Never forget that even though we are in Christ and are regenerate and have the Holy Spirit, we can also fall into the sin of seeking to be justified by our actions. Even the Apostle Peter (Cephas) fell into this sin. Peter traveled to Antioch of Syria to the church there. It was made up of mostly Gentiles. He ate with and fellowshipped with them. However, when James, the brother of our Lord Jesus Christ, came to visit, Peter withdrew from fellowship with the Gentile Christians. As a result, the other Jewish Christians, except for Paul, did as well. Why would Peter, or any of the other Jewish Christians do this?

17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “ BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.” Romans 1:17 (NASB)

The Protestant Reformation was used by God to restore the lost doctrine of Justification by Faith. Also, all of the reformers were adamant that the Bible be available to all people in a language they could read and understand. The Roman Catholic Church of that era was apostate and taught a corrupt gospel based on works. The Bible was kept locked up and away from non-scholars. It was always read verbally to the people in Latin, which few understood.

As the Bible was translated from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek into German, English, French, etc. the doctrine of Justification by Faith became central. Why would our enemy and his seed seek to bury this doctrine within religion?

11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. 13 The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?
15 “We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles; 16 nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. Galatians 2:11-16 (NASB)

Never forget that even though we are in Christ and are regenerate and have the Holy Spirit, we can also fall into the sin of seeking to be justified by our actions. Even the Apostle Peter (Cephas) fell into this sin. Peter traveled to Antioch of Syria to the church there. It was made up of mostly Gentiles. He ate with and fellowshipped with them. However, when James, the brother of our Lord Jesus Christ, came to visit, Peter withdrew from fellowship with the Gentile Christians. As a result, the other Jewish Christians, except for Paul, did as well. Why would Peter, or any of the other Jewish Christians do this? Think with me. Let’s move forward to the 21st Century. I hear this a great deal so I know that this following sin is prevalent in the Church today. Pornography is rampant and it has a grip of death in the hearts of many professing Christians. However, to a man, I contend that those who are in bondage to it can control their addiction and not pursue it if their wife, or mother, or friend, or Pastor, or their children, or anyone else is with them. They go after it only when they are alone. Isn’t this revealing that their fear of man is greater than their fear of God?

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