WE ARE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH ALONE
- Key Verse
- "Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified." (Galatians 2:16)
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Central Truth
The question being debated was: Does salvation come through Christ alone, or does it come through Christ and adherence to the law? The answer is: We are justified by faith alone!
Reflections
The population of Antioch in Syria was largely Greek. The city became the headquarters for the Gentile church and was Paul's base of operations. Peter came for a visit, and Paul let him know he (Paul) disapproved of some of Peter's actions. The Judaizers accused Paul of allowing Gentile converts to ignore the law so that he would be more popular with them. Paul, in turn, accused the Judaizers of nullifying the power of Jesus' sacrifice by adding conditions for salvation.We may be tempted to look at a person's actions and compare them to the actions of other believers, or unbelievers, intending to discern the status of their salvation. If we do, we arrogantly lessen Christ's perfect work on the cross and His resurrection.
Do not think that when Paul says, "[W]e may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law . . . " (Gal 2:16b NIV), that he is deprecating the law itself either. On the contrary, in Romans 7:12, he says that God's law is "holy, righteous and good." Rather, he is pointing out that observing the law is not the grounds for your justification, for your acceptance by God.
Finally, in verse 21 Paul says, "[I]f righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" (Gal 2:21b)
Discussion Questions
- As Christians today, few of us are concerned with keeping the Jewish laws. Outsiders and legalists, however, may feel that Christians have additional requirements that they must meet in order to gain approval. Can you name some of these?
- In the U.S. we admire self-made people who have achieved success through their own efforts, who have earned their position in life. How do you feel about such people?
- How does this feeling affect your response to the concept of grace (unmerited favor)?
Comments
The views expressed under “Comments” are solely
those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Grace Community Church.
Ray Wall
February 24, 2010 07:32 AM
Jim, thanks for your thought provoking questions and devotional. It is amazing how we let things other than faith slip into our thoughts.
Tera
February 24, 2010 10:45 AM
Many times we as christians are held by others to a moral standard that we can not achieve. Rules and guidelines developed by non-christians as to what we should be "like" really seem to seek to create disparity and negativity where there is none. By continuing to focus on the fact that we are "justified by faith alone" we can keep the focus on Christ and his sacrifice, not on how we are perceived in order to gain approval. Thanks be to god for his grace! Without it, where would we be? What a wonderful devotional Jim, your insight was really appreciated!
Susan Miner
March 1, 2010 03:28 PM
Good job, Jim. I like especially that you pointed out we might sometimes try to discern the status of someone's salvation by comparing them to others. Not a good thing. It's not good for us to compare ourselves to others either. I need to remember that.