Be A Disciple Galatians 2:15-21

Opening

Today we are continuing our time with the letter to the Galatians. This whole book is an arguement for the freedom we recieve with the true Gospel. Paul comes out of the gate swinging, and he doesn't let up. It’s all gas, no brakes in this letter. Even with the seriousness and the tone of this letter I hope you will begin to see that this letter is a letter about hope and grace. That in the midst of this defense of the gospel there is so much comfort.

Paul Spends the first two chapters of this book laying out an arguement for the gospel based on his own testimony. This is his biographical defense.

When I last preached Paul had rebuked Peter for the way he was acting in the dinning hall. Today we are going to see how Paul transitions from that story and into a biblically based defense of Gospel Freedom. It’s hard to know whether Paul is still speaking directly to Peter or if he’s now turning to address the Galatians. Either way, verses 15–21 serve as Paul’s theological summary of why Peter’s actions were so out of step with the gospel. These 6 verses are very dense. So lets jump in to God’s word and walk through this together.

SCRIPTURE

Galatians 2:15-21

15 “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles 16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

17 “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! 18 If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker. 19 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

Pray for God’s clarity on this passage

TERMS

Here Paul begins to build a more technical and logical argument to support the gospel of grace. Paul is building out his reasoning for what he believes and why he rebuked Peter. To best understand this passage we have to do two things. We need to get some understanding on terms, and we need to track Paul’s logical aruement.

Galatians 2:15 ““We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles”

The first term is Sinful gentiles. I want to argue that this phrase is Paul talking about a category that his culture would’ve opperated under. Sinful gentiles here is paul talking about those who are not a part of the law, who don’t observe the law, so they aren’t circumsised.

Galatians 2:16 “know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.”

Justified is our second term. Justified is to be vindicated, set right. It is a legal term stating that someone back to rights. Biblcally speaking Justified means that God has declared someone to be in right standing with him. So Paul is arguing here we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ, not by the works of the law. What are the works of the law?

The phrase "works of the law" is a term used by Paul in his letters, particularly in Romans and Galatians, to refer to deeds prescribed by the Mosaic Law...Works of the law most likely denotes what the law required of Israel as God's people, encompassing their response to God's grace and their obedience within the covenant relationship. Paul uses this term in his arguments against justification by law-keeping, contrasting it with justification by faith in Christ. Importantly, Paul's use of "works of the law" is not just referring to practices within the moral law, but also to the idea of merit-amassing observance of the Law, which he argues cannot lead to true righteousness.

ARGUMENT 17-19

The next three verses of this passage, 17, 18, & 19 are a stacking arguement. Paul makes a statement in 17 then backs it up in 18 then further backs that up in 19. So to understand his arguement we may want to start from 19 and work backwards to best grasp his arguement.

17 “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! 18 If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker. 19 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.

Galatians 2:19 ““For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.”

This sentence takes some digesting. The law as we established is the law of moses, the torah, the first 5 books of the bible. We understand the dying to the law part, that makes sense, but what about through the law Paul died to the law?

“When Paul says, ‘through the law I died to the law,’ he means the law itself showed him he couldn’t keep it. The law exposed his failure and pointed him to his need for a Savior. So in that sense, it was the law that led him to die to the law, so he could live for God by grace. The law displays quite clearly, the Old Testament displays quite clearly, and Christ displays quite clearly that man can not live up to the measure of the Law

Paul is making the same arguement later in his life in the book of Romans

21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Ro 3:21–24.

So the law showed that the law needed fulfillment, and that fulfillment came in Christ, however what Paul sees is the temptation to return back to those same stipulations of the Law and hold people to that covenant. That is what he saw peter doing. hence verse 18

Galatians 2:18 “If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.”

If the law needed to be died unto, then rebuilding that law makes you a breaker of that law. This is something we all have a temptation to do. Are there ways we, like Peter, subtly rebuild what Christ has torn down? Do we ever expect people to clean themselves up before they can sit at the table of grace?

Paul is telling us don’t add these things back in as a means to gaining righteousness, that has already been accomplished.

So then back in Galatians 2:17 ““But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!”

Paul uses this word sinners here, in 18 he says lawbreaker, or transgressor depending on translation, but in 17 he says sinners, that is on purpose. I don’t think paul here is meaning actually sinners but he is referencing vs 15 the phrase gentile sinners. paul is saying that if in following christ and his justification, his righteousness leads us to be in an among the group that the law would consider outsiders so be it. Christ leads us there and doesn’t promote sin.

If that is where we are lead, and if Christ doesn’t promote sin then that is what we are supposed to do and that informs how the Jewish people are to treat the Gentiles and what Paul is saying in these three verses is it because of Jesus Christ and because of faith in Jesus Christ actually, the Jews were treating the Gentiles like there is a divide are the ones who are sinning.

