We are continuing to make our way through Paul’s letter to the Galatians. This morning we saw that this passage is the transition point in the letter. After Paul opens with a stunning rebuke – instead of thanksgiving – he moved into a defense of his authority and calling as an apostle. This included his confrontation with Peter in Antioch when Peter was unwilling to eat with Gentiles. Keep that episode in mind because it sets up the main argument Paul is making from 2:15-3:14, which serves as a defense of the doctrine of justification by faith.
We have already looked at verses 15-16, so we will focus on verses 17-21 this morning. Remember, this is the key passage of Galatians, and the heart of Christianity, so we want to take our time here.
Before we read it let us look to the Lord in prayer for his help in understanding it.
Galatians 2:15-21
This is the Word of the LORD.
Just like we need to have a proper understanding of how the law relates to our justification, we need to have a proper understanding of the gospel. And just like the law has been mistakenly used by some as a cause of our justification (the problem we addressed this morning), some have mistakenly used the gospel as a license to sin.
So we need to recognize that the good news of the gospel does not make us free to sin. In fact, it makes us free from sin. We are free from the bondage of sin as well as the penalty of sin. But we are never free to indulge in sin. God forbid we ever take sin so lightly. If we had only committed one sin, it would contain enough wickedness to demand the death of our Savior.
On the contrary, when anyone truly grasps the gospel and it is properly applied to our lives we will find complete forgiveness, real freedom, and lasting fulfillment because that is always the result of true faith. It is absolutely correct to say that we are justified by faith alone. But as J.I. Packer has said, “the faith that justifies is never alone.” It is always followed by sanctification and glorification.
This morning we considered What the Law Cannot Do (15-16). This afternoon we will begin by looking at What the Gospel Does Not Do (17-18). Then we’ll see What the Gospel Will Always Do (19-21).
What the Gospel Does Not Do (17-18)
What does Paul mean by “sinners” here? Paul is using the typical language of a Jew. They would have considered Gentiles to be ceremonially unclean. Calling them “sinners” was another way of saying “pagans” or “unbelievers.” But Paul is probably using it as something of a play on words. If Jews begin eating with Gentile sinners and acting like Gentile sinners (who are not under the law), doesn’t that imply that being justified by Christ has resulted in us becoming “sinners”? We used to care about the law, now we don’t? Paul, that seems ludicrous!
His response is “Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor.” What is the wall that Paul mentions breaking down? We can look to a parallel in Ephesians 2:14-15 for some clarification:
“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two.”
So Paul, in union with Christ, had already torn down the law of the old covenant. And one of the results of that is Jews are no longer separated from Gentiles. If Paul were to rebuild that wall, he would become a transgressor because he would once again be separated from Gentiles, as well as he would be relying upon his own works rather than the perfect work of Christ.
Let’s stick with the example of circumcision.
Fesko, “Paul and the apostles had let go of circumcision in order to take hold of Christ in its place, so any attempt to recover circumcision was, by necessity, an attempt to displace Christ.”
The Judaizers made the same assumption that many do today. If faith is what justifies a person, then why even try to be a good person? Who cares what we do? As long as we have faith, it just doesn’t matter.
Paul has already shown that this understanding of Christianity is wrong based upon his own calling by God. When he was persecuting the church he saw himself as blameless (Phil. 3:6), but when he met Christ he recognized his sinfulness and his hope was not found in his own righteousness, “based on the law, but that which is through faith in Christ,” (Phil. 3:9). Even here, this truth is reiterated in one tiny word: “in”. We are “justified in Christ.” This implies that we are united to Christ by faith. And anyone who is united to Christ will never be the same old person again. We will see ourselves differently. We will see God differently.
Antinomianism is the rejection of the moral law. It’s the claim that the moral law has absolutely nothing to do with a Christian’s salvation. Richard Baxter fought this all of his life. And I love Baxter, but the problem with Baxter is that he slipped into neonomianism, which suggests that Christ has established a “new law,” one which Christians can obey.
This is where you must recall what was hammered over and over this morning, “The law was never meant to justify anyone.” We cannot become so worried about sin that we re-establish the law (old or new) as the formal cause of our justification. As Mark Jones writes, “The grace of God in salvation must be maintained at all costs.” I tried to do that very clearly this morning. But neither should we turn the grace of God into a license to sin.
Antinomianism is often put forward as the opposite of legalism, but in reality, the two philosophies are remarkably similar. In either case, the person is living according to the flesh. That is true whether it looks like strict denial of the law, or strict adherence to the law. Both focus on what a person does or doesn’t do, rather than what Christ and His Spirit are working in and through us.
No one who truly believes in Christ will think of their sin with indifference. They might grow complacent at times. They might struggle with certain sins over and over again. But they will not see their sin as trite and insignificant. They will acknowledge, rather, that it is worthy of eternal judgment.
