The Dilemma Solver

By Rev John C. Orlando, Jr.

Incirlik Air Base, Turkey

March 24, 2002

Galatians 3:10 - 14

Background of the Book: Paul sets forth a heated, vigorous, and uncompromising defense of the Gospel directed against the insidious inroads of the Judaizing teachers who were denying the all-sufficiency of Christ’s atoning work of salvation.  Paul’s ringing defense has been called “The Magna Carta of Christian Liberty.” 

Background of the Text:  Paul has set forth his argument and defense of the Gospel with an appeal to his authority, and an appeal to the experience of the readers, and now makes his appeal to Scripture. 

Intro

Have you ever been in a situation where no matter which way you turned, the consequences would be bad?  Have you ever been presented with a problem where there was really no solution—the only thing you could do was “swallow your medicine” and live with the effects? Have you ever encountered a situation where you were, “on the horns of a dilemma?”  No matter which way we turn, the outcome will not be favorable. 

I’m certain that all of us have been there at one or another, and I’m also certain that when we were there, it was not a pleasant experience.  You see, to be put on the horns of a dilemma is to but put in a situation where there is no prospect for deliverance. There is no prospect for the future.  There is absolutely no hope.  It is to be completely helpless. It is to experience the sense of utter futility.

While many, if not all of us, can point to one particular instance of a serious dilemma, it is interesting that the Scriptures have much to say about the universal dilemma that mankind finds himself in.  Man, whom the Bible describes as being a sinner, in the face of an absolutely Holy and Righteous God, finds himself in a perilous condition indeed.  He finds himself on the horns of a dilemma whose consequences are not merely temporal, but carry on for eternity:  In the presence of a Holy God, the human dilemma is great—all men are sinful, and are helpless in and of themselves to do anything about it.  But God has responded by providing a great way of salvation—justification by grace alone through faith alone, in and by the finished work of Christ alone.

So, during this season when we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, I want to us look at not only the dilemma that mankind finds himself in, but also the means that God used to solve the Dilemma.  And the title of this is The Dilemma Solver.

As we turn our attention to our passage this morning, I believe we can see 3 distinct points that Paul makes with regard to the issues at hand.  First, Paul tells us

I.  The Reason for our Dilemma (Verses 10 – 12)

            A.  Verse 10--The curse for not obeying the law

                        1.  God’s Holiness:  God’s holy character and nature are most dramatically seen in the OT, and in the giving of His law.  The law simply reveals to us the holy nature of the God who is there and is not silent. Paul now moves into a discussion about the law and our standing before God…

                        2.  “Cursed is everyone...”  Note the words EVERYONE, and ALL THINGS: Indicates the universality of the truth that there is none righteous…

                        3.  Perfect obedience required…no one has kept the law perfectly; we incur God's curse.  No one can ever be right before God by the law…

B.  Verse 11 – Addresses the question of how one is justified before God

            1.  “…is evident”  - All of this, in Paul's mind, is nothing more than self evident truth!  The very nature of God, and the righteous demands all make it utterly manifest that obedience to the law was never to be thought of as the means to enter into a right relationship with God, rather, it is the means that a Holy God uses to show us our desperate need of a Savior.  It is a self-evident truth that right standing before God is not on the basis of works, "but the just shall live by faith."

2.  While it should be evident that no one is justified by the works of the law, there are nevertheless

those who attempt to be so justified.  

a. Illustrated whenever I witness to people and ask people the 2 EE Questions:

            1) Do you know or certain that you are going to go to Heaven?

            2)  Why should God let you into His Heaven?

                                    b) Most people point to their own goodness

                                                1) Real life example at George Mason University. I witnessed to a young man there, and asked him the 2 EE questions.  He kept pointing to his own good works as the basis and hope for his salvation, even after I showed him what the Bible clearly teaches about salvation.  

2) He had to deny the Scripture to maintain his position

3)  His “savior” was himself

4) There’s only one Savior--Jesus does not have a co-savior!

C.  We must understand who we are as we look in the mirror of God’s Law

                        1.  The depth our depravity and destitution in the face of all that is God:

                        Many of us really have no idea of the depth of the sin that is in our lives, and resides in our sinful nature.  The reason we don’t understand the depth of this sin, and just how offensive it is to the mind of God, is because we really don’t understand the nature of God.  You see, the God of the Bible is a truly awesome God!  He is not a cosmic bellhop who caters to our every need.  Rather, He is the sovereign master and ruler of His creation, and as such He does as He pleases, when He pleases, and how He pleases, He chooses whom He pleases, calls whom He pleases, and saves whom He pleases.  Not only is God the sovereign master and ruler of His universe, but He is also absolutely Holy.  He is of such pure eyes that He cannot even look upon sin.  I’m convinced that one of the few people who could really understand his dilemma in the face of a God like this is the Apostle Paul himself. Paul, maybe like no other mere mortal, understood the depth and the scope of just how devastating sin is.

