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Galatians
BC Weekly Digest Monday, July 19 1999 In this issue: Galatians 2:15-21 Galatians 2:11-14 Galatians 2:15-21 Galatians 2:15-21 (OPV) 15 We are Jews by birth, and not Gentile sinners. 16 Yet, because we know that man is not justified by works of law but through [the] faith of Jesus Christ, we also believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by Christian faith, and not by works of law, because by works of law no flesh will be justified. 17 Now, if we ourselves, while seeking to be justified in Christ, are also found to be sinners, is Christ a servant of sin? Certainly not. 18 But if I build up again the things I tore down, I make myself a transgressor. 19 As for me: through law I died to law, that I might live for God. 20 With Christ I have been crucified. I live no more, but Christ lives in me. And that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, that of the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up on my behalf. 21 I am not going to set aside the grace of God. For if righteousness comes through law, then Christ died for nothing. == *2:15 "We are Jews by birth, and not Gentile sinners" Jews did not eat with Gentiles because they viewed them as unclean sinners. Paul will show that although the Jews had the law, they themselves needed Christ as their Savior, because they could not be saved by law keeping. See Romans 1-8 for a more detailed discussion of this. *2:16 "We know that man is not justified by works of law but through [the] faith of Jesus Christ" Peter understood this. At the meeting in Jerusalem he had said: "Now therefore why make ye trial of God, that ye should put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in like manner as they" (Acts 15:10,11 ASV). To the Jews in the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia, Paul explained: "Be it known unto you therefore, brethren, that through this man is proclaimed unto you remission of sins: and by him every one that believeth is justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses" (Acts 13:38,39 ASV). *2:16 "Not by works of law, because by works of law no flesh will be justified" The wording of this statement corresponds with parts of Psalm 143:1,2 in the Septuagint: "Hear my prayer, O Jehovah; Give ear to my supplications: In thy faithfulness answer me, [and] in thy righteousness. And enter not into judgment with thy servant; For in thy sight no man living is righteous" (ASV). If we seek salvation by pleading our own case before the Judge of the universe, the only possible verdict is "guilty as charged." David understood that his only hope was mercy. A man who had to appear in court was trembling so much he could hardly stand up. The judge told him: "You do not need to be afraid. Justice will be done." The man replied: "Your honor, justice is what I am afraid of. What I need is mercy!" Paul explains why man cannot be saved by law-keeping in his letter to the Romans. "Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it speaketh to them that are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God: because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for through the law [cometh] the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the law a righteousness of God hath been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ unto all them that believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God set forth [to be] a propitiation, through faith, in his blood, to show his righteousness because of the passing over of the sins done aforetime, in the forbearance of God" (Romans 3:19-25). *2:16 "We also believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by Christian faith, and not by works of law" "Christian faith" here is literally in Greek: "faith of Christ". Paul is contrasting "faith of Christ" with "works of law". Paul's argument is that even Jews who had the law from birth could not be saved by the law but could only be justified by Christian faith. Why then should they require the Gentiles who believed in Christ to keep a law which could not even save a Jew? *2:17 "Now, if we ourselves, while seeking to be justified in Christ, are also found to be sinners, is Christ a servant of sin? Certainly not." Paul explains this more fully in his letter to the Romans: "For what if some were without faith? shall their want of faith make of none effect the faithfulness of God? God forbid: yea, let God be found true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy words, And mightest prevail when thou comest into judgment" (Romans 3:3,4). The grace of God may not be misused. "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. We who died to sin, how shall we any longer live therein?" (Rom 6:1,2 ASV). *2:18 "But if I build up again the things I tore down, I make myself a transgressor" This is referring among other things to the fact that Peter, although he himself was living like a Gentile, by his action implied that the Gentiles should live like Jews. When Jewish Christians claimed that Gentiles had to keep the law of Moses to be saved, they were self-condemned because they themselves could not be saved by keeping a law. *2:19 "As for me: through law I died to law, that I might live for God" It was through law that Paul died to law because the law of Moses foretold its own replacement (Deut 18:18-20) and it was a schoolmaster to bring him to Christ (Gal 3:34). IT was through law that Paul died to law because salvation by grace based on the sacrifice of Christ meets the just requirements of God's law! "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Rom 8:3,4 ASV). Christ "died for all, that they that live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto him who for their