Galatians 2:15-16 15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 but since we know that a person is not justified by works of the law except 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 creature of flesh will be justified.
Verse 15 is a common thought among Jews of that time. They viewed themselves as God’s chosen people. They thought of themselves righteous because they had the law and obeyed it. The Gentiles (Greek “nations” ethnoi) did not have the law and thus were sinners. They fit into what Paul writes in Romans 1:18-32. They reject any knowledge of God, even from nature, and turn to satisfying their deceived and depraved instincts.
After giving this common thinking, Paul makes a shift in v. 16. The “we” of v. 15 is more inclusive of the Jewish Christians from Jerusalem who had visited Antioch. It is the common thought of many Jews of the time period. The “we” of v. 16 narrows down to those Jews who believe, particularly Cephas and the other pillars in Jerusalem. This “we” knows something different than the first “we.” Jews who believe in Jesus as the Messiah should have a different view about righteousness than other Jews. But this is not the case, so Paul had to correct the situation by confronting Cephas before the whole assembly.
Paul introduces a key thought in v. 16 that lies at the heart of the gospel he preached, as indicated by Romans 1:16-17. Justification comes only by faith in Christ. The key word justified basically means being considered righteous before God. It involves having our sins forgiven and our being made righteous before God. Righteousness is the requirement to get to heaven and be in God’s presence. This righteousness cannot be obtained by works of the law. This is another key phrase for Paul. These “works” are basically human effort to obey God’s laws. Paul will show that this is a futile effort because we cannot overcome the power of sin on our own. The only one who has ever overcome the power of sin was Jesus Christ through his death and resurrection. It is impossible to be justified by the law because we weak and prone to sin. We are dead in our trespasses and sins. Paul expounds significantly on these ideas in his letter to the Romans, which shares many similar ideas as this letter.
Sadly, many people today think that by doing more good than evil that they will make it to heaven. If they do not say this or think it, at least they live it. Legalism is a subtle illness that can infiltrate anyone’s life. This is especially a danger for those who have been in the church a while and have become comfortable with acts of righteousness, like church attendance, saying prayers at meals, or even giving to the church. Paul’s gospel is much deeper and all-encompassing than this shallow form of Christianity.
For older posts, click here.