Aaron Shelton BIBL 3603 Dr. Kelly Liebengood October 2, 2012 An Exegetical Analysis of Galatians 2:15-21! Within these seven verses of text lies a minefield of religious and contextual significance in which one must carefully navigate in order to understand what Paul is saying. Buried beneath the text lies deep theology and the pivotal moment in history where Paul lays down where he stands on the debate of Jew and Gentile relations. We will begin navigating our way through the text in order to discover the first discourse of justification and the doctrine of the gospel for Paul. We will first look at the context of the passage in relation to the rest of Galatians and then work our way into the passage itself. We will conclude with a practical analysis of why it is important as well as what it teaches us about God and Christ. The Situation! As we work our way up to Galatians 2:15 there is a lot that Paul has already laid forth and discussed. A crisis has arisen within the church of Galatia. Paul planted this church at an earlier time and moved on to the next city in his missionary journey. He left them under the power of the Holy Spirit yet he receives a startling report. The Galatians have become persuaded by a group of false teachers. Men who, claiming to be from God, teach a doctrine of circumcision rather than of grace and inclusion that Paul has
Shelton, 2 taught them. Paul, seeing the false teachers for who they truly are, rebukes them and encourages them to reunite as one body in the church under Christ and the Spirit. Paul writes to them as if the situation can still be redeemed, yet takes a very critical approach to his letter. Paul begins his letter with an initial greeting and affirmation of his apostleship. Then swiftly rebukes the Galatians for their foolish ways. He accuses them of deserting the gospel and God himself. Paul then goes over his apostleship and the reasoning behind his actions with them to reinforce what he is about to say. He builds up his accreditation as an apostle that has been accepted by the apostles and the church in Jerusalem. Then he somewhat curves off-course and begins to talk about an instance in which he opposed Peter. He calls Peter out in 2:14 for requiring the Gentiles to live like Jews when he is unable to live as one. This builds the tension for the next few verses and sets the stage for a grand climax with everlasting theological significance. 1 The Passage! We are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners, yet we know that no one is! justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we! have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the! faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of! the law no one will be justified. (NET)! Paul opens this passage in a very interesting way. He begins with the common ground in which he and Peter share. McKnight believes that this passage can be 1 Outline adapted from ESV Study Bible and Galatians presentation by Kelly Liebengood.
Shelton, 3 divided in two ways. 15-16 being one in which they share a common conversion experience and 17-21 in which Paul explains the implications of their common conversion experience. I don t think this is the best way to analyze this passage. I would agree more with Hays approach in that this opening statement sets the stage for the following verses. It builds Paul s case and explanation and ultimately the theology it is going to present. Paul points ahead to this shared confessional tradition 2 in order to use it as the foundation of his argument against the Torah observance is not necessary for Gentiles in the new situation that God has brought into being. (Hays 2000:236) Paul is talking to Peter and all the Jews that have this similar confessional tradition in this verse. This is paramount to understanding who Paul is talking to in the next verse. Every time we see we within the next passage, Jewish Christians must be on the forefront of our minds. As we move into verse 16, we hit a exegetical brick wall. Paul unloads the heart of the gospel message within one overloaded Greek sentence. We must take into account four aspects of this verse in order to understand the text: the meaning of justified, the meaning of the phrase works of the law, the meaning of the phrase the faithfulness of Jesus Christ, and the reference to Psalm 143 in the last clause of verse 16. We begin with the word justify, which occurs in this verse three times alone. The first reference to this word in Galatians is defined as the declaration or right placement in our relationship to God. It has imagery of the courtroom and of eschatological fulfillment in that even if they are being oppressed now, God will come through and vindicate and redeem the people. Therefore, The verb justify points not merely to a forensic declaration of acquittal from guilt but also to God s ultimate action 2 This shared confessional tradition is the common ethnic identity that emerges between Jewish Christians and the confession about justification through Christ.
