Day 8 — What We Believe: The Core of the Christian Faith
Today’s Passage: Galatians 2:15-21
Paul stands face-to-face with Peter in Antioch. The issue at hand involves a fundamental legal ruling in the early church. Peter recently stopped eating with non-Jewish believers to avoid upsetting a group of strict law-keepers. Paul recognizes this action as a direct threat to the foundation of the Christian faith.
The verdict is on the table. Paul lays out a legal argument that defines exactly how a human being stands innocent before a holy God. A person is justified by faith in Christ, never by keeping the law. Any attempt to add rules to the finished work of Jesus destroys the gospel.
Context The Jewish Law
For centuries, the Jewish people lived under the Mosaic Law. This vast system of commands governed their diet, their calendar, and their sacrifices. The law exposed their sin and pointed them to the need for a Savior. A sect of early believers argued that Gentiles had to adopt this legal system to achieve full salvation. Paul dismantles this requirement with undeniable finality.
Galatians 2:15-16 (BSB)
¹⁵ We who are Jews by birth and not Gentile “sinners” ¹⁶ know that a man is not justified by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
Paul appeals to the shared heritage he holds with Peter. Both men grew up under the strict requirements of the Jewish law. Both men came to the same undeniable conclusion. Human effort falls short. The law possesses no power to declare a guilty person righteous. Justification happens entirely through placing your trust in Jesus Christ. Paul repeats this fact three times in a single sentence to ensure the evidence is clear.
Word study "justified", dikaioō (Galatians 2:16)
Greek: δικαιόω (dikaioō), pronounced dik-ah-yo’-o. Strong’s G1344. This is a legal term from the ancient courtroom. It means to render a favorable verdict, to declare someone righteous and innocent of all charges. God issues this verdict the moment you place your faith in Christ.
Galatians 2:17-19 (BSB)
¹⁷ But if, while we seek to be justified in Christ, we ourselves are found to be sinners, does that make Christ a minister of sin? Certainly not! ¹⁸ If I rebuild what I have already torn down, I prove myself to be a lawbreaker. ¹⁹ For through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God.
The opponents argue that relying entirely on faith will lead to reckless sin. They claim grace requires the guardrails of the old law. Paul rejects this premise. To rebuild the old system of rules implies the cross was insufficient. The law demanded a penalty for sin. Jesus paid that exact penalty. When you place your trust in Him, you die to the legal demands of the law and step into a new life fueled by God Himself.
Galatians 2:20-21 (BSB)
²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. ²¹ I do not set aside the grace of God. For if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.
Paul presents the ultimate transaction of the Christian faith. Your old self died on the cross with Jesus. The life you possess today belongs to Him, and He lives it through you. You operate entirely on the basis of trust in the Son of God. If a person could earn right standing with God by following a moral checklist, the crucifixion was a tragic waste.
Study notes The Final Verdict on Works
The rest of the New Testament echoes this foundational doctrine. Human effort contributes nothing to your salvation.
"For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law." Romans 3:28 (BSB)
Your justification is a settled fact. You stand innocent before God because of faith in Christ, never by keeping the law. The debt is canceled. The verdict is secure. You can stop trying to earn a love you already possess. Today, take a piece of paper and write down one area where you still try to earn God’s approval through your own performance. Cross it out with a heavy pen, write the word “Justified” over it, and throw the paper away. Rest in the finished work of the cross.