The Power of God Unto Salvation (Part 2)

F. Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ is a work. JOH 6:28-29. 1. Mere faith without works is dead. JAM 2:26. 2. Such a faith is powerless, for death is the ultimate of inability and powerlessness. 3. Such a faith amounts to no more than the faith of devils. JAM 2:19. G. Conclusion: When a man teaches that one must believe the gospel in order to be eternally saved, he is teaching salvation by law works because faith in the gospel is required by the law. 1. This is not grace; it is a frustration of grace! GAL 2:21. 2. This is a "do and live" proposition which is straight LAW as before proven. 3. Remember that the new covenant is rather "live and do." If so much as one legal condition is imposed on the sinner in order to get life, then all the legal conditions must be imposed. GAL 5:2-3. H. ROM 4:4-5 contrasts believing with working: "to him that worketh not, but believeth..." 1. It is obvious from JAM 2, however, that believers ought to work. Hence, ROM 4:4-5 is dealing with a certain KIND of believing. 2. In context, Paul is dealing with the fact that one is not justified by works. 3. Rather than working to produce our justification, we believe that God has done this for us. 4. Paul is setting forth a faith that does not rely on anything that the sinner does, including believing, in order to procure justification. This faith rather sees justification as entirely the act of God! 5. Paul is lashing out against the kind of working that is done in order to become justified. If one advocates that one must believe in order to become justified, he is advocating the very thing that Paul is opposing: justification by works. And remember, faith is a work according to JOH 6:28-29; 1TH 1:3; HEB 4:3, 10. V. MAT 19:16-26. The salvation of sinners by keeping the law is an impossibility. The power of God unto salvation is not in sinners, and it is not with the law. The power rests with God Himself with Whom nothing is impossible. VI. Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation. A. The following passages clearly show that Christ is the power of God unto salvation: 1. 1CO 1:23-24. Christ is the power of God. 2. JOH 17:2. All power was given to the Son of God to give eternal life to as many as God had given him. 3. MAT 28:18. ALL power is given unto Jesus Christ. 4. ISA 63:1 c/w REV 19:11-16. Jesus Christ is mighty to save. 5. ISA 63:5. Christ's own arm brought salvation. There was none to help. HE saved by Himself. ROM 5:19; HEB 1:3. 6. PSA 89:19. Jesus Christ is the mighty One upon whom help is laid. 7. HEB 7:25. "...HE (Christ) is able (has the power) also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him..." 8. JOH 10:18 c/w 1PE 1:3; 3:21. Jesus Christ had power to arise from the grave to save us. No one else could do this. ECC 8:8. B. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the message of the gospel. 1CO 15:1-4. 1. The death and resurrection of Christ is the means of our salvation. ROM 4:25; 1CO 15:17. 2. Thus it is that the gospel sets forth the power of God unto salvation. 3. This was foretold by the prophets through whom God promised the gospel. ROM 1:1-2; LUK 24:25-27. C. Jesus Christ does what the law cannot do. 1. He justifies. ROM 5:9. 2. He secures our inheritance. HEB 9:15. 3. He gives life. JOH 10:27-28; 17:2; 1JO 5:11-12. 4. He makes perfect. HEB 10:14. 5. He takes away sin. HEB 1:3. D. In heaven, salvation is ascribed to God and to the Lamb. REV 7:10. E. Consequently, ROM 1:16 is telling us that there is good news. 1. The good news is the power of God unto salvation. 2. The good news is not the power itself. It is rather the proclamation of the power. 3. The power is Jesus Christ. VII. Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. ROM 1:16 c/w EPH 1:19-20. A. If a person believes, the mighty power of God IS toward him. That mighty power is the same power that raised Christ from the dead, which is the quickening power of the Holy Spirit. 1PE 3:18 c/w ROM 8:11. B. One believes as a result of the working of the power of God in quickening him from death unto life. JOH 5:24. VIII. The gospel was first directed to the Jews, then to the Gentiles. ROM 1:16 c/w LUK 24:47; ACT 13:45-46. A. Remember, this gospel was promised in the prophets. ROM 1:1-2. 1. Therefore, the Gentiles are recipients of the good tidings promised in the prophets to the Israelite fathers. ACT 13:32-39. 2. This directly contradicts the following comment made on ROM 11:1 in the Scofield Reference Bible: "That the Christian now inherits the distinctive Jewish promises is not taught in Scripture." 3. Compare Scofield with EPH 2:12-14; 3:5-6. B. Mind how Paul preached the same message to Jews and Gentiles. THE gospel (singular) is to both! 1. ACT 13:42. "...the Gentiles besought that THESE WORDS (the same words as preached to the Jews) might be preached to them the next sabbath." Paul accommodated them as the rest of the chapter reveals. 2. ACT 20:21; 26:20. Paul made the same appeal to Jews & Gentiles. 3. ACT 28:17, 22-31. Mind how Paul preached exactly the same message to the Gentiles (vs.29-31) that he had preached to the Jews (v.23). IX. The righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel "from faith to faith" (ROM 1:17). Compare this with ROM 3:20-22. A. The faith of Jesus Christ produces the righteousness of God. B. If a sinner believes, this righteousness is unto and UPON him. The righteousness of God is manifested or revealed UPON the believer as well as unto the believer. C. Therefore, the righteousness of God is revealed from the faith of Christ which produced it to the faith of the sinner who has it and displays it when he believes. The sinner's faith, like Abraham's, is "counted for righteousness" (ROM 4:5). D. Consider, "The JUST shall live by faith" (ROM 1:17). 1. Just: "Righteous in the sight of God; justified." 2. If a man is living by faith, he is righteous. He has that righteousness of God which the gospel reveals. a. Being a believer, he IS justified (ACT 13:39) and has experienced the power of God unto salvation. b. Faith is thus an evidence that one is righteous. ROM 4:5; HEB 11:4. 3. The man described in this text does not live by faith in order to be just. He lives by faith because he is just. a. Hence, all the demands of the law for righteousness are fulfilled for him. ROM 10:4. b. Being justified by Christ, there is no need to be justified by the works of the law. GAL 3:11-12. c. This is why such living by faith stands in contrast to law works. E. Consider, "The just shall live by faith" (ROM 1:17). 1. Living by faith is living by the word of God. ROM 10:16-17. 2. True faith is an act of obedience that leads to further obedience. ROM 16:25-26; GAL 5:6; JAM 2:26. 3. Gospel faith leads to obedience in baptism. ACT 8:12; 18:8; 16:30-34; LUK 7:29-30. 4. Obedience in baptism results in church membership. ACT 2:38-42. 5. Heed the gospel appeal. ACT 13:38-41.