Welcome news about the condition of others

Have you ever been in a situation where you have had to wait for some important news? If so, you will have some idea of how the apostle Paul felt as we see him in this passage. Many people in Thessalonica had been coming to faith in Jesus Christ but he had to leave the city prematurely. He was anxious for the new Thessalonian believers because he knew their faith would be tested.

When Paul could wait for news of the beloved new believers no longer he sent Timothy to go and check on their progress. He received wonderful news back and his anxiety turned to joy. He said that ‘now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord’. This is a beautiful picture of how a believer can be affected by the faith of others. However, it does not and must not stop there.

Paul doesn’t just want to see them again but he wants to supply what is lacking in their faith. Spiritual children must be growing in faith. The biggest danger for a new convert is ignorance. Increasing love is the setting in which God strengthens hearts to become ‘blameless and holy’ in His presence. What about those outside the church? The grace of the gospel is, through repentance and faith in Jesus, sufficient for every nation, tribe and tongue … everyone.

Wealth can be used for a variety of purposes some of which are good and some not so good

Wealth can often bring problems which are unexpected and very harmful. In the passage we find, initially, the prophet speaking judgement on Tyre, a region on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Success in commerce had resulted in a dangerous self-sufficiency. They thought their city was unassailable. This was a type of harlotry in God’s sight. The destruction of Tyre came about because its wealth was fueling pride.

We find that people today often see their wealth as being their security. This also is a form of harlotry. Jesus’ words in the New Testament sound a warning about how hard it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Our stronghold needs to be in God rather than wealth.

There is a type of parallel to Tyre in the New Testament in the life of a woman who had been a harlot. She, however, found forgiveness for her sins in Jesus Christ and used some very expensive perfume to ‘anoint’ Jesus. She knew he would have to go to the cross. He was going to pay the penalty for people’s harlotry so that they could freely receive forgiveness through faith. Jesus was far richer than any person or city but became poor so that others could be rich in him.

Christmas is widely regarded as a great time of year because we do things we don’t do at other times. It distracts us from many of the problems of this world. It is like a tropical island. We need to focus, however, on the child being born into this world, God foreknowing the suffering his beloved Son would have to endure.

We can think of God’s Son by the two names he is known. ‘Jesus’ because he would save his people from their sins. This is why Christmas is so powerful in contrast to every other religious ‘system’. It points us to Easter and the cross.  You will never be good enough but, through trusting in him, Jesus saves.

The second name for God’s Son is ‘Emmanuel’. This name means ‘God with us’. Overseas children in orphanages often receive financial aid from people in other countries. This is a good thing but they really know that someone loves them when they come and live with them where they are. We can know God’s love by seeing what he has done in the person of his Son coming amongst us. This shows not only his love, though, but also how much we can trust him. Think of his two names … will you have the time to love him?

Christmas time invokes many different emotions and thoughts … presents, giving, Santa Claus etc. For some people this time is a bit of a chore. For others they see it as a party, family or holiday time. These things, however, need to be put in a proper perspective. They are not the reason for Christmas itself.

For a minority, Christmas is a time of real celebration because of Jesus’ birth. Where sin had destroyed the relationship between God and man, Jesus’ birth heralds the way this can be restored. It was, however, lost on most of the people of Jesus’ time. Only a small number, during his earthly life believed that he was born to die as a sacrifice and substitute for them. Later this was to become many millions all throughout history.

In order to see this light we must first understand our own darkness

In this passage we find that the people were speculating about Jesus because he had come from Galilee. They did not accept who he claimed to be, and actually was, as ‘the light of the world’. His coming had, however, been predicted a very long time before by the prophet Isaiah.

The natural position of all people is ‘darkness’. This is because ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’. Jesus came as the light which the darkness cannot overcome. He is the one who was without sin. He promised that those who follow him would ‘walk’ in the light.

In order to see his light, we must first understand our own darkness. In this way the meaning of the cross becomes clear to us. Jesus went to the cross, even though he was innocent. Through trusting in what he has done for us, as a substitute and sacrifice, we are brought out of darkness and into the marvelous light … forgiven and set free.

