FRUITS OF JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH
Recommended Reading - Romans 5:1-5.
It is impossible to teach the message of justification by faith without strong opposition from other viewpoints. Mankind often wants to take part in his own justification, elevating himself to believe that what he does and what they he is, good. Notice the important text that plainly explains what our role is in the process of salvation Ephesians 2:8-10. Paul is very clear that our works are not the means of, nor do they contribute to, our justification. Christ saved us and gave us eternal life. God recreates us in His son that we may do good works. We are God's workmanship. The good works that we do are the fruits of Justification by faith. Paul talks to believers who have experienced justification by faith in Titus 3:4-8. Paul states that those who believe in God should be careful to maintain good works. On the one hand our works don't save us, on the other hand, genuine justification by faith always produces good works. It is the evidence of justification by faith. The good works of the Christian Ecclesia should always be a blessing to humanity.
I. Faith is simply taking God at His word.
· Faith goes beyond the realm of the natural.
· God says, that if you walk in the spirit the righteousness of the law will be fulfilled in you; you cannot question God. We must believe it. We are not talking about the natural, we are talking about justification by faith.
· God says we are sinners, but He looks at us as if we are perfect in His Son. God imputes the righteousness of Jesus Christ to us. We may not feel righteous, but we must believe what God says.
II. Justification by faith does bear fruits.
· We need to know the sequence of these fruits. We cannot interchange them, they follow in the exact sequence that Paul gives them.
· There are three fruits which Paul details. The first fruit is immediate, the second fruit is continuous, and the third fruit is ultimate. The three fruits are explained in Romans 5:1-2.
1.) The first (immediate) fruit is peace with God.
2.) The second (continuing) fruit is that we are under grace. We have access to the grace of God.
3.) The third (ultimate) fruit is arriving at the glory of God.
· At the foundation of all three of these fruits is justification by faith.
III. It is impossible to please God without faith as we see in Hebrews 11:6.
· Not one of these fruits can come by works or by keeping the Law; they can only come by faith.
· We may not have peace with ourselves, our neighbors, or our government. Paul is not talking about peace in the general sense. He is not speaking about everything in life being good, right, and peaceful. Paul is talking about having peace with God. If we have peace with God, nothing else matters. If we have peace with God, we have a future that no one can take from us.
IV. What does it mean to have peace with God?
· Justification has already happened; it is the work of a moment. A change takes place in our status, our standing with God.
· The very moment we believe this change takes place. There does not have to be a minister there, or any other human being. The very moment we believe, our status changes. The status change is called justification.
· We pass from condemnation to justification (John 5:24).
· The phrase, "we have peace with God" is in the present tense. The moment we come under the umbrella of justification by faith, we have peace from beginning to end. It is a continuous thing.
· The world in which we live has no peace. Mankind does not have peace of mind. That is because man has not discovered the good news of the Gospel, which allows us to have this peace.
· To have this peace, we must stop exalting ourselves and our works to such a high level, that we think our works contribute in any way to our great salvation in Jesus Christ.
· We do not have to wait for glorification to have this peace, security, and the absolute assurance of salvation. No one can rob us of this peace, except ourselves. Our hearts should not be troubled; Jesus gave Himself for us, the peace has been accomplished. All we must do is accept the peace!
V. The greatest thing that Christ did was taste the second death for mankind.
· Notice what gave Christ the power to taste that death in Hebrews 2:9.
· The grace of God made it possible for Christ to fulfill the will of God. Now grace is assessable to the believer.
· The primary meaning of grace is the loving disposition that God has toward us. God sent His Son so that through His Son He could save us. In Ephesians 1:7, we see this very point. The word grace is also the power of God. The gospel is the good news for all man. We should be anxious to share this special message. People have the need for this beautiful truth.
VI. The fruits of justification by faith are only for those who believe.
· There is no peace with God, unless you are first justified by faith.
· Grace is also the power of God made available to the believer, as we see described in I Corinthians 15:9-10. Paul explains that he is an apostle not because he deserved it, rather, because of the grace of God.
· Paul is not against works; he states he works, but gives the credit to the grace of God. The works we do is because of the grace of God.
· Paul was given a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble. Paul pleads with God to have this removed in II Corinthians 12:7-9. The strength of God is made perfect in our weakness. All God needed was Paul's willingness.
VII. Grace is used in terms of power.
· The power and grace, are available to all. Paul discusses power and grace in Ephesians 3:7 and I Timothy 1:14.
· Since we are standing under grace, we have hope. We can rejoice that we can arrive at the glory of God. Paul is talking about the glory of the love of God shed in our hearts as he discusses in Colossians 1:27.
· God can produce a people who can love as Christ loved. Christ commanded His disciples to love in John 13:34-35. We are to love one another as Christ has loved us. Christ loved us so much He gave Himself for us. The disciples turned around, when they saw Christ give totally of Himself. He was beaten and died for us.
VIII. The disciple knew that Christ was under the curse of the law
· Christ was cut off from the Father.
· The sacrifice Christ made turned the disciples lives around; it will turn our life around if we understand.
· Many have used the scriptures to turn away from God, His way, and His commandments. If you love the way Christ loved, you will sacrifice and not live selfishly. You will not go against His nature; you will lead others to Jesus Christ who can give to them the same love.
IX. Paul states that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
· God created man that we may be the temple of God. We are to have Christ in us and to reflect Christ. God wants His glory to shine through us. God has planned this for all mankind.
· The fall of Adam and Eve robbed us of the glory of God The wonderful thing is that justification by faith not only gives us a right to the Kingdom of God and to peace, it also restores the glory of God in us. Romans 5:3, gives us the steps.
· When Christ lives in us and reveals His glory, we have to say no to the flesh. There will always be a conflict with the flesh.
· Romans 5:3 gives us the steps of conflict.
1.) Tribulation or sufferings.
2.) Perseverance
3.) Perseverance produces experience. The experience is the character.
X. When we have Christ in us our flesh will suffer.
· Our suffering will come from our desires being denied.
· The ultimate fruit is character. When the character of God is reproduced we will not be disappointed or ashamed.
· God's plan is that His work will not to be done half way. God's purpose in us, through justification by faith, is ultimately salvation. Paul states in Romans 8:30, whom God justifies He will glorify.
Our part, from beginning to end, is faith. As long as we walk by faith, the three fruits are guaranteed. The guarantee is peace with God, our standing in grace, and our hope in arriving at the glory of God. We must begin with peace to obtain the glory of God. It is impossible for us to be liberated from fear, unless we have understood justification by faith. We must cast out fear to love as stated in I John 4:17-18. Perfect love will cast out fear. We must understand the love of God. The gospel must liberate us from the fear of death and judgment. We must have peace. May God bless us, that we shall know and understand this truth. When we understand this truth it will make us free from fear. We will then be ready, willing, and able to accept the peace of God that passes all understanding. Then we will ultimately have the love of God. A love which is, outgoing care, concern, and love. We will have, most of all, a sacrificial love. Once this has been done, we can begin to fulfill the new commandment which Christ gave us; to love one another as Christ loved us. May God give us His grace so that we may achieve that glorious, wonderful, and marvelous love of Jesus Christ!
United Christian Ministries