Gospel Prayer Ministry

📖 Passage

Galatians 2:15–21
Read Galatians 2:15–21 (NKJV)

🧠 Context & Background

Flowing directly from the Antioch confrontation (2:11–14), Paul now unfolds the doctrinal heart of the letter: How can a sinner be made right with God?

Justification clarified (2:15–16): Even those with Jewish covenant privileges—“we who are Jews by nature”—cannot rely on Torah-keeping. The verdict is universal: no one is justified by works of the Law, but only through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul repeats the truth three times in a single verse, driving home that justification rests solely on Christ’s merit, received by faith.
The danger of “rebuilding” (2:17–18): To return to the Law as the ground of acceptance is to rebuild what the gospel has demolished. Such rebuilding turns the church back into a gated community defined by circumcision and ritual, rather than the open household of faith. For Paul, this is not a minor adjustment but a betrayal of grace.
Union with Christ (2:19–20): The gospel does not promote moral indifference; it establishes a new way of life. Through union with Christ, believers are reckoned to have died with Him—the Law’s condemning power is broken. Yet they also live with Him, animated by the risen Christ’s presence: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” This is the engine of obedience—Christ’s life in His people.
The deadly implication of Law-righteousness (2:21): If righteousness could be earned or maintained by the Law, then Christ died for nothing. To mix Law with grace doesn’t strengthen the gospel—it empties the cross of its saving power.

This passage is not abstract theology; it is Paul’s personal testimony and the church’s foundation. The cross and justification by faith alone stand as non-negotiables. Any alternative is not just another opinion—it is a denial of the gospel itself.

🌿 Key Themes

Justification by Faith — Acceptance with God is by faith in Christ, not by Law-works.
Union with Christ — Believers are crucified with Christ; His life animates ours.
Law’s Limit — The Law exposes sin but cannot justify; to rebuild it as a basis for righteousness creates transgressors.
Grace Not Nullified — To add works as a ground of righteousness empties the cross.
New Life to God — The gospel produces real obedience sourced in Christ’s indwelling life.

📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary

Galatians 2:15–16 — Not by Works, but by Faith

“…a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ…”

Universal need: Jewish privilege doesn’t remove the need for justification by faith.
Legal vs. relational: Justify (dikaioō) is a courtroom verdict—righteous before God—granted on the basis of Christ received by faith, not earned by works (cf. Romans 3:20–28).

Galatians 2:17 — Is Christ a Minister of Sin?

“If, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not!”

Charge answered: Freedom from Law-badges doesn’t make Christ the promoter of sin.
Real issue: If returning to Law makes us “better,” then Christ’s cross was insufficient—an intolerable conclusion.

Galatians 2:18 — Rebuilding What Was Destroyed

“If I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.”

Back to slavery: Re-erecting the Law as a basis for acceptance exposes our guilt, not Christ’s.
Gospel logic: The cross tore down the condemning regime; rebuilding it confesses transgression.

Galatians 2:19 — Died to the Law, Live to God

“For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.”

Law’s function: The Law kills our self-righteousness and drives us to Christ.
New orientation: Death to Law-as-justifier opens true life toward God.

Galatians 2:20 — Crucified with Christ

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…”

Union with Christ: Believers share in Christ’s death and resurrection—new identity and power.
Faith-life: Daily life is lived by faith in the Son who loved us and gave Himself for us.

Galatians 2:21 — Do Not Nullify Grace

“I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

Either–or: Grace or Law as the ground of righteousness—never both.
Cross-centered: To add Law as a basis says the cross was unnecessary; the gospel rejects that entirely.

🔍 Trusted Insight

“If any man thinks ill of you, do not be angry with him; for you are worse than he thinks you to be. If he charges you falsely on some point, yet be satisfied; for if he knew you better he might change the accusation, and you would be no gainer by the correction. If you have your moral portrait painted, and it is ugly, be satisfied; for it only needs a few blacker touches, and it would be nearer the truth. Humble yourself, and see the necessity of salvation by grace.” — Charles Spurgeon

Spurgeon’s words cut to the heart of Paul’s teaching: we are far more sinful than others can perceive, and therefore justification cannot rest on works of the Law.
Our hope is not in defending our righteousness, but in receiving Christ’s righteousness through faith.
To rebuild confidence in the Law is to ignore the depth of our need and the sufficiency of Christ’s death.

Summary: Spurgeon reminds us that the only answer for guilty sinners—whether Jew or Gentile—is the grace of God in Christ, received by faith apart from works.

🧩 Review Questions

🔍 Definitions

Justified (δικαιόω) — To be declared righteous in God’s court, not made righteous by works but counted so through faith in Christ (v.16).
Works of the Law (ἔργα νόμου) — Deeds done as obedience to Torah, especially boundary markers (circumcision, food laws), but also the broader legal code when treated as a basis of righteousness.
Faith in Jesus Christ (πίστις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ) — Trusting Christ as object; allegiance that receives His righteousness.
Died to the Law (v.19) — The believer is no longer under the Law’s condemning power, because Christ’s death counts as ours.
Christ lives in me (v.20) — Union with Christ; the Christian life is animated by His indwelling Spirit.

❓ Common Objections

“If we’re justified by faith alone, won’t people live carelessly?”
Paul answers in Galatians 2:19–20: union with Christ means the believer has died to sin and now lives to God. Faith that justifies is also faith that transforms.
“Doesn’t this teaching make the Law useless?”
The Law still serves to reveal sin and show God’s holiness (cf. Romans 3:20), but it cannot justify. Its role is preparatory, driving us to Christ, not competing with Him.
“Isn’t this unfair to people who work hard to keep God’s commands?”
The gospel levels the ground: Jew and Gentile alike are sinners in need of grace. If righteousness could come through effort, “then Christ died for nothing” (Galatians 2:21).
“Does justification by faith alone contradict James’ teaching on works?”
No. Paul addresses the basis of justification (faith apart from works), while James emphasizes the evidence of true faith (works flowing from it). The doctrines are complementary, not contradictory.

🙋 Application Questions

Where are you most tempted to “rebuild” confidence in personal performance rather than rest in Christ?
How can you live more consciously in the truth of Galatians 2:20 — “Christ lives in me” — in daily struggles and routines?
What practical ways can you remind yourself (and others) that righteousness is a gift of grace, not earned by effort?
How might this passage shape the way you respond to both guilt (when you fail) and pride (when you succeed)?

🔤 Greek Keywords

δικαιόω (dikaioō) — to justify, declare righteous; used three times in verse 16, emphasizing a judicial verdict of right standing before God.
πίστις (pistis) — faith, trust, reliance; the instrument by which justification is received, not the ground of it.
νόμος (nomos) — law; here referring to the Mosaic Law, which exposes sin but cannot justify.
χάρις (charis) — grace; the unearned favor of God, nullified if righteousness comes by works (v. 21).
συνεσταύρωμαι (synestaurōmai) — I have been crucified with; Paul’s use in Galatians 2:20 highlights the believer’s mystical union with Christ in His death, showing that the old self has been decisively put to death with Him.

📚 Cross References

Romans 3:28 — Justification is by faith apart from works of the Law.
Romans 5:1–2 — Justified by faith, we have peace with God through Christ.
Philippians 3:8–9 — Not having a righteousness of my own, but that which comes through faith in Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:21 — Christ became sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
Habakkuk 2:4 — The righteous shall live by faith (cited by Paul as a core gospel principle).

📦 Next Study

Next Study → Galatians 3:1–9 – The Spirit Received by Faith

Galatians 2:15–21 – Justified by Faith, Crucified with Christ