Christ Loved Me - Galatians 2:15-21

Today we want to return to Galatians 2 and I hope to take us through the end of the chapter.

We talk a lot about the grace of God here.  We speak of salvation by grace alone, and we say we believe that.  In fact, Martha is working on a banner for us that says just that.  It will have what we often refer to as the Five Solas of the Reformation on it.  The Latin word “sola” means alone, and the five Reformation doctrines that defined the departure of the Protestants from Rome were these: Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.  The source of the salvation message and our final authority in all matters of faith is Scripture alone.  And because salvation is by grace, through faith, in Christ ALONE, then all the glory for our salvation belongs to God alone.  He gets all the glory because all of the work of our salvation is done by Him.

That is what Galatians is all about.  That is what Paul has been talking about, and the fact that His gospel is from God and not from men.  He has been giving us a biographical sketch of his own conversion and his ministry to the Gentiles, as well as his interaction with the other apostles in years gone by.  All of this is to confirm in the minds of the Galatians that what Paul had taught them, contrary to everything the Judaizers have been telling them, was indeed the Gospel which came from God.  They would do well to stop listening to false teachers and trust in the message of salvation in Christ apart from the works of the Law of Moses.

Let’s pick it up where we left off, and just for the sake of grasping the context, let’s back up a few verses in chapter two and begin reading in verse 11.  Then we’ll start today’s study in verse 15.

11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not mGentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Galatians 2:15 We ourselves are Jews by birth - Paul is not continuing to speak to Peter in this verse, but he is speaking to the Galatians and making reference to Peter and himself as Jews.  In essence, "Peter and I are natural born Jews . . .

and not Gentile sinners - . . . unlike Gentile sinners (who may have converted to Judaism for salvation just like the Judaizers have been persuading you to do)."  Also, there is the contrast between themselves as Jews who have had the Law as opposed to Gentiles who never had it.  Therefore the Gentiles were entirely lawless,"separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." I.e. Pagans.  Infidels.  (Ephesians 2:12).  Both groups clearly consist of sinners.  But the Gentiles were by definition, much further from the true God and from the truth of His Law than were the Jews:

Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision?  Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. (Romans 3:1-2)

Galatians 2:16 yet we know - But even us Jewish believers know and understand  . . .

that a person is not justified by works of the law - We Jewish Christians who have always possessed the law and live by the law and understand that the law is from God and are not lawless like Gentiles always have been . . . Even we understand obedience to that law does not save us.

but through faith in Jesus Christ - It is because of our faith in the Messiah that God justifies even us.

so we also have believed in Christ Jesus - We Jews, just like you Gentile Galatians, have also believed in the Person and work of the Messiah on our behalf.

in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law - We, like you, have trusted in Christ in order to be justified by God through our faith in Christ alone and not because of our own law-keeping works.  We understand that our salvation as Jews is by faith just as yours is as Gentiles.

because by works of the law no one will be justified. - Even us Jews who hold the law of God in such high regard, who have possessed and defended the Law of Moses for centuries, but who who have also trusted in Christ, we understand the futility of trying to justify ourselves by keeping God's law.  No one can be justified in that way, Jew or Gentile.

Galatians 2:17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ - i.e. our Jewish endeavor.  Or, But if, while seeking to be justified (NASB, HCSB);"But if, while we seek to be justified" (NKJV); "And if, seeking to be declared righteous" (Young's).  The word translated "endeavor" in the ESV is typically translated "seek".  "Endeavor" seems to be a poor translation choice here because of its common association with work which is the precise point Paul is trying to disprove in this passage.  "Seek" (or "desire") seems to be a much more logical and consistent choice here.

we too were found to be sinners - Even though we are Jewish and we are trusting in Christ for our justification, but we are found to be as sinful as the Gentiles were . . .

is Christ then a servant of sin? - The word here is diakonos (servant), not doulos (slave).  In other words, does Christ support antinomianism (lit. against the law)?  If we Jewish Christians who are no longer under the law, do indeed sin like Gentiles who have no law, does that mean Christ is now a promoter of lawlessness (i.e. sinfulness)?  Can Jews in Christ now live like Gentiles without Christ and without the Law?

Hendriksen does not believe this is the right interpretation of this verse.  "Nothing in the preceding context has prepared us for it, and nothing in the succeeding context links with it." Commentary on Galatians, p. 100.)  He prefers the following and I think I agree:

"If the Judaizers are correct in maintaining that we, in seeking to be justified solely in Christ, and thus neglecting the law, turn out to be gross sinners just like the Gentiles, then would y o u say  that Christ, who taught us this doctrine, is a sin-promoter?" (p. 100)

Certainly not! - The logical conclusion that some may have drawn because of salvation by faith alone is that it no longer matters if a believer lives a holy life.  If salvation is indeed by faith alone, it would seem that Christ is actually promoting such a lawless lifestyle.  "Shall we sin that grace may abound?"  Has Christ saved us apart from our obedience to the Law simply in order to magnify the grace of God and minimize godliness?  Some people were twisting the truth by drawing that logical conclusion.  But the logical conclusion is utterly false!

