God has blessed us by making us a congregation from a great variety of backgrounds. Do we all really appreciate this? Is our love for one another real? – able to overcome what the world sees as differences that divide?

Suppose we formed cliques, and only spoke to those of the same nationality or language or skin-colour as ourselves – Wouldn’t that be a contradiction of our belief that we are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:28) – that Jesus welcomes each of us without any distinctions?

A dispute in Antioch, in Syria

But that wouldn’t be true of us today – if Paul hadn’t had that face-to-face confrontation with Peter in Antioch. Paul was indignant – outraged, even – with the Christian Jews who’d come from Jerusalem. Until they’d come Peter had eaten happily with the non-Jewish believers. Now he – and those Jews who’d followed Peter’s example – had withdrawn from such fellowship, and ate separately from these uncircumcised believers.

What was it that the visitors had said? Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved. And The Gentiles must be.. required to obey the law of Moses. (Acts 15:1,5) In other words, you weren’t a ‘proper’ Christian unless you became a Jew, and obeyed all that God laid down in his Law. Paul said Peter, in appearing to go along with this, was acting insincerely, playing a part, because, deep down, he knew this wasn’t true. (Gal 2:13,16)

Paul saw the issues involved with great clarity – thank God he did! He realised that if the Judaizers got their way, Christianity would become just a Jewish sect, and have no future in the Gentile world. But – even more importantly – their message was a contradiction of the very nature of the gospel, the way of salvation God had given them to proclaim. That’s why this dispute is so important for us!! No one nowadays is trying to get us circumcised, or to obey all the laws of Moses – so why the fuss? So let me ask you: When you pray – on what basis do you expect to be heard? Because you’ve been a faithful Christian, and you’re asking God to vindicate you in whatever trouble you’re in? Or do you reckon you’ve got no ‘pull’ with God at all, but are relying only his mercy and love, pledged to you in Jesus Christ?

When you die – what are you relying on, when you come into God’s presence? Your track-record of clean-living, your social concern, your worthy donations? Or your church attendance, your prayers and Bible-reading? Do any of these things give you some sense of security? Are they an advantage to you, over and above your faith in Jesus Christ?

Now, it’s clear these Judaizing visitors were relying on their religious activities, their keeping God’s Law, as vital for their salvation – and not solely on what God had done for them, in sending his Son Jesus to live and die for them. And THAT is the crux of the affair. Is our right standing with God brought about alone by what God has done on our behalf, which we cannot add to, in any way – or is there something we can do or we can become, which merits his forgiveness of our sins, and our place in heaven?

By faith alone

Are you asking yourself – what is the value of faith? The answer is – none at all, in itself. It is just the open, empty hand, by which we receive God’s gift of forgiveness – right standing with him – and all the other benefits of our new life in Christ.(Rom 6:23; 5:16-17; 10:10-13; 2 Cor 9:15; Rev 22:17) Sometimes people may say to us, perhaps in a time of crisis in our or their lives, I wish I had your faith! But it isn’t some amount or quality of our faith that counts – but the object of our faith – Jesus, in whom we trust. It’s Christ alone who saves us, not our faith. (Eph 2:8)

We must spell FAITH as Forsaking All, I Trust in Him. The all we forsake includes all our attempts to earn God’s approval by our own deeds. We renounce all human merit, precisely because we put all our trust in the merits of Christ. And we forsake all other gods in which we might put our trust. And trust means just that – a self-abandoning reliance on Jesus, his love and his death for us on the cross.

Perhaps you want to come right back to me and ask – If our obedience cannot be put to our credit, why should we keep God’s laws? What place has godly living in our lives? The answer must be – every place, EXCEPT that of being the ground of our confidence before God. God saves us from his condemnation – IN ORDER that we may live holy, obedient lives. (Rom 8:12-15;12:1)

God gave Israel his laws as instruction, so that his people might know what holiness is – because he is holy, and wants us, his sons and daughters to become like him.(1 Pet 1:14-16; 4:1-2; Lev 22:31-33) But because we fail to keep his laws, the Law convicts us of sin – and, moreover, the Law is powerless to change us or help us to become holy. (Rom 3:20; 7:10-13; 8:3-4; Gal 3:21-22 )

That is why God told his people the time was coming when, I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. (Jer 31:33-34) And I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. (Ezek 36:26-27)

God doesn’t declare us acceptable, as righteous in his sight, on the basis of our attempts to be righteous, or on our “good” deeds (none of which are free from sin and self-interest) but ONLY on the basis of our being united to our Saviour BY FAITH ALONE – for Jesus’ death for our sins is all-sufficient. (Rom 3:22-24,27-28; 4:4-5; Heb 10:10-14,17-18; 1 Pet 3:18)

A misunderstood teaching

The Judaizers – and those in church history who’ve taken the same line – are shocked by this teaching. Because they think it gives us liberty to behave wickedly – to go on sinning, so that grace may increase (Rom 6:1) (because the worse sinner we are, the greater God’s mercy in forgiving us!). (Rom 3:5-8)

But – Paul pointed out – this is to leave out of account the transforming effect of the new life God gives every true believer – in accordance with those prophecies in Jeremiah and Ezekiel. If we’ve truly trusted Christ – we’ve also made a radical about-turn from our old self-centred life – Paul calls it dying with Christ – and we CANNOT go on as if nothing had changed. (Rom 6:1-4; Gal 2:19-21)

Of course, there have always been those who’ve failed to understand the radical nature of this teaching. For some ‘faith’ has been no more than an intellectual assent to the truths of the gospel. But that is not the personal commitment to Jesus as Saviour and Lord that biblical faith requires. Mere outward conformity, mere outward assent to what the Church teaches, is not what is meant.

