Click Here to Read Galatians 2:11-21

Paul begins this section by using Peter as an example of returning to the bondage of religion.  Peter stopped socializing with the Gentiles when Jewish friends of James came around.  Seems that he was concerned about how it would look to those Jewish friends that he had non-Jewish friends.  This sort of reminded me of high school where everybody just clung to their own group.  Peter feared the opinions of man and separated himself from those he enjoyed spending time with because they did not live by the same customs.  This behavior was contradictory to the grace of God that says, “I have made you righteous with my righteousness”.  Righteousness doesn’t come from being Jewish, observing Jewish customs, or following Jewish culture.  It comes from God. 

Look at verse 16 again: “we know full well that we don’t receive God’s perfect righteousness as a reward for keeping the law, but by the faith of Jesus, the Messiah!  His faithfulness, not ours, has saved us, and we have received God’s perfect righteousness.  Now we know that God accepts no one by the keeping of religious laws!”  The Amplified begins it this way: “yet we know that a man is not justified (and placed in right standing with God) by works of the Law, but (only) through faith in (God’s beloved Son) Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law.”  So, it is by faith, not works, that we are justified, made righteous, in right standing with God. 

Justified: declared free of the guilt of sin and its penalty.  Sometimes we can accept that we have been forgiven of sin, but we feel the need to hold on to the guilt and shame of it.  We think we owe a debt to atone for what we did or worse, we must wear a scarlet letter being forever branded with the memory of it.  Not so.  We are free of all of it.  The blood of Jesus paid the debt in full.  We are free from all guilt, shame, and consequence of sin.  And it isn’t just His righteousness that we receive.  By the faith of Jesus and His faithfulness we received God’s perfect righteousness.  It’s all His that we get.  Faith is a belief, and assurance of God’s word and all that He has done.  Faithfulness is living in accordance with that truth.  Faith leads to faithfulness.  Our own faith can be skewed by our own life experiences and circumstances, but Jesus has perfect faith.  When we put our faith in him, he puts his faith, faithfulness and righteousness into us.  We are made right with God because Jesus is right with God.

How much more powerful does that make verse 20?  “…we live in union as one!  My new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God who loves me so much that he gave himself for me, and dispenses his life into mine!”  When Jesus lives in us, we have everything of his.  As we’ve seen here, we have his faith, his faithfulness, and his righteousness.  Do you know that we also have his peace, his joy, his love, his goodness, his patience, his strength?  We don’t have to rely on our own insufficient abilities, we get to fully rely on his abilities to be at work in and through us.  Isn’t that amazing?  We can see why Paul is so emphatic about God’s grace.  Look at all that has been done for us.  If we could work our way into righteousness, then what did Jesus have to give himself for? 

Let’s look at a couple of other confirming verses: “And do not enter into judgement with Your servant, for in Your sight no man living is righteous or justified.” (Psalms 143:2 AMP)

 “If You, LORD, should keep an account of our sins and treat us accordingly, O Lord, who could stand (before you in judgement and claim innocence?) (Psalms 130:3 AMP)  

“For no person will be justified (free of guilt and declared righteous) in His sight by (trying to do) the works of the Law.  For through the Law we become conscious of sin (and the recognition of sin directs us toward repentance, but provides no remedy for sin).”  (Romans 3:20 AMP) 

No man living is righteous.  Who could stand before you and claim innocence?  The law provides no remedy for sin.  In the Old Testament they had an annual Day of Atonement where they would make an animal sacrifice for everyone’s sins that year and it covered them for the next year.  But this annual practice was really just a reminder of their sin and guilt.  Jesus put away sin by offering himself as a sacrifice and for those who accept his sacrifice, there is no further sacrifice for sin.  Trying to earn our way into righteousness makes us slaves to our “good deeds” or ritualistic behavior because we are believing that Jesus in us isn’t enough.  That his blood isn’t all sufficient, the cross wasn’t necessary, and God’s love is not limitless. 

So why do we have trouble with this sometimes? Why do we still get caught up in the failures of our journey and try to make ourselves better on our own.  I can tell you what it is for me.  I’m a perfectionist.  I don’t just do things well, I do them perfectly.  And if something is not perfect, then I’m not finished with it yet.  If I don’t know how to do something, I will learn how to do it and I will do it perfectly.  That is always my aim anyway.  But what happens to this perfectionist when no matter how hard she works at something she can never get it perfect?  Something is always just a little off.  Well, isn’t that how it is when we try to earn righteousness (perfection) through works and our own efforts?  Our focus is too much on what we are doing rather than who we are with.  It isn’t about what we do, it’s about what He does in us.  I finally figured out that when I take my eyes off myself and put them on Jesus, whatever needs changing in me just changes.  Weather it is my perspective, my opinion, my attitude, my responses, my direction…it just falls into alignment with him, because I am looking at him.  I am empowering him in me.  I am giving him access and permission to rearrange me so that I reflect his image.

God wants relationship with us.  He isn’t looking for perfection, I think He loves the journey of cleaning us up and bringing us to spiritual maturity.  Because it’s a journey we do together with Him.  He is after our hearts.  When we open up to Him, we move from the love that has been poured into us.  That love compels us to live a life that is holy and honors him.   In short, we don’t receive forgiveness, salvation, or righteousness because of who we are or anything we’ve done.  It is only because of who Jesus is and what he did.  So, let’s take a little peek into God’s heart for a moment: grace is God’s idea and God’s desire for us. It was given by God and revealed to us by God.  The grace gospel lives in us as Christ lives in us and we get to be living testimonies of this grace for all the world to see.  He did it all so we could have it all even though we deserve nothing at all.  What an amazing God we serve!

Let’s pray.

Father, we just thank you for your amazing grace.  We could never fathom how great your love really is for us.  But in understanding your grace we can see how much you want us.  Your goodness to us truly has no end.  Father, we want to enjoy our journey with you as much as you enjoy your journey with us.  We can trust that you have great intentions for us.  You gave us your precious Holy Spirit to do the work in us so we will open ourselves to you, turn our gaze to Jesus’ face, and just let you do what you do.  Fill us up with your great love so that we can carry that love to others around us, let your grace speak through us.  And as we look to you, Jesus, may we continue to be transformed into your image.  Amen.