Word of Salvation – Vol.41 No.05 – February 1996

 

Boasting In Christ Alone

 

Sermon by Rev. W. Wiersma on Lord’s Day 24

Scripture Readings: Psalm 111, 1Corinthians 1:18-31

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Many people find the simple Gospel of Jesus Christ hard to believe.  They can’t understand how God can accept sinners and adopt sinners as His children.  They find it unbelievable that a sinner can become right with God simply by believing in Jesus and simply accepting all that God provides in and through Jesus.

One of the difficulties that people have with this teaching of justification by faith in Jesus Christ is mentioned in the first question of Lord’s Day 24: “Why can’t the good that we do make us right with God, or at least help to make us right with God.”

There are people, not just a few, who think that somehow they have got to make a contribution in order to be right with God and acceptable to Him.  Maybe that is your view of things.  Maybe you have grown up with the conviction that you get nothing for nothing.  So, somehow, you’ve got to pay.

Or you may have been brought up to believe that you have to deserve favours.  You may not be able to pay in full, but if you do your bit, your parents (or God) will accept your willingness and effort, and give you what you ask.

Or maybe you have understood the preaching of God’s Word in such a way that you think that you have to do good, you’ve got to overcome your sins, you’ve got to start leading a godly life before God can forgive and accept you.  In other words, you think that you have to do something, you’ve got to change before you can be right with God.

Now this whole thing can be rather subtle and tricky.  That’s why the Catechism spends quite some space on this subject.  You see, the Catechism was written at the time of the Reformation.  That is, it was written for people who had been brought up with the teaching that you had to do good works – religious things like going to church, making confession, attending mass – to get right with God.  You had to do those things, for without them you couldn’t be saved.  In short you had to be a good Christian to be saved.

Now here is the subtle part: they believed that God would help them to do the good works.  It was not as if they had to do them in their own strength or ability.  So the idea that was around in those days was, you have to do good deeds with God’s help, and then, on the basis of your improvement (of course with the help of God), God would justify you, He would declare peace with you.  In other words, He would recognise your goodness.

Now I mention all this because in a survey taken not so very long ago, it was found that many people hold this view of justification today.  And they are not just Roman Catholics.  Many Protestant have this view of things.  There is this false notion that in order to be justified, to be right with God, to receive eternal life, you have got to do your bit, even if it can only be done with the help of God’s grace.

Well, the Reformers, on the basis of God’s Word, opposed this teaching most strenuously.  The message of Scripture is that our salvation is given to us as a gift.  Our right to come and live in the presence of God has been bought for us with the blood of Christ.  Forgiveness has been obtained for us by the atoning sacrifice of Christ.

It is true that the Word teaches that we ought to do good works – but not in order to be saved; not as a contribution to being accepted by God.  No!  Good works are the result of being saved, of being accepted.  They are the fruit of faith.  We should be good Christians, not in order to be saved, but because we are right with God in Christ.

We are saved only by what Christ has done for us.  We simply cannot do what is required to be right with God.  Not even with God’s help.  We can’t be sinless.  We will never live a perfectly good and loving life as long as we live on this earth, in this body of death.

Only perfect obedience, perfect love, is acceptable to God as the basis of peace with Him.  Only perfect love is able to guarantee fellowship with God and the privilege of eternal life.

Remember how Adam and Eve got sent out of Paradise?  For what?  For one sin!  That’s how holy God is.  How can we possibly get back into Paradise?  How can we get back into harmony and friendship with God?  There is only one way.  That is if somehow we can offer God perfect obedience.

Now that is precisely what God himself has made available to us.  God has said, I’ll accept you back into my presence on the basis of the perfect obedience of Christ and on that basis alone.  Our justification does not depend on our doing, but solely on the doing and dying of Christ.  Entrance into God’s grace is by the perfect obedience of Christ, or not at all.

Let me try to illustrate this.  Imagine a marvellous Expo or fair, which has the most wonderful things you can possibly imagine.  But there is one catch.  The entrance fee is a special coin of rare metal which nobody has and no one can make or buy.  Who can then get into the fair…?  [Pause]

No one, of course.

Now imagine that the owner of the fair promises to provide that special coin himself, free of charge.  To get the coin all you would need to do was to ask for it at a window near the entrance.  Who could enter the fair now…?  [Pause]

Yes, all those who would ask for the coin.

