Made Righteous, Part 2

Hello everyone.

We are going to continue our examination of Galatians 2. This time looking a verses 17 and 18.  Here is my translation: 

17 If then, as we are seeking to be justified in Christ, we recognize ourselves to be sinners, does Christ then become a servant of our sinfulness?  No way!  18 Because, if I tear it down, only to rebuild it again, I prove that I am guilty. 

To be honest, verses 17 and 18 are difficult to understand. Within the context, Paul has just established that Jews and Gentile "sinners" alike are made righteous, or justified by faith rather than works of the law.  So when Jewish brothers come to Christ, they must recognize that they are just like the Gentile “sinners,” no better, no worse. 

Douglas Moo suggests that Paul’s use of the word ἁμαρτωλοί (hamartoloi) (or sinners), would indicate that Jewish Christians have now become like the Gentile "sinners," with no allegiance to the Torah. Obedience to the Torah was how God’s people had always been defined, but now God’s people were to be defined by their faith. (Moo, 165.) With that thought in mind, Thomas Schriener adds that it is possible that Paul is being accused by these false teachers of being a "sinner" for having abandoned the Torah. (Schreiner, 167.)  Paul doesn’t shy away from the idea that he is a sinner, but his "sinner" status is not based upon his non-allegiance to the Torah.   

Paul then takes what he is saying to another level, asking, “does Christ then become a servant to our sinfulness?”  Or in other words, as we have abandoned the Law, does Christ enable us to be sinful?  Paul’s response to that μὴ γένοιτο! (May genoito) - may it never be.  I have translated it as: “No way!”  Jesus is not promoting sin by leading us away from some brand of legalistic righteous, instead, as we will see down the road, Jesus is leading toward freedom.  

Consider it this way, it is not like we became sinful because Jesus led away from the Law.  We were sinful under the Law, too.  We are sinful because it is our nature to be thus. We are simply inadequate and therefore miss the mark. As much as we might want to be perfect, we are just incapable of it.  We are going to sin.  Therefore, we need Jesus, who is perfect, rather the Law, which glaringly shows our imperfection. The idea that Paul addresses, that Jesus would be leading us into sinfulness, is just silly.  

We also see in verse 18 that Paul says that we cannot tear down the Law, only to rebuild a new Law.  It’s pointless and in doing so, I would further prove myself to be guilty of breaking the law.  Accepting grace through faith is a much better plan.  Throwing over one legalistic system, only to create another legalistic system makes very little sense, and just creates new ways to feel guilty all the time. This is what Paul is saying to the churches in Galatia.  Freedom and grace in Christ through our faith is a much better way to live than getting rid of an old Law, only to adopt a new Law.   

        Douglas Moo, Galatians, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2013.

         Thomas Schriener, Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Galatians, Zondervan Academic, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2010.