Galatians 2:15-21

                                                                 Galatians 2:15-21

We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 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.  But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not!  For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor.  For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.  I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

How we are saved and the way the saved are to live are two of the most significant questions we could eve answer.  There are those who believe that salvation and life is all about keeping rules and doing good works.  As important as obedience and service may be, they are not a means of salvation.  This passage clearly teaches us how we are saved from our sin as well as how we are to live our lives once we are saved.

 

JUSTIFICATION IS BY FAITH IN CHRIST: It does not matter if a person is born a Jew or a Gentile, salvation is only through faith in Christ.  The Law was simply a means of demonstrating the standard of God and man’s inability to meet that standard.  By faith in Christ, we are justified as the righteousness of Christ is credited to our account as all the guilt of our sin is transferred onto Christ in His death.  The resurrection of Christ is proof positive that our sins have been fully paid.  The only way that justification happens is by faith in what Christ has done.  Both Jew and Gentile are saved in the exact same way.

 

SANCTIFICATION IS BY LIFE IN CHRIST: Freedom from the Law and the penalty of sin is not freedom to sin. As we, in our sin, were crucified with Christ, our life in Christ is demonstrated in the resurrection.  Just as He lives, we are raised with Him to live a new life of holiness through the power of the Spirit Christ sent to give us this new life.  Only by God’s grace can we be saved, and any attempt to earn salvation by works or keeping the Law is a negation of Christ and His crucifixion.  Both justification and sanctification are achieved through faith in the work of Christ on the cross and His glorious resurrection.     

 

APPLICATION: Trust in Christ alone as our only means of salvation.  Recognize He is our only hope of righteousness.  Live a life of obedience to Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Recognize that we have died with Christ and have been raised again to a new life in Him.

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