Right With God By Faith In Jesus Christ
RIGHT WITH GOD BY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST
GALATIANS 2:14-17
Does Paul’s teaching lead to moral laxity?
The reason for Paul’s head-on collision with Peter is now given. The charge is clear: it was that his behavior was not in line with the truth of the gospel (2:14; see 2:5 for the same ruling principle).
The first part of Paul’s criticism is clear, and it is aimed at showing up the shallowness of Peter’s wavering. He had claimed to accept the equality of all believers in Christ—and his presence at table with uncircumcised Christians proved it. Why a sudden U-turn? Why give in to pressure from the party whom James had sent (2:12)? Where were Peter’s convictions now?
Paul’s answer shades off into a statement of the gospel of justification by faith in Christ (2:16), defined negatively as “not by human achievement.” In this context, “works” implies an acceptance of Jewish circumcision which is made the basis for a proud claim on God, as Ephesians 2:8-10 amplifies. Paul’s argument rules out of court this attitude to God and his law, because first, no one has ever perfectly kept the law, not even the Jews to whom it was given (2:16), and secondly God has provided a way of acceptance with himself in Jesus Christ. The only hope therefore is an acceptance with God by faith in Christ (2:16).
2:17 is puzzling until we remember that its line of argument is directed against a false insinuation (stated emphatically in Romans 3:8; 6:1ff.) that Paul’s gospel was an invitation to immoral living (the so-called “antinomian” view that says because of grace Christians are released from being obliged to observe the moral law, from anti “against” + nomos “law”). The Jewish opponents were saying: let circumcision be adopted and enforced on Gentile believers as a proof of their break with old pagan ways of life. Paul opposes this suggestion. Justification by faith apart from the law means union with Christ (2:20). If this means an antinomian attitude, which throws off all moral restraint, then Christ is the responsible agent. But this is a caricature, and a complete perversion of what new life in Christ means (so Romans 6:6-23, which should be read as Paul’s devastatingly logical rebuttal of any attitude which leads to careless living and trifling with the moral demands of the gospel because [it is said] we are “not under law, but under grace”).