Gal. 2:16-19 - Not Justified by Works

16 - yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
17 - But if while seeking to be justified in Christ we ourselves have also been found to be sinners, is Christ then one who encourages sin? Absolutely not!
18 - But if I build up again those things I once destroyed, I demonstrate that I am one who breaks God's law.
19 - For through the law I died to the law so that I may live to God.

LIve For God, Not For the Law

Vs. 16 - “Yet we know” - For all the advantages he had as a Jew, Paul understood these ultimately did him go good. (See: Phil. 3:4-7) It may have been easier for him to understand that God was the ultimate judge and savior. It may have been easier for him to see Christ as the Son of God, and the Messiah. Yet - knowing this background information got Paul no closer to a personal relationship with God than the sorriest Gentile. Paul received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

“Justified” - Repeated three times in this verse alone. This word has a legal sense in that God declares the believer to be righteous and acceptable because Christ took our sins upon Himself on the cross. We are now declared righteous. (See: 1 Cor. 1:30; Rom. 3:24, 25; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 4:6-8.) From many years ago, there was a mnemonic for “justified” - “Just as if I had never sinned.”
This is not a purely New Testament (or New Covenant) concept, In the O.T., God is shown as pleading the case of the sinner and executing the justice for the sinner. The accusers are put to shame, for the sinner has seen the light and lives! (See: Mic. 7:9-10) The judgement against the sinner has been executed. The sentence does not fall on the sinner, but on God Himself.

“Works of the law” - Useless! Paul develops this theme in greater detail in Romans. He also proclaims this in Philippians 3:4-7.

“By the faithfulness of Jesus Christ” - Stop and look at that phrase. It is not by our faithfulness. It is Christ who was faithful to the will of the Father. (See: Phil. 2:5-11) Paul knew well of the works required by the Law. He also knew the end result of following the Law added up to nothing, eternally speaking. (See: Titus 3:5,6). The pairing of these two phrases: “works of the law” and “faithfulness of Jesus Christ” emphasizes the uselessness of rigidly following the law, because it is only by Christ’s obedience that we are declared righteous.

“no one will be justified” - If you are not JUSTIFIED you are NOT SAVED. If you rely on your ability to be perfect, to pay an infinite price to a Holy God, be warned: you have neither the tools nor the skill to pull this off. You are doomed to failure. Failure in this instance is eternal separation from God. This sounds harsh. It is, but it is reality.
If you are doing a job, and an expert, or your boss, tells you that what you are doing will fail - do you ignore that statement and continue on with what you are doing? Why would you do that?

Vs. 17 - “while seeking to be justified…” “found to be sinners” - Do you suppose that after you have accepted Christ as Savior you will ever sin again? There are a some denominations that hold the doctrine of ‘sinless perfection’. I am not sure how that particular belief system deals with Rom. 7:15-24, or 1 John 1:8-9. On this side of heaven, we will commit sins. Our old nature is ‘Dead Man Walking’, but not absent until we are resurrected. Jesus understands you and I as we live our lives, must deal with sin, and surrender to the power and control of the Holy Spirit. Paul is writing to believers who are being told they must follow the Law, even after they have accepted Christ.
Think on this: You acknowledge that Jesus Christ paid for ALL your sin. There is nothing you can do to make yourself holy and acceptable. And yet, you are attempting to keep all of the strictures of the Law in order to make yourself acceptable. Do you imagine that Jesus would say, “Believe in me and you shall be saved. Oh, by the way, if you don't keep the Mosaic Law you have just lost it all, because you are now a sinner having failed to keep the Law.”

“Christ encourages sin” - That’s what is meant by this sentence (or, verse). If Jesus required faith and works for salvation, then He would knowingly lead us from righteousness to sin. We would be going from holiness because of His sacrifice on the cross, to breaking the Law and sin. We know it is not possible to keep the Law. (See the Letter to the Romans.) No wonder answer to the question is “Absolutely not!” Christ died to save us from sin. Christ died to free us from sin, and give us righteousness.

