Galatians 2

Galatians 2:1-10

Chapter 5 What happened at Jerusalem? (Galatians 2:1-10 and Acts 15:1-29) These two portions of Holy Scripture are frequently passed over lightly, because they are considered only as brief instances in the marvelous history of the early church. But these two chapters record the first serious crisis that arose in the church of our Savior, and, though there are portions within these two chapters that require careful comparative study in order to understand them, we will be greatly rewarded if we will apply ourselves in their study. During the days of the Apostles, and early in the ministry of the Apostle Paul, the church had to undergo a very trying crisis. That church, which was on the Day of Pentecost “all with one accord,” was seriously divided. As persecutions scattered the early believers into various parts of the world, so also was scattered the precious seed of the gospel, and many converts were made among the Gentiles. Moreover, Paul had been converted, made an Apostle, and was sent to preach the gospel among the Gentiles; and many more Gentiles were converted. Meantime, there were some men of the sect of the Pharisees who had falsely embraced Christianity. That is to say, they had joined the church, but through subtlety. They did not really embrace the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ, but mixed with the gospel the various ceremonies and works of the law. Many were so thoroughly corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ that they embraced the damning legalism of the Pharisees. There were some who said, “Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.” Under the old Jewish economy, circumcision had both a moral and a ceremonial significance. For them, to do away with circumcision was to do away with the whole Mosaic law. Many of them were not quite ready for this, as Paul’s letter to the Hebrews clearly shows. The Mosaic law was ordained by God in the hands of angels. It had been the true religion for 4,000 years. It was very difficult for the Jewish believers (as it is with many today) to realize that the whole Mosaic system was typical and, therefore, transitory. Thus, the issue was not merely over circumcision, but over the whole legal system. Are Christians obliged to keep Moses law, or are they free from it? This was the question that divided the church in those early days. Though the Apostles unanimously settled the question, it still divides the church of Christ. There are still those who insist upon bringing the free men in Christ under the bondage and servitude of Moses’ law. It is regrettable and dangerous to the souls of men that many who profess to believe and preach the free and sovereign grace of God, like the work-mongers of old, try to put God’s saints back under the terrifying, galling yoke of legal bondage. Let us beware lest we become entangled again with the law (Colossians 2:8). There is no life in the law. Christ only has life. “In him is life,” and nowhere else. May our lips, our hearts, and our doctrine, never cease to declare… Free from the law, O happy condition, Jesus hath bled, And there is remission; Cursed by the law, And bruised by the fall, Grace hath redeemed us, once for all. Now are we free, There is no condemnation, Jesus provides a perfect salvation, Come unto me, O hear His sweet call. Come and He saves us, once for all. Paul went up to Jerusalem, not to get instruction or authority from the other Apostles, but to settle once for all this question of law verses liberty, to show to all the world that he and all the other Apostles were in agreement in this matter of free-grace, and that no place is to be given to the law as far as the Christian is concerned. Peter, James, John, and Paul all agreed upon the doctrine of the gospel. Their message was salvation by the righteousness of Christ, without anything done by man. Grace alone is the believer’s motive in life. Christ alone is the Accomplisher of redemption, justification, and sanctification (1 Corinthians 1:30; Hebrews 10:10-14). Faith alone is the means by which we receive, embrace, and enjoy all the blessings of grace. In Galatians 2:1-10 the Holy Spirit gives us an inspired commentary, explaining what happened at the Jerusalem conference in Acts 15. Direct Revelation(Galatians 2:1-2) “Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also. And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.” Paul went up to Jerusalem by the direct revelation of God. This was apparently Paul’s third visit to Jerusalem, (He for some reason saw fit not to mention the second one recorded by Luke in Acts 1:30), which took place fourteen years after his first visit there. So this trip to Jerusalem took place seventeen years after Paul’s conversion. He was now a seasoned, prudent, powerful, and confirmed Apostle. Why was it necessary for him to go to Jerusalem? It was not because he had questions concerning the doctrines he had taught. Neither was it needful for him to have his apostleship confirmed. Paul went to Jerusalem specifically to settle the division that the Judaizers had caused in the church over this matter of the law. He went there to show that he and the other Apostles taught the same doctrine. Barnabas, his co-laborer, was his travelling companion. His name means “son of exhortation,” or “son of comfort.” It was given to him by the Apostles, probably as a description of the pre-eminent character of his ministry. He was a good man, full of the Holy Ghost and faith (Acts 11:24). Titus, another of Paul’s co-laborers (one who had been converted under Paul’s ministry), also made the trip with him. Titus was an uncircumcised, Gentile convert. Like Paul himself, both of these men were proven, faithful gospel preachers. Paul was sent to Jerusalem by God’s direct revelation (Galatians 2:2). We should always seek the direction of God’s Spirit, by the Revelation he has given us in Holy Scripture, in all matters. This is especially true when dealing with spiritual, doctrinal, ecclesiastical matters. The Lord God directs us in his will and in his way by his Spirit, through his Word, by his providence, and through his church. Paul was sent to Jerusalem by divine revelation. Yet, he was sent by the church at Antioch (Acts 15:2-3). Doctrinal Confession(Galatians 2:2-5) “And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain. But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.” Paul carefully, frankly, and fully explained his doctrine to the chief apostles at Jerusalem, James, Peter, and John. First, he wisely and properly sought the Apostles and elders of the church. He sought those who were of reputation. What was their reputation? They were held in reputation by the brethren as faithful gospel preachers. Paul sought out these men, first because that is the proper thing to do in such matters, giving honor to those to whom honor is due. Anytime a man has a matter of controversy to lay before an assembly, he should discuss it with the pastor of that assembly. Then, he declared to them his gospel and the success of his labors in the cause of Christ. “And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them” (Acts 15:4). He declared his message and declared that the power of God had accompanied the gospel he preached to the conversion of chosen, redeemed sinners wherever the Lord had sent him (Romans 1:16-17; 2 Corinthians 2:15-17). After speaking privately to the other Apostles, elders, and preachers, Paul declared these things publicly to the Jerusalem church. He acted as he did in this matter so that his mission might not be in vain. If he had gone directly to the church, he might have caused greater division. Both his intention and his message may have been misunderstood. One great evidence of the fact that Paul and those who were in Christ before him were in full agreement is the fact the other apostles did not compel, or even suggest, that Titus be circumcised. Paul allowed Timothy, who was part Jew, to be circumcised later; but he did so not to cause offence, not because of doctrinal compulsion (Acts 16:3; 1 Corinthians 10:28-31). Still, there was a sharp confrontation between these faithful men and some false brethren who had come in under false pretense to spy out the liberty of God’s saints, seeking an accusation against them (4-5). It was the presence of these men that caused Paul to make an issue of the fact that Titus was not circumcised and would not be circumcised (Acts 15:5; Jude 1:4). In matters of faith, for the gospel’s sake, for the glory of Christ, and for the everlasting good of eternity bound sinners, faithful men must not give an inch. Henry Mahan recently wrote… “Contending for the truth against the errors of modern religion is the duty of God’s servants. I hope our spirit is one of genuine love to all the chosen of God; but today’s rule of charity which requires us to keep silent on certain points in order to avoid controversy, I utterly despise. It is treason to the Lord Jesus to be silent on any point where He has spoken and the honor of His Gospel is concerned. It is easy on the flesh to deal in generalities, to denounce hyper-this or hyper-that, and to claim to be a friend to all; but it is required of the loyal servant of King Jesus to maintain His crown-rights and to stand up for His Gospel of Glory and Grace.” Gospel Unity(Galatians 2:6-9) “But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man’s person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me: But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:) And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.” Paul and his brethren at Jerusalem (not the false brethren) believed the same gospel. He tells us in Ephesians that as there is but one God, so there is but one faith. All who have God given faith in Christ have the same faith. They are all united in the faith of the gospel. All true believers believe the same gospel, the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ. Galatians 2:6 must not be read as a statement of sarcasm. It is a recognition of the esteem which these men had earned in the eyes of God’s church. Gospel preachers should always be held in high esteem of those among whom they labor (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; Hebrews 13:17). Our God is no respector of persons. He does not receive or use any man because of any natural qualities found in him. Rather, he saves sinners freely, without condition.