Gospel unity is glorifying to God

INTRODUCTION

Brief explanation of ‘guidepost’ passages

In coming to the passage for our consideration it is important to note that it is of special significance. It could be called a ‘guidepost question’. This type of question is used almost exclusively by the apostle Paul and mostly in Romans and Galatians. It helps the reader to follow the ‘line’ of his reasoning. In nearly every case a question is raised and then answered with a strong negative statement as in the one we will look at here in Galatians 2:17:

But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be!         Galatians 2:17 (NASB)

Context within NT, within Galatians, within Ch2

In order to understand this question we need to first look at the context in which it occurs and appreciate the reason for Paul’s writing to the Galatian churches.

In the providence of God five things came together around the time of the early church. These were, firstly, what is known as the ‘Diaspora’ or ‘Dispersion’, secondly, the various Jewish synagogues, thirdly, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, known as the Septuagint, fourthly, the ministry of the apostle Paul … often accompanied by other missionaries and fifthly, what is called the “Pax Romana.” This “Roman Peace” was the relative peace enjoyed throughout the Roman Empire, with a common language, Greek, and safety in travel. It was an additional benefit that the Apostle Paul was a Roman citizen by birth. As a result of the ‘Dispersion’ enclaves of Jewish people had sprung up around the Mediterranean region. After Jesus’ death and resurrection and the conversion of Saul, now Paul, the former persecutor of the early church, these synagogue enclaves provided a perfect avenue for the spread of the gospel. Paul, the one who was to become the great apostle to the Gentiles, preached Christ to the Jews in the synagogues and many became Christians. Gentiles in these locations were also converted and churches came into being.

Paul, Barnabas and others carried out further missionary activity in these regions specifically to the Gentiles, non-Jews, and this work was blessed by the Holy Spirit with Gentile churches being formed … most notably in Antioch which is part of modern-day Turkey.

Paul, made two trips to Jerusalem to visit the leaders of the church there and especially the apostle Peter. This was partly to confirm that they were preaching the same gospel. It was a very big thing for Christians from a Jewish background to recognize that God was now gathering non-Jews into His glorious kingdom of grace through the same gospel.

Problems arose, however, in the Galatian churches between the Jewish and Gentile believers. We find Paul calling it a ‘different gospel’ in Chapter 1 of this letter. The problem was centred around the addition of Jewish law to the gospel which had the effect of nullifying God’s grace in Christ. The Jews had long been regarded as God’s people and placed great importance on their adherence to various laws. These laws had become a type of ‘righteousness’ to them but, in the gospel, it is not what we do but what Christ has done for us, received by faith alone, which saves us.

The practical outworking of the Jewish believers’ mistake came to a head in an incident at Antioch involving the apostle Peter. He left the table fellowship of the Gentile converts to go and eat with a group of Jewish believers when they arrived. Paul publicly admonished him for this unwarranted behaviour saying that Peter had not acted in line with the truth of the gospel.

Paul goes on further in his letter to explain that the Jews cannot rely on the law to be made right with God and neither does not having the law place the Gentile believers in a lesser position with regards to their salvation. The Jews should not treat the Gentiles as the only sinners. They should always remember that, because the gospel remedy is exactly the same for both Jew and Gentile, Jews are sinners also.

Context in terms of our understanding of the church, esp. unity

Paul no doubt saw that the principle behind this attitude of superiority on the part of the Jews would likely be a future cause of division in the church.  Factions are the work of the sinful nature therefore they are opposed to the fruit of the Holy Spirit. These factions, or divisions, could arise on the basis of the outworking of perceived laws of various kinds. They would need to be confronted as Paul did with Peter at Antioch.

The writing of this letter to the Galatian churches promoted unity where there was division. As indicated before it is likely that Paul anticipated different versions of the same problem would arise in the future and, by giving an understanding of the basis of the problem at Antioch, the church would have an ongoing measure that would protect its unity. His letter also provides us with a model for better understanding the life and gospel witness of the church.

The gospel is the ‘great leveller’ in the church. It places every believer on the same level before God … justified by faith in Christ. In Romans we have the following:

“Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.”            Romans 3:27-30 (NASB)

PASSAGE EXPLAINED/MAIN POINTS

Immediate context of negative connection with ‘works of the Law’

This all brings us to consider the immediate context of our passage which is what is called ‘the works of the Law’ or more literally ‘works of Law’. The understanding of this phrase is vital for making sense of what Paul writes later. It is also vital for considering the problem of division in the church today. The word ‘law’ is a very complex one in Scripture as it has many variations. Here it is best understood as Jewish law. Jewish law was observed by believers who had come from a Jewish background.