Vs. 18 - “If I build up again... things I once destroyed” - Paul did not destroy the Law. (Christ did not destroy the Law, He fulfilled it - Matt. 5:17). Paul clearly defined that obeying the Law could not justify you with God. Paul’s logical treatment of this possible path to a relationship with God has thus been “destroyed”. That belief has no efficacy. So, why rebuild a path that only leads to failure?

“I demonstrate” - means “I am showing...” I may have said this before, but it is worth repeating: Your behavior, or actions, display what you believe. (See James 2:17-18, 26) You may SAY, “I believe Christ died for my sin.” If you continually have check list of things that must be done in order for God to accept you as His child, your actions show you are not confident that Jesus Paid It All.

“I am the one who breaks God’s law” - God’s law? Not the Law, the one handed to Israel through Moses. He would be breaking the new law: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” (Matt. 16:31; Rom. 10:9) If you are using some set of rules plus Christ’s death and resurrection, you are showing that you do not believe that Christ is enough.

Vs. 19 - “through the law I died to the law” - The law did not kill Paul. This statement is an allegory. Jesus fulfilled the Law when he died on the cross. Jesus died to pay the cost for all the sins of the world. Believing that Jesus died for this purpose means that Paul is now dead to sin. Jesus took away the penalty of sin, therefore took away death. Not the physical death each of us will face, but the “second death” - eternal separation from God. Faith in Christ equals salvation. Salvation by faith means the Law no longer makes any demands - it has no power. We are “Dead” to the power of the Law.

“So that” - In logical terms: Because this (I died to the Law) happened, the result is that (I live to God) happens.
The message is: there is no way for the second to take place unless the first does. As long as the Law holds sway, the believer is not living by faith, but by works.

“I may live to God” - We are controlled by the law(s) when we order our lives by law(s) - that is the meaning of live to law. Likewise, when we are controlled by the Spirit of God we live to God. Jesus said that to truly worship God we must do it in the spirit. (See: John 4:23, 24)
We are living in the flesh if we try to live by the law. We are trying to live under our own power, which cannot and will not work.

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Gal. 2:5-10 - Did not surrender the Gospel

5 But we did not surrender to them even for a moment, in order that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.
6 But from those who were influential (whatever they were makes no difference to me; God shows no favoritism between people) - those influential leaders added nothing to my message.
7 On the contrary, when they saw that I was entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised just as Peter was to the circumcised
8 (for he who empowered Peter for his apostleship to the circumcised also empowered me for my apostleship to the Gentiles)
9 and when James, Cephas, and John, who had a reputation as pillars, recognized the grace that had been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we would go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.
10 They requested only that we remember the poor, the very thing I also was eager to do.

We Did Not Surrender

Vs. 5 - “we did not surrender” - I would expect nothing less from Paul. A man fervent for God. He met Jesus in a miraculous way. He was taught personally by Jesus. It is impossible for me to conceive the possible argument that would convince Paul he was wrong. Remember, it took a dramatic revelation to change Paul’s direction in life!

“The truth of the gospel might remain” - Later in this letter Paul writes, “For freedom Christ has set us free.” Jesus told his disciples, “I have come that you might have life abundantly” (John 10:10) See also: Luke 4:17-21, John 8:36.

“Remain with you” - Paul wanted the church to celebrate its freedom. This is not a one-time request, but a desire for them to be continually immerse in their relationship with their savior.

Vs. 6 - “whatever they were makes no difference to me” - This is an odd, kind of ‘snarky’ comment from Paul. He has just told us about going from Antioch to Jerusalem to clear up the ‘Gentile’ issue. (See: Acts 15) There he met with “influential people” (Gal. 2:2). Perhaps Paul was peeved that he had to defend his ministry to the Gentiles for Christ. He understands the church must define this issue, there must be unity of doctrine. Yet, Paul and Barnabas needed to ‘prove’ to the church leaders that ministry was valid, even though Jesus called Paul!