And, commonly, those he is pleased to use in the work of the ministry are those who are least qualified for the work by nature (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). Paul was, in every way, equal with these men by virtue of his calling, and he knew it. The same is true of all to whom the Lord God has entrusted the gospel of his grace. God’s servants are nothing but clay pots, in whom the Lord God has placed the great treasure of his gospel; and they all know it (2 Corinthians 4:7). The faithful men at Jerusalem gave Paul the same honor and recognition he gave them, embracing him as God’s messenger to the Gentiles. They saw that God had entrusted Paul with the gospel for the salvation of his elect among the Gentiles, just as he had entrusted Peter with it for the salvation of his elect among the Jews. Paul had a stewardship of the gospel committed to him to go to the Gentiles (2 Cor. 9:17; 1 Thessalonians 2:4; 1 Timothy 1:11-12; Ephesians 3:8). Peter had a stewardship of the gospel committed to him to go to the Jews. The same gospel was committed to both; and both were faithful to it. Both were faithful and both were honored by God in their labors as the instruments by which the gospel was spread both among the Jews and the Gentiles.

That which is essential for any service in the kingdom of God is trustworthiness (Matthew 25:21; 2 Corinthians 4:2). It is by the mercy and grace of God that his servants are made trustworthy (1 Corinthians 7:25; 2 Corinthians 4:1), and continue so (Acts 26:22) unto the end (Acts 20:24, 2 Timothy 4:7). Paul and Barnabas were received into the fellowship of the Apostles as co-laborers in the gospel. Fellowship is a general term expressing the common experiences, interests, goals, and hopes of God’s saints. The basis of fellowship is the gospel of Christ (1 John 1:3-7). There is no fellowship where there is no gospel unity. The fact that the Apostles received Paul and Barnabas into their fellowship publicly put their stamp of approval upon them and declared to all the church that they were all co-laborers in the kingdom of God. One Concern (Galatians 2:10) “Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.” Peter, James, and John were delighted to embrace Paul. They expressed concern only about one thing. They said nothing about the Mosaic commandments, ceremonies, and rituals, because they knew that God’s saints are not under the law, but under grace. They only urged Paul and Barnabas to always remember and minister to the poor. That is a tremendous fact. Those servants of God had been involved in matters of great importance—the purity of the gospel!

