Galatians 2:17-21 | |
17. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. | 17. Porro si quaerentes justificari in Christo, inventi sumus ipsi quoque peccatores, ergo Christus peceati minister est? absit. |
18. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. | 18. Nam si quae destruxi haec rursum aedifieo, praevaricatorem me ipsum constituo. |
19. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. | 19. Ego enim per Legem Legi mortuus sum. Ut Deo viverem, |
20. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. | 20. Cum Christo sum crucifixus; vivo autem non amplius ego, sed vivit in me Christus; quod autem nunc vivo in carne, in fide vivo Filii Dei, qui dilexit me, et tradidit se ipsum pro me. |
21. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. | 21. Non abjicio gratiam Dei; si enim per Legem justitia, ergo Christus gratis mortuus est. |
17.
Chrysostom, and some other commentators, make the whole passage to be an affirmation, and interpret it thus: "If, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we are not yet perfectly righteous, but still unholy, and if, consequently, Christ is not sufficient for our righteousness, it follows that Christ is the minister of the doctrine which leaves men in sin:" supposing that, by this absurd proposition, Paul insinuates a charge of blasphemy against those who attribute a part of justification to the law. But as the expression of indignant abhorrence immediately follows, which Paul is never accustomed to employ but in answer to questions, I am rather inclined to think that the statement is made for the purpose of setting aside an absurd conclusion which his doctrine appeared to warrant. He puts a question, in his usual manner, into the mouth of his antagonists. "If, in consequence of the righteousness of faith, we, who are Jews and were 'sanctified from the womb,' (Jeremiah 1:5 Galatians 1:15,) are reckoned guilty and polluted, shall we say that Christ makes sin to be powerful in his own people, and that he is therefore the author of sin?"
This suspicion arose from his having said that Jews, by believing in Christ, renounce the righteousness of the law; for, while they are still at a distance from Christ, Jews, separated from the ordinary pollution of the Gentiles, appear to be in some respects exempted from the appellation of sinners. The grace of Christ places them on a level with the Gentiles; and the remedy, which is common to both, shews that both had labored under the same disease. This is the force of the particle also, --
18.
19.
This passage will be better understood by comparing it with the seventh chapter of the Epistle to the Romans. There Paul describes beautifully, that no man lives to the law, but he to whom the law is dead, that is, has lost all power and efficacy; for, as soon as the law begins to live in us, it inflicts a fatal wound by which we die, and at the same time breathes life into the man who is already dead to sin. Those who live to the law, therefore, have never felt the power of the law, or properly understood what the law means; for the law, when truly perceived, makes us die to itself, and it is from this source, and not from Christ, that sin proceeds.
20.
"which was contrary to us, Christ has nailed to his cross." (Colossians 2:14.)
Being then crucified with him, we are freed from all the curse and guilt of the law. He who endeavors to set aside that deliverance makes void the cross of Christ. But let us remember, that we are delivered from the yoke of the law, only by becoming one with Christ, as the twig draws its sap from the root, only by growing into one nature.
Paul replies, that it consists in faith; which intimates that it is a secret hidden from the senses of man. The life, therefore, which we attain by faith is not visible to the bodily eye, but is inwardly perceived in the conscience by the power of the Spirit; so that the bodily life does not prevent us from enjoying, by faith, a heavenly life.
"He hath made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:6.)
Again,
"You are fellow-citizens with the saints and of the
household of God." (Ephesians 2:19.)
And again,
"Our conversation is in heaven." (Philippians 3:20.)
Paul's writings are full of similar assertions, that, while we live in the world, we at the same time live in heaven; not only because our Head is there, but because, in virtue of union, we enjoy a life in common with him. (John 14:23.)
"Not that we loved God, but he anticipated us by his love."
(1 John 4:10)
For if any merit of ours had moved him to redeem us, this reason would have been stated; but now Paul ascribes the whole to love: it is therefore of free grace. Let us observe the order: "He loved us, and gave himself for us." As if he had said, "He had no other reason for dying, but because he loved us," and that "when we were enemies," (Romans 5:10,) as he argues in another Epistle.
21.
This argument, we shall perhaps be told, is of no weight against those who propose to unite the grace of Christ with works; which, it is universally admitted, was done by the false apostles. The two doctrines, it is alleged, stand together, that righteousness is by the law, and that we are redeemed by the death of Christ. True; supposing it were granted that a part of our righteousness is obtained by works, and a part comes from grace. But such theology, it may easily be proved, was unknown to Paul. His argument with his opponents is either conclusive or inconclusive. If any blasphemer shall dare to accuse him of bad reasoning, a powerful defense is at hand; for that justification in the sight of God of which he treats, is not what men may imagine to be sufficient, but what is absolutely perfect.
But we are not now called to plead in behalf of Paul against blasphemers, who venture to speak in reproachful language of the Holy Spirit himself. Our present business is with the Papists. They ridicule us, when we argue with Paul that, if righteousness come by works, Christ is dead in vain. They imagine it to be a beautiful reply, with which their sophists furnish them, that Christ merited for us the first grace, that is, the opportunity of meriting; and that the merit of his death concurs with the satisfactions of works for the daily pardon of sins. Let them ridicule Paul, whose language we quote. They must refute him before they can refute us. We know that he had to deal with men, who did not entirely reject the grace of Christ, but ascribed the half of salvation to works. In opposition to them he argues, that "if righteousness is by the law, then Christ is dead in vain;" and by so doing, he certainly does not allow to works one drop of righteousness. Between those men and the Papists there is no difference; and therefore, in refuting them, we are at liberty to employ Paul's argument.
1 Eij para>basiv tiu~to nen>omistai o[ti to<n no>mon katalipo>ntev ejn Cristw~| zhtou~men dikaiwqh~nai, hJ aijti>a eijv aujto<n Cristo<n cwrh>sei. "If this be reckoned an offence, that we have forsaken the law, and seek to be justified through Christ, the blame will fall on Christ himself." -- Theodoret.
2 Cristo>v ejsti pa>nta ejn uJmi~n kai< kratw~n kai< despo>zwn? Kai< to< me<n hJme>teron qe>lhma nekro>n ejsti. To< de< ejkei>nou zh~| kai< kuqerna~| th<n zwh<n hJmw~n. "It is Christ who does and rules and governs all in you; and our will is dead, but his will lives and directs our life." -- Theophylact.
3 "
4 "Dwrea<n ajpe>qane does not mean 'in vain,' 'uselessly,' 'ineffectually,' but 'without just cause;' for if righteousness be by the law, there was no reason why he should die." -- Tittmann.
Eij ga<r ajpe>qanen oJ Cristo>v eu]dhlon o[ti dia< to< mh< ijscu>ein to<n no>mon hJma~v dikaiou~n? eij d j oJ no>mov dikaioi~ peritto<v oJ tou~ Cristou~ qa>natov. "For if Christ died, it is very evident that it was because the law was unable to justify us; and if the law justifies us, the death of Christ was superfluous." -- Chrysostom.
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