Welcome to the Daily Blade . The Word of God is described as the sword of the Spirit , the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil . Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson , and they stand ready to equip men for the fight . Let's sharpen up .
Speaker 2Welcome back to the Book of Romans , Chapter 3 . Yesterday we just established this simple reality that the Bible says that no one is righteous , not even one . We're going to pick it up in verse 19 , where the apostle Paul says to the church in Rome now we know that whatever the law says , it speaks to those who are under the law so that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world . And here's the verse I want to hang out on . Let me say that again , For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight . This has historically been called works-based righteousness . We'll find out tomorrow that the word righteousness in the book of Romans does not mean right activity . It means a right identity , it means a right standing before God . And Paul wants us to know that we're not just bad people , we're dead people , we're sinners . And then he wants us to know that the answer is not found in us making ourselves better .
Speaker 2The overwhelming majority of church people in America do not believe this . There was a Gallup poll where people were asked what it takes to get into heaven , and over 60% of the people said that your good works impact on whether you get into heaven . And over 60% of the people said that your good works impact on whether you get into heaven or not . Let me say it again People believe that your good works impact whether you get into heaven or not . Now are works important ? They're very important , but they are evidence that you have been saved . They are not a precursor or a prerequisite to your salvation . I don't know how people miss this when Paul just says for by works of the law no human will be justified . Justified is a legal term . To be justified means that , like in a court of law , then you are presumed or you are declared not guilty , when in actuality you are guilty . Now , this is not a complete definition , but it'll help you remember it that if you put your faith in Jesus Christ , from God's perspective it's just as if I'd never sinned . In other words , that you and I don't pay the penalty for our sin because Christ has paid the full penalty at the cross . Now do we do good works ? Of course we do . The whole book of James is about this that once you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior , then not only are we saved by grace , but we are saved to do good works . But do not get this confused . There is no good thing that you can do to justify yourself before the Lord . This is called a works-based righteousness , and it will not save you . There's no amount of religious activity you can do , there's no amount of justice efforts that you can undergo that would make you right before God . What does it take ? It takes you submitting and surrendering your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ . You see , identity precedes activity .
Speaker 2Around here , where I live in Jacksonville , we call this beach ball theology , and there's a lot of people that think what it means to be a good Christian even though there's no such thing as a good Christian , there's just alive or dead is that you grab a hold of your sin , like you would take a beach ball and try to hold it under the water . Have you ever tried to hold a beach ball under the water ? Well , how long can you do it ? Well , it depends . Some of you yoked up guys could probably do it for a little while , but eventually . Eventually your arms get tired , or the waves are too big , or the sunscreen's too slippery , and you lose a hold of the beach ball . And the beach ball does not lightly float back up to the top , it explodes in your face .
Speaker 2This is how many people treat their salvation . They think if they can just grab onto their sin and they could by their own strength , hold it down and hold it under , then that's what it means to walk with Christ . That is not being a Christian , is not sin management . The good news of the gospel of Jesus is that he walks along , he sees you in your struggle with your sin and when you submit and surrender to him and you ask for his help , he pulls out his pocket knife and jabs your beach ball and he sucks all the power out of it . So here's what I need you to know it is not your good works that save you , it's not your church attendance , it's not the fact that you listen to the Daily Blade , it's not the way you treat other people . That is not what saves saves you . What saves you is your faith in Jesus Christ . Know that peace .
Speaker 1Thank you for listening to today's episode before you go . If you want to help equip other men for the fight , share this podcast around and leave us a 5 star rating and review . Stay sharp and leave us a five-star rating and review . Stay sharp .