Nothing could be more important. But the purity of the gospel would be empty and meaningless were it preached by men who were without compassion. So Peter, James, and John urged Paul and Barnabas to remember the poor in all their labors. That they were eager to do. The exercise of love, compassion, sympathy, and tenderness toward those who are most likely to be the objects of abuse is always in season and always both the duty and the delight of poor sinners who have tasted God’s rich grace in Christ (Exodus 23:10-11; Exodus 30:15, Leviticus 19:10, Deuteronomy 15:7-11; Jeremiah 22:16, Daniel 4:27, Amos 2:6-7; Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:36; John 13:29; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Matthew 25:31-40). In the Word of God grace, righteousness, godliness, and good works are always associated with love, kindness, and mercy.

This is the law by which the people of God are ruled and motivated (1 John 2:23).

Galatians 2:11-19

Chapter 6 Free Justification Galatians 2:11-19 We now approach the heart of this epistle, which, concise as it is, may be regarded as the keystone of the New Testament, for it most conspicuously sets forth and defends the Biblical answer to the fundamental question, “How shall a man be justified before God?” The entire scope of Divine Revelation focuses on the answer: This gives Paul’s reproof of Peter at Antioch very high significance. No issue could be more vital, for on it was suspended the survival or the shipwreck of the early church. Paul was the man of the hour, specifically raised up by God to meet the Galatian crisis. As in the case of Joseph, of Moses, of Samuel, of David, of Elijah, and of Daniel, the crisis depended upon the work of one, one man called, gifted, equipped, and sent of God to meet the need of his church at this crucial time. That man was Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles. God has little use for committees and corporations. His greatest works in the history of mankind have been wrought by single men, men single eyed and strong in the Holy Spirit for the cause of truth. God “called Abraham alone and blessed him.” So Paul was called alone.

No capital was behind him; no society, or party was behind him; no religious order was behind him. Even Barnabas had deserted his cause. Like Luther, and Calvin, and Knox, he stood alone in the time of great urgency. What was it that Paul so boldly and singularly stood for on this occasion? —Justification by Christ alone. Christ and Christ only, as over against and in sharpest contrast to everything outside of Christ and/or in addition to Christ for the justification of guilty sinners, was Paul’s subject. Any other message is another gospel. It was either Christ or nothing. He is all in all in the matter of salvation. There is no such thing as Christ doing his part to save us and us doing our part. We have no part except that of a poor beggar, who empty-handed receives a gratuitous gift of mercy and compassion. In the verses before us Paul continues to prove the essential independence, both of his gospel and of his apostolic position. That gospel which had been so enthusiastically endorsed by those “pillars” at Jerusalem was, when necessity demanded, asserted even in confrontation with one of those “men of repute.” This episode in which Paul reproved Peter may well have occurred during the interval between the Jerusalem conference and the beginning of the second missionary journey. We are told in the book of Acts that it was then that Paul and Barnabas stayed for some time in Antioch. Sinners are justified before God freely, by grace alone, upon the merits of Christ’s blood, apart from anything done by them; and they receive this free-justification by faith. This was Paul’s message. This is the message of the gospel (Romans 3:19-26). This is the doctrine of all true believers. Peter’s Error"But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?" (Galatians 2:11-14) We are not told why Peter visited Antioch at this time; but that is not important. The important fact is that Peter committed an error of conduct so serious that Paul felt constrained to oppose him to his face. Paul did not go about as a whisperer, backbiter, or talebearer. He withstood Peter to his face as a brother trying to correct the error of another brother. He handled the matter publicly, because Peter’s action was public and caused great public harm. This event does not, in any way, suggest that those things Peter wrote under divine inspiration are lacking in authority, infallibility, and inerrancy. The Word of God nowhere teaches that the men who were used of God to pen the Scriptures were infallible. They were not. They were, like all other believers, sinners saved by grace. The Scriptures they penned are infallible, but not them. However, this single event does completely destroy the Roman Catholic doctrine of the infallibility and supremacy of Peter, and of the pope as Peter’s imagined successor. Peter was to be blamed. His conduct was totally inexcusable. His behavior was to be condemned. Why? Before the Jews came to Antioch, he had been eating with his Gentile brethren. The reference here is probably to the fellowship meals, or love feasts of the early Christians. It appears that the Lord’s Supper was usually held at the conclusion of these feasts. There were many abuses to which such social meals could lead, as is pointed out in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. In Corinth there was a segregation according to wealth, the rich separating from the poor. In Antioch the segregation that occurred was of an ethnic character, the Jewish brethren separated from their Gentile brothers in Christ. Peter knew that the distinction of meats was now laid aside, as well as the distinction of Jew and Gentile, and that nothing, meats or men, was common or unclean of itself (Acts 10:28-48; Acts 15:8-11). The Lord had taught him plainly that we are not under the law, but under grace in this gospel age, because Christ has fulfilled the law. He knew that even Jewish believers were no longer obliged to keep the law. Certainly, then the Gentiles, who were never given the law, were not obliged to keep the law. In spite of Peter’s clear understanding of these things, when some men came from the church at Jerusalem, of which James was the pastor, Peter ceased to eat with the Gentiles, who were also believers. It may seem to some that Peter did nothing so terribly wrong. After all, all he did was this: When he saw his Jewish friends coming, Peter simply got up from the table and stepped away from the Gentile brethren, hoping that none of the Jewish brethren would smell the pork chops on his breath. But his action was horrible in its implication. Behaving as he did, Peter hypocritically implied that there is still a distinction between meat and drinks, clean and unclean, and between Jew and Gentile. He acted out of cowardice, fearing the wrath of the Jews (The wrath of Jewish believers!). When Peter got up from the table and walked away from the Gentile brethren, though he apparently said nothing orally, he spoke loudly by example and led others in his error, even Barnabas (Galatians 2:13). Lessons There are some obvious lessons we ought to learn from this. First, the Word of God shows us again and again that the best of men are only men at best, sinful, weak, inconsistent, and full of faults. When left to ourselves, even briefly, there is nothing we would not do and justify ourselves in doing. A noble Noah may be found in a drunken stupor. A faithful Abraham may be found asking his wife to lie and play the harlot because of fear. A righteous Lot may be found choosing to dwell in Sodom.