Technically, Paul is correct, “God shows no favoritism between people.” (Acts 10:34, Col. 3:11). God has one criterium with respect to your eternal existence: Is Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior? Nothing else matters. Your name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life, or it isn’t. (See: Rev. 13:5; 20;12, 15: 21:27). Money, reputation, accomplishments, lifestyle will mean nothing if you are not His child.

“Influential leaders added nothing” - (See: Acts 11:7-20). This is a major watershed in the growth of the church.
First, the Gospel message is simplified: Christ and Him crucified. (1 Cor. 2:2)
Second, there a lot more Gentiles than Jews. As the military might put it, “It’s a target rich environment.” As the Gentile portion of the church expands, the Great Commission is being fulfilled (Matt. 28:18-20).
Third, as wonderful as Judaism is (through which we have our Savior), requiring a non-Jew to become a Jew places an onerous restriction on new believers. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.” (John 14:6) Peter filled with the Holy Spirit stated this early, right after Pentecost, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).

Paul acknowledges the results of this meeting was to leave his ministry as is: Preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, and welcoming the new converts as brothers and sisters in Christ.

The problem with requiring Judaism for salvation: it is directly from Satan. It is also possible the Jewish Christians were falling back into old habits. All their lives the Jews were told to avoid Gentiles. So they were required to start a new way of thinking. We do not break old habits and discard them. We must overwrite old habits with new better habits. Occasionally, the old habits will raise their ugly heads. We must confess our failing to Jesus, and pray for guidance to re-establish the new habits. We deal with the same issue (maybe not ‘Judaism’) in that we have behavior that is non-Christian - anger, lust, jealousy, etc. I know I should not to get angry at the idiots on the freeway. Yet, if I am not controlled and empowered by the Holy Spirit… the old bad habit leaps out and takes over. I am not saying, “The devil made me do it.” It is my own desire! (See: James 1:13-16.)

Vs. 7 - “I was entrusted with the gospel” - The conference of church leaders listened to Paul’s and Barnabas’ testimony. Again, this was a monumental decision: Paul was called as an apostle, just as Peter was called.

Vs. 8 - “for He who empowered” - Jesus called Peter to follow Him. Jesus taught Peter, mentored him, and modeled what He wanted done. No one doubted Peter was an apostle. Jesus called Paul to be His missionary. Jesus taught Paul, and sent him forth. Based on this, the imprimatur of the church, the body and bride of Christ was conferred to Paul also.

Vs. 9 - “James, Cephas, and John” - They listened to Peter’s recount of the vision in Joppa. The discussion and prayer led them to conclude the ministry to the Gentiles was a genuine as the ministry to the Jews. James - the brother of Jesus Christ, John - the one whom Jesus loved, and Peter (Cephas) - who uttered the Great Confession (Mark 8:29) were the leaders of the Jerusalem church. It could be said they were the most important world leaders of the church. These three took the decision of the council and pronounced Paul and Barnabas as genuine missionaries of the church.

“Right hand of fellowship” - Curious idiom. It is a custom that endures to this day, and probably started long before the early church. My guess is this comes from combat. Most people are right handed. An extended right hand shows there is no weapon so the greeting is ‘safe’. (Just confirmed this in Wikipedia and on Google.)
(Side note #1: it was considered impolite to keep your left hand in your pocket when you shake with your right.) (Side note #2 - the Latin word for left-handedness is ‘sinister’, and sinister has come to mean dark, bad or evil.)

Vs. 10 - “They requested only” - Care for the poor - widows, orphans, strangers, and poor - is an integral part of the Judie-Christian faith. (See: Exo. 22:21-22, Deut. 10:17-19; Psa. 10:14b; Isa. 10:1-2; Jam. 1:27) Jesus acknowledged that the poor and downtrodden will more likely turn to God and faith in Christ. Look at Jesus’ ministry. Who flocked to Him? The sick, the poor, the needy. Jesus provided hope. Who became virulently opposed to Jesus? The spiritual leaders of Judah.
The Jerusalem church leaders also asked Paul and Barnabas to teach the Gentiles to refrain from activities that would offend Jews. Jewish Christians were going to accept Gentile Christians as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. However there were things the Gentiles might do that would be very offensive to Jews. (See: Acts 15:28, 29)

The listed items were:

• stay away from items associated with idols
• fornication
• meat from animals that have been strangled
• blood

Idols: The Jews had a ‘checkered past’ with respect to idols - starting with a golden calf (Exo. 32:1-6), Baal (Judg. 3:13, 6:25), Asherah (1 Ki. 16:33), and Dagon (1 Sam. 5:2-5), to name a few. As for Gentiles, idols were commonplace in the secular world around them.

