Galatians 2:11-21
Key Verse: 2:16
“…yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but 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 one will be justified.”
The key verse, verse 16, is the 1st time in Galatians where a very important word appears: “justified.” “Justified” means counted righteous or declared righteous by God. This word is central to the message of Galatians, central to the gospel preached by Paul, & indeed central to Christianity itself. From this word “justified” comes the biblical doctrine of justification by faith alone in Christ alone. Martin Luther, regarded as the father of the reformation, stressed the utmost importance of justification by faith. He said, “This (justification) is the truth of the gospel…Therefore, we should know (it) well (justification by faith), teach it to others, & beat it into their heads continually.”
We’ll study this passage in 3 parts:
1. The confrontation (11-14), Paul rebukes the apostle Peter
2. The doctrine or teaching (15,16), which is justification by faith alone in Christ alone, not by works
3. The application or argument (17-21), where Paul expresses how Jesus loved him & gave himself for him
I. The confrontation: Paul rebukes the apostle Peter (2:11-14)
When it comes to defend the gospel Paul was ready and was not afraid of anybody. Even if an angel says something different about the gospel he was ready to confront that angel. Here, inverses 11-14, Paul confronts the apostle Peter. As a Jew, Peter grew up thinking that Gentiles, that is, anyone who is not a Jews, were unclean people, like smelly dogs or dirty pigs. When he became a disciple of Jesus, Jesus taught him that what makes a man unclean is not what he eats, but what's inside our hearts that determine if a man is clean or unclean (Matthew 15:1-20).
In Acts 10, Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, led Peter to Cornelius, a Roman Centurion, a Gentile to preach the good news of the gospel to him. God said to Peter in a vision, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." Through this experience, Peter realized that God loves all people including the Gentiles. Then Peter even defended the work of God in Gentiles before to the entire Jerusalem church which comprised only of Jewish Christians. Since then Peter enjoyed fellowship with Gentile believers. He no longer saw them as Gentile outsiders, but as dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
But here in Galatians 2:11-14, Paul tells us of Peter's relapse. While Peter was in Antioch, the church was visited by some people from James (12a), the half- brother of Jesus and the head of the Jerusalem church. Paul did not suggest that James sent these men to investigate on Peter or even that they were officials of the Jerusalem church. But they belonged to the circumcision party (Acts 15:1,5) and they wanted to lead the Antioch church back into religious legalism. This meant that salvation by Jesus alone is not enough, and that they also needed to be circumcised and follow the laws of Moses that all Jews follow. In other words, they were saying that these Gentile Christians must become Jews first, before they can become Christians.
Because of their pressure, Peter began to withdraw from eating openly with Gentile Christians (12b). Why did Peter give in to the pressure of the circumcision group? Verse 13 says that he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. Peter was not afraid to obey the Spirit when he sent him to Cornelius, nor was he afraid to give his witness before the leaders of the Jerusalem church. But now, with the arrival of some members of the opposition, Peter lost his courage and began to separate from the Gentiles.
Whether or not a Jewish Christian ate with a Gentile Christian or not, might seem to be a small thing. But Paul regarded this as a most serious issue, because of at least 2 implications of Peter's actions to withdraw from eating with the Gentile Christians.
First, it made him a hypocrite. At first he ate with the Gentile Christians. Then by withdrawing from them and eating only with the Jewish Christians, Peter implied by his action that the Gentile Christians were different and inferior, because they did not follow the Jewish customs and traditions.
Second, Peter led others astray with him. Peter was a top leader and top apostle and a spiritual leader who was well respected. His actions would have tremendous influence on others. Even Barnabas, whom the Bible says is a man of encouragement and also a spiritual leader of the church in Antioch (Acts 11-19-26) was led astray (13). To use an example, it would be as though a top influential leader in the church started to look down on people of another race and culture. Then other people in the church under the leader's influence will also begin to have a racist attitude toward other races.
