Galatians 2:17-19 – Salvation By Works Promotes Sin
As Paul writes his letter to the Galatians, arguing for salvation by faith and not by works, he knows that his opponents are going to object. And one particular objection they’ll raise is this: ‘If you tell people that they don’t have to keep the law to earn salvation then they’ll just live whatever way they like’. And so he anticipates that objection here in v17. And what’s more, this sort of teaching surely would make Christ a servant of sin. Because who has Paul been arguing all along that he got his gospel message from? Jesus! So if Paul’s gospel message leads to people leading sinful lives, and he got his message from Jesus, then Jesus would be a minister or servant of sin.
So how does Paul answer this objection? First, he turns the objection on his head by arguing that it’s actually salvation by works that promotes sin. Here in v18, Paul says that there’s something that he has torn down that he can’t rebuild. So what’s he talking about? He’s torn down the law as a means of justification. It’s not that he tore down the law in and of itself. Paul says elsewhere that the law is holy and righteous and good.
Here’s an illustration that John Piper uses. He says that God originally gave the law as a railway track to guide his peoples’ obedience. The engine was God’s grace, by the power of the Spirit. The law sets out what following Jesus looks like. But what many of the Jews had done, and what many people still do today, is to take the railway track, lift it up on its end, lean it against the door of heaven, and turn it into a ladder to climb. And that, says Piper, is the essence of legalism. Making the law into a long list of steps which we use to demonstrate that we deserve to make it into Heaven.
Many people today think that legalism is being concerned about God’s law. If you don’t join in with something they’re doing because the Bible says it’s wrong, they say: ‘don’t be so legalistic!’ But actually legalism doesn’t describe a concern to keep God’s law. It describes an effort to get right with God through what we do.
So why in v18 would Paul prove to be a transgressor or sinner if he rebuilt what he tore down? Because he would be rebuilding the law as a ladder to get into Heaven.
Questions
- Why is it sinful to think you can earn your way to heaven?
- What is legalism?
Prayer Points
- Pray that we would understand we can’t earn our salvation.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.