Fornication: The sin of fornication, specifically adultery is one of the 10 Commandments (Deut. 5:18), and there are several other places in Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy where sex outside of marriage is forbidden. Perhaps fornication, and adultery, was the only activity that might have similar recriminations in both the Jewish and Gentile world (on the other hand, many foreign religions of the day had ‘temple prostitutes’, so maybe fornication was not a big deal for non-Jews in their former lives.)

Meat preparation: The Jews were commanded to not eat the meat of animals that had not been slaughtered correctly, because the ‘life is in the blood’ (Gen. 9:4; Lev. 17:11, 14; Deut. 12:23). As for meat, the Gentiles might think “Who cares how an animal is killed?”

Blood: Going back to slaughtering methods - “the life is in the blood”. Some pagan religions incorporate blood in the ceremonies, whether sprinkling, washing with, or drinking blood. The Jews know the only time is used in worship is with sacrifices at the altar in the tabernacle or temple. There were also strictures about blood applied to women’s menstrual period (See: Lev. 15:19, Matt. 9:20-22), they were ‘unclean’ and there was an offering that was to be made as an atonement for her uncleanness.

Gentiles had none of these restrictions with respect to blood. Paul was faithful to these admonitions, teaching and reminding Gentiles to be aware of others. (See 1 Cor. 10:23-29)

“I also was eager to do“ - Paul and Barnabas took offering gifts from the churches in the ‘world’ to Jerusalem because of the deep need there. (Acts 11:29-30)
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Gal. 2:1-4 - History cont’d

1 Then after fourteen years I went up to Jerusalem again with Barnabas, taking Titus along too.
2 I went there because of a revelation and presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did so only in a private meeting with the influential people, to make sure that I was not running - or had not run - in vain.
3 Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, although he was a Greek.
4 Now this matter arose because of the false brothers with false pretenses who slipped in unnoticed to spy on our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, to make us slaves.

Paul’s self-History, (cont’d)

Vs. 1 - This is Paul’s second return to Jerusalem. Acts does not record how long Paul spent preaching the gospel and starting churches. I was amazed that it was about 17 years.
The issue - could Gentiles accept Christ as Lord and Savior - had been resolved. (See Acts 11:1-18.) The issue of whether Gentiles also had to convert to Judaism was not.

Here are the major issues:

Could Gentiles accept Christ as Savior? That had been resolved. Peter had a vision from God before the conversion of Cornelius, the Roman military centurion. He did not immediately understand what God was saying through the vision. (See: Acts 10:9-17) He did catch on. Paul and Barnabas were sent to preach the Gospel to Gentiles.
The question the early church had to resolve: Were the Gentiles really saved if they didn't become Jews also?

Consider this line of reasoning:

Jesus was a Jew, and came as the Messiah for the Jews. How could this have any meaning or consequence for non-Jews? So, was it reasonable to think accepting Christ was the first step to salvation, and could only be completed and efficacious when fully immersed in Judaism?

Also: Could Jewish converts fraternize with Gentile converts?
You might think this is silly. Prejudices die hard and slowly. (If you need a modern day example: Slavery and racism in the United States. The emotional wounds of a practice eliminated in the 1860’s are still around. Slavery is gone, but the after-effects of racism still fester and wound today.)
The Jew’s attitude toward Gentiles was codified in their laws and practices. It is not certain that hatred and fear of Gentiles was in the Law - Genesis-Deuteronomy - but it was practiced and taught daily in Judah. You were ‘unclean’ if you socialized or touched a Gentile (‘unclean’ is the same term as used for lepers). How could you socialize with Gentile Christians? Some people say the Jews referred to the Gentiles as ‘dogs’. They were not talking about your mini-LabraDoodle house pet. They were thinking of the feral dog packs that roamed the areas, the garbage pits, and were hated and despised. It is a good question who the Jews despised more: the Samaritans or the Gentiles.