What if Peter and Barnabas teamed up and followed the circumcision party? This would divide the church into 2: one part believes that salvation is only by faith in Christ alone, and another part believes that salvation is by faith plus you must be circumcised and follow the Law of Moses. Paul rightly saw this as a matter of utmost crucial importance, for it concerns “the truth of the gospel” (2:5,14). And so Paul was prepared to fight for it. How did he do it?
Read verse 11. "When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong." This is a tense, public and a very intense conflict. It would be like Pastor Ron, who is the head of our church in the U.S. opposing Dr. John Jun, the head of our worldwide church in a public meeting, and saying to him, "Dr. John Jun, you are clearly in the wrong." This is what Paul the apostle said to Peter the apostle, "Peter, you are clearly in the wrong."
Why did Paul do this? Verse 14a says that "they (Peter, Barnabas, the circumcision group) were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel." What is the truth of the gospel? It is simply that salvation is only by faith alone, in Christ alone. Therefore, if one added the Law of Moses according to the pressure of the circumcision group, it is no longer by faith alone, in Christ alone.
Paul then spoke strong words to Peter in verse 14b: "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?" It means that Peter a Jew began to live like a Gentile by eating with them and having fellowship with them. But then by withdrawing from them, he is implying that the Gentiles must now become like a Jew before he can become a Christian. What kind of inconsistency and hypocrisy is that?
II. The doctrine (or teaching): Salvation is by justification by faith, not by works
In the following verses, Paul explains why he rebuked Peter openly and publicly. Read verses 15,16. 15"We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' 16know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified." This is the first appearance of the important word “justification” in this letter, and probably in all of Paul's writings (if it is likely that Galatians was the first letter Paul wrote in AD 47 or 48 soon after his 1st missionary journey where he planted the churches in Galatia).
But what is the meaning of justification or justified? “Justified” means to be proclaimed not guilty, to be pronounced innocent. So, one who is “justified,” is one who is “just-as-if-I’d” never sinned. Justification is the act of God whereby God declares the believing sinner righteous in Jesus Christ, even though he is not righteous because of his sins. This is such an important doctrine (teaching) that Paul mentioned the word “justified” 3 different times in 3 different ways, all in a single verse, verse 16. Paul also says 3 times in this 1 verse, verse 16, that we must put our faith “in Jesus Christ,” “in Christ Jesus,” and “in Christ.”
1) The doctrine of justification in general terms (16a). Verse 16a says, “a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ…” Verse 16a explains in general terms God’s way of salvation. Paul said in Romans that “the law is good” (Ro 7:12). The problem with the law is that we cannot keep it. Even if we keep them outwardly (such as “do not commit adultery”), we break them inwardly (by enjoying adulterous feelings in our hearts that nobody sees but God). That’s why we need to be justified, to be pronounced “not guilty,” which is only by faith in Jesus Christ.
2) The doctrine of justification in personal terms (16b). Verse 16b says, “we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law.” In the middle of verse 16, Paul uses the personal pronoun “we.” So, Paul is saying that any true Christian knows from their own personal experience that “we” can’t keep the law because of our sinful nature. Therefore, “we” need Jesus to keep the law for us, which he did by dying on the cross who break the law every day.
3) The doctrine of justification in universal terms (16c). “by works of the law no one will be justified.” What is generally true, and must become personally true, is also universally true. What is true for Peter & Paul is also true for everyone who every lived, regardless of whether one is a Jew or Gentile, missionary or native, senior or junior, man or woman.
The principle that justification (salvation) cannot come by works, is what distinguishes Christianity from all other religions. All religions attempt by human effort & human goodness to earn God’s favor. So, if you are beginning to realize that you cannot save yourself (or improve) by the good things that you do, but only by faith in Jesus Christ alone, then God is revealing to you what Christianity is all about.
