Word of Salvation – Vol. 36 No. 43 – November 1991
Christ Is Sufficient
Sermon by Rev. J. van der Reest on Galatians 2:19-21
Reading: Phil.3:1-11; Gal.2:11-21
Beloved congregation,
When Peter came to Antioch, the apostle Paul told him he was wrong! Paul opposed him! There was a theological problem. And Paul did not avoid the issue, but told Peter to his face: you are wrong!
Sometimes we are afraid of confrontation’ aren’t we? There are always some who say one must try to avoid conflict at all cost! Keep the peace at any price! But why? One cannot keep the peace in that way. Truth and peace must go hand in glove! Christians and Churches that avoid theological debate in order to keep the peace, in the end lose the peace as well as the truth!
And Peter knew better. He had been told in a vision that it was not wrong to eat with the Gentiles; that the laws of uncleanness had been done away with in Christ Jesus. God had shown Peter the right way! And Peter had indeed followed the instructions and accepted the Gentiles without hesitation. But then the Judaists – a strong group of Jewish Christians in the early Church – started to put pressure on Peter and Peter had caved in! Peter had fallen back! And so hypocrisy had crept into the early Church! The Gentiles were discriminated against – again! The Gentiles had to become Jews first by fulfilling the Jewish laws of circumcision and ritual washings.
When Paul came to Antioch and heard this, he spoke out; he opposed Peter and the Judaists. Paul said: You are wrong!
This is not God’s will. You are not doing justice to the work of Jesus Christ! For Christ has done all that is necessary for our salvation, for both Jews and Gentiles!
You see, congregation, what really was at stake here was the sufficiency of Christ’s work. Paul reminds the Galatians and us: You receive salvation
– not because of your own righteousness;
– not because you are so good;
– not because we keep the law perfectly;
– not because we are decent citizens.
but only because we believe that Christ died for us; and has done for us all that was needed to be done!
In other words, we cannot add anything to Christ’s work! Luther, the great Reformer, rediscovered that great biblical truth and took a stand. He stood by his conviction even before the Pope of that day. Luther said: We are justified by faith alone through Jesus Christ. And that is also the theme of Paul’s letter to the Galatians!
Paul argues against the Judaists in his letter to the Galatians because they undermined the clear teaching of Scripture, namely: Salvation is by Grace alone.
The theme of our text therefore, is: We are NOT justified by keeping the law, but through Christ’s work. And we look at two points:
1. The insufficiency of the law;
2. The sufficiency of Christ.
1. The Insufficiency of the Law
Our text (verses 19-21) is really a personal application of the whole argument of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Note congregation, the personal tone of this text. Paul is writing about himself. Right in the middle of this theological debate, the apostle makes a personal statement, a personal confession of faith. And this teaches us that there is no contrast between theological insight and personal faith. The greater the theological understanding, the greater is the confession of our God in Jesus Christ. So what we see here is that the apostle Paul is using himself as an example to make the point of his argument clearer.
Now look at me, says the apostle; if ever someone followed the law it was me. I used to observe the law minutely, follow every stipulation. I used to live for the law, my life was the law! But now things have changed. Through the law I have died to the law.
The word ‘died’ in Greek is written in a tense (Aorist) which indicates an action in the past and which is finished. Something happened that made sure that Paul from that moment on was no longer alive to the law, but dead to the law. And you know when that happened?
On the road to Damascus, when he was converted; when he was blinded by the light and the Lord appeared to him. Then Paul was taken hold of by our Lord Jesus Christ and came to know the Saviour.
From that moment on Paul saw that following the Law of Moses and everything that went with it, including persecuting the followers of Christ, was not going to earn him heaven and salvation. Paul then saw that to follow the stipulations of the law did not give him any merit, any right to salvation. Paul there and then died to the law! Verse 19: ‘For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live for God!’
And that actually came through the law. The law was the cause, the law killed him. It means that the law brings about condemnation on everyone who does not keep the law. And that is what Paul began to see after his meeting with Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. He learned to see that he had a sinful nature. Man in himself has nothing good to offer. Man is only inclined to wrong. The law really only increased his sin and guilt.
Or to put it differently: from that moment of his conversion he had done away with the law as a means to earn righteousness before God. From that moment on he understood that it was only through the saving grace of the Lamb of God that one can appear righteous before God. From then on he began to live for God! Paul repeats that same argument in verse 21 with a slight variation. ‘I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!’