            2. Paul the Pharisee of Pharisees (Galatians 1:13 – 16).  As far as keeping the law, blameless (from a human perspective)     

D.  What is justification?  An instantaneous legal act of God whereby He declares individuals to be just or righteous forever in His sight. 

1.  On what basis is man legally declared to be justified God? Whose works?

            2.  The Biblical perspective, that which we will see the Apostle set forth, is summed well by Albert Barnes who writes, “What is justification? It is the declared purpose of God to regard and treat those sinners who believe in Jesus Christ as if they had not sinned, on the ground of the merits of the Savior. He has taken our place and died in our stead; He has met the descending stroke of justice, which would have fallen on our own heads if He had not interposed (intervened)."

Thus, we see the reason for our dilemma…God is holy, and we are not, and God has commanded perfect obedience to his law, which we have already violated MANY times.  Thank God the story doesn’t end there though, as we see God providing…

II. The Remedy for our Dilemma

A.  Redemption from the curse of the law

                        1.  Christ in His death paid the ransom for us

2.  Jesus, as our substitute, offers Himself as payment to the Father for us.

            B.  The Mode of Redemption—“having become a curse for us…”

            1. Detailed fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies…Paul’s exposition is rooted in the Book of Deuteronomy (Chapter 21, 27)

                        2.  Blessing and Curse – Blessedness has to do with the nearness of the presence of God, conversely, the curse of the covenant was to be cut off form the presence of God.  Example:  Numbers 6:24 – 26 – “The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” The curse would be the opposite.

                        3.  The penalties and sanctions of the Law were bound up on Christ.  However, we must also understand that Christ first obeyed the Law perfectly where we failed. He was in fact the Lamb of blemish.  This perfect Lamb then goes to the cross, and has the law-breaking of lawless of creatures imputed to Him.  

                        4.  My God My God why have you forsaken Me—As touching His humanity He is totally separated from the blessedness of the Father

                                    -- Detailed fulfillment of Psalm 22

                                    -- As He was bearing our sin in His human nature, Christ was really forsaken on the cross.

            C.  The Glory of the Cross—cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.  That which represented the most hideous form of execution and cursing now became the ultimate instrument of glory and blessing.

1.  It is at the cross of Christ where the full penalty for sin--past, present, and future--was paid.

3.  It is at the cross of Christ where I have been made a new creation, and given power to live a holy life.

4.  It is at the cross of Christ where I have been saved to the uttermost, which will result in my ultimate glorification and deliverance from the very presence of sin itself.

Those who have embraced Christ by faith have been delivered and have been declared righteous in God's sight by virtue of having the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed to them. 

III.  The Reward Wrought by our Dilemma Solver

            A.  Receive the promise of Spirit through faith

            B.  Represents an intimate relationship with God

1.  Spirit of Adoption

2.  Sealed by the Spirit

3.  Sanctified by the Spirit

Whereas previously we were at enmity with God, we are now brought near to Him.  We are adopted sons and daughters, and He now pours His Spirit into our hearts--we cry out Abba Father.  

Conclusion  

Thus, we have seen the reason for our dilemma… that in the presence of a Holy God, the human dilemma is great—all men are sinful, and are helpless in and of themselves to do anything about it.  We have seen the Remedy for our Dilemma, that God has solved our dilemma by providing a great way of salvation—justification by grace alone through faith alone, in the finished work of Christ alone.  And we have seen the Reward that has been wrought by our Dilemma Solver, that now we can experience a personal relationship with the King of kings and Lord of lords for all eternity.

Call to the unbeliever:  Today is the day of salvation—personal relationship with your Creator

Call to the believer: Theologian John Stott stated, “Only…after we have clearly grasped what we are, shall we be in a position to perceive the wonder of what He has done for us and offers to us.” 

We will be brought into a much deeper sense of wonder and awe as we discover the seriousness of our dilemma before God, and the means He provided to solve our dilemma.  I pray that this reflection might cause us to humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand, and stir our hearts with such love and appreciation that we are brought to a deeper level of personal commitment to the things of God.

The essence of all I have said today is summed up so eloquently by the great Reformer Martin Luther.  Listen to these words carefully…Luther says, “Learn to know Christ and Him crucified.  Learn to sing to Him and say, “Lord Jesus, You are my righteousness, I am your sin.  You took on You what was mine; yet set on me what was Yours.  You became what You were not, that I might become what I was not.”

Amen.

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