Begin with two minutes of stillness and silence before God.

Before I married my wife, sleeping with a sound machine was a foreign concept to me. For her, the endless loop of raindrops violently berating a tin roof was (and still is) a requirement for a full night’s rest. In the early days of our marriage, it was certainly difficult for me to adjust. These days, I’m not sure if it’s the sound machine that soothes me to sleep at night or if it’s the relentless, exhausting joy of raising a one-year-old boy. Either way, I have gradually grown accustomed to and even fond of the “white noise” we fall asleep to at night. In Galatians 2:14-21, I think Paul is taking us back to the basics of what it means to have salvation in an effort to deter us from trying to justify ourselves to God by following the “rules.” Paul is giving us the doctrine to fall back on when we feel the need to silence the white noise of the enemy when he attempts to shame us for our shortcomings.

When reading Paul’s letters, or any section of scripture for that matter, it is vital to first have a grasp of the context. In most of chapters one and two, Paul is laying out the reasoning behind verses 16-21. He has played a major role in spreading the Gospel to the Gentiles, while simultaneously, God is using Peter to witness to the Jews. Christianity spread like wildfire among the Gentiles, but the Jewish leaders had reservations specifically about the law as it pertained to non-Jewish Christians. Their hesitancy to accept non-Jewish believers came from their traditional beliefs about the Mosaic law. They believed that a gentile must convert to Judaism before becoming a Christian. This, of course, led to questions regarding issues such as circumcision for non-Jewish Christians and following kosher diets. This concept directly contradicted Jesus’ teachings and diminished the purpose that the message of the cross sought to fulfill in the first place; to make salvation accessible to anyone who calls on Him. (Romans 10:13) Peter found himself stuck in the middle and seemingly sided with the Jewish leaders out of fear of judgement. Paul publicly called Peter out for his hypocrisy from a place of love and guidance. 

“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by his faith in Jesus Christ… for by the works of the law, no flesh shall be justified.” 

We aren’t granted salvation on the basis of being “good enough.” The entire point of the law of Moses was to make it abundantly clear that we desperately need Jesus to be “good enough” on our behalf. Jesus presents us with the free gift of grace, and the only action required in order to receive this gift is to place our faith in Him. 

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

Knowing that salvation is a free gift given by Jesus through His fulfillment of the law and sacrifice begs the question: “Does being saved give us a license to sin?” Absolutely not! True salvation through faith in Christ accomplishes something that the law never could: change of heart.

“It is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me.” 

When we place our faith in Jesus as the Savior and Perfecter of our hearts, there is a distinct contrast in who we become and who we once were. When we attempt to be obedient outside of Christ, our intentions are misled and selfish and serve only to separate us even farther from the Lord when we inevitably fail. Instead of working in vain towards earning our salvation, Jesus becomes our justification and our intercessor on our behalf. The “work” that comes after salvation furthers the Kingdom of God rather than furthering our own understanding of how doomed we really are without Jesus. 

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

Paul wraps up the main idea of this passage with this final verse. Without the grace of God, we would be left to depend on the law to give us salvation. The phrase “fighting a losing battle” is an understatement when it comes to finding justification through following rules. So long as we are encased in this flesh, our tendency is towards self-destruction. The Lord knows and understands this, and is using Paul to give us this word as a comfort for our souls. I often think back on mistakes I have made, people I have wronged, and sins I have committed since giving my life to Jesus. The shame that comes from these thoughts is my “white noise.” Knowing Jesus has shown me how to face it. The Lord is using Paul to let us know that as long as we place our faith in Him, being perfect and righteous is not really up to us because it has already been done for us in what Christ accomplished with his life, his death, and his resurrection. We don’t have to carry the spiritual burden and shame of our sins because Jesus became sin on our behalf. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

Use the S.O.A.P. Method to study God’s Word.

• SCRIPTURE: What stands out to you in today’s passage?
• OBSERVATION: What is this text saying? What is the context? How does it fit with the verses before and after it? Are there any commands, instructions, or promises? 
• APPLICATION: How can you apply this verse to your life? What does this mean today? What is God saying to you? 
• PRAYER: Respond to the passage in prayer. Ask God to help you apply this truth to your life and spend some time listening to what He may be telling you.

FALL AT VENTURE

KXP, MVMNT, The Gathering, House Church, and Care Groups are all starting back this fall! You can check the Fall at Venture webpage for launch dates and events happening this fall at Venture.