Vs. 2 - “presented to them the gospel that I preached” - Paul’s decision to go to Jerusalem may not have been due to a revelation or vision. We see in Acts 15, some Judean Christians came to Antioch. They were telling the Christians there, that salvation came only through Judaism (Acts 15:1-2) and following its practices. During this kerfuffle, it was decided that Paul and Barnabas would go make a defense to the elders in Jerusalem. On the way there, Paul and Barnabas told the churches what God had been doing to save souls. Great rejoicing ensued.

“in a private meeting with the influential people” - Paul, Barnabas and Titus met with Peter, James (Jesus’ brother), John and other elders of the Jerusalem church headquarters. Talk about a high-power conference meeting. Three or four of the most influential apostles of the early church are discussing the direction the church should go. A large part of the New Testament canon was written by Peter, James, John and Paul.

The basic message coming out of this high level conference: Jesus and Jesus alone saves. It is not “Jesus plus”.

“I was not running - or had not run - in vain.” - This is monumental! If the decision had fallen the other way, everything Paul had learned from Jesus, everything that he had done for the last seventeen years was wasted. His conversion on the Damascus road was worthless! The gospel he preached was folly! But Jesus’s words, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me” are accepted as true and powerful.
Another view of the idea “running in vain” is the concern that people will be drawn away from the true faith. In other words: Paul shared the gospel, they accepted the Lord, then the new believers are led away by the false teachers. All of his work is in vain, it is lost. A lot of extra work is needed to bring them back to a pure faith.

vs. 3 - “compelled to be circumcised” - This shows the defense of Paul & Barnabas’ ministry to the Gentiles was accepted by the church council in Jerusalem. It also shows that apostles, especially Peter, James and John, finally understood the Gospel was to be freely shared everyone - Jew and Gentile.
A more important understanding also came from this meeting: Christianity stands on Christ alone, not on Judaism plus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection.
Paul and the other leaders understood, if not fully, Jesus’ declaration that he had fulfilled the Law. And if the Law is fulfilled, it no longer applies. All of the rituals - no benefit. All of the sacrifices - no benefit.

“He was a Greek” - proof that the “old” Jewish ways no longer applied. Not only was Paul, a fervent Jew, preaching to Gentiles, he worked with one - Titus (along with other Gentiles).

Vs. 4 - “this matter” - Gentiles did not need to become Jews to be saved. Some Jews were preaching the opposite. See: Acts 15:1-6. Note the last phrase in this reference. This is not a simple disagreement like “Should we have chairs or pews?”, or “Should the American flag be flown on the church stage?” This matter deals with the crux of salvation (no pun intended) - was Christ’s sacrifice sufficient for salvation?

“false brothers with false pretenses” - Paul does not see this as a misunderstanding between believers. Men were coming from Judea, the hub of the blossoming church. They must have heard the story of Peter and Cornelius, and the vision Peter received from God. Peter was challenged because he had spent time with Gentiles. The discussion ended with the understanding that Gentiles having received the Holy Spirit just as the Jewish believers had done, no one could stand in the way of salvation. It is improbable to think this decision and news remained hidden from the rest of the church. So Paul’s conclusion was people preaching “Christ-plus-Judaism” had nefarious purposes.

“slipped in unnoticed” - This may seem like an unlikely comment or phrase. Think of your church. If someone from out of town drops into your church, indicating they are fellow Christians, do you question their statement? These people came professing their faith. Of course they were accepted into the local body.

