Salvation by Faith

1. Does everyone fall short of what God commands? Rom. 3:9-10, 23. What is the penalty of sin? Rom. 6:23; 5:12. Did Jesus pay the penalty for us? 2 Cor. 5:14-15; 1 Pet. 2:24. Therefore, can our sins be forgiven through faith in Jesus Christ? Acts 2:38; 10:43; 13:38-39; Rom. 3:24. Comment: God is perfect, but human beings are not. God is holy, humans are not. We do not deserve to live forever with God. No one can claim such an eternal blessing as a right. No one can claim to have earned the right to be with God forever. On judgment day, no one can say: "You have to let me in. I've been good enough." No one is ever "good enough" to obligate God to do anything for them. What we deserve is death. However, God does want us to live with him forever. He loves us and wants us, so he paid the penalty for us, as a gift. God loves us so much that he sent his only Son to die for our sins, for us. Through faith in him our sins are forgiven and we are given eternal life with God (John 3:16). This is wonderful news, that God wants to live with us! ^{Jn 3:16} For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.	^{Ro 3:9} What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. ¹⁰ As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one." (New International Version throughout) ^{23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God ^{Ro 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ^{Ro 5:12} Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned ^{2 Co 5:14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵ And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. ^{1 Pe 2:24 He himself bore our sins" in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed." ^{Ac 2:38} Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ^{Ac 10:43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." ^{Ac 13:38} Therefore, my brothers and sisters, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. ³⁹ Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. ^{Ro 3:24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.}}}}}}
2. Does God live in each believer? John 14:23. Does Jesus Christ live in us? Gal. 2:20. Does the Holy Spirit live in each Christian? Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 3:16. However, does sin also continue to live in us? Rom. 7:17-23. Do Christians continue to struggle with sin? Rom. 6:11-13; Eph. 4:22-32. Is there anyone who does not sin? 1 John 1:8, 10. What must Christians therefore continue to do? Verse 9; Matt. 6:12. Comment: No one is able to live up to the perfection that God commands. We are unable to be perfect and holy in the way God is perfect and holy (Matt. 5:48; 1 Pet. 1:15-16). ^{Matt 5:48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. ^{1 Pe 1:15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶ for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."}} Therefore, we have a continuing need for God's mercy and forgiveness. No one can say, "I've been so good that I deserve to live with God forever." When judgment day comes, everyone will need mercy. Because all Christians sin, we continue to need God's grace — and the good news is that we continue to be forgiven and made clean through the atoning work of our Savior. Salvation is a gift from start to finish. Paul talks about forgiveness by using the term justification, which means not only forgiveness but also giving us the status of being just or righteous. Christians are not just declared neutral, but are declared good and righteous, acceptable to God. How can this be? Let's take a closer look at what Paul wrote about justification.	^{Jn 14:23} Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. ^{Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ^{Ro 8:11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. ^{1Co 3:16} Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? ^{Ro 7:17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸ I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. ²¹ So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³ but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. ^{Ro 6:11} In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. ¹³ Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. ^{^{Eph 4:}22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. ²⁵ Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. ²⁶ "²⁶ In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ and do not give the devil a foothold. ²⁸ Those who have been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. ²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. ^{1Jn 1:8} If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. ^{Matt 6:12} And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.}}}}
3. Can a person be justified by obeying God's law? Rom. 3:28; Gal. 2:16; 3:11; Titus 3:5. How then can we be justified —- declared righteous and acceptable to God? Acts 13:38-39; Rom. 3:24, 28; 5:1; Gal. 3:24; Titus 3:7. Comment: We are incapable of earning our salvation. We can never perform enough good deeds to make up for the fact that we are sinners. We can never be saved on the basis of righteous things we have done. Salvation is always by God's mercy and his grace. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast" (Eph. 2:8-9). This gift has been made possible by the death of Jesus on the cross. He paid the penalty of our sins, and through faith in him — by accepting what he has done for us — we are clean and forgiven. God's grace does not mean we are given permission to sin (Rom. 3:31; 6:1). Paul specifically says that God created us to do good works (Eph. 2:10), and that grace teaches us to quit sinning (Titus 2:11-12). Throughout the New Testament, we are exhorted to obey God, and we are warned about sin. But regardless of how obedient we might be, salvation does not come from our good works, but through the grace of God given to us through faith in Jesus Christ. Of all humans, Paul had an excellent claim to his own righteousness, both in the Old Testament law and in zeal for Jesus Christ. But he did not trust in his own works. "If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: ...in regard to the law, a Pharisee...as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ — the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith" (Phil. 3:4-9).	^{Ro 3:28} For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from observing the law. ^{Gal 2:16 know that a person is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified. ^{Gal 3:11} Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because "the righteous will live by faith." ^{Tit 3:5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, ^{Ac 13:38} Therefore, my brothers and sisters, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. ³⁹ Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. ^{Ro 3:24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ^{Ro 3:28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from observing the law. ^{Ro 5:1} Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ^{Gal 3:24 So the law was put in charge of us until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. ^{Tit 3:7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. ^{Ro 3:31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law. ^{Ro 6:1} What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ^{Eph 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. ^{Tit 2:11} For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. ¹² It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ^{2 Cor 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. ^{30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. ^{2 Co 5:15}And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.}}}}}}}}}}