Galatians 4:4-5 “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship”
We have to understand the context of Jesus coming to Israel.
Israel was under Law for 1500 years and failed many times to keep the law.
In the Last Days of the Law, Jesus came (Hebrews 1:1).
But Israel were guided by the Pharisees.
They were self-righteous, thinking that they obeyed the law in all its superficial ways but having no love for God or their neighbors. They thought they were righteous because of tithing their seeds, praying, fasting, avoiding murder/adultery, etc.
The tax-collectors, prostitutes were condemned by the Pharisees as “sinners”
John the baptist was sent to Israel telling them that they had all broken the law and needed to confess that they were sinners, so that they could be ready to be saved by Jesus Christ by faith. The sinners came confessing their sins.
But the Pharisees claimed to be without sin (Matthew 21:31-33).
Then Jesus came preaching the gospel.
Sinners came to Him and Jesus forgave their sins.
Mark 2:5 “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.””
But the Pharisees claimed to be without sin, and did not come to Jesus for salvation. Jesus exposed their sinfulness under the law showing that they were not keeping the law. They did not love God or their neighbors (Matthew 23).
The Pharisees were condemned by the law because they were self-righteous. The sinners were justified by faith in Jesus (Luke 18:9-14).
Even the Apostles did not fully understand that Jesus would die on the cross and be raised to bring salvation (Luke 9:45).
After Jesus died on the cross and rose again, He forgave the sins of the Apostles, giving them the Holy Spirit.
He commanded them to preach the Gospel after the cross:
Believe in Jesus and you will be saved, forgiven all sins, made righteous apart from the works of law.
Israel mostly rejected Jesus because they tried to be righteous by the law but so many Gentiles have been saved by faith in Jesus apart from works (Romans 9:30-33).
Christ has ended the law so that Righteousness is given to all who believe, freely be grace (Romans 10:4).
Mathew Simon 
That parable in Luke 18 9-14 , Especially v.14 says that tax collector went down to his house justified rather than Pharisees because everyone who exalt himself will be humbled,but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. Now I don’t agree that the tax collector was saved only justified by the God of Israel for his humility and repentance in prayer to God. Jesus said nothing about him being saved .for one thing OT saints only saved by faith in what God told them to do and the person did it…works with believe in God who face to face spoke to them…they didn’t even think Jesus was the Christ in that passage ,just a good teacher …hope the spirit will open understanding on this very close to Jesus death burial and reserection parable .
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Justification is by faith alone, not by works.
Justification is the same as salvation.
The Pharisees tried to justify themselves by their works
but the tax-collector asked God to have mercy.
This matches Romans 4
“4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. ”
As you can see, justification is the same as receiving Righteousness by faith.
The one who works is NOT justified, but the one who does not work but BELIEVE is justified and made righteous.
Galatians 2
16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
17 “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! 18 If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker. 19 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
The only way for Old Testament people to be justified is by faith.
Please read Hebrews 11 where the people of faith are described from Abel, Noah, Abraham, Moses, etc….they are all justified/saved by faith.
They looked forward to Jesus coming..and were justified by faith in the coming Messiah.
We look back to the cross and resurrection and Now we are justified/saved by faith in Jesus.
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I just did some reading in a recent commentary which is highly reliable. And it says that the physical infirmity that brought about his paralysis was connected with sin !! This man’s sins at that very moment permanently forgiven. So this man was not saved just forgiven of his sins that appear to cause the sickness .So instead of saying pickup your mat and walk he still wouldn’t be healed thus Jesus comment was believed by Jesus through Jesus sight
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