Don’t Reject the Grace of God – Galatians 2:11-3:5
2 (11) But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him directly to his face, because his actions deserved to be condemned. (12) Before certain men came from James, Cephas had been eating with the Gentile believers. But when they came, he withdrew and separated himself from the Gentiles, because he was afraid of those who belonged to the faction who advocated circumcision. (13) The rest of the believing Jews joined with him in his hypocrisy, so much so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.
(14) But when I saw that they were not walking in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles, and no longer like the Jews, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews? (15) We who are Jews by birth, and not sinners from among the Gentiles—(16) knowing that a man is not justified by his observance of the law,* but through faith in Jesus Christ—even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by our observance of the law,* because no sinful man** shall be justified by his observance of the law.*
(17) But if, by seeking to be justified by Christ, we ourselves are also found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? God forbid!—(18) because if I rebuild what I destroyed, I demonstrate myself to be a law breaker. (19) Since I, through the law, died to the law, (in order that I might live unto God)—(20) I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ living in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me—(21) I do not reject the grace of God; for if righteousness could be achieved through the law, then Christ died needlessly.
3 O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was publicly proclaimed to be crucified. (2) This one thing I want to find out from you: Did you receive the Spirit by your observance of the law,* or by believing the message you heard? (3) Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now seeking to achieve your goal by human effort?*** (4) Have you experienced so many things for nothing?—if indeed it was for nothing. (5) He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, does he do so because of your observance of the law* or because you believed the message your heard?
*Literally, “by works of the law;” **Literally, “no flesh;” ***Literally, “by the flesh”
Now proceed to the next section of this study, entitled, Exploring the Passage.