In this verse Paul shows again the inadequacy of the law. I do not nullify – set aside – the grace of God. That is what one does when one claims that salvation can be earned by keeping the law.
That is what Peter did when he gave in to the claims of the Judaists. Then he put himself and many others under the bondage of the law again. Then he set aside the grace of God.
Therefore Paul puts Peter straight! Paul emphasises the grace of God, for if we don’t – says Paul – Christ has died in vain! Paul in this way underlines that we are justified by faith, through the work of Jesus Christ and not through the works of the law!
Maybe you say: Well, that was very good of Paul’ but we have heard that so often already. Why bring it up again? Do you find it so easy to live by grace alone? Wouldn’t you rather be able to earn your salvation by your good deeds and works, and your good behaviour as a Christian? And that is what we usually emphasise to others! Why is it that people in the community always get the impression that you have to do so many things? Don’t we communicate to them maybe subconsciously, that they are very welcome as members, but:
– they must dress acceptably;
– they must comply with our traditions;
– they must come to Church regularly – preferably twice;
– they must give generously for the work of the Church;
– they must be active in one of our groups;
– they must do as we do;
– they must speak as we speak;
– they must think as we think;
– they must sing what we have sung.
Do you recognise these unwritten laws?
They don’t even have to be written, because we communicate them in the way we act and speak!
And the greatest problem is that in that way we give the impression that one is not saved by grace, but by a tradition, by what one does or does not do!
You see, we have fallen into the same pit as Peter! We have not been able to stand up for the biblical principle! We have compromised and given in to the pressures of the people around us, namely, that we must do this and not forget that. We have replaced the doctrine of salvation by grace alone by a whole set of requirements and rules!
It is important that we rediscover the doctrine of the Reformation, just like Luther did. We need to rediscover the need to die to the law in order that we may live for God.
2. The Sufficiency of Christ
And that is possible, congregation. We can live to God, we may live for God, we have life in God only because of what Christ has done for us! We cannot add one point or deed to our salvation!
That is why Paul says: I have been crucified with Christ. The word that Paul uses in Greek shows a completed action in the past of which the result is still going on. With this Paul wants to say that because Christ was crucified on Golgotha, therefore in the eyes of the law we are looked upon as crucified ones. Therefore, the law has no claim on us any longer.
When Christ was crucified, the law lost its claim, because the penalty has been paid. And because Christ represented every believer, the penalty for every believer was paid. And therefore we may say that every believer was crucified with Christ. The law no longer has any claim on the believer.
Paul says: I am free from the law, because I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me! Christ has now become the actual subject and dominant principle of my life, says Paul. No longer do I live for myself, but Christ has become my life, my all!
And then he adds to this confession: 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. Paul says:
No longer do I live by the letter of the law;
I now live this life in the body –
this temporary life –
by faith in the Son of God!
Do you hear this congregation? Do you hear the new principle by which Paul lives? Paul says: Not the law! But grace and faith! The ruling principle is no longer the letter of do’s and don’ts, but faith and love and grace!
It is not the idea, congregation that you throw out the law and then become a law unto yourself! It is not the idea that you go from legalism to lawlessness. Don’t replace the law of the Old Testament with the law of your own desires and craving, or the law of your own ideals or intellect. Paul teaches us: The letter of the law cannot save you, only Jesus Christ can!
So do not live by the letter of the law, but let the principle of your life be faith; for by faith you participate in the benefits of Christ Jesus. The life you now live in the body you must live by faith in the Son of God!
The principle of the law has been replaced by the principle of faith and love. Remember, parents, young people, brothers and sisters, rules and regulations, do’s and don’ts, usually do not indicate love; usually the letter of the law kills love; love goes beyond the letter of the law; love does not restrict or make reserves; love gives wholeheartedly and gives the whole heart.
Christ showed his love for us, in that He laid down his life for us; He died and arose in order to open the way to the Father. And that opened way we can enter only by faith.
We can participate in the finished work of Christ by faith alone! We are justified by faith; and that is grace, that is not your own doing, but that is the gift of God! (Eph.2:8)
On Reformation Sunday, it is good to be reminded of what the Reformation rediscovered in biblical truths. Our text this morning reminds us of just one of these truths. Be thankful that your Church upholds and teaches this truth. But that is not where it ends. We need to LIVE that truth! For otherwise the world around us still will not be able to see or hear that truth. Each of us needs to show, live and confess:
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!
Thank God for that salvation in Jesus Christ.
AMEN