind of works included in this statement. Are legal works. Now what do you mean by legal works? Going out working for a lawyer?

31:09 No. Let me define the term. As a ceremonial work. Refers to external acts and rituals.

31:18 Connected with the practice of religion. Legal works. Refers to those acts and attitudes. Connected.

31:26 With the practice of the ethics or morals. That flow out of religious practice. In other words. The man who goes to church.

31:35 And performs his ritual. Is expected to show some influence of that ritual. Upon his life. In his conduct.

31:42 So legal works then. Refer to those acts and attitudes. Connected with the practice of ethics or morals. In the history of theology and biblical commentary.

31:54 It has been convenient. To divide the mosaic system. Into what is commonly called. The ceremonial law.

32:00 The judicial law. And the moral law. And some fight that distinction. But I think it's a healthy one.

32:05 And I'm awfully afraid of throwing over distinctions. That have been helpful to God's people. Through the centuries. I think it's an itch for novelty.

32:12 And irresponsible scholarship. That simply throws things over. For the sake of saying something different. Now if there's something positively wrong.

32:20 Then we call no man master. But if it's something that's been helpful. And is not positively wrong. We better show a little humility.

32:25 That's for you budding young scholars. Who are about to rewrite all of the theological textbooks. All right. Now.

32:32 You have the ceremonial. The judicial. And the moral law. And the moral law.

32:37 Is found. Succinctly and beautifully summarized. In the ten words of Moses. The ten commandments.

32:43 The way God gave them. He's telling us that there's something special. About this part of his revelation. Upon Mount Sinai.

32:50 The climate in which he gave them. The way in which those ten words. Are enunciated. The way in which they're applied.

32:55 In the unfolding revelation. The way they come to us in the New Testament. As binding upon all men. Jew and Gentile.

32:59 As regulating the conduct of the redeemed. They are in a class. All by themselves. Romans 2 and 3.

33:03 Are the commentary upon this. I don't have time to go into it. They are seriously regarded. By the redeemed.

33:07 As a guide for conduct. Matthew 7. 21. First John 2.

33:11 4. Many of them. They are seriously regarded. By the redeemed.

33:15 As a guide for conduct. Matthew 7. 21. First John.

33:19 2. 4. Many of them. They are seriously regarded.

33:23 By the redeemed. They are seriously regarded. By the redeemed. Matthew 7.

33:27 4. Many of them. They are seriously regarded. They are seriously regarded.

33:32 Matthew 7. 5. They are seriously regarded. They are seriously regarded.

33:36 Matthew 7. 6. They are seriously regarded. Matthew 7.

33:40 7. When it comes to the matter of our justification. The true Christian has no more to do. With legal works.

33:44 Of conformity to the law. Than he does with ceremonial works. I read now the testimony of the apostle. In the book of Romans.

33:48 Chapter 3. Having opened up. The significance. Of the moral law.

33:52 For Jew and Gentile alike. He now comes. Romans 3 and verse 19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith it speaketh to them that are under the law and he's told us who's under it even the Gentiles who've never had the written law are under that law that God has written upon their hearts and their minds chapter 2 verses 14 and 15 so the law embraces all who are under it those who have it in its written form those who have it in its unwritten form upon the conscience now why has God given that law and why has the apostle wielded it over all humanity he tells us that every mouth may be stopped and the world may be brought under the judgment of God because by the works of the law in the context he's not referring to ceremonial law he's referring to the moral law of God by the works of the law by legal law works shall no fruit of flesh be justified in his sight for through the law cometh the knowledge of sin thus it was articulated it was proclaimed and defended legal works have no part in our salvation by grace through faith but as then so now

35:19 people are constantly determined that they will mix with their grounds of acceptance with their grounds of acceptance with their grounds of acceptance and the way of acceptance something other than what God has set before them and so you have the pathetic picture of the person who is quite careful about keeping a strict Sabbath quite careful about not cursing being sensitive to one's neighbor seeking to love one's neighbor as himself the outward performances of the second table of the law and the more inward performances of the first table they have conscience about these things but the problem is they are not looking upon them as the fruit of the gracious pardon and acceptance in Christ by faith alone but whatever place Christ has whatever place grace has the dominant place is given to their own legal works they are do-gooders who hope that their doing good will bring them to the place of acceptance perhaps this has its most heartbreaking expression in the history of what we call religious liberalism if Rome has been the classic expression of the polluted stream of ceremonial works liberalism has been the classic expression

Excluding Evangelical Works

36:47 of the polluted stream of legal works if we do enough and if we be nice to people and if we get where the action is the whole concept now that Christian evangelism you see is social action and you get where the action is where the structures are out of plumb and you get up to your ears and up to your elbows in working to change the system that's your salvation it's nothing but pure simple legal works and the word of God condemns it when Paul said by grace you're saved through faith that not of works he was excluding ceremonial works he was excluding legal works but oh listen to me carefully this morning dear people because some of you are in this stream and you're dying he excludes all evangelical works now what do I mean by evangelical works I mean those works which inevitably and necessarily get the two words those works which inevitably and you kids that's just the big words for it's going to come you know if your dad's promised you spanking for doing such and such and he's a man of his word you know that inevitably that is sooner or later you're going to get it now that's all the word inevitable means alright these works which inevitably and necessarily flow out of and always accompany a saving relationship to God in Christ that's what I mean by evangelical works