James in his letter addresses that kind of ‘faith’. You believe that there is one God? Even the devils believe that – and shudder. I will show you my faith by what I do. (Jas 2:19,18) Real faith always shows its love and gratitude to God by the actions a believer does. We are declared righteous, given right standing, before God by faith alone (that’s what justified by faith means) – but the faith that justifies is never alone – it will always manifest itself by its deeds. (Eph 2:8-10; Gal 5:13-14; 1 Cor 1:2; Heb 12:14; 1 Pet 1:14-16;4:1-2)

There are two other kinds of error that reveal misunderstanding of this teaching that frees us forever from regarding the keeping of God’s Law as a ladder to heaven, a weary treadmill of good works that we’re never certain will suffice to save us at last. (Gal 3:10-14; 5:1; Heb 10:10-14; Rom 3:19-28; 5:1-2,8)

One we’ve already mentioned – the idea that being not under law, but under grace (Rom 6:14,15) means we may do as we please. [This is called antinomianism.] If we think we can treat sin lightly, if we do not identify with the tax-collector who said, God be merciful to me a sinner! – if we think we can just put things right with a quick prayer, or a visit to a priest’s confessional, and then repeat our offence – we must doubt that we’ve ever truly trusted Christ.

The other error is that of the Pharisees, who wanted to make sure they kept God’s Law. So they built a fence around it by multiplying and adding regulations to God’s precepts. If we add man-made requirements – don’t go to the theatre, don’t play games on the Sabbath, don’t do this or that.. – we put ourselves in bondage again, and never know the freedom of the children of God. (Rom 8:21) [This is called legalism.] It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Gal 5:1,13) The believer in Christ has been given the Holy Spirit to enable him to live a holy life.(Gal 5:16)

Faith expresses itself through deeds

Faith begins with humility – with a very real sense of our unworthiness in the sight of a holy God – with the knowledge that we have nothing to boast about. We have only our need, whether of forgiveness for sin, or our need of help or healing in all sorts of ways. We cannot do these things for ourselves – so we come to our Lord – who can both meet our need and is willing to do so – and we entrust ourselves and our need to him.

That is what so impressed Jesus about the centurion.(Lk 7:1-10) His generous character and respect for the Jews pleased the Jewish elders. But he didn’t plead that he therefore deserved a blessing. Rather, he knew and expressed his own unworthiness. And he simply trusted Jesus’ ability to heal his servant, for in Jesus he recognised someone with God’s authority to heal. Here was faith expressing itself through love – in this case for his servant. (Gal 5:6)

Faith is not only the empty hand by which we receive God’s gift of right standing with him (as a result of which we have peace with God and adoption as his sons and daughters into his family). Faith is also to be seen in the way we live day by day – or it has never really taken root in our lives.

The righteous will live by his faith (Hab 2:4; Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11; Heb 10:38). After the author of Hebrews has quoted this text, he gives that well-known description of faith – faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see. (Heb 11:1) I believe that describes a mature faith, not the timid faith we start out with – but a faith that has grown in certainty as we’ve trusted the Lord, and found him trustworthy time and time again.

The author of Hebrews gives a long list of Old Testament heroes (and heroines!) who persevered in faith to their lives’ end, trusting God and his promises, against all odds. And living it out in practical ways, sometimes heroically. Do read and ponder that list in Heb 11! And add to it the names of more recent men and women of faith, whose lives have impressed you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. (Heb 13:7) Originally I thought I would conclude by talking about some of these men and women, but instead I’m going to remind you of an incident that our Lord referred to (John 3:14-15), to sum up how simple faith is, and how essential it is to trust the Lord entirely.

Faith is making a choice to believe and trust in Jesus

This event took place on the journey the people of God made from Egypt to the Promised Land.(Num 21:4-9) They became fed up with the hardships of their daily life. They spoke against God and against Moses, Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There’s no bread! There’s no water! And we detest this miserable food!

What was God’s response? We’re told the Lord sent venomous snakes among them, they bit the people and many..died. We may think that hard – but, as I’ve said, faith begins with humility, with acknowledging our sin and desperate need of God’s help. These people did, and Moses prayed for them. The Lord told him, Make a bronze snake and put it on a pole. Anyone who is bitten can look at it – and live!

What would you do, if you had been bitten? Would you disbelieve what God had said – remain in your tent sick – and die? That’s not so absurd – in effect, it’s what men and women do now every day! Or would you come out of your tent and gaze at the bronze snake on the pole? Trusting God is as simple (and as profound) as that! To take him at his word – and look in trust at Jesus, crucified for you, for your sins, so that you might live – for ever! If you’ve never really done that – will you do it now? And commit you life to Jesus, for always? And thank him for dying for you on that cross!

Every day we’re faced with choices. And every choice we make reveals what – or whom! – we trust. We can be like other men and women and trust in wealth (if we have it), or skills to hold down a job (if we have one), or influence (if we know the right people), or the resources of a country which makes provision for ill-health or old age (if we have a right of residence)...and so on.

But if our eyes are fixed on Jesus... we shall have a different perspective, a different trust, a different set of values... Our lives here are brief, and all eternity follows.. Nor will this world last for ever, for it is under judgement.. but we, who’ve trusted Jesus, look to a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Heb 12:28), which will endure for ever.