A devoted David may be found committing adultery and murder to cover it. Peter was no exception. Neither is the one writing or the one reading these lines. Let us ever recognize this fact. It will help to make us behave graciously toward our fallen brethren and help to keep us from being severe in our judgment concerning one another. Second, we need to be aware of the fact that if we seek to please men, we will fail in obedience to our God (Proverbs 29:25). It is impossible to serve two masters. If we are ruled by the will and glory of God, we cannot be ruled by either the fear of men’s frowns or the hope of their favor. If we are ruled by the fear of men, we cannot be ruled by the fear of God. Third, we must constantly be aware of the great influence of our behavior upon others. The common proverb, “Actions speak louder than words,” is as true as it is common. We are responsible for the influence we have upon others by our example. None of us, I am confident, have any idea how powerful our example is in its influence over others, especially when the example is evil. Parents, teachers, and pastors must be constantly aware of this fact. None of us live as an island.

Everything we do influences those around us. The world’s politicians, for the most part, have forgotten this, and have by their displays of greed and moral bankruptcy led the people under their power to lives of utter debauchery. Sadly, I fear, the same must be said of parents, teachers, and preachers around the world in this dark, dark age. Let all who fear God mark the trend of the day and resolve to lead all who are influenced by us by example as well as by word, for Christ’s sake. Paul’s Rebuke Paul saw immediately what Peter was doing. And saw that his implications were intentional. His implications were that the law is still the rule of life for believers and that God’s saints are to be compelled to live by it (Galatians 2:14). This was totally contrary to the true gospel of the grace of God (Romans 6:14-15; Romans 7:4; Romans 10:4; Colossians 2:16-23). There is no room in the kingdom of grace for the bondmen of the law. There is no place in the household of faith for the whip of the law.

Believers are motivated and ruled by the constraint of Christ’s love, gratitude for his grace, faith in Christ, and the glory of God (2 Corinthians 5:14; 2 Corinthians 8:8-9; 1 John 3:23; 1 Corinthians 10:31). In the gospel there are no prohibitions about eating and drinking (1 Timothy 4:4-5). In the church of God there is no such thing as Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 2:13-22; Galatians 3:28). Peter had lived like the Gentiles; but now he was, by his action, saying that the Gentiles should live like the Jews. This was inconsistent and obvious to all. Therefore Paul rebuked him publicly (1 Timothy 5:20). Gospel Doctrine Matthew Henry wrote, “Paul having thus established his character and office, and sufficiently shown that he is not inferior to any of the apostles, no, not to Peter himself, from the account of the reproof he gave him he takes occasion to speak of that great fundamental doctrine of the gospel – that justification is only by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law.”“We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. 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. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.” (Galatians 2:15-19) The verb “justify” is in the passive voice, thus, literally, it is “to be justified.” It occurs here for the first time in Paul’s epistles, and no less than three times in one verse (Galatians 2:16). Justification is not something we do. It is something done for us and given to us freely. It is the gracious act of God, whereby, on the basis solely of Christ’s accomplished mediatorial work, he declares the sinner just. The work was done by the decree of God in eternity (Romans 8:29-30). Yes, all God’s elect were in the purpose of God justified from eternity, by the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world.

Our justification was obtained by Christ when he died at Calvary as our Substitute. He was delivered unto death by the sword of divine justice because of our sins imputed to him, and raised again by the glory of God because of our justification accomplished by his sacrifice (Romans 4:25). Faith in Christ does not accomplish justification, but receives it as the free grace gift of God (Romans 5:1; Romans 5:10-11; Romans 8:1; Romans 8:30; Romans 8:33; Titus 3:7). Faith in Christ is not a condition upon which justification is granted, but one of the many, blessed fruits of justification accomplished. It is not our faith that justifies us, but Christ who is the Object of our faith. Justification is a judicial act of God. It does not come as the result of man’s effort (Romans 3:20; Romans 3:28; Galatians 3:11; Galatians 5:4). It is not even the result of faith (Ephesians 2:8). It took place when Christ satisfied the demands of the law as a Substitute for his elect (Romans 3:24; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 1:7). Man can never earn it. He only receives it by faith. And even the faith by which we receive it is the gift of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8). “Man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ.” Because we are justified by Christ alone, (by the faithful obedience of Christ unto death as our Substitute), we have no obligation to the law. We are dead to the law. This is not a license to sin (17; Romans 6:1-2; Romans 6:15; Romans 7:7). It is the blessed liberty of grace. We dare not return to the law, as Peter did by his abhorrent symbolic behavior. To do so is to return to its curse and condemnation (Galatians 2:18). The law of God can never give life. It only deals out death. It can never produce holiness. It only stirs up sin. The law brings the knowledge of sin, and condemns it (Romans 7:7-9). The law was our schoolmaster unto Christ. Once we have come to Christ in faith, the law has no power or authority over us (Galatians 3:24). I have a very good friend in North Carolina, Robert Spencer. He and I became good friends just a few years ago, after I ran into him and his wife (Lib) in an elevator. He was then President of the International Lions Club, on his way to one of their meetings. I was on my way to fulfill a preaching engagement in the same town. I had known Bob many years earlier as “Mr. Spencer.” He was my sixth grade school teacher.

