Galatians 2:17-21 (NIV)
“If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker. For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
Paul’s point in verses 17 and 18 is that the Jews had great pride in their knowledge of God’s law, and in their ability to keep that law in their own strength. Paul himself believed at one point in his life that he was faultless in obