Galatians 2:16
16 Knowing [eido] that [hoti] a man [anthropos] is [dikaioo] not [ou] justified [dikaioo] by [ek] the works [ergon] of the law, [nomos] but [ean
me] by [dia] the faith
[pistis] of Jesus [Iesous] Christ, [Christos] even [kai] we [hemeis] have believed [pisteuo] in [eis] Jesus [Iesous] Christ, [Christos] that [hina] we might be justified [dikaioo] by [ek] the faith [pistis] of Christ, [Christos] and [kai] not [ou] by [ek] the works [ergon] of the
law: [nomos] for [dioti] by [ek] the works [ergon] of the law [nomos] shall [dikaioo] no [ou] [pas] flesh [sarx] be justified. [dikaioo] KJV-Interlinear
16 nevertheless knowing that a
man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus,
even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in
Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no
flesh be justified. NASB
Continuing from the previous verse, Paul continues
comparing the requirements of salvation for Jews as well as gentiles.
In the previous verse, he compared Jews to sinners.
Sinners, is a common reference to gentiles who did
not follow the Law of Moses. Generally
derived from their partaking of the foods and activities that were forbidden to
Jews.
For example if a Jew was to eat something forbidden
then he would be a sinner. And gentiles
did this as a matter of their normal daily life.
But these forbidden things were teaching aids, not
only to help the Jews learn doctrine, but to keep the principles of doctrine in
the forefront of their minds. These
daily living activities and rules were designed to keep doctrine in view, not
necessarily the activity or the observance of them.
In the Garden, Adam was forbidden to eat from one single
tree. That was his sin or obedience threshold.
There was no other thing forbidden to him. And since he had an entire planet as it were,
or wherever the boundaries of the Garden extended to, then that single tree
could have easily been ignored. But of
course it was not.
It was not the fruit that was bad, it was the
decision to obey or disobey that was relevant.
The Jews had the Mosaic law, and the many rituals
contained therein. These were distorted
later on into huge volumes of rules. Those
volumes were of course out of line. But,
the decision to obey or disobey remained the same decision barrier.
The rules of eating or not eating various foods was
strictly a Hebrew function, because they were given the scriptures from God, to
learn themselves and to teach others.
The gentiles were to learn doctrine but were never required to follow,
unless they wanted to, the various rules contained therein.
And so Paul states here.
We are justified or saved, not by works, but by
faith.
The law gave rules to guide and teach doctrine, but
the works of the law never saved. Even following
the many sacrificial rituals did not in themselves, save, they merely taught
the principles of the spiritual life, beginning with salvation and continuing
on with confession and living the spiritual life.
One cannot mix dead things, namely sin, with living
things, namely the spiritual life.
One has to learn to separate these things and set
aside the sinful life, the dead life, from to spiritual life, the living life.
Today we do this by confession and daily studies
and applying what we learn to our daily life.
Those folks way back then, did the same. They simply had their daily or weekly and
annual feasts and rituals to help them to learn doctrine, to remember doctrine,
to teach doctrine to their children and others and so forth.
But the things that they did, the works, never
saved them, never advanced their spiritual life one bit, but was only the means
of instruction, of learning, of remembrance.
One cannot earn salvation. One cannot work for salvation.
If that were the case then what one person cannot
do, would place them at a disadvantage, and God has made the spiritual life
available equally to everyone, regardless of their financial or physical or
mental or geographic situation.
And Paul states it plainly here.
Salvation is not by means of works, mans efforts. Never has been and never will be.
Salvation, is by faith and faith alone. And more specifically, it is by means of
faith in Jesus Christ.
Therefore, if the works of the law are irrelevant
to salvation, then they not only do not apply to the Jews, but certainly not to
the gentiles who were never required to follow them in the first place.
Adam never had the Law. Noah never had the Law. Abraham never had the Law.
They were all saved by means of faith, just as you
and I and everyone else are saved.