In these 3 verses I think what we are seeing is the way that Paul reconstruced his worldview after he died to the law. Using Christ as a decoder ring looking back over scripture, over the law, and seeing that he as the fulfillment of that law he has a new understanding of the law. That the law was always pointing men to their need for a messiah.

Paul indictates this to us in the next 2 verses

Galatians 2:20–21 NIV

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

TRANSITION

Paul doesn’t just talk about faith in abstract terms. He says, ‘I have been crucified with Christ...the life I now live...I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.’ That’s not just theology—it’s testimony. Can you say that? Is that the foundation of your identity? That’s the invitation of the gospel.

I think many people have a hard time understanding the roles of these big terms. Most of the theological arguements and church disagreements are circling this topic. What, when and how does salvation take place?

Years ago, one of my professors, Dr. Neil Windham, helped me see all this with a really simple illustration: the Christian life is like a highway—an interstate.

It’s helped me ever since to get a handle on how faith, grace, works, and the Kingdom all fit together. Let me walk you through it

KINGDOM OF GOD -The Road

Colossians 1:13–14

"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

Glorification / Union with Christ — The Destination

The destination is full union with Christ—what Paul calls glorification. The journey ends in being fully transformed into His likeness.

Romans 8:29–30 “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” “...those he justified, he also glorified.”

Faith — The On-Ramp

Faith is what gets you on the road; it’s how we enter life with God.

Ephesians 2:8–9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Grace — The Power That Moves Us (Before, During, and After the On-Ramp)

Grace is not just what fuels the journey—it’s what makes the journey possible in the first place. It’s present even before we believe. It’s grace that opens the on-ramp. It’s grace that invites us in. It’s grace that enables our faith. And once we’ve said yes in faith, grace continues to be the power that moves us forward.

Romans 5:2 — "Through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand." We enter by grace. We stand in grace. We move by grace. We arrive because of grace.

From first to last—it’s all grace.

The Kingdom of God — The Road Itself

The road is the Kingdom of God: life under God’s reign, started now and continuing forever.

Colossians 1:13–14 “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves...”

Works — The Mile Markers

Works don’t move the car—they don’t save you—but they do show you're on the road and going somewhere.

James 2:17 “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

This is where the metaphor really comes to life for me.

When we understand that works are mile markers—not the road itself—it clears up a lot of confusion.

Some people think Paul and James are arguing with each other: Paul says we’re saved by faith, and James says faith without works is dead. But they’re not contradicting—they’re complementing.

Paul is saying, “Works can’t get you on the road.” James is saying, “But if you are on the road, there ought to be mile markers.”

In other words: your works don’t earn salvation… but they evidence salvation.

That’s why James says, “Faith without works is dead.” Not because works are the road—but because if there’s no progress, no movement, no growth… then maybe you’re not on the road at all.

You might be professing faith—but not possessing faith.

You might be parked at the yield sign—talking about grace, thinking about Jesus, watching others merge in—but never taking that step yourself.

The Apostle John tells us this way

1 John 3:18 NIV

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

That is our call that is our direction, we are to move forth in actions and in truth.

APPLICATION

So if that’s the map… if this is what salvation looks like—faith as the on-ramp, grace as the engine, the Kingdom of God as the road, works as the mile markers, and union with Christ as the destination—

Then the question we each have to answer is: Where am I on this road?

Some of you may be parked at the yield sign. You’ve heard about faith. You’ve seen others living it. But you haven’t yet merged.

Others of you are moving—but you’re confusing the road for the rules. You’re trying to build the road with your own works. You’re exhausting yourself with performance instead of grace.

And some of you… if you’re honest… you’ve stopped moving. You’re stalled. No signs of movement. No mile markers. No fruit.

But the good news is—grace is still the engine. The on-ramp is still open. The invitation still stands.

So here’s what I want to ask today:

Have you entered the road? Have you placed your faith in Jesus—not just intellectually, but personally?

Are you relying on grace—or are you trying to earn your way?

Are you moving forward in the Kingdom—or just sitting at the yield sign, stalled, unsure?

Are there mile markers in your life—signs of transformation, love, obedience, and growth?

Listen: you don’t build the road by your effort. You don’t move the car by your strength. But if you’re in Christ—by faith—then grace is moving you. And if you’re moving, you should be seeing progress.

So if you’ve stopped, start again. If you’re on the outside, step in. If you’re exhausted from trying to build the road yourself—lay it down. Let grace drive.

INVITATION

And maybe this morning, your response is to pray: “Jesus, I want to get on the road. I believe. I trust You. I give You my life.” Or maybe it’s: “Jesus, I’ve been stuck. Restart my heart. Move me forward in Your grace.”

Wherever you are… the road is open. The engine is ready. The Kingdom is here. And the destination is worth it.