You can go to Heaven without wealth, without learning, without friends--but "without holiness, no man shall see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14  - John MacDuff

Galatians 2:18 For if I rebuild what I tore down - I.e., "If I were to re-establish the doctrine of salvation by law-keeping (the very system I used to believe as a Pharisee, but I gladly destroyed it for the sake of true salvation by faith in Christ), then I would be stating by such actions that I am indeed NOT saved by faith alone, that I am still in my sin, that I must continue to strive to earn my salvation through Judaism.  I would be as much of a hypocrite as Peter was!  See Galatians 2:11-14.

The Lord Jesus has never promoted such a mindset.  If I try to rebuild that faulty system of salvation, I have thus fallen from salvation by grace into the lie of salvation through the law, which we all know is not true if we are genuinely trusting in Christ for our justification. See v 16.

In other words, if Paul were to agree with the Judaizers concerning their "gospel", that would be irrefutable evidence that Paul was wrong in preaching his original gospel to the Galatians.  And, according to  his own words in 1:8-9, he would be condemning himself.

Galatians 2:19 For through the law I died to the law - I cannot rebuild what I tore down (my former understanding of salvation by personal obedience to the law) because that law drove me to Christ so that I might die to it and live to God.  I am dead to that previous way of thinking, I am dead to the hopelessness of never-ending law-keeping, and it is dead to me.

so that I might live to God - The law I once served led me to the conclusion that I was a dead man.  But it was that realization that drove me to God and to eternal life.

And how is it that I died to the Law?

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. The condemnation of the law killed both Christ and me.  His was an imputed guilt, but mine was real, owned by me.  When Christ died, my real guilt was imputed to Him, and His punishment and death for my sin and guilt was genuinely imputed to me.  When He died, I died also, "in Him".  Not actually, but forensically, legally, according to the justice of God.  I am one with Christ, gladly dying to the Law with Him, trusting in Him and His righteousness for me that I might live with Him.

It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. In myself, I'm a dead man because of my sin.  But since I died in Christ, with Christ, I also live in Christ now.  I have been resurrected with Christ.  This is the union we have in Him.  This also is evidence that Christ did not die for all.  All men were not united with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection.  All men were not justified in the death of Christ.  All did not die, all did not rise from the dead, all do not live because Christ lives in them.  But this is true of every believer and will be true of all for whom Christ died.  All the elect experience this supernatural union with Christ in His life, death, burial, and resurrection.

So it is no longer I who must strive in futility to live up to the merciless demands of the law in order to justify myself before a holy God, but it is now Christ's own sinless, perfect life that lives in me, for me, in my stead.  Not only did I die condemned with Christ to the Law, but I was raised justified with Christ to a new life.

And the life I now live in the flesh I.e. this continuing life I am living in the physical world . . .

I live by faith in the Son of God . . . I live each day believing in what the Messiah has done for me.  The emphasis is often on the word "faith" in this verse.  We speak much of living by faith.  But that is not the point Paul is making.  The emphasis should be upon the fact that our faith is in the Son of God.  We need to avoid the tendency to have faith in our faith, instead of having faith in our Savior, the one who loved me and gave Himself for me.  The emphasis should not be upon our faith, but upon the object of our faith.

Paul is also making the point that it is faith in Christ as opposed to works of the law that saves us.  If my faith is in my own works, then my faith is really in myself.  But saving faith is faith that is dependent upon the works of Christ on my behalf. I have abundant faith in Him, none in me, because He loved me and gave Himself for me.

He loved ME.  He gave Himself FOR ME.  That was the purpose of His life and death: to serve as a substitute for those whom He loved.  To serve as the means by which His people might be forgiven of all their sins.  To be the sacrifice that delivers us from the sins we could never avoid in the first place, or make restitution for after the fact.

Here Paul makes his relationship to the Lord Jesus very personal and very intimate.  Every genuine believer can say the exact same thing: Jesus loved ME and gave Himself in life and in death for ME!  He came into the world for ME, to save ME, to deliver ME from the just wrath of His Father.  To bear the curse of sin for ME.  To live a sinless life for ME.  And He did all of that because He loved ME.

No other person, even though they might be loving enough to die for me, could do what the Lord Jesus has done in dying for me.  He alone is the satisfactory substitute for me.  He alone is qualified to die in my stead.  He alone is a satisfactory replacement for me.  Only He could bear the full wrath of God towards me for my sin and then be raised from the dead by the Father.  Who else could do that?  Where is there another spotless Lamb to bear my sins before God?

Furthermore, why does this great Savior need for me to supplement His works on my behalf?  How do my good works supplement a perfectly holy and sinless life of 33 years?  How do my good deeds add any value to Christ's blood shed for me?  How can my obedience embellish the work of a Savior whom God raised from the dead?  How does circumcision complete the saving work of the Lord Jesus?  If Christ has done all of this FOR me, what will my feeble attempts at keeping the Law do FOR me that Jesus has not already done?

