17“If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! 18If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker. 19For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
On the surface, it is hard to follow Paul’s argument here. I had to read it several times to try to sort it out in my mind. To understand it, you have to know the context. Paul’s words come right after his public rebuke of Peter.
Here’s the story…Peter comes to the church in Antioch where Paul and Barnabas are ministering. He sees all these new Gentile believers. He is excited about how the gospel has impacted so many Gentiles and he freely eats with and fellowships with these new Gentile believers. Then some of Peter’s more conservative Jewish friends arrive in Antioch. These Jewish “believers” are convinced that Gentiles need to become Jews first in order to be truly saved. They are not going to eat with “Gentile sinners” until they become Jewish in nature. Peter feels awkward and embarrassed to hang around the Gentile believers while these Jewish friends are around. He pulls away and reverts back to his conservative, separatist ways. Paul rebukes Peter for his duplicity and his cowardice. “If Gentiles are saved by faith alone, and not by following Jewish laws, then act like it, Peter!”
Ever had something like that happen? Someone is buddy-buddy with you until another set of friends shows up and then they pull away from you to “save face.” It is a cowardly move to begin with…but in this case it was worse because it was also an affront to the gospel of grace. And Peter’s actions, as a leader in the early church, had enormous ramifications.
With that story in mind, in verses 17-21, Paul deals with a big question/objection that is on the conservative Jewish “believers” minds…”If Gentiles can become righteous before God without keeping the law, then it is too easy! If we don’t tell them to keep the law, then they will live like sinners. Christ will actually be encouraging sin!”
It is the perennial objection to the gospel of grace. If a person is saved by faith alone, not by works, then what motivation do they have for living a good life? They could believe in Christ, get their sins covered, and then live like the devil, right? So let’s prevent that by adding some legalistic rules after salvation to keep them in line.
Paul vehemently objects to this thought. Adding rules to the gospel of grace doesn’t decrease sin, it actually increases it. Because once again, we are back to the self-righteous, prideful, I am superior to you mentality.
So what is the motivation to live righteously? It is not the law and more rules. It is a fuller understanding of grace.
Here is the best illustration I can think of…what is the best way to build a good marriage? Is it to design more rules that the husband and wife have to keep? Or is it to encourage the husband and wife to go deeper in their understanding of love for one another? You see, keeping rules is still “all about me.” I did this and this and now I should be able to expect this, this, and this from you. We like this kind of system. Lots of defined rules…with a system of scorekeeping that usually bends in our favor.
But Paul says that the greatest motivation for righteous living is not law-keeping but love. Relationship trumps religion every time.
I am crucified with Christ. Christ died my death. He took my place. He bore my sins. Thus, it was “me” on that cross with Christ.
I no longer live but Christ lives in me. My life is so tied to Christ that I no longer live “my life.” I live with Christ, for Christ, in Christ. And, miracle of miracles, Christ now lives in me, empowering me and directing my actions.
The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Jesus Christ loved me and sacrificed everything for me. That kind of love grips me, motivates me, changes me. I don’t live righteously to follow some rules. I live righteously because I am bonded with Christ and want to please Him.
I am not a huge fan of “The Message” which is a paraphrase of the Scriptures written by Eugene Petersen. (Actually I just don’t like paraphrases because they are usually marketed and read by people as if they were “Bible translations” rather than as Bible commentaries.) But in this case, I think Petersen explains Galatians 2:17-21 in a way that makes sense.
17-18Have some of you noticed that we are not yet perfect? (No great surprise, right?) And are you ready to make the accusation that since people like me, who go through Christ in order to get things right with God, aren’t perfectly virtuous, Christ must therefore be an accessory to sin? The accusation is frivolous. If I was “trying to be good,” I would be rebuilding the same old barn that I tore down. I would be acting as a charlatan.
19-21What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.
Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.
Lord, thank You for Your love! Thank You for the freedom of grace! Since You have demonstrated and pledged Your unconditional love to me, may I live a life of unending gratitude and joyful good works for You.