I was a young rebel, constantly in trouble. Mr. Spencer, on many occasions, with the complete authority of the State (and of my parents), inflicted pain on my posterior because it was his job to do so, to bring me to maturity. In those days I dreaded his presence and feared his wrath. Now, he is my friend. I look forward to seeing him and always enjoy his presence.

Even if he thought about whipping me today, he would not dare. He no longer has any authority or the power to do so. So it is with the law. Once the sinner has come to Christ, the law has no more dominion over him (Romans 6:14-15; Romans 7:4; Romans 10:4). “I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God” (Galatians 2:19; Romans 6:7; Romans 7:4; 2 Corinthians 5:15). We are not dead to the law that we might live unto ourselves, but unto our God, for his glory. And if we would live unto God, we cannot live unto the law. We must never return to it in any way, to any degree, for any reason; not even to appease and win the favor of weaker brethren, as Peter did at Antioch (Romans 7:1-4). We trust Christ alone for salvation (Romans 10:1-4). He alone is our righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30). To return to the works of the law is to deny him altogether (Galatians 5:1-4). Thy works, not mine, O Christ, Speak gladness to this heart; They tell me all is done; They bid my fear depart. What Jesus is, and that alone, Is faith’s delightful plea; It never deals with sinful self Nor righteous self, in me.

Galatians 2:20

Chapter 7 Christ And Me “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.” (Galatians 2:20) Paul has already shown us that if he were to rebuild those things which he once destroyed, that is, if he were to return to the Pharisaic teaching of salvation by legal works, he would be a transgressor, because he would be acting contrary to his deepest convictions based on his past experience. To this he adds that such action would also destroy the meaning of Christ’s death on the cross. Paul had experienced such faith in Christ crucified as to thoroughly replace any confidence he ever had in human merit. This is the connection of Gal 2:20-21 to the rest of chapter two. Paul introduces his declaration of oneness with Christ by this statement: “I am crucified with Christ.” What a baffling assertion! Here is the great Apostle to the Gentiles, at the love feast at Antioch, addressing an audience, which consisted of both Jewish and Gentile believers. Peter and Barnabas were in the congregation. Undoubtedly some of those false brethren who caused so much dissension over the law of Moses were still there as well. At this meeting place there was a deplorable situation. Strong cliques had developed, and segregation was being practiced.