A very clear example of ‘works of the Law’ is the situation which occurred at Antioch involving division caused by Jewish law. Peter had distanced himself from eating with the Gentile converts in order to eat with the Jewish believers who had recently arrived. It’s important to note that Paul did not treat this as a matter which was covered by ‘grace’ but rather as sin … bearing false witness to the gospel. He, quite rightly, accused Peter of departing from the truth of the wondrous message which places every believer on the same level before God.

A problem always arises when law is used as a means of justification. It creates division in the church, is a contradiction of the gospel and falls into the category of ‘the works of the Law’.

We find Paul writing in response to this in the two verses preceding the main passage as follows:

“We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles;  nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.”                                                          Galatians 2:15-16 (NASB)

Explain ‘justified in Christ’ and why mentioned here

We are now in a position to consider what the inspired apostle is writing for us in his ‘guidepost question’:

But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be!         Galatians 2:17 (NASB)

Firstly, we can now understand the phrase ‘justified in Christ’. The believers from a Jewish background needed to be made aware that their law was not connected to their salvation. This is because we must let go of the ‘works of the Law’ in order to be right with God. We must realize that our salvation cannot be dependent on anything we do. Works of the Law are about what we do to justify ourselves. Being justified in Christ, being made right with God by faith, is the opposite. It’s about what Jesus has done for us at the cross.

Explain ‘we are found sinners’

The second phrase in our passage, ‘we are found sinners’, is very important. The gospel places every believer on the same level before God.

The believers from a Jewish background had trouble with this because they regarded the Gentiles as sinners. They prided themselves on their Jewish heritage. They prided themselves also on their obedience to the various Jewish laws and thought that these things set them apart, as God’s holy people. They thought it set them apart from the other believers who they treated as ‘sinners’. As mentioned earlier, however, the fact that the gospel remedy was the same for all peoples throughout the world showed that they were sinners too.

Explain ‘does that make Christ a minister of sin?

The third part of the question ‘does that make Christ a minister of sin?’ moves from the believers themselves to focus on Christ. We could rephrase the question to make it simpler to understand by saying ‘does Christ promote sin’? This, of course, is a very serious statement because it completely misrepresents the gospel … who Jesus is and what He came to do. We can understand it as an objection which could have been in the minds of the Jewish believers. Their attitude to the Gentile believers was showing that they had misunderstood the gospel. Paul answers the question with a definite statement ‘May it never be’. Christ came to destroy sin, not promote it. This was accomplished at the cross. Keeping the law can never make a person right with God. It cannot justify. The gospel destroys any attempt to be justified by the law. The works of the Law, as distinct from the law itself, only cause division among believers. The only way anyone, either Jew or Gentile, can be justified is by faith in Christ. Removing the law as a way of salvation is necessary because sinners cannot be justified by it. No-one except Jesus kept it perfectly. He bore our sins in His body at the cross.

CONCLUSION/APPLICATION

Importance of passage (shows the reason for division)

Having considered this passage in Galatians Ch 2 we have been brought to the point where we need to ask questions about the church in our era.

How do we feel about division caused by Christians holding differing theological positions on non-gospel matters? Do we regard them as ‘sinners’ because of their theology? Are these theological positions ‘works of the Law’ and similar to what happened in Antioch? 

Are these divisions in line with the truth of the gospel? Perhaps the following extract from a discussion paper will help us:

“The connection between the issues in Galatians, church names and buildings and the oath of office arises from the apostle Paul’s teaching on justification by faith.  There are very good reasons to look closely at the matter of denominational badges. In Galatians 2:17 we see in the apostle Paul’s question the same subtle barriers today with regard to accepting believers who are from different backgrounds (where groups or individuals are not under church discipline). The principle involved highlights the danger of things becoming a type of ‘righteousness’ to us, on which we have come to rely.

