Philter48 Blogged Bible Study – Galatians 2

Galatians 2:21

I could pick any one of about six different verses in this chapter and write quite a bit about it.  I could also use several other verses as kickoff points for various rabbit trails.  Sometime in the past, I’ve highlighted several different verses – 14b, 16, 17, 20, and 21.

When I decided to participate in the Blogged Bible Study at www.philter48.com, I really wasn’t sure of what all it would cover, or what it was like, or anything.  I just want to force myself to some serious Bible study, and writing out my thoughts is a good way to do that.

Here’s the text….

“I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” (KJV)

“I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” (ESV)

“I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”  (NASB)

“I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (NIV)

The first part of the verse is intriguing to me.  It just doesn’t seem to fit, in my simplistic way of staring a verse down.  Verse 20 says “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

Hmmm.

Makes no sense.  Why, exactly, is Paul talking so much about himself?

To get a clear look, let’s back up to the point where he’s talking about something else – verse 17.

“But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.”

How on earth could a Christian “nullify”, or “frustrate”, or “set aside”, the grace of God?  In one sense, verse 17 indicates that we might do that by living sinfully while claiming the name of Christ.  But I think that’s the narrow view, while the big view has to consider what the rest of the chapter is talking about.

It appears that Peter had some trouble understanding that Gentiles – non-Jews – do not have to conform to Jewish law in addition to trusting Christ.  Since Christ was a Jew, some had apparently decided that, even though He was the Messiah, living by the law was still required, in addition to trusting Christ for true redemption to God.  These verses were written in response to that deceptive misunderstanding.

In my life, I have a hard time separating law and grace.  I bet that many other Christians do, as well.

We’re much more concerned about breaking the rules than we are about fully being engulfed by the grace of God.  Is that an excuse to do the things that are against the rules?  Not at all, but the point is that if we are only bound by the rules, we miss the entire point.

Our salvation is not in keeping the rules.  Our salvation is totally, entirely, and completely vested in the death of Christ on the cross.

If I attach rules to salvation, I’m insulting the cross of Christ and denying the grace of God.

We should avoid sin because we have experienced the grace of God.  Not out of a misplaced sense of earning God’s favor.

Neither can we attach extra requirements to salvation.

To do so is to insult the cross of Christ.

Like

Unlike