Galatians 2:15-16
"We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law.” Galatians 2:15-16 (NRSVUE)
These are the words of Paul in his letters to the Galatians. In researching this passage, I was surprised about the time in which this was written. Basically around 50 AD – the early years for the Jewish Christians. One would think that in these years following the death of Christ, the belief that works of the law would save them would be obsolete. Keeping various ordinances or “works of law” were time-honored traditions such as eating only clean foods and keeping of certain days among other things. Paul has to remind them that only our faith in Jesus Christ can save them – that they are saved by faith and not works and not works of law.
My main takeaway from this passage is that Paul is telling the early Christians to lean into their faith and not into traditions that seemed to be holding them back. I feel like we can get so caught up in the trappings of life that somehow that we pretend to be going it alone. We also can get caught up in our good works and not allow our faith to rule. Nothing we can do on our own can “earn” us a place in heaven. Paul is saying the same thing to the Galatians – good standing with God can only be held through faith in Jesus and not by obeying the law.
Questions for Reflection:
- How can we lean into our faith more?
- Although we do not live by works of the law in modern day, what other things do Christians do that obscure the simple truth of salvation?
Prayer:
Dear Father,
Please keep our faith in Jesus as the most important aspect of our life. We need to remember that Christ died for our sins and that we cannot earn our salvation – not through good works nor keeping traditions. Thank you for sending your son to die for our sins. Amen.
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