Jews were eating exclusively with Jews, leaving Gentile believers no other alternative than to eat with other Gentiles. This violation of the principle of the “oneness” of all believers in Christ had been caused by Peter’s dissimulation. He and the Judaizers were behaving as though the cross of Christ had been of no avail in taking down the middle wall of partition between them and the Gentiles (Ephesians 2:11-22). Crucified With Christ With this as the background, Paul declares, “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.” He has asserted clearly and boldly that no man was ever to be justified by his own works, however righteous they may be, but only by Christ. Now he brings his doctrine to its culmination and practical application in these ringing words, “I am crucified with Christ.” Something marvelous had taken place, rendering Paul a justified man, which had an eternally abiding significance. What Paul here declares of himself is true of all God’s elect. All of God’s elect are in such union with Christ that his righteousness, his life, his death, and his resurrection are theirs. Everything our Savior was and is, everything he did and experienced as a man as our Mediator is ours and we have done in him. “I am crucified with Christ”—Obviously, Paul is describing something altogether spiritual. He was not literally, physically crucified with Christ. Christ was crucified for him in his room and stead. He was crucified with him and in him as his Mediator, Surety, Substitute and Representative. Paul is not describing a present experience, but a finished work. This phrase would be better translated—“I have been crucified with Christ.” He is not talking about self-crucifixion. He is not talking about self-mortification. He is not talking about something he had experienced, but about something done for him by Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ was and is forever the Representative of all his people. All that he did and suffered was in their name and on their account. When he obeyed the law of God for us, we obeyed the law in him. When he suffered the unmitigated wrath of God for us and died under the penalty of his holy law, we suffered and died in him, representatively. When he was buried, we were buried. When he arose, we arose. When he took his seat in heaven, we were seated with him (Ephesians 2:5-6). When our Mediator was crucified, all our sins, the whole body of them, were laid upon him. He bore them in his own body on the cursed tree, and bore them away. He destroyed and made an end of them. He put away our sins by the sacrifice of himself (Hebrews 9:26). He has blotted them out, removed them from us as far as the east is from the west, and cast them into the infinitely deep sea of divine forgetfulness, so that they shall never be remembered by our God against us again forever! This was done when Christ died and we died in him. In regeneration (sanctification) we are delivered from the dominion of sin by the grace and power of God the Holy Spirit. By the power and efficacy of Christ’s accomplishments at Calvary, the world is crucified to us and we to the world in the experience of grace. But we were crucified with Christ when Christ was crucified for us. I Live “Nevertheless I live”—This is our present experience of grace. Being born again by the grace of God, having the gift of faith wrought in us by the invincible, irresistible power of his grace, we who were dead in trespasses and in sins live. Every believer is a paradox. He is dead to the law, and yet lives to God. He has been crucified with Christ, and yet lives by Christ. Indeed, the crucified Christ lives in him. “Yet not I”—What does Paul mean by this? He is telling us that he is now a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). He was no longer Saul the blasphemer, the persecutor, and injurious man. He was no longer Saul the Pharisee. He is not telling us that his old nature was gone, or even improved (Romans 7:14-24). Rather, he is telling us that a new man has been created in him by the grace of God; and that new man living in him is Christ. This new life was not something he had obtained by his own efforts, or by his own righteousness. It was the gift and work of God in him (1 John 3:1-9). A new, righteous nature had been created in him by grace. And that new nature implanted in him, that righteousness imparted to him was Christ himself (Colossians 1:27; 2 Peter 1:4). Not Me But Christ “But Christ liveth in me”—Christ is the Author, Giver, and Sustainer of spiritual life; but he is more than that. Christ is our life! He is formed in us. He dwells in us. He is united to us, and we to him. We are “members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.” We are one with him (Ephesians 5:30-32). We who are born of God are so united to him, so thoroughly one with him that his life is our life and our spiritual life is his. It is Christ living in us! “And the life which I now live in the flesh”—Here Paul is speaking of his temporary earthly existence, his physical existence in this world. “I live by the faith of the Son of God”—This is not the faith or faithfulness our Savior exercised as a man while he lived in the earth, but the faith he gives to his elect by the effectual call of his Spirit. It is the faith of which he is both the Author and the Object. This is the faith by which we live in this world. Paul did not say that he lived upon faith in Christ, but “by” it. We do not live before God upon our faith, but upon Christ the Object of our faith, ever looking to him alone for pardon, righteousness, peace, joy, comfort, every supply of grace, and eternal salvation. He who is our Savior, the Object of our faith is “the Son of God.” He is himself God, one with and equal with his Father, the only begotten Son of God, full of grace and truth. Distinguishing Love “Who loved me”—How Paul must have delighted to write those words! He understood that the Lord God his Savior loved him before the foundation of the world with an everlasting, immutable, indestructible love. Let every believing heart be assured of this great, glorious fact. God our Savior loved us from everlasting and loves us freely (Jeremiah 31:3; Hosea 14:4). His love for us is not in any way dependent upon or determined by us. He loves us eternally. And he loves us personally and particularly with a distinguishing love. Let others talk as they may about “God’s universal love.” Such language is both contrary to Holy Scripture and would utterly destroy all inspiration and motivation in us to honor him and live for him. If God’s love for Jacob and his hatred of Esau are made to be the same thing, Jacob has no reason at all to praise, worship, and serve him. But that is not the case. God’s love for his own elect is a particular, special love, a love by which he distinguishes his own elect from all others, a love that inspires the hearts of those who know it to live for him. Particular Redemption “And gave himself for me”—Imagine that. Christ Jesus the Lord, the Son of God gave himself for me! He gave himself into the hands of justice, gave himself unto death, gave himself in my room and stead, as an offering and sacrifice to God for sin to redeem me because he loved me! He gave himself for me freely and voluntarily because of his great love for me. Our Savior gave his life a ransom for many. He died to redeem and save all his people, for his whole church, all the members of his mystical body. That is a blessed fact of divine Revelation. Yet, Paul speaks of this matter as singularly respecting himself, almost as if he was the only person Christ loved and redeemed. It was Christ’s love for him, Christ’s death for him that overwhelmed him. Faith does not deal with indefinite ambiguities, but with blessed, personal realities (Ephesians 1:13-14). As John Gill put it, “Faith deals with Christ not in a general way, as the Savior of the world, but with a special regard to a man’s self: this is the life of faith; and these considerations of the person, love, and grace of Christ, animate and encourage faith in its exercises on him.” One With Christ “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.” Here is man, but here is the Son of God as well, and the two personalities are singularly interwoven. Christ and the believer are one! As we are naturally one with Adam, as he is our representative in the Covenant of Works, so we are one with Christ as he is our Representative in the Covenant of Grace. How can this be? (Romans 5:18-19). Paul says, “I am crucified with Christ.” He means by this that we are one with Christ. “As in the womb, head and members are not conceived apart, but together, as having relation to each other; so were we and Christ (as making up one mystical body to God) formed together in the eternal womb of election” (Thomas Goodwin).“Lord Jesus, are we one with Thee? O height, O depth of love! Thou one with us on Calvary, We are with Thee above. Such was Thy grace, that for our sake Thou didst from heaven come down, With us of flesh and blood partake, In all our misery, one. Our sins, our guilt, in love divine, Confessed and borne by Thee; The gall, the curse, the wrath, were Thine, To set Thy members free. Ascended now in glory bright, Still one with us Thou art; Nor life, nor death, nor depth, nor height Thy saints and Thee can part. O teach us, Lord, to know and own This wondrous mystery, That Thou with us art truly one, And we are one with Thee. Soon, soon, shall come that glorious day, When seated on Thy throne, Thou shalt to wondering world’s display That Thou art with us one.” We have such a union with Christ that when he died, we actually died in him, thus God’s wrath was satisfied (Isaiah 53:4-6; Isaiah 53:8; Isaiah 53:12; Matthew 20:28; Galatians 1:4; Galatians 3:13). Our union to Christ is such that when he was quickened from the dead, we were made alive in him (Ephesians 2:3; Ephesians 2:5-6; Colossians 2:12-14; Colossians 3:1; Romans 8:1; Romans 8:33-39). Because we are one with him, living in him, we shall never die (John 10:28; John 11:25-26).