38:15 the works described in verse 10 look at it for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works he's talking about evangelical works those works which inevitably and necessarily flow out of and accompany a saving relationship to God in Jesus Christ what are they they start with repentance and faith and love to God and love to his son and love to the spirit sensitivity to his word desire to obey him mourning over sin grieving over weakness seeking to serve my neighbor all of this out of love to the God who's redeemed me in Jesus Christ those are evangelical works done from a motive of love to the redeeming God done in dependence upon that God done in the power of God done in the power of God done in the power of God done in the power of God done in the power of God done in the power of God done in the power of the spirit of God but now listen listen notice how subtle is the enemy of the souls of men he came along early in the church and tried to ruin some people with this heretical notion since you're saved by grace through faith and not of works and since ceremonial works and legal works and even evangelical works are not the means of your salvation then why be concerned about works if our acceptance is totally on the grounds of the work of another then what I do

39:43 has no significance at all let us sin that grace may abound and early in the history of the church there was the blight of antinomianism that's just a big word kids for saying against God's law and you can still be safe see antinomianism is not a word you give to the blatant unregenerate man who professes no religion because he's against God's law anyway but it's the spirit that says I don't need to submit to God's law and I can still be safe now the book of James was written to antinomians the book of 1st John was written to antinomians parts of Romans were written to antinomians so you know what happened some people thought they'd help God and you know whenever you put forth the hand to touch the ark God lets you know he doesn't need your help they said well if the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith and no works ceremonies legal or evangelical enter in why that's open to such abuse we better protect that doctrine not with biblical qualifying statements but with statements and concepts that have their roots in carnal sincerity so you know what people said unless there are vows unless there are these long conditions that you're willing to meet unless this and unless that

41:12 then grace is not really your portion and early in the history of the church you had the whole monastic system rising out of the idea that there was an advanced state of piety that made my standing before God a little more secure now that wasn't the only thing that gave birth to the monastic system but that was one of the major factors and right down through the history of the church you've had this you've had it in pietism you've had it now the ministry of the man standing before you the leaven of this has worked at times I've confessed this to you before thank God I don't believe it ever became a wide stream but in our anxiety to make sure that we do not let our people be polluted with this shallow notionalism this easy believism that makes faith simply nodding to Jesus and doesn't make it what the Bible says it is an eating of Christ a drinking of Christ a coming to Christ instead of making it the activity of a whole man they've just said it's something that's not true it's something that's not true it's something that's not true it's something that's not true it's something that's not true it's something that goes on in the file drawers of the mind where you accept the fact that Jesus died my friends listen we can overreact to that until sinners begin to think that unless they see in themselves some degree of deep repentance some degree of strong faith some degree of holy appetite some degree of growth they cannot believe themselves to be saved that is making evangelical works

42:40 the instrumental means of your salvation yes it is by grace are you saved through faith and by that I mean says Paul not of works now works are going to have their place he says hang on I'm going to give you a good dose of works in verse 10 his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works and if he has worked upon us and put us into Christ the works will follow but don't mix them up with your approach to Christ what some of you desperately need in this place this morning is to stand before Jesus Christ as he's offered in the gospel and say Lord Jesus I've dishonored you I've been waiting until I could bring in my hands not circumcision not keeping days and weeks and special feasts nor Lord if I come presenting to you the love to my neighbor the do-goodism of the liberal but Lord I haven't been able to believe you'd receive me until I could present some measure of true repentance until I could give to you some measure of a strong faith some measure of love listen to me you'll perish if you put those things between yourself and the Savior

44:08 you're to come to him just as you are faith is the empty hand that says I don't even have holy grief for my sin to bring to you Lord and that's part of my sin save me from that that's part of my sin save me from that thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins brethren that's the free grace of God that's the message of the gospel and some of you are crippled and you're going to continue to be crippled and go halting and lame and stumbling all your days until the spirit of God and oh that he might do it this morning send us your grace a shaft of light into your heart and makes real to you what this means not of works you don't bring your evangelical works to God you don't bring them you don't bring them thank God they inevitably and necessary flow out of but they have no part in my acceptance now do you see the force of the apostles words that qualifying negative not of works the principal cause of our salvation is grace the instrumental means is faith

Application: Liberation and Bold Proclamation

45:36 but the positive is not enough the truth is so critical the concept so essential that he hedges it up not of works not ceremonial not legal not evangelical now let me close this morning with bringing home to your conscience is what I trust will be some helpful application I've already spoken to those amongst you amongst us this morning who perhaps may even be in a state of grace but you can't cannot believe you are because you don't see those rich fruits that you say ought to be there my friend listen if you wait until the luscious fruits are there before you will believe the Savior you're going to go on all your days in your present misery for evangelical fruit is just what it claims to be fruit not root and it's the love of Christ freely received and joyously embraced that becomes the spring of holy fruits and the measure of your fruits will be the measure to which you hold fast to this truth by grace through faith not of works not only at the beginning but all along the way we not only enter by grace we stand by grace and we'll make it to the end by grace that was Paul's problem with the Galatians he said are you so foolish having begun in the spirit you started with grace but now you mix ceremonies along the way

