GALATIANS 2: 11-21

HOW CAN I BELONG TO GOD?

Paul Opposes Peter

11 When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.

14 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?

15 “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles 16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

17 “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! 18 If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.

19 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

As a way into this passage – maybe I could ask a question. How do you belong to God? Maybe you don’t feel you belong to God at all. Or maybe you feel sometimes you do – and sometimes you don’t. So how do we belong to God?

If we went back to Old Testament times and asked the teachers of the law: how can I belong to God they would have said that what you need to do is to do the law and also show you belong by the outward signs of belonging. And what was happening at the Galatian Church was that a group of teachers had come to the church and said that the Galatian Church needed to add certain practices to their faith so that they could belong. And one of the ways in which they would show they belong is circumcision which is why it is mentioned again and again in Galatians.

And maybe you have felt or thought this – if I could keep the law (the Ten Commandments) – then I would belong. And surely the law is good – but this passage seems to say that we can’t be put right with God by keeping the law?  So what’s all this about?

Maybe I could start with an illustration. Have you ever been up Snowdon? There are many ways up Snowdon – The Pyg Track, Watkins Path, The Miners Track – or maybe even the railway. A friend of mine (Neil) took a group of teenagers up Crib Goch. Neil explained to me that when they eventually arrived at the summit, such was the relief of some of the group – they were in tears. The reason was that Crib Goch was a narrow path on a ridge running up to the summit of Snowdon. And either side of the path was a frightening steep drop. One false move; one step in error either side – and there would be trouble. They needed to walk in line with the path and not deviate.

Paul says here in Galatians 2: 14 that Christians need to walk in line with the “truth of the gospel”. So we need to be careful we don’t slip either side. And we are going to look firstly at the two errors that can be made in relation to the law and belonging to God.

Error Number 1 – We add to the gospel

So the danger on one side is that we say I belong to God by trusting what Jesus has done – yes – but also by keeping the law. But look at what Paul says:

Verse 16 says: We know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ….because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

Now this word justified means to be put right with God. So you can re-read this verse and replace the word “justified” by the words: ”put right with God.” Why don’t you do that now? We might even say that you can replace the word: ”justified” with the words “belong to God.” Why don’t you do that as well?

Now what the Galatian Church was saying was – yes faith in Jesus – BUT also to belong to God you also need to do the law. You had to do these things too. That way you would belong.

Now if we think about it – this is nonsense. If we are adding to what Jesus achieved at the cross what we are really saying is that what Jesus achieved at the cross was insufficient – because we have to add to it. That Jesus dying on the cross was not good enough. That there was something missing. Or we don’t really trust Jesus because we need to add to it. Because if you did trust what Jesus had done was enough for you to belong to God – then you wouldn’t try and add to what Jesus had done.

So that’s one error on one side – we try to belong to God through our own ability to keep the law.

Error Number 2 – We take away from the gospel

Now it is at this point we might say – if we are not put right with God, or we don’t belong to God by following the law – being a good, moral person – then what is the purpose of the law? Can the law be ignored and we do what we like? Well – that is the error on the other side.

Look at what Paul says next in verse 17:

But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! 

It is simply not right for Christians to say in relation to their sinfulness – “ah – that’s how God made me – therefore it must be ok by him.” No – or as Paul says: “absolutely not.”

So at this point we might be wondering – what on earth is the point of the law. Should we keep it or not?

Now first of all we need to understand the purpose of the law. We need to be clear about the purpose of the law. It’s the three “R’s!” Reveal, Restrain and Rescue.

First the law Reveals what is right and what is wrong. For example we know if the speed limit says 60 mph and we are going 61mph we have broken the law. The law of God therefore also informs us what is right and what is wrong.

Secondly the law Restrains. The very fact that there is a speed limit of 60mph will mean that people don’t speed as much – but it won’t actually stop all speeding. In the same way the law of God has a restraining effect; but doesn’t stop sin.

But the final R is really important – and that is our need of Rescue from the law. Because the law is impossible to keep.

John Bunyan had this recurring dream where he dreamt that he was lying down on is back and on top of him were the books of the law of God crushing him. You see, the law of God isn’t difficult to do; it’s impossible!

The purpose of the law is that you need rescuing from it. Look at what Paul says in verse 19:

For through the law I died to the law….

Paul is saying that the law has killed him! He can’t do it! So what are we to do? Well – there’s a little add onto this verse that reveals this path through which we can belong to God. So let me complete it for you:

For through the law I died to the law – so that I might live for God.

So what’s this about? What this is about is that as we look to the law we will see that we don’t measure up and as we contemplate the vast chasm between what we are like and what Almighty God would have us be – we are crushed. What we need is for someone to rescue us so that we might live for God.

The great wonder of the gospel (the good news) is that God delights in saving us from ourselves so that we would live for him. In Galatians 1: 15/16 Paul says that God called him (and therefore us) by his infinite kindness and that God was pleased to reveal Jesus. God is pleased to save you – have you ever considered that? Maybe you have thought that God tolerated you or would grudgingly save you or that you would only find out that you are saved when you go to be with him but in the meantime you have to be a good boy or girl. So you live a life of fear – always thinking you have to be good enough. Have you ever thought that?

No – God offers to save you – he delights in you belonging to him and he does that through his infinite kindness in Jesus.

If we are belong to God by his kindness rather than saving ourselves there are implications:

If we are saved by what we do – we will always be comparing ourselves to others. We may either feel superior to people who we think we are better than us or inferior to people who we think are better than us.

If we are saved by what we do – we will be hypocrites – because no one can actually be good enough for God. We will be doing a version of the law we can do. A watered down version.

If we are saved by what we do – we will always be criticising or condemning others (maybe we don’t say it – but we will think it).

If we are saved by what we do – we will grade the law and seek to highlight certain areas of the law. The things we can do will be very important – and the things we can’t won’t be important.

If we are saved by what we do – we will be dishonest about what we are really like as we know we will need to hide it.

If we are saved by what we do – we will judge people and people groups and be pointing the finger.

But if we are to belong to God NOT by what we do but by the kindness of God alone, by the grace of God alone – and nothing to do with how good we may be – as we take that in more deeply – something starts to change.

You start to look at people and you find that you don’t condemn their behaviour because you know you are no better. But you don’t excuse it either but rather you love them. You don’t compare yourself with others – but instead look to Jesus alone. And as our stubborn hearts admit our need of Jesus a little path emerges through which God changes us and through that we can know that we belong to him.

You see, there’s nothing you can do to put yourself right with God, to belong to God except to say Jesus I need you.

Just an illustration to finish:

My Dad is one of three brothers: Peter (my dad), Machen and Andrew. My Grandpa was a minister in the church in Wadebridge, North Cornwall and Dad was working in London and Machen at Bristol University. One weekend they both went down to Wadebridge to stay and that evening they were both discussing Christianity. Dad, who was a preacher, took one view and Machen, who was putting forward a view that was not Christian. And the argument went back and forth. Grandpa, was listening to this, then said quietly to my dad: “Peter – you’re wasting your time – Machen doesn’t know his need.”

Do you know your need of Jesus? It’s a wonderful thing to know your need of Jesus.

I pray that we all continue to take in more deeply our need of Jesus so in that we would know that through Jesus we belong to our loving heavenly Father.

Amen


Category: Sermons , Services , The Bridge

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