Galatians 2:21

Chapter 8 “I Do Not Frustrate The Grace Of God” “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” (Galatians 2:21) Why was Paul so dogmatic and bold in publicly withstanding Peter when Peter led the division of the church at Antioch, when he caused the Jewish believers, and even Barnabas, to separate themselves from their Gentile brethren? The answer to that question is found here in Galatians 2:21. Peter’s actions were a frustration of the grace of God. That is to say, Peter (by his actions) led these believers back to the law as the basis of acceptance with God. Therefore Paul writes, “I do not frustrate the grace of God.” The word translated “frustrate” means to “cast away, deny, despise, reject, and make void.” He here asserts that any and every assertion that salvation is the result of something men do is to cast away, deny, despise, reject, and make void the grace of God. It is a frustration of the grace of God the Son revealed in the sacrifice of himself for our sins. The teaching that salvation is in any way, or to any degree, the result of human effort is a denial of the whole gospel (Galatians 5:1-4). It is a frustration of the gospel of the grace of God, because such doctrine declares that righteousness comes by the law rather than by Christ alone. Those who make righteousness (justifying righteousness and/or sanctifying righteousness) dependent upon the works of men have denied, despised, rejected, made null and void, made the gospel of the grace of God to be in vain, and have departed from it altogether. “For if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” There was no need for the Son of God to die, if righteousness can be obtained in some other way. Nothing can be more contemptuous of our God and Savior than to assert that there was no reason for him to die. Such doctrine is monstrous. It asserts that God slaughtered his Son for no reason. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. The Holy Spirit tells us plainly that the reason it was necessary for Christ to die was precisely because righteousness could not come to poor sinner like us, except by the substitutionary sacrifice of God’s dear Son (Romans 3:24-28). Only in this way can God be both just and the Justifier of his people. He could not be both a just God and a Savior (Isaiah 45:20) in any other way. It is beyond monstrous to imagine that the infinitely wise, good, and just God would sacrifice his darling Son were there no necessity for it. Criminal Doctrine That makes the doctrine of salvation by works a criminal doctrine. It was for this reason that Paul was determined to give it no place. He boldly opposed everything that bore any resemblance to salvation by human merit. Therefore, when Peter sided with the Judaizers at Antioch, and seemed to teach that the Gentile believers must live by the law, he publicly withstood him to the face. The gospel of Christ is a declaration of salvation by grace, the good news of salvation accomplished by the obedience of God’s Son unto death as the sinner’s Substitute. Paul vehemently opposed every idea that the keeping of the law could merit God’s favor. He asserted dogmatically, clearly, and constantly that men are not saved by works in any degree, but entirely by the grace of God. “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” God has “saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” Grace means grace, and grace alone. Any mixture of works with grace is a complete denial of grace (Romans 11:6). To teach, as multitudes do, that salvation can be obtained by anything apart from the sacrifice of Christ, or by anything placed in connection with the sacrifice of Christ, done by man; is to frustrate the grace of God and say that Christ died in vain There is no evil in the world so vile, so blasphemous, so destructive to the souls of men as the doctrine of salvation by human effort. Martin Luther declared, “This is blasphemy more horrible than can be expressed.” Nothing robs God of his glory as God like Arminian, free-will, works religion. Yet, there is no evil more common among men. Inevitable Consequences Paul asserts that there are certain, inevitable consequences to the doctrine of salvation by works. He specifically names two: (1.) If righteousness comes by the law, then the grace of God is cast away. And (2.) If righteousness comes by the law, then Christ died in vain. All who hope to be saved by their own efforts reject the grace and free favor of God. They regard God’s grace as useless and frustrate it, cast it behind their backs, and trample it beneath their feet. If righteousness comes by the law then there is no need for grace. If keeping the law will win God’s favor, we do not need his grace. Paul has specifically spoken of the legal ceremony of circumcision; but that ceremony is used only as an expression of legal obedience. This becomes obvious when we read what he says in the tenth verse of chapter three. —“As many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” Many would have us believe that Paul’s assertions concerning the law and the believer’s freedom from it only apply to the ceremonial law, and only apply to the attempts of men to be justified by their obedience to the law. They insist that, though justifying righteousness cannot be gained by our obedience to the law, sanctifying righteousness is. But Paul moves from justifying righteousness to sanctifying righteousness in chapter three. —“O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:1-3). It is in this context that he asserts that all who attempt to live before God upon the basis of their obedience to the law are damned (Galatians 3:10). The fact is, Christ is made of God unto his elect “wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). We have no other righteousness but Christ. He is both our justification and our sanctification (Hebrews 10:10-14). He is the whole of our acceptance with the Father (Ephesians 1:6). To make our obedience to the law the basis of our righteousness, either for justification or for sanctification, is not only a frustration of the grace of God, it is also a frustration of the law of God. Those who teach that we make ourselves righteous, or make ourselves more righteous, by our obedience to the law bend the demands of the law to accommodate our weakness and sin, asserting that though the law is holy it can be satisfied by our unholy attempts to keep it.

