Sermons

Justification By Faith Alone (Romans 1:16-17)

Rev. William L. Barron

Rev. William L. Barron, February 12, 2017
Part of the The Five Solas Of The Reformation series, preached at a Sunday Morning service

God has provided the answer to our willful separation from Him because of our sin. While we enter the Kingdom individually by profession of faith, we are then not alone; part of the community called the Body of Christ. Saving grace is a gift, as is sustaining grace that sees us through this world and into the next. The Church stands or falls according to our adherence to the doctrine of justification by faith alone. This doctrine, "the righteous shall live by faith," is stated four times throughout the Bible, starting with the prophet Habakkuk. From this flows the fruit of conversion: repentance, adoption, peace and access to God.

Tags: Justification, salvation

About Rev. William L. Barron: Billy Barron is the pastor of North Greenville Church. He has pastored ARPC congregations in North and South Carolina and Florida. He has also been pastor to World Witness missionaries around the world. He was Mission Developer of Travelers ARP Church in Travelers Rest, SC.

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« Called Forth Out Of Comfort To Love	None	The Delays Of Jesus »

Romans 1:16–17 (Listen)

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

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North Greenville Church

North Greenville Church

North Greenville Church is a Reformed and Presbyterian fellowship that seeks to establish a traditional church of Christ in northern Greenville County.

North Greenville Church

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Come to North Greenville Church at 6:00 pm on Thursday, March 28 during Easter Week, for a worship service of preaching, scripture reading, prayer and congregational singing. Led by the Rev. Tim Leslie, we will remember Jesus’ ministry in the upper room during Passover Week, who ushered in the new commandment of remission of sins in His blood shed on the cross. Our observance of the Lord’s Supper during the service is open to all trusting in Christ alone for their salvation, and who are members in good standing in a Bible-believing church.The post Maundy Thursday Service: March 28 first appeared on North Greenville Church. ... See MoreSee Less

Maundy Thursday Service: March 28 - North Greenville Church

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Come to North Greenville Church at 6:00 pm on Thursday, March 28 during Easter Week, for a worship service of preaching, scripture reading, prayer and congregational singing. Led by the Rev. Tim Lesli...

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Where do our influences about Christian doctrine come from? Internet scoffers, or the Bible? Scoffers are critical of orthodox doctrine. They sometimes find acceptable that God is love. Yet, they get uncomfortable if asked how He can punish sin. The Bible has many passages talking about sin and punishment. A good question is why someone would die in our place. Why is the cross necessary? What does it achieve? John Calvin says it accomplishes a wondrous exchange. The exchange is penal substitution. Christ accepts a legal judgment in our place. The judgment results from God's infinite holiness. It makes sense that the seriousness of the sin be judged by the position of the one sinned against. The natural man can't define what is just and unjust with any sense of agreement. We all tend to pursue our own rule. Sin is the greatest injustice against the holy God. In sin, we incur a great debt we can never repay. The punishment for this is torment in hell forever. But God placed our sin on Christ on the Cross for our sake, upon Him who knew no sin. He could not sin. He was the innocent Passover lamb. In this penal substitution, the debt of sin we owe is credited to the account of the Son, and the Son's righteousness is credited to us. We are then cloaked in the royal robes of righteousness. Christ was cursed for us, quelling God's wrath in propitiation. This is all of God's love for us. By this means, God provides us with reconciliation with Him, even though we did not ourselves pursue reconciliation with Him. God removes from us the offense of sins, brings us peace and friendship with God, and makes us a new creation. For the first time, we can love instead of hate in selfishness. We can now regard people created in the image of God, not according to the flesh. This work has just begun among God's people, and will only become fully complete when Christ returns. Until that time, we are ambassadors for Christ, testifying to the world about God's unmerited favor toward us. ... See MoreSee Less

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