Today we have the Anglican Church, the Lutheran Church, the Baptist Church, the Reformed Church, the Presbyterian Church and in the Presbyterian Church we have, or have had, the Presbyterian Church of Australia, the Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia, the Reformed Presbyterian Church, the Presbyterian Reformed Church, the Westminster Presbyterian Church, the Free Presbyterian Church and all this before unbelievers. Something seems to have gone wrong in our understanding of the gospel.”

The theological principle involved in this matter mentioned in the discussion paper becomes clearer when we look at what Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians as follows:

We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles; nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.                                                            Galatians 2:15-16 (NASB)

The gospel and the works of the Law are opposites. The one excludes the other.

Gospel levelling in the church and implications for Gospel Unity

Further to all this, however, we find that our passage, Galatians 2:17, re-enforces the spiritual reality that the gospel places every believer on the same level before God. It could be called ‘the great leveller’.

This has profound implications for the stewardship of the gospel and the unity of the church generally. Visible gospel unity should be the norm for the church and not the exception. By ensuring that we are behaving rightly towards all our brothers and sisters in Christ, our stewardship of the gospel message is also strengthened. Those outside the church will be able to see a consistency between what we profess and the visible church witness.

Why it is glorifying to God

Finally, by understanding the full implications of what Paul is saying in this passage, we see that the gospel unity of the church is greatly glorifying to God. The wondrous work of salvation which has drawn together in Christ both Jewish and Gentile believers not only shows us the truth of the gospel message but also reveals the profound love of our God and leaves us everlastingly praising Him.

Amen.

It can be very unnerving to trust in someone or something only to find that it has gone. In this passage the prophet is telling the people that the things they had been trusting in were about to be removed.

Because of the moral decline in the nation the leaders who had become immoral were about to be taken away. This would lead to a total breakdown in society where nobody would want to become a leader. The prophet also speaks about the women. They had been trusting in their beauty as a means of support for their needs. Just as reliance on the leaders would be taken away so too would trusting in their appearance become futile.

The symbolism of ‘the Branch’ however is given to point the way forward for the people. This is a reference to the ‘Messiah’, Jesus Christ who would come to ‘take away the reproach’ of the nation. He would do this by way of the cross …. giving his life as a ransom for the wrong things that had been done so that people would now only trust in him.

Many people are interested in the future because they want to make the right preparations today.

The nation of Israel and Israel’s king were to follow God and that is all they needed to know about the future. King Saul, however, disobeyed God and in doing this rejected Him. As a result, God rejected Saul as king and instead anointed David to lead His people.

In the passage, we see that Saul’s son Jonathan had realized that David would be the next king of Israel. Jonathan had made the right preparations for the future by giving his allegiance to David. This enraged Saul who tried to kill both Jonathan and David but it only bound them closer together in love.

In all this we see a picture of God’s anointed King, Jesus Christ, who is descended, in the earthly sense, from the line of David. It is important to make the right response to what God has done in Him. His rule is established through what was accomplished at the cross and in His resurrection ….. forgiveness for sin by trusting in what Jesus has done and not our own works. ‘Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.’

Our expectations of leaders need to be understood in light of the accomplishment of a very special King

In this passage king Saul reacted badly to a stern message he had received from the prophet Samuel. People must not quit like he did when things don’t work out to please them. Saul needed to learn that, as the King of Israel, everything must be done for God’s glory. If Jesus, the King of kings, had been proud He would never have gone to the cross.

Saul’s son, Jonathan, however, did not quit but went into battle against the Philistines. Jonathan acknowledged God’s power rather than his own. He trusted in God and won a great victory. When people trust in Jesus for forgivenesss they find that His blood, shed on the cross, stops them from wanting their own way.

  The gospel places every believer on the same level before God

An incident which occurred in the early church at Antioch, where the apostle Peter (Cephas) sided with the believers from a Jewish background, drew a very strong rebuke from the apostle Paul. He quite correctly saw that Peter’s behaviour, in siding with the Jewish believers, would create serious division in the church and was not in line with the truth of the gospel. The gospel is the same for both Jew and non-Jew … every nation, tribe and tongue.

In the gospel every believer is on the same level before God. Jesus sacrifice of himself on the cross to pay the penalty for the wrong that we think, say and do can only be received by those who trust completely in what He has done and not any righteousness of our own. It is about receiving what has been done for us and not relying on any merits or works of our own.