Living Above The World - Galatians

Galatians 2:17-18

We Seek To Be Justified By Christ

Of course, this is the only way to be justified. Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: (Isaiah 55:6). The word of God says that no man seeks after God (Rom. 3:11), but Prov. 8:17 says, I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. We know that the depraved soul does not seek after God, because he has no desire for God; but God's people seek after him and shall find him.

But here Paul is referring to salvation and says that we seek after Christ, turning from law to another Savior, Jesus Christ, the righteous one. We do this by the prompting of the Holy Spirit; and, of course, all by the grace of God by his mercy and through faith.

But when the Jews turned from the law to Christ, they were considered sinners; because they were turning from what the Jews considered the way to God: the law of Moses. If that is the case, then, we are found sinners, sinners against the law that God has laid down for all of us. If, then, we have turned from the law of God, which is supposed to be our savior, then not only are we sinners (through breaking the law), but this makes Christ the minister of sin. This makes Christ the minister of sin, because it is Jesus who has taught the apostles to turn away from the law and turn to Christ.

Paul says that, no, it does not make Christ a minister of sin. He uses an old cliche "God forbid," which is not a literal translation of the Greek words. The words literally mean "let it not be." Let it not be, or God forbid, because Christ is not actually a minister of sin but a minister of righteousness.

We Are Not To Build That Which We Destroy

If Paul, who has destroyed his old way of life, turning from his persecution of the church unto Jesus, the head of the church, and trusts him completely for salvation, then what need does he have in building again that former life from which Jesus saved him? Gal 4:9 tells us, But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

You see, the law had us under its curse; and in order to be brought from under this curse, we had to turn from the law to Christ; for there is no redemption in the law, no life in the law, only death in the law. Rom. 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. Thank God, we are free, free to serve Christ, to love Christ, to love others, to witness the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to sing of his beauty, to preach his word, to study his word, to depend upon his grace, which is sufficient for every aspect of our lives. We are no longer in bondage to sin, law, and death. We have been freed from them all and have liberty in Jesus Christ, to whom be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.