The Essence of the Biblical Gospel
Freedom in Christ-4
TITLE: The Essence of the Biblical Gospel
TEXT: Galatians 2:15-21
TONE: Warning
TARGET: Believers
TASK: To warn believers of the dangers of adding works as a requirement for salvation.
TEACH: In the biblical narrative, the law was given through Moses during the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt. After leading them out of slavery and crossing the Red Sea, Moses guided the Israelites to Mount Sinai. There, amidst thunder and lightning, God called Moses up the mountain and delivered the Ten Commandments, along with a broader set of laws, written on stone tablets. These laws covered aspects of moral conduct, religious observance, and civic responsibility, forming the spiritual and legal foundation for the nation of Israel.
The purpose of the law was manifold. Primarily, it served as a covenant between God and the Israelites, setting them apart as His chosen people and outlining how they should live in community with Him and with each other. The law provided a moral compass and a framework for justice, emphasizing principles like fairness, compassion, and holiness. It also fulfilled a role in teaching the Israelites about their need for atonement and righteousness, pointing toward deeper spiritual truths and preparing the way for future revelations. In essence, the law functioned not only as a set of rules but as a guide for building a society centered around justice, mercy, and faithfulness. However, as perfect as the law was, it could never save sinners. Why? Because we all have broken and transgressed God’s law, and thus worthy of death. In this sense, the law serves as a mirror into our true character -law breaking sinners.
TRUTH: This passage serves as a critical component of Paul’s argument against legalism, emphasizing justification by faith in Jesus Christ rather than works of the law. It is situated in the context where Paul recounts his confrontation with Peter over the latter’s withdrawal from eating with Gentile believers, a move contrary to the gospel.
So, what is the essence of the gospel message?
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I. Justification comes through faith, not by observance of the Law (2:15-16).
Explanation: Paul identifies with both Jews and Gentiles, underscoring that regardless of ethnicity or heritage, justification is not earned through legal adherence, but is a divine act achieved through faith in Christ. Paul point is that true righteousness is not obtained through the law.
The word “we” is emphatic and serves to emphasize the sharp contrast which Paul is about to make between the Jew and Gentiles. The reality is we transgress the law not only by breaking it, but through misplaced emphasis. To add the law to the gospel is to transgress the law for the law does not serve that purpose.
In referring to the Gentiles as sinners, Paul was not using the terms in the behavioral sense of public immorality, but in the legal sense in which was frequently used by the Jews (John MacArthur, Galatians). Why? Because they had no law to guide them.
“Justified” means “counted righteous” or “declared righteous” by God. If people obeyed all of God’s perfect moral standards, they could be justified by their own merits. But Paul says that this is impossible for anyone to do (Rom.1-2). Works of the law means any human effort to be justified by God by obeying a moral law. We also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ implies that justification is the result of saving faith, and not by works of the law. No human effort or merit can be added to faith as a basis for justification.
John MacArthur once said, “the heart of man’s spiritual dilemma is that he is incapable of overcoming the total sinfulness that separates him from the holy God.”
At the Jerusalem Council Peter declared that same truth in response to the Judaizers, “Why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? Be we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they (Gentiles) also are.”
Martin Luther said that if the article of justification by faith is lost, all Christian doctrine is lost (Luther, Galatians).
The first question is very simple and straightforward. It’s not intended to be a trick question, even though people often find it rather tricky to sort out. The question is this: Are we relying upon who we are or what we’ve done for our right standing with God? This is where the truth of the gospel must first probe. What are we relying upon or trusting in for our standing before God?[1]
Once we’ve come to terms with the first question about presumption, a second question confronts us. And the second question is this: Are we convinced that Christ’s death is the only reliable basis of our right standing before God? You ought to be able to answer yes or no to this question.
Now the third question, are you trusting in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation.
Application: We need to recognize the problem of legalism.
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II. Justification through faith dismantles legalistic reliance (2:17-18).
Explanation: The doctrine of justification by faith alone raises an obvious problem. If by his free grace God has already declared us righteous, then why bother to become a better person? What incentive do we have to live for God? The doctrine of justification seems irresponsible. It sounds, in fact, like winning the spiritual lottery. If God gives righteousness away for free, who will ever work for him again?
Paul anticipates this objection by making it part of his argument. “But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin?” (Gal. 2:17). This is a fair question, and from the way he poses it, Paul seems to have something specific in mind. The clue is the word “sinners,” which Paul used back in verse 15 to indicate the Jewish attitude toward Gentiles. The Gentiles were “sinners,” not so much because they were immoral, but because they lived outside the boundaries of the law. According to the Judaizers, this was precisely the problem with Peter and Paul: they had become outlaws. In their personal habits, they were living like Gentile sinner rather than like Jews. They used to keep the law in all its detail. Now they were doing things like eating unholy food with uncircumcised Gentiles.[2]
Paul wrote, I would prove myself to be a transgressor. Ironically, the one who is most clearly seen to be a sinner is not the one outside the law (the Gentile), but the one who is under the law.
Christ does not promote sin by defining our relationship to the law. Seeking to be justified in Christ alone recognizes the ineffectiveness of the law to save and underscores that Christ’s work leads to true righteousness, not a continuation in sin. Those who seek to rebuild legalistic requirements contradict the grace found in Christ. The act of returning to the law to secure justification after receiving faith in Christ undermines the sufficiency of His redeeming work and nullifies grace.
Application: Embrace the truth of justification by faith.
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III. New life in Christ leads to death to the law (2:19-20).
Explanation: Verse 19 through the law. The law taught Paul that he could not be saved by works. Paul has died to the law. He no longer tries to gain justification by obeying the law. So that I might live to God. Paul has gained God’s acceptance through justification in Christ. He has an amazing new freedom to live a life devoted to God.
It is only when we die to the law that we can truly live to God. By dying to the law, believers are freed to live a life that is oriented towards serving and glorifying God, marking a transformative shift from legalism to grace. Justification through faith leads to union with Christ in His death and resurrection, leading to a life that is intertwined with His victorious presence, fundamentally altering one’s identity and motivation.
It is no longer I who live does not mean that Paul has no personality of his own. It means he no longer controls his own life. Rather, Christ who lives in me now directs and empowers all that he does. The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God. As Paul trusts Christ moment by moment, Christ works in and through him in all he does. Who loved and gave himself for me. The crucifixion is a personal expression of Christ’s love for people as individuals.
Application: Realize that the requirhements of the law are fulfilled in Christ.
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IV. Nullifying Justification through faith alone misinterprets the purpose of the law and Christ’s sacrifice (2:21).
Explanation: Of course, the grace of God is central to salvation. Paul emphasizes that attempting to gain righteousness through the law disregards the grace offered through Christ; if the law could impart righteousness, Christ’s sacrificial death is rendered unnecessary.
The bottom line, Christ’s death would have been pointless if righteousness were through the law. Then people could earn justification by their obedience. But they can never do this. Sin is so serious that only the substitutionary, atoning death of God’s Son can deal with the problem.
Application: Cherish the grace of God.
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Tie-Up: My own story of abounding grace. Do you have a story? Grace is the heart of the Christian gospel, revealing the heart of God to us. God has chosen not to exact justice, but to extend grace instead.
[1] Todd Wilson, Galatians: Gospel-Rooted Living, ed. R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013), 76.
[2] Philip Graham Ryken, Galatians, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2005), 69–70.
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