Shelton, 4 of powerfully setting right all that has gone wrong. (Hays 2000:237) Yet, when Paul speaks of it here, he is using the passive voice. The justifier is God! That is why we are unable to be justified by the works of the Law. If we live righteously according to the Law, our actions are simply human and they are limited. Ultimately, God is the one doing the justifying. This is important to understand in this passage as well as many others within the mindset of Judaism. This isn t outside the Jewish usage of the phrase. However, there is some debate as to what Paul means by Law in this passage. Some would argue for the ceremonial aspects where others would argue the moral aspect. Within the Reformation we have wrongfully adopted the mindset that Jews were working in order to earn their salvation, as the Roman Catholic Church was doing when Luther raised his questions over this doctrine. E.P. Sanders explains that Jews didn t need to earn favor with God because it was already given to them by grace and mercy. Obedience to the Law came as a response of praise and worship. This concept was titled covenantal nomism. We must analyze this passage through the lens of covenantal nomism in order to see what Paul is trying to say here. There is no distinction mentioned in the verse, but we do have the context to take into account. Paul is writing to the Galatians because false teachers are reverting them back to the ways of the Law, specifically in relation to circumcision. Paul is talking about the ceremonial aspects of the Law in this context. The practices that specifically stand as outward symbols of Jewish ethnic identity: circumcision, dietary laws, and Sabbath keeping. I don t think it would be wise to assume Paul is rebuking the moral aspects of the Law. However, Paul is rebuking the laws which separate rather than unite the nations. Paul then begins to talk about the faithfulness of Jesus. This passage has
Shelton, 5 been debated endlessly within the past 30 years. The bottom line issue is whether or not the genitive here is taken subjectively or objectively. Syntactically it is ambiguous, all scholars would agree with that. Yet, they can t seem to agree as to what Paul is saying here.! All such interpretations founder on the fact that the clause we too have put our! faith in Jesus Christ, following immediately upon the present phrase through! faith in Christ Jesus, puts it beyond reasonable doubt that Christ Jesus is to be! constructed as objective genitive, expressing the object in whom the faith is! reposed. (Fung 1988:115) Yet another scholar writes,! His self-giving was interpreted by early Christians as an act of pistis,! faithfulness. When all humanity had fallen away into unfaithfulness, he alone! was faithful to God. At the same time, his death was an act that showed forth! God s faithfulness, God s determination not to abandon his people to slavery and! death. Thus, when Paul writes that a person is rectified only dia pisteou Iesou! Christou, he is thinking of Christ s faithfulness as embodied in his death on a! cross, which was the event through which God acted to rescue us. (Hays! 2000:240) It seems like each scholar is convinced that one method of interpretation is right and the others have no clue what the are talking about. However, it seems like many scholars are very turned off of the idea that Paul might have left it ambiguous for a reason. Paul never defines pistes Iesou Christou. However, R. Bultman points out that this phrase is paramount for the understanding of the resurrection. 3 Paul s entire theology, the one thing that made Jesus who he was, was the fact that he was resurrected by God. When we keep that in mind, a plenary genitive, 4 rather than constraining to either objective or subjective, would be my preferred method of interpretation. Both sides have excellent support and both bring an aspect to the table in which would fit into the context of 3 Concept drafted from 1 Thess. 5:14 4 From Wallace s Greek Grammar, Beyond the Basics
Shelton, 6 Galatians and well with the character of Paul, specifically in relation to the resurrection. Last, we must address what Paul is taking about when he is referring to Psalm 143. When Paul alludes to this Psalm, we see him underscore the claim he just made. The gospel is one of justification and rectification through God s act in Christ through the witness of Scripture. We are only right before God because of Christ s faithfulness and our faith in Christ by grace and mercy. Not by human works, like circumcision. I believe Paul changes the Psalm in order to really get his point across, making a word play on flesh and circumcision. But if while seeking to be justified in Christ we ourselves have also been found to be sinners, is Christ then one who encourages sin? Absolutely not! But if I build up again those things I once destroyed, I demonstrate that I am one who breaks God s law. (NET)! In verses 17-18 we see Paul setting up the transition between what has happened with Peter to what is happening in Galatia. Paul dramatically articulates that those (Gentiles) who join us (Jewish Christians) at the table are seeking to be rectified in Christ, yet they are in fact being perceived as sinners by those who disapprove of their actions. Paul then allows them their rebuttal for the sake of the argument, which if true only leads to Christ encouraging sin! Paul uses Christ himself in order to show that they must be united, Jew and Gentile, together around the table of fellowship. Paul then gives a very real and tangible example to both Peter and the Galatians, the imagery of destroying and building up again. The language of tearing down and rebuilding suggests the image of the Torah as the wall that separates Israel from the Gentiles. Paul s gospel declares that Jesus Christ has torn down this wall. (Hays