“Spy on our freedom… make us slaves” - For whatever reason, these false teachers could not accept that salvation was offered to all who believed in Christ. That would mean anyone - ANYONE! - who believed was saved. That would mean no circumcision, no sacrifices, no sabbath rituals. It would mean the Gentile believers were free from the strictures of Judaism. In Christ we are free. Adding Sabbath laws, or festival and sacrifice laws remove pieces of that freedom. If Judaic laws must be followed, how could anyone know if they are saved? What if you missed something, would that miss keep you away from eternal salvation? Rather than belonging to Christ, you now are captives of your failures! Slaves to sin. No wonder Paul is upset!

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Gal. 1:18-24 - They Really Didn’t Know Me!

18 - Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and get information from him, and I stayed with him fifteen days.
19 - But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother.
20 - I assure you that, before God, I am not lying about what I am writing to you!
21 - Afterward I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia
22-23 - But I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They were only hearing, "The one who once persecuted us is now proclaiming the good news of the faith he once tried to destroy."
24 - So they glorified God because of me.

Return to Jerusalem

vs. 18 - “after three years” - The book of Acts is episodic rather than chronological, and Luke says nothing about Paul being in Arabia. Perhaps the sequence is something like this:

• Soon after his road to Damascus event, Paul was taken to a remote spot to be taught by the Lord. I don't know how long he was in Arabia. Since he was instructed by Jesus, it might have been only overnight!
• He returns to Damascus to preach.
• The presence of the church began to be felt in Damascus as his ministry produced spiritual fruit, taking place over three years.
• The Jewish leaders were agitated and Paul was forced to escape.
• He went with other believers to Jerusalem.
• He got in trouble again.
• He escaped to Tarsus where later Barnabas found and took him to Antioch.

vs. 19 - “none of the other apostles” - The Paul the church in Jerusalem knew was what he had done before he left for Damascus. Barnabas introduced Paul to the brethren in Jerusalem, vouching for Paul’s conversion. Paul was on fire for the Lord and ready to preach!
Only James and Peter would spend time with him. (See: Acts 9:26-29) This is all we know about Paul’s first return to Jerusalem. He left Jerusalem a persecutor of the faith. Returned a preacher of the same. Left again, being persecuted!
It had to be difficult for the believers there to accept him with open arms - how could they be sure he wasn't setting them up for arrest and execution? The Jews were frustrated and infuriated to lose such a weapon to be used against the Christians.

vs. 20 - “I am not lying” - The church in Galatia might find the story of Paul being anti-Christian hard to believe. They knew him as a hard-working evangelist. He is relating his story, “I went to Jerusalem, and was preaching the gospel. You know the gospel message I preach! I was there, and they wouldn't talk with me, or spend time with me! Can you believe it?”

vs. 21 - “went to … Syria and Cilicia” - Paul boldly preached in Jerusalem, sharing the gospel, discussing the meaning of the death and resurrection of Jesus with the Jews. They became as incensed as the Jews in Damascus at his message of Jesus as the Messiah. They plotted to kill him (that is upset!). Some of the Christians in Jerusalem believed his conversion was real, so they helped him escape. Sending him to Tarsus through Caesarea (See note 1 below). They sent him to the port of Caesarea, then by boat to Tarsus - to keep him out of trouble in Judah. (See Acts 9:28-30) An interesting comment follows Paul escaping - the church had peace in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria so the church grew and was strengthened. Acts 9:31

vs. 22-23 - “personally unknown to the churches” - His reputation proceeded him, but the church of the believers didn't know him by sight. They might freak out when they found out who this fantastic evangelist really was.

vs. 24 - “they glorified God” - If they stopped to listen to Paul, and accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, they would praise the Lord. Paul could be very happy that they listened to his message and were not dissuaded by his former life. Giving thanks to God that He provided such a powerful preacher and evangelist - what a blessing for Paul. Paul was not looking for praise from people. He knew, however, people accepting Christ was exactly why God kept him on earth.

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NOTE 1: Caesarea is about 50 miles NW of Jerusalem, on the coast. Tarsus is about 300-350 miles from Jerusalem in the NE corner of the Mediterranean Sea area, also known as Celicia (now, Southwest Turkey). END OF CHAPTER.