Justification and Law in Galatians
“Hey Preacher, in an article posted on your church’s website, you listed the following lesson from Galatians, ‘Justification is by faith, not law in general or the Law of Moses in particular (2:16-21; 3:1-14, 21-23; 4:1-5; 4:22-31).’ Can you clarify that statement – specifically the phrase ‘not law in general,’ especially in light of passages that speak of the New Testament being a law, such as Galatians 6:2 and James 1:25. Doesn’t your statement put you at odds with those passages?”
Good question! First, for the rest of our readers, here is the article that prompted the question.
Regarding the question itself, when I say that we are not saved “by law in general” I mean that we are not saved by a system of law. To be justified by a system of law, one would have to keep the law perfectly. One’s salvation, if it were ever attained under such an arrangement, would be by merit. Law can condemn transgressors, but it cannot justify them once they have transgressed. Only grace appropriated by faith can do that.
In all but a few instances in Galatians, when Paul references “the law,” he does so without the definite article “the” (even though most of our English translations add it). For example, there is no article in Galatians 2:21. “If righteousness comes through law (a system of mere law, EP), then Christ died needlessly.” Therefore, what I believe Paul condemns in the letter is, in principle, any legalistic or meritorious approach to pleasing God. The Judaizers in Galatia were teaching such an approach to justification using the Law of Moses as the vehicle through which they believed justification could be obtained. So the immediate and primary application of Paul’s teaching in Galatians applied to “the Law of Moses in particular” (as I wrote in the article in question), but I believe that it applies “in general” to any legalistic or meritorious attempt at justification. It’s even possible to approach the law of Christ legalistically if one is not careful (e.g., if I believe baptism, church attendance, or good works earn my salvation). To use Paul’s own words, “It is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham” (Gal. 3:7), and “as many as are of works of law are under a curse” (3:10; again, there’s no article before “law” in that verse). If one wants to be justified, he must trust in what God did for him through Jesus (which trust will obviously show itself in obedience). But one will remain under a curse if he is a “works of law” person, that is, a person who tries to be justified by merit, regardless of the specific law through which he tries to save himself.
Paul affirmed that if he had been justified through his Pharisaic and legalistic approach to the Law of Moses, that justification would have been “a righteousness of my own” (Phil. 3:9). That was because those of Paul’s previous mindset “did not pursue [righteousness] by faith, but as if it were based on works” (Rom. 9:32). But when Paul became a Christian and came to understand God’s way of justifying sinners, he gave up the vain merit-based righteousness that he might experience the righteousness “which comes by faith in Christ” (Phil. 3:9).
Lest anyone misunderstand, I do believe that obedience to “the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2) is necessary because it serves as the evidence that our faith and trust are in God and the salvation he has made possible for us in Christ (James 2:14-26; Heb. 5:9; Luke 6:46). But the foundation or source of our salvation is in what Jesus did for us, not in what we do for him.
We are not justified “by law in general” – a meritorious, works-based salvation that is rooted in my own ability to keep law, but “by faith” – a grace-based salvation that is rooted in my trust in Jesus having done for me what I could not do for myself. When one properly understands and appreciates such justification, it produces a complete submission to God in humble obedience (Titus 2:11-14; Eph. 2:8-10).
Both the legalist and the faithful Christian are concerned about and committed to obeying every applicable commandment of God. The former entrusts his salvation to his own ability to obey; the latter entrusts his salvation to Jesus.