Playlist: Justification by Grace through Faith (topic)
Living by Faith: God's Grace (Part Four)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Justification by grace through faith is a vital aspect of our relationship with God, revealing His generous and loving character in the plan of salvation. It is absolutely necessary that our justification be by grace through faith, for if we earned it through works, it would open the door for human pride to enter our …
Paul: Grace, Law, and Obedience
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe apostle Paul's teachings emphasize that no one is justified by the deeds of the law, for keeping God's law has never justified a single person before God. The function of God's law is not to justify, but to define righteousness, to guide along a path of life, and to set standards of conduct. It cannot align a person with …
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-Nine)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJustification by grace through faith is a central theme in understanding our relationship with God. Justification is not salvation; it is the imputing of righteousness, aligning with a standard, or being legally declared free of guilt. Salvation, meaning deliverance, occurs only when one enters the Kingdom of God, while …
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-Five)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughIn the book of Galatians, Paul introduces a central theme early on, emphasizing the importance of the death of Jesus Christ to Christianity and the electing will of God. He states that Jesus Christ gave Himself for our sins to deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father. This underscores …
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-Six)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJustification by grace through faith stands as a central truth, revealing the profound mercy of our Father in heaven. It is a judicial act by which He declares us righteous, not based on our own merits or law-keeping, but through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and our faith in Him. This grace does not nullify works, for faith and …
Who Claimed Works Justify?
Sermonette by Craig SablichMartin Luther, feeling 'God's' (the Catholic church's) standards were too hard to obey, found solace in Romans 1:17 and the idea of 'faith alone.'
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-Eight)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe central theme of Galatians is justification, distinct from sanctification or glorification. Justification is the clearing of guilt, the removal of condemnation due to sin, and a legal act by which God imputes the righteousness of Christ to us. This righteousness is not something we possess by nature or earn by keeping God's …
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Sixteen)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughRighteousness consists of applying the Law's letter and/or intent. Sin constitutes a failure of living up to the standards of what God defines as right.
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Four)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJustification does not 'do away' with the law; it brings us into alignment with it, imputing the righteousness of Christ and giving access to God for sanctification.
Sovereignty, Election, and Grace (Part Five)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughIn terms of salvation, works cannot save, but good works are the fruit of God's involvement. Grace frees one; works prove that one has been freed.
Faith and the Christian Fight (Part Two)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughEverything that we go through has been engineered by God. We are His workmanship, created for good works, a response to the faith He has given us.
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Eight)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJustification is not the end of the salvation process, but merely the opening to sanctification, where we bear fruit and give evidence of God's Spirit in us.
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Seventeen)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe Law (including the judgments, ordinances, and statutes), far from being done away, shows us our faults and outlines the way of mercy and love—how to live.
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Eighteen)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughPaul never taught any Jew to forsake the Law of Moses, but he did warn against Pharisaical additions for the expressed purpose of attaining justification.
The Manifold Grace of God
Sermon/Bible Study by Martin G. CollinsGod's calling us is just our initial taste of His grace. Grace is unmerited, but it is not unconditional. We have an obligation to respond to God.
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-Seven)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe New Covenant, which writes God's law onto the heart, in no way does away with any aspect of the law. Works do not justify us, they sanctify us.
Faith and the Christian Fight (Part Three)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod is pleased to save those who humble themselves, allowing Him to perform a mighty work through them, and putting everyone in debt to Him.
The Jerusalem Council's Conclusion
Sermon/Bible Study by Richard T. RitenbaughThe Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15 addressed whether Gentile converts had to follow Jewish customs and additions to God's law to be saved.
James and Unleavened Bread (Part One)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe book of James applies to us after the sanctification process has begun. The most effective way of eliminating sin is to do righteousness.
Elements of Motivation (Part Four)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughBecause we have been bought with an awesome price, we have no right to pervert our lives, but are obligated to look upon our bodies as vessels in His service.
Approaching God Through Christ (Part One)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughReligious bumper stickers fall short of revealing the full counsel of God, which is more complex than 'believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved.'
Poles Apart
Sermonette by Richard T. RitenbaughSatan sends error into the world in pairs of opposites. If we hate one extreme, we may be drawn to just as hideous an opposite extreme.
On Works
Sermon by John O. ReidWorks are necessary for a Christian, and have not been neutralized by grace. Good works serve as the evidence of faith; faith without works is dead.
The Christian Paradox (Part One)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughSalvation is not merely self-identifying oneself as a saint, but it involves rigorously working with God in an arduous process of transformation.
James and Unleavened Bread (Part Three)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughJames had to be written as a counterbalance to antinomian elements that twisted Paul's writings to proclaim that that grace nullifies the need for works.
Titus (Part Seven): Maintaining Good Works
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughEven though we are not justified by good works, good works are the honing process with which God perfects us in the life-long process of sanctification.
The Priesthood of God (Part Four)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Our responsibility as a royal priesthood and a kingdom of priests is to become holy as God is holy, exceeding the holiness of the Levitical priesthood.
What We Can Learn From This Day of Atonement
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod's solution to mankind's separation was sending a second Adam, Jesus Christ, to make reconciliation possible. Fasting shows our dependence on God.
Division, Satan, Humility
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThroughout the course of Biblical history, whenever sin appears, confusion, division and separation are the automatic consequences.