sakes died and rose again" (2 Cor 5:15 ASV). "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" (Gal 3:13 ASV). The price for Paul's sins had been paid on the cross, and by being baptized into Christ, he had gained access to the death, burial and resurrection of Christ (Rom 6:3-6)! This placed him under the grace of God and freed him from the curse of law. "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under law, but under grace" (Rom 6:14 ASV). Only after this baptismal death with Christ could he "walk in newness of life" (Rom 6:4) and live for God. "Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus" (Rom 6:11 ASV). *2:20 "With Christ I have been crucified. I live no more, but Christ lives in me" But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him" (Rom 6:8 ASV). *2:20 "And that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, that of the Son of God" The Son of God is the only source of life. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour cometh, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself, even so gave he to the Son also to have life in himself" (John 5:25,26 ASV). *2:20 "Who loved me, and delivered Himself up on my behalf" "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10 ASV). "For while we were yet weak, in due season Christ died for the ungodly" (Rom 5:6 ASV). "For the Son of man also came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45 ASV). *2:21 "I am not going to set aside the grace of God. For if righteousness comes through law, then Christ died for nothing" The false teachers who claimed that one had to keep the law of Moses to be saved were undermining the very foundation of the Christian faith. Salvation is by grace not by law-keeping. Roy Davison ------------------------------ Galatians 2:11-14 Galatians 2:11-14 (ASV) 11 "But when Cephas came to Antioch, I resisted him to the face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before that certain came from James, he ate with the Gentiles; but when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing them that were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that even Barnabas was carried away with their dissimulation. 14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Cephas before [them] all, If thou, being a Jew, livest as do the Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, how compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? (Comments by Howard Justice) 11 "But when Cephas came to Antioch" The event under consideration evidently took place when Paul was in Antioch following Paul's first missionary journey. It took place at the time that Paul was about to have the problem of Barnabas wanting to take John Mark along with them on the second missionary journey. In the church at Antioch, there were evidently many Gentile converts, men who barely knew God and certainly men who had left the idolatrous world for a life with fellow Christians. Under these circumstances, it was almost catastrophic for Peter to act in such a manner as to avoid the brotherly association with these men of less than noble birth according to Jewish standards. But avoid them, he did. And much to the disgust of Paul who had been chosen as a special vessel unto these same Gentile prospects. Because of Peter's outright refusal to eat with the Gentiles in the presence of other Jewish Christians that had recently arrived from Jerusalem (James' company), Paul, provoked by the truth that there is neither Jew nor Gentile among Christians, rebuked him to his face. Peter had shown his predisposition to continue his submissiveness to the Jewish leaders (those of the circumcision) that the Gentiles were not people with whom a good Jew would associate. Of course, this is counter to the words of Christ in Matthew 8:11-13 where Jesus taught that most of the Jews would be lost and that many (Gentiles) would come from the east and west and sit down in the kingdom with the fathers of Judaism. 12 "For before that certain came from James" The writer here notes that Peter had willingly eaten with the Gentiles until his fellow saints had arrived from Judea and that he was afraid of losing his influence among the members of the church at Jerusalem. It appears that this James is a leader in the Jerusalem church. This submission to Jewish prejudices shows the weakness of the man Peter in that he submitted to tradition rather than to God. We saw a similar weakness earlier in his proclamation to follow the Savior to His death which was soon followed by a denial before his fellow Jews. This example shows us the difficulties that we must encounter as Christians and that we must stand up and be men when the hard times come. 13 "And the rest of the Jews dissembled likewise with him" The whole delegation from the Jerusalem church refused to eat with the Gentile Christians. This just shows how wrong Christians can be when they let their personal likes and dislikes get in the way of their religion. It is an open sore that will continue to fester until much has been lost. Let us never elevate ourselves above others lest we lose our eternal promise. 14 "But when I saw that they walked not uprightly" Paul did not hesitate to correct the wrong attitude of the Judean Christians. He went directly to Peter and openly rebuked him. It is noted here that Paul saw that they (the Judean brethren) walked not uprightly or according to God's will. He asked Peter a rhetorical question regarding his life style prior to these brethren arriving from Judea and then asked why he chose to inflict the strict Jewish lifestyle upon the Gentiles. Of course, Peter had no answer. He had violated Christ's admonition in Matthew 22:39: "Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself." Howard Justice