CHRIST PREACHED JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH WITHOUT WORKS

By Pastor Art Watkins of Coden Bible Church (Coden, Alabama)

May 24, 2010

John 1:17 says: For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

The grace that came by Jesus Christ is in contrast with the Law that came by Moses. Christ lived and died under the Law of Moses, but some of the first glimpses of grace were seen in his earthly ministry. He said and did many things that were never said, seen or done under the Law.

In Luke 18:9-14 we read a story about a sinner who was justified by grace through faith without works. It says: And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

When Christ preached he used many parables to illustrate what he was saying. In this parable we see a man who is justified by faith who did not deserve nor earn it. In this parable God justified the publican who was the worst of the two men. The publican was an extortioner, unjust, an adulterer and did not keep the law nor fast or tithe. In works he was the opposite of the Pharisee. He clearly deserved the wrath of God and he knew it, but he asked God for mercy and received it.

This man is a perfect type of sinners who God justifies today. He got what he did not deserve nor earn. All he did was simply ask God to have mercy on him and nothing else. He was not baptized, he did not keep the law, he did nothing in the way of good works, but he went down to his house justified rather than the other. If you are justified today you were justified like the publican in Luke 18.

Therefore Jesus Christ preached justification by faith alone without works to undeserving sinners. Those who approach the four gospels with their preconceived dispensational ideas miss this important fact about Christ’s preaching. Justification by faith was prophesied by the prophets (Hab. 2:4, Isa. 53:11) and here we see a clear example of it.