Let us not confuse Christian liberty with the freedom to indulge in sin. We should be careful how we speak. We should be cautious about what we watch. There should be appropriate limits on what, when and how much we drink. Sometimes good old-fashioned Puritan piety is frowned upon and equated with legalism.
My professor Derek Thomas used to say that we should only be able to say the word “legalism” or “moralism” once a year, because these terms are thrown about so much people no longer know what they mean. Legalism doesn’t mean someone likes following rules. Moralism doesn’t mean a person who is trying to stay pure. Both legalism and moralism imply that a person is saved by following the rules and remaining pure.
The Gospel does not give us a license to sin, but the Gospel does work in us some marvelous things.
What the Gospel Will Always Do (19-21)
The benefits of our redemption, our justification by faith, are manifold and they are enjoyed through our union with Christ. That is what Paul states in these verses so beautifully. When you are united to Christ you are no longer the same person. This is true on so many levels. The old man has died, the new has come.
Every Christian experiences:
1. Forgiveness from the penalty of sin because Christ died for me.
⁃ The law leaves everyone guilty before God. And we spent a considerable amount of time two weeks ago focusing on the fact that everyone feels this intuitively. All of us naturally attempt to live up to a standard that we cannot achieve. So guilt is the result.
⁃ When we are justified by faith we are completely forgiven and experiencing peace with God transforms guilt into joy.
⁃ When we forgive someone who has wronged us. We absorb the pain ourselves. We are agreeing not to retaliate and take vengeance on them.
⁃ When someone forgives us it is a humbling experience because we know that they were wronged.
⁃ Since Christ died for us we know that he absorbed the penalty in our place. He became our shield, bearing the blows for us.
⁃ Now this leads us to the next consideration…
2. Freedom from the power of sin because I died with Christ.
⁃ Though we have died, yet we live, because Christ lives in me.
⁃ Charles Simeon, “And then he repeats the same important truth; “I am crucified with Christ:” and again guards it against any similar misrepresentation, by shewing that the believer has a strength for obedience which no other person possesses, and motives for obedience which no other person feels. Let these two things be considered, and it will appear, that the Gospel, so far from militating against good works, is the only doctrine that secures the performance of them.”
3. Fulfillment for this day because Christ lives in me.
⁃ There is no greater satisfaction than to do the will of the Lord.
⁃ There is contentment when you are in the center of God’s will.
⁃ We were created for good works (Eph. 2:10).
4. By faith, I will allow Christ to manifest his life through me. Christ gives us new desires. These desires are not given in the same degree to every believer. Some are white hot from the beginning, while others take quite awhile to warm up.
⁃ Moral: You will desire to please God morally. This is why many people will make dramatic shifts in their lives after they come to know the Lord.
⁃ Intellectual: You will desire a greater understanding of the Truth. There will be an increasing love for the Word of God. There is a desire to read, meditate, and grow in our comprehension.
⁃ Relational: You will desire to be in fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Now, let’s put all of this together and relate it to the importance of the church. The reason we are planting a church is because we believe it is a necessary component in a believers life. In fact, it is as necessary as a bride is to a wedding. The last time I checked, you cannot have a marriage ceremony without a groom and a bride. Yet, many suggest that they can enter into a relationship with God and Christ while rejecting the fellowship of His bride, the church.
It is presumptuous and dangerous to suggest that you will stand before God one day and say, “I love you, but I can’t stand your wife.” Do you really think God will invite you in saying, “Wonderful, come and enjoy the marriage supper of the Lamb. Enter into the eternal wedding celebration of heaven.”
No, in fact, to reject the bride of Christ is to essentially admit that you have not been transformed by the love of Christ – who so loved His bride that He sacrificed Himself to ensure eternal fellowship with her.
Likewise, could you imagine a married couple suggesting that they are in love, but they never see one another? The church is not an option. We cannot decide we will attend a few times a year and think that constitutes an acceptable marriage.
I know of no other place where you can receive all of the benefits of your justification than fellowship in the body of Christ. You might be converted by hearing the gospel while outside the church, but those who are justified will not remain outside the church.
In…
Conclusion
Far from encouraging sin, the Gospel reveals the depths of its wickedness. Sin demands death. When we realize what our sin required, we do not respond to it with indifference, but disgust and hatred. We endeavor to turn away from our sin and to turn towards God. That is the very definition of repentance. It is involved from the very beginning and it remains an ongoing part of our sanctification – our growth in Christ.
When repentance is accompanied by faith, we experience all of the benefits of union with Christ. Forgiveness from the penalty of sin and freedom from the power of sin, bring us to the knowledge of the lasting fulfillment we have in Christ. Guilt is transformed into peace and joy.
Surely, this is not an experience you can reject. Don’t hesitate another day to enter into fellowship with God through the shed blood of Christ.