“3 Key Points from Galatians 2:16: Faith, Fulfillment, and Justification”

 

‘knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.’

Galatians 2:16

 

1. Justification

Galatians 2:16 states that a person is justified, or declared righteous, not by following the law of Moses, but through faith alone in the gospel of grace alone (the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ).

This is supported by Galatians 2:21, which says, “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”

2. Fulfillment

The verse also teaches that the law has been fulfilled in Christ (the death, burial, and resurrection) and that people are no longer bound to follow the law in order to be saved.

This is supported by Romans 10:4, which says, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”

3. Faith

Finally, Galatians 2:16 teaches that people are justified by faith alone in the finished work of the cross alone and not by their own works or efforts.

This is supported by Ephesians 2:8-9, which says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

 

Understand Context and You Understand the Passage

Galatians chapter 2, was written by the apostle Paul. The letter was written to the churches in Galatia, which were located in the region of modern-day central Turkey. The letter was likely written in the mid to late 50s AD, around the same time as Paul’s other letters to the churches in Corinth and Rome.

The letter was written in the context of a controversy between the Jerusalem Church (the gospel of the kingdom believers) and Paul’s Gentile congregations (the gospel of the grace of God believers) in Galatia regarding the role of the law of Moses in salvation (Acts 15:1-5).

Members of the Jerusalem Church in Judea, under the leadership of Peter, James, and John, dispatched spies (Galatians 2:4) into the congregations of the apostle Paul with the message that Gentile converts were required to observe the law, including circumcision, in order to be saved. Paul, on the other hand, contended that justification, or being declared righteous, resulted solely from faith in the completed work of the cross and not from the law or temple worship.

 

Paul’s Gospel Wins

Paul and the leaders of the Jerusalem Church (Peter, James, and John) reached a resolution on the issue. Paul writes that he and Barnabas were “entrusted with the gospel of grace to the uncircumcised (the Gentiles),” while Peter and the other leaders were “entrusted with the gospel of grace to the circumcised (the Jews).” In Galatians 2:2–9, the Holy Spirit reveals that the two groups were given different responsibilities with regard to evangelism and spreading the newly revealed gospel of grace given to Paul. This newly revealed gospel teaches that both Jews and Gentiles can be saved by faith alone in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, apart from keeping the law, circumcision, and temple worship.

This division of responsibilities is also mentioned in Romans 15:8, which says, “For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs.” And in Romans 15:15-16, Paul writes, “Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God, that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”

The letter of Galatians is part of a larger collection of letters known as the Pauline Epistles, which also includes letters to the Romans, Corinthians, Ephesians, and others. The book of Galatians is thought to have been written after Paul’s first missionary journey, during which he established churches in the region of Galatia, and before his second missionary journey, which is described in the book of Acts.”

 

Truth Over Tradition