To suggest such a thing is blasphemous.  It makes Jesus a partial savior.  If you're trapped in a burning building and the fireman rescuing you takes you as far as the door and then says, "This is all I can do for you.  Now you have to make the choice to step outside," can the fireman legitimately say he saved your life?  At best, he can say he helped you save your own life.  He made it possible for you to save yourself.

This is not what Jesus Christ has done.  He is not a partial Savior who only does part of the job.  Or a Savior who is subject to the fallen, fickle, impotent wills of those He came to save.  He doesn't try to save.  Jesus saves!

Galatians 2:11 Therefore I do not nullify the grace of God - Like the Judaizers are trying to do.  They are negating the efficacy of the sacrifice of Christ for our sakes, and are teaching that Christ alone is not enough.  His work must must be supplemented by obedience to the Mosaic Law.  But . . .

if righteousness were through the law - (which it is not)

Christ died for no purpose. - Not even the Judaizers would have been willing to admit this.  But this is a true statement if salvation is NOT by the grace of God alone, through faith in Christ alone.  Any supplemental works which are deemed necessary for salvation make the death of Christ useless and pointless.

This text defines biblical Christianity.  These verses explain the uniqueness of the gospel message.  This idea of salvation by grace apart from works is unlike every other religious system in the entire world.  The Doctrines of Grace explain correctly the biblical way of genuine salvation because it is the only theological system that presents salvation as being accomplished solely by the grace of God.

Now let’s stop and look at this for a moment.  We often say here in this church we believe we’re saved by grace alone.  That brings us great comfort and causes us to be much more focused on God than upon ourselves.  But occasionally I hear a certain tone in some of our conversations that seems to indicate otherwise.  Sometimes we worry about being pleasing to God.  We talk as though we don’t really believe God loves us unconditionally and that His acceptance of us is dependent upon our performance for Him:

“I think God must be upset with me because I don’t pray like I should.”

“Surely God knows we can’t afford to tithe this month, doesn’t He?”

“I have not been reading my Bible like I know God wants me to, but I’m determined to do better!“

Sometimes I fall into this kind of thinking, as though God’s approval of me will be lessened because I don’t preach a good sermon.  I worked on this message for hours and hours yesterday and I was not satisfied with it.  I dreamed about it last night.  I’m still not pleased with it.  I was not confident that I understood this passage clearly, and I was not happy with the way the sermon was looking on paper.  And since I was not meeting my own expectations for myself, the temptation is to feel like God is disappointed in me also.  If I do a good job, if I’m obedient in all things, if I discern His precise will for my life, if I write and deliver a really good sermon, THEN He will be pleased with me.

For years I’ve had recurring dreams of being totally unprepared for some public event.  In my dream, typically I’m supposed to speak someplace and suddenly I find myself at the event with bad hair, in flip-flops, jeans and a “Be All You Can Be” T-shirt, while everyone else arrived in their Lexus wearing a tuxedo or an evening gown.  That’s the scenario.  Not sure why the main speaker didn’t know this was a black tie affair, but here I am, completely unprepared.  Again.

This morning I dreamed I was at a preaching engagement.  Upon arrival, I suddenly discover I am wearing a ratty flannel shirt.  A flannel shirt!  You can’t even borrow a tie from someone to dress that up.  And I don’t have my Bible.  So in a very last minute panic, I begged Sharon to please, somehow, get me a shirt and a Bible quickly.  I can’t leave and go get this stuff myself because I’m supposed to start speaking any minute.

Somehow she had a blue shirt nearby that had been washed and ironed.  So I immediately put that on.   Then she handed me a book.  It wasn’t a Bible.  It was an old, falling apart, faded paperback book with the covers all curled up, held together with strapping tape.  It looked awful but that was the best thing she could come up with on such short notice.  And now I have to get up in front of everyone with this sloppy floppy book that isn’t a Bible and preach with no notes and nothing prepared.  I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be preaching about.  Not good.  What is the theme of this meeting?  How did this happen?

That seems to be an ongoing fear of mine.  The fear of failure, that I can’t do the job, I can’t get the task done.  That I am not sufficient.  That I am an embarrassment to myself and everyone around me.

Beloved, that is not the message of grace.  What I have described for you is a works-oriented, performance-based, pseudo-Christian life driven by fear.  It is not far removed from what the Judaizers were teaching and what all false religions teach: “God won’t be satisfied with you until you meet all your lawful obligations,” which being interpreted means, “God will never be satisfied with you.  You will never be adequate in His sight.  You will never make the grade.  You will be a perpetual failure and you will suffer the consequences.”

That is true.  The truth is, God will never be satisfied with you or me . . . apart from Christ.  But God is completely satisfied with you and me because He is fully satisfied with Christ in our place.  The Lord Jesus makes us acceptable in the sight of God in spite of all the things we cannot do for ourselves.  We cannot obey God’s law, and we cannot rectify our failures to keep His law.  But Christ has done both for us because He loved us.  That is grace.  And that is what makes the Christian message so precious and so different from every other religion in the world.