If righteousness cannot be gained by our obedience to God’s law, it is certain that righteousness cannot be gained by the religious deeds and ceremonies men perform. The performance of penances, no matter how sincerely done, can never give a sinner acceptance with God. Righteousness cannot be gained by the waters of baptism, by taking the Lord’s Supper, or by any other religious ritual or deed. When Paul speaks of legal righteousness, he is talking about works righteousness of any kind. All teaching of works righteousness cast aside and frustrates the grace of God. Any mixture of works with grace is the total denial of grace (Romans 11:6). You cannot trust Christ and yourself. Those who would mix works and grace would seldom say, “I am saved by my own works.” Yet, in reality, that is exactly what they believe. Ask them about the grounds of their assurance.

They will always bring up their works. Ask them about the basis of their comfort. They will always bring up their works. Ask them about the their eternal reward in heaven. They will always bring up their works. Why?

They trust in themselves that they are righteous (Luke 18:9). —“For they, being ignorant of God’s righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” They just do not understand that “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth” (Romans 10:3-4). Dead In Vain The second inevitable consequence of works religion is the horrible, blasphemous assertion that Christ died in vain, that the Son of God died for nothing, that his blood is useless. There are many ways in which this blasphemy is asserted by workmongers. Some assert that man is not totally depraved. If man is not totally depraved, he does not need a Savior. Others assert that Christ’s death as the sinner’s Substitute was neither sufficient nor effectual. Let it be stated in whatever pretty phrases men may invent, the doctrine that the Son of God did not actually put away the sins of his people by the sacrifice of himself (Hebrews 9:26), did not actually obtain eternal redemption for God’s elect when he died (Hebrews 9:12), did not actually redeem and justify his people, did not actually bring in everlasting righteousness and make an end of sin, but only made these things possible, frustrate the grace of God, trample under foot the blood of Christ, and do despite to the Spirit of God (Hebrews 10:29). They do so by making the blood of Christ “an unholy” (that is a common) thing. Such blasphemy makes the efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice to depend entirely upon the will of the sinner. That is what the Holy Spirit calls the basest form of idolatry—“will-worship” (Colossians 2:23). It is the worship of one’s own will, trusting one’s own will, rather than trusting and worshipping the Son of God. Did not our Savior cry, “It is finished”? Did he not seal the covenant with his blood? Did not the Father accept his sacrifice? The doctrine of justification by works is sin and blasphemy against all three Persons of the Sacred Trinity. It blasphemes God the Father, asserting that he sacrificed his Son in vain for no cause. It blasphemes God the Son. It is the very denial of his deity and of him being Jehovah’s righteous Servant, asserting that he failed in his mission (Isaiah 42:4), that he shall never see the travail of his soul with satisfaction (Isaiah 53:11), and that he really finished nothing when he died at Calvary (John 19:30). And it blasphemes God the Holy Spirit, asserting that he bears false witness of Christ, when he convinces sinners of their sin, Christ’s finished work of righteousness, and judgment finished (justice satisfied) by his death (John 16:8-11). Cherished Heresy The doctrine of salvation by works gives no hope to sinners and would silence the praises of the saints in heaven. Yet, it is a very popular doctrine, accepted and promoted by all false religion. It is a cherished heresy. The reason is obvious. —It sets aside the glory of God and makes room for the sinner to boast. “Every religion except one,” Augustus Toplady wrote, “puts you upon doing something in order to recommend yourself to God…It is the business of all false religion to patch up a righteousness in which the sinner is to stand before God. But it is the business of the glorious gospel to bring near to us, by the hand of the Holy Spirit, a righteousness ready wrought, a robe of perfection ready made, wherein God’s people, to all the purposes of justification and happiness, stand perfect and without fault before the throne.” The sinner’s only hope before God is God’s free, sovereign, effectual, irresistible grace in Christ, grace flowing freely to us through the effectual, accepted, sin-atoning blood of Christ. Grace, ‘tis a charming sound, Harmonious to mine ear. Heaven with the echo shall resound, And all the earth shall hear. Grace first contrived the way To save rebellious man; And all the steps that grace display Which drew the wondrous plan. Grace first inscribed my name In God’s eternal book; Twas grace that gave me to the Lamb Who all my sorrows took. Grace led my roving feet To tread the heavenly road; And new supplies each hour I meet, While pressing on to God. Grace all the work shall crown, Through everlasting days; It lays in heaven the topmost stone, And well deserves the praise. In this wonderful, glorious thing called “salvation,” “Christ is all!” He opened the gates of heaven and shut the gates of hell for all his people, when he entered once into the holy place with his own blood and obtained eternal redemption for us. He is all our Wisdom, all our Righteousness, all our Sanctification, and all our Redemption. The grace of God can never be frustrated, made void, or nullified (Job 23:13; Psalms 33:11; Proverbs 19:21; Isaiah 46:10; Hebrews 6:17). The Lord Jesus Christ did not die in vain (Isaiah 53:11). All for whom he shed his blood at Calvary shall be seated with him in glory.