Daily Bread 2010 - Galatians 2
17"If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! 18If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker. 19For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"
Martin Luther was very fond of the book of Galatians because it so clearly teaches how we are made right with God. The theological term for this process is called “justification”. Someone has simplified what this word means with the phrase, “just as if I never have sinned”. While that is a little bit of an oversimplification, it works.
In Galatians 2, Paul is continuing to demonstrate the distinction between “law” and “gospel”. He recounts his confrontation with the apostle Peter, who would eat with the Gentiles (the people group Paul was called to preach to) in private, but then when certain men came (from the James group aka “the circumcision group”) he would withdraw so as not to draw their disdain. Others joined in this hypocrisy including Paul’s right hand man, Barnabas. Apparently Peter (the chief apostle at the time) submitted to this confrontation and the unity of the church and the pure teaching of the gospel was preserved.
In the verses for today, Paul talks about dying to the law in order to live for Christ. In the classic verses 20-21 (good to memorize), he summarizes the life of a Christian. He uses the language of being crucified with Christ and no longer living, but letting Christ live through us. Part of being crucified with Christ, is letting our old ways be crucified too. One of our old ways is trying to do enough things to bring God’s favor to us. We not only have to die to old sinful habits, but also sinful thought patterns including ones of “self justification”. This is a more insidious form of self dependence because sometimes it is guised in doing all the right things, yet inwardly being totally self reliant and not submitting to Jesus.
Even though Peter was one of the strongest and most powerful leaders of the day that Jesus himself appointed to be the rock of the church, he was still caving to pleasing men instead of God. He was allowing the outside pressure of the religious Jews to prevent him from dying to the very self righteousness that Jesus came to reform. The last verse, 21, says it all, “If righteousness could be gained through the Law, then Christ died for nothing.”
Jesus help us to die to all forms of self improvement, self justification and self preservation. As we are truly crucified with you, the life we live in this body and this life can truly flow from your power which lives within us by faith. Amen.
Martin Luther was very fond of the book of Galatians because it so clearly teaches how we are made right with God. The theological term for this process is called “justification”. Someone has simplified what this word means with the phrase, “just as if I never have sinned”. While that is a little bit of an oversimplification, it works.
In Galatians 2, Paul is continuing to demonstrate the distinction between “law” and “gospel”. He recounts his confrontation with the apostle Peter, who would eat with the Gentiles (the people group Paul was called to preach to) in private, but then when certain men came (from the James group aka “the circumcision group”) he would withdraw so as not to draw their disdain. Others joined in this hypocrisy including Paul’s right hand man, Barnabas. Apparently Peter (the chief apostle at the time) submitted to this confrontation and the unity of the church and the pure teaching of the gospel was preserved.
In the verses for today, Paul talks about dying to the law in order to live for Christ. In the classic verses 20-21 (good to memorize), he summarizes the life of a Christian. He uses the language of being crucified with Christ and no longer living, but letting Christ live through us. Part of being crucified with Christ, is letting our old ways be crucified too. One of our old ways is trying to do enough things to bring God’s favor to us. We not only have to die to old sinful habits, but also sinful thought patterns including ones of “self justification”. This is a more insidious form of self dependence because sometimes it is guised in doing all the right things, yet inwardly being totally self reliant and not submitting to Jesus.
Even though Peter was one of the strongest and most powerful leaders of the day that Jesus himself appointed to be the rock of the church, he was still caving to pleasing men instead of God. He was allowing the outside pressure of the religious Jews to prevent him from dying to the very self righteousness that Jesus came to reform. The last verse, 21, says it all, “If righteousness could be gained through the Law, then Christ died for nothing.”
Jesus help us to die to all forms of self improvement, self justification and self preservation. As we are truly crucified with you, the life we live in this body and this life can truly flow from your power which lives within us by faith. Amen.
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