The entrance fee into God’s presence is the perfect righteousness of Christ.  You can only get that by asking.  And that’s all you need to do to get in.  Ask and you shall be given – whoever you are, whatever you’ve got on your conscience.  Go to Jesus, ask for and accept His righteousness and you’re in the presence of God.

Now once you are right with God, through faith in Jesus Christ – once you have entered the fair of life through the door which God provides (that is, through Christ), things will start to change in your life.  Your fellowship with God in Christ will affect your thoughts, your values and your goals.

I draw your attention to the last question and answer of LD 24.  [Read Question 64] “But doesn’t this teaching make people indifferent and wicked?”  You can almost hear people say, “If it is that easy to be right with God, won’t that make people careless and ungodly in their behaviour?  Where is the incentive to avoid sinful behaviour?”

Well, I think the Catechism gives a beautiful answer to this question.  [Read Answer 64] “No.  It is impossible for those grafted into Christ by true faith not to produce fruits of gratitude.”

Let me go back to the illustration of the fair or Expo.  It was such a marvellous exposition that all those who saw it were greatly impressed.  Now, what do you think the people who saw this exhibition will do once they get out?  They will, of course, talk to their friends and acquaintances about the amazing fair.  They will praise it, they will brag about it, they will advertise it by word of mouth.  They will encourage their friends to go and see it for themselves.

Isn’t that what people will do who have entered the exposition of God’s love and works of grace.  They will marvel at the kindness and wisdom of God, as Paul does in Ephesians 1, where he blurts out, “Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ, in the heavenly places.”  You can’t accept and rejoice in the love of God and then go out and live carelessly.  You can’t marvel at the mercy of God and then live in a way that you know will cause grief to God.  No, if the goodness of God knocks your socks off, you’re going to talk about God with awe and enthusiasm.

Once you have caught a glimpse of the tremendous cause of God, the saving work of Christ, which is called to the Kingdom of God, you will want to live with your mind focussed on that royal activity of the Lord.  Once you have seen the beauty, purity and wisdom of God’s way of doing things, you will not want to go back to the ugly and destructive ways of the world.  Christ came to destroy the works of the devil.  Christ came to reconcile us to God.  “Herein is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and gave His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Now we love because He has loved us first.”  The consequence of faith is love.  Love for God.  Love for God’s will.

Jesus puts it in this way: Abide in me and you will bear much fruit.  The apostle Paul wrote: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, self-control, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, etc.  You know what the trouble is?  There are far too many people who think that they are Christians but they’ve never entered the fair of grace and truth.  They are on the outside.  They’ve never got in because they’re too proud – too proud to ask.  They have never asked for nor received the entrance fee into the presence of God.  They’ve never gone through the door.  They live in a world of make-believe, a little world of their own.  But they are not in God’s presence, they don’t know the peace of God or the joy of having seen something of His mighty works and wondrous ways.  They are too busy looking at themselves.  Too busy trying to pay their own way with coins of their own making.

Oh, they’ve heard all about it.  They sometimes think about it.  They sometimes talk about it.  But they have never gone inside.  They’ve never really seen the love of God.  They have looked at their feelings and said, I feel good, so God must love me.  They have looked at their circumstances and said, I am healthy and pretty well off, so God must love me.  They’ve looked at their efforts and they say, I’ve done my best, so God will love me.  But they don’t look at Christ and say, now there I see the deep love of God for me.  Imagine that, God loves me, a sinner!  God has saved me, a sinner!  In Christ I am God’s dear child!

But that is what the life of faith in Christ is basically all about, enjoying the works of God.  Being glad that you may have a part in the grand exhibition of God’s grace and truth.  A part in that great work of God in Christ reconciling a hostile world to Himself and making all things new.

Once you are involved in that new realm, you will start acting accordingly.  You will see that obedience to God’s commands has its own reward.  You know it pleases God and will benefit your neighbour, even if your neighbour does not always immediately appreciate the word and works of love.  Knowing yourself to be a child of God, you will want to reflect His truth and compassion.  Reaching out in love, fearing God rather than the opinions and anger of men.

We are called to be faithful: faithful to God, faithful to His Son, faithful to His Spirit, His will and His kingdom.  We are called to please God, and we want to, not only to hear, Well done good and faithful servant.  We want to serve God because He is so immeasurably kind.  To think, that He cares for us so much that He did not withhold His own Son.  Surely He will give us all things with Him.

And for that we shall give God all the praise!!

Amen.