Galatians 2:16- knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
In the last post, I shared with you that Paul called Peter a hypocrite. I also shared that Paul rebuked Peter for his hypocrisy, sharing with him that he had set aside the grace of God. Today, I want to share with you another important issue: righteousness does not come through the law.
Paul continues his conversation with Peter:
knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ,
Galatians 2:16 NKJV
Paul understands that Peter already knows that a man is justified not by works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. But since Peter has gotten up from the table of the Gentiles to be with the Jews, Paul has come to the conclusion that not only has Peter set aside the grace of God, but that he has obviously taken up the position that you had to do all things Jewish to be a Christian.
Paul reminded Peter that although they both grew up Jewish, observing all things Jewish, the law did neither of them any good. In fact, when it came to being justified, “dikaioo,” they had to trust in Jesus Christ, not the works of the law. The Bible clearly tells us:
“and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Acts 13:39 NKJV
The law of Moses was not able to justify anyone.
Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Romans 3:20 NKJV
Though the law had a purpose of showing us our sins, it did not justify us before God! Only Jesus did! And we come to the conclusion,
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
Romans 3:28 NKJV
The Bible repeatedly states that we are justified by faith in Jesus, not the law! Then Paul declared both he and Peter had made this crucial decision to believe in Jesus Christ.
knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Galatians 2:16 NKJV
Paul wanted to make this point very clear to Peter. Not because Peter didn’t already know it, because he did. But because this was the very foundation of the faith that they had already partaken of. Of grace that didn’t require the law. A grace that was strong enough, it needed nothing else to get the job done. I still think the statement is true:
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:12 NKJV
That rings as true today as it did when Peter said it. It wasn’t a sentiment, it was a truth. No other name! No other means! No other way! Just Jesus! People try to make the gospel of Jesus more complicated than He ever made it. They try to add to or take away from it. But the simple truth is that we are justified by faith in Christ alone! Paul said,
“For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
Galatians 2:18 NKJV
What exactly is Paul saying here? I believe he is stating that if he took up the position that salvation was from the law and Christ, he would become a transgressor. He had already moved away from the law as a requirement to be saved because he fully understood the grace of God that was bestowed on him. He embraced the truths of God’s word, which was the law, to understand God and His purpose and His plan. But it wasn’t the law that saved him or anybody else, and to take it up again, he’d be a transgressor.
Paul was earnest in his talk with Peter. He shared with Peter from the depths of his heart. He realized Peter was acting like a hypocrite, although he was the apostle to the Jews. He realized that Peter’s decision to move away from the Gentiles was contagious because it had caused the other Jews and Barnabas to move away also. And I believe Paul’s heart was broken.
What are you wrestling with today? What things have you added to God’s grace that people might be saved? Maybe you’ve added that they need to be a Republican or a Democrat? Maybe you’ve added that they need to believe in pro-life or abortion? Whatever you have added to the grace of God has made you a hypocrite, because you too have set aside God’s grace and added something to it.
If you have, just repent! Repentance is always the way to get things right with God! No matter what you have messed up on, He is always waiting to hear that you are sorry and it won’t happen again. That’s true repentance. Wonderful Jesus!
Wonderful Jesus! 