Shelton, 7 2000:242) Here Paul ties this verse back to the imagery in verse 16. Peter is rebuilding the wall that Christ tore down, in respect to withdrawing from the table of Gentiles. The Galatians are rebuilding the wall that Christ tore down, in respect to circumcision. If they did this,!... rebuilding the wall of separation would show that his entire apostolic labor of! preaching the Law-free gospel to Gentiles had not been a fulfillment of the will of! God but a flagrant violation of God s holiness; to follow Peter in leaving the! common table would show that Paul s whole apostleship had been in vain, an! extended defiance of God. (Hays 2000:242) Paul draws the line here, if Gentiles are to be included in the Kingdom, then they can no longer separate themselves from the table of fellowship. For through the law I died to the law so that I may live to God. I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside God s grace, because if righteousness could come through the law, then Christ died for nothing! (NET)! When we reach verse 17, Paul throws another curveball into the passage. he talks about how through the law he died to the law, so that he may live to God. This verse is very difficult to explain, as shown by almost every commentary. Paul does not offer any explicit explanation of this point, we may be well advised to concede that we do no know exactly what Paul meant by the aphoristic statement. (Hays 2000:243) I believe this has something to do with the fact that the Law could have played an active rile in the death of Jesus, pronouncing a curse upon him. Since Paul, now crucified with Christ, this could also play a role in his life, cursing him as well. 5 The real point here is 5 Adapted from McKnight, pg. 243.
Shelton, 8 that Paul has passed through death, leaving the Law behind and moving forward in a new life in Christ, so that he can now live for God. One of the best parts of this verse shows us that this isn t something that only Paul went through. Union with Christ s death is the common experience of all who are in Christ. This again ties right back to what he just said. He is showing us that all who are in Christ share the same experiences. Just as Paul and Peter share a common experience, Jews and Gentiles alike share this experience. This is solidified in my mind with the use of the perfect tense which shows a completed action with continuing effect. This is why he goes on to say that he lives in Christ and Christ lives in him, having died to his old identity, he now lives in the power of Christ. This reshaped his values and practices in which he identifies himself with. No longer is circumcision, dietary laws, and observance of the Sabbath required. The hallmarks of the new identity are love and self-giving in Christ. Again, we see Paul referring back to the faithfulness of Christ. Using the words love and gave in the aorist, showing us the single action of Christ s love and self-donation on the cross. We again see the genitive case in pistes showing our faith in the Son and his faithfulness to the Father. I would agree with most scholars here saying that it is probably more concentrated on the Son s faithfulness to the Father rather than an equal balance as suggested before. Paul then closes in verse 21 by reiterating what he has said the whole time. Righteousness and rectification comes not through the Law but through Christ s death on the cross. To go back to the Law would be to nullify Christ s action on the cross.
Shelton, 9 The Application! Why is this verse so important? How does it apply to our understanding of God and the Christian life today? It is vital to our understanding of who God is. It teaches us that God cares about us. He didn t just send the Law, which was good but corrupted, 6 to condemn us. He sought to justify us through his Son in order to rebuild that relationship that had been torn away so long ago. It shows us that God was faithful to his promise to Abraham and that his faithfulness to us, not just ours to him, is essential to our belief. The implications of this verse can be seen today in that we no longer are constrained to circumcision, diet, and the Sabbath. The things that used to set us apart and selfishly prop us up are no longer parts of our relationship with God and the world. We are to be a group of priests ministering to the nations. We can not do that while sitting on a pedestal, but rather joining with sinners at the table of fellowship. That is the understanding that Paul had of Christ s work on the cross. We are no longer to be separated but rather unified as one people, God s people. 6 By Satan
Shelton, 10 Bibliography Bruce, F. F. The New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Epistle to the! Galatians. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 136-47.! Print. Fung, Ronald. The Epistle to the Galatians. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans! Publishing Company, 1988. 112-27. Print. Gordon, David. "Interpretation." Problem at Galatia. 32-43. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. <https://! courses.letu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-2416531-dt-content-rid-2591027_2/courses/! 12fa_bibl_3603_01_t/Gordon_Problem at Galatia_Int.pdf>. Hays, Richard. The New Interpreter's Bible: The Letter to the Galatians, Introduction,! Commentary, and Reflections. XI. Nashville, Tn: Abingdon Press, 2000. 236-48.! Print. McKnight, Scot. The NIV Application Commentary, Genesis, From Biblical Text... to! Contemporary Life. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995.! 115-34. Print.