47:03 what about you you started with grace but now you've mixed your evangelical works along the way the only time you'll come to God with boldness is when you've been a good boy and a good girl for three days but then when you've fallen on your face you go running away from God shame on you he says I will love them freely who'd he say that to backslidden Israel who said I'll love them freely take with you words and return unto the Lord oh may God speak a word of encouragement to liberate some of you dear people from the bondage of the works system that has ensnared you

47:43 to some who this very day are full of joy unspeakable and full of glory my friend listen to me the devil hates to see that joy that is the fruit of an understanding of this truth that I enter by grace I stand by grace and he'll do one of two things he'll try to make an antinomian out of you or he'll try to make a legalist out of you he'll try to destroy your peace by causing you to say boy I've got such joy on the grounds of what Christ is and what I do doesn't really affect that therefore what I do is not important the minute you take a look at it you take that therefore you're in bad shape because then you begin to wound your conscience and a wounded conscience has either got to flee to Christ or start trying to justify the thing that made the wound and you're in bad shape but if the enemy can't get you there he'll try to get you by saying what well since my walk is such an integral part of my communion therefore my performance is the basis of my approach to God no no that's a wrong therefore you see the problem with both of those positions is the therefores that come out of the premise it's the devil's logic working on the truth of God only let God's logic work on God's truth never let the devil's logic go to work on God's truth and then I have a word to those of you who teach others those of you aspiring to the work of the ministry and it's a two-fold word word number one is

49:11 don't ever be embarrassed to proclaim God's grace as free as he's revealed

49:20 there'll be some wicked sinner in this place who'll go out of here and turn the grace of God into license they did it in Paul's day they did it in Peter's day but I'm not going to let the potential abuse of that truth keep my mouth shut to proclaiming free grace there's some people whose gospel would never be abused into license they've hedged it up with such trappings of legalism no one in his right mind could ever understand it in such a way as to abuse it if you and I are not teaching our children and preaching in our Sunday school class and from our pulpit a gospel of the grace of God to which the devil's logic can be applied shall we sin that grace may abound we're not preaching the apostolic gospel only the apostolic gospel is liable to the devil's logic and I urge upon you in Christ's name let that gospel loose and though some people will kill themselves with it thank God the Holy Ghost will give many more life through it and my final word of exhortation is to learn a principle of teaching and preaching will you? and this is where I'm afraid I'm going to blow my fuses this morning this idea that we can be wiser than Christ and wiser than the apostle that we can teach by holy positive statements of truth is totally unbiblical if an apostle inspired by the Holy Ghost felt his message was still not clear enough after verses 4 to 7 that he needs to give a review

50:49 and a summary in verses 8 to 10 and in the summary not only gives further positive statement but says by this I mean this and by this I do not mean that who are we to think that we can articulate God's truth by being positive alone this will get you in trouble and got me in trouble all last week I wondered if I'd come back to you in a shroud because I dared to say if this is what our Lord is saying then this cannot be His meaning and if this cannot be His meaning here are the implications you have too high a view of the state of the human heart to think that it will welcome truth that comes in a wholly positive form that's the beauty of confessional statements men of God wrestled with truth and they said this is what the scripture says but in saying that we do not mean this and in saying we do not mean this we do mean this dear ones the time has come and because of the measure to which our Lord is betrayed in the house of His friends my prayer is oh God raise up men women housewives children classmates students who see the truth who love the truth and are committed to the God of truth and who dare to say

52:19 if this is what scripture affirms then it does not affirm this and if you say you embrace this while embracing this error that is antithetical to the truth you lie and you deceive yourself desperate need of our day and I can't even articulate some of the groanings and agonies that have been born in my own spirit in my own life in my own life in recent days but all I know is God is doing something and saying something through His word I'm not hearing voices I'm not hearing angels' wings but I see in the regular course of exposition a principle that needs desperately to be embodied in all of our lives and in all of our ministries what's it mean to be saved by grace through faith it means Paul says that you're not saved by works no ceremonial works no legal works no evangelical works you see what's happened even this morning some of you that sigh that sigh of relief at the beginning and say well I don't think I'm saved any other way than by grace through faith when I've been expounding the negative statement the negative qualifying statement you see that works righteousness is very much a problem to you and it's that negative statement that God uses to show how far we are from truly understanding the positive assertion oh may God help us to grasp that teaching principle and may he fill us

53:48 not with a carnal anger God's work does not need the zeal of the sons who wanted to call down fire upon others but God's work does often employ the zeal of weak faltering vessels the foolish the things that are weak but who get consumed with the vision of a God who's bigger than themselves their reputation and anyone else's reputation and are so consumed with love to that God and his truth that they dare to stand in the shallow frothy confused mindset of their own generation and say this is what God says and when he says that he doesn't mean this may God give us an army men and women boys and girls preachers missionaries pastors and fill the earth with the sound of such proclamation of his holy truth let us pray