Yet there are many who reject justification by faith alone. Why? The reason most people reject justification by faith alone in Christ alone is because they will not admit they are sinners! They will point at the sins of others, but refuse to admit their own sins, or they will think that the sins of others are much worse than their own sins. So if one thinks that their sins are not as bad as the sins of others, then they are suggesting that they deserve to be saved or blessed more than others, who are worse than they. But whether one is a better or worse sinner, we are all sinners who can only be saved and justified by what Jesus did on the cross for us.
To conclude this part, we begin to see why Paul rebuked Peter openly and publicly when Peter separated himself from the Gentiles. When Peter did so, he was denying the truth of justification by faith in Christ alone by faith alone, because he was saying by his action that, "We Jews are different from--and better than—you Gentiles." Yet both Jews and Gentiles are sinners (Rom. 3:22-23) and both Jews and Gentles and all people in the world can only be saved by faith alone in Christ alone. Let’s read verse 16 again. (Project verse 16 and everyone may read together.)
Iii. The personal application or argument (17-21).
Verses 17-18 are among the hardest verses to explain. So, I'll just paraphrase Paul's argument. It goes something like this: “Peter, you and I did not find salvation through the law, but we found salvation through faith in Jesus Christ (17a). But now after being saved by faith in Christ, you’re going back to the law.” This is what Paul meant in verse 18 when he said, "If I rebuild what I destroyed." It meant that he rebuild the law which he destroyed when he accepted Christ. In other words, after he accepted Christ, he now wants to go back to live according to the law. So since you go back to the law, you are implying that Christ alone is not enough to save you. And that Christ actually made you a sinner! (17b)
Peter had experienced God's grace in his own salvation, and he had proclaimed God's grace in his own ministry. But when he withdrew from Gentile Christian fellowship, he openly denied the grace of God. Grace says, "There is no difference. All are sinners and all can be saved only through faith in Christ!" But by his actions, Peter said, "There is a difference. The grace of God is not sufficient; you must become like a Jew by keeping the law."
Look at verse 19. "For through the law, I died to the law, so that might live for God." “I died to the law” means that the law no longer controls Paul. It is because on the cross, Jesus saved us from the curse of the law. Galatians 3:13 says, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." Look at verse 20. "I 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."
When Christ was crucified on the cross, he was crucified in our place, died in our place, and paid the price for our sin and kept the requirement of the law. Now when God sees us, he does not see our sins, our idolatry, our shame, our rebellion. Instead, God, by his plan, sees our sins paid for by what Jesus did on the cross. “Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe. Sin has left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow.”
The Law says, “You better do better!” But grace says, “It is done!” “It is finished!” was Christ victory cry when he died on the cross for our sins (John 19:30). Now God gives a new life and we now live by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us.
Now when Paul says, "who loved me and gave himself for me." Paul is telling us the source of his strength, his motivation, and his joy in serving Jesus. Paul was telling us the nature of his freedom.
In Ephesians chapter 3, Paul prays for the Ephesians in verses 17-19, "…to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ…" The love of God is higher than the highest mountain, and deeper than the deepest ocean. During our entire life on earth we barely skim just the surface of God’s love for us. But when we begin to taste the love of Jesus in our hearts, we are truly free. Freedom in the Bible is never freedom to sin, but freedom from sin. Freedom in the Bible is always freedom to enjoy the love of God, and to enjoy the best life that God meant for us to live today and every day.
Why are there so many unhappy people today? We can give as many reasons as there are people. Some think they are unhappy because they are so lonely. Some think it’s because they don’t have enough money. Some think it’s because their job stinks, etc. But a person is always unhappy because he doesn’t think that Jesus alone is enough. So they seek Jesus plus something else. They think that if they do better or try harder God will give them what they want. They don’t realize that God has already given us the best gift we can ever receive throughout our entire life time. What is the best gift that God can give us? It is justification by faith alone in Christ alone (2:16). It is to save us from our sins and to enable us to realize the love of God who gave us His only Son (2:20). Pray that God may reveal to you the depth of Jesus’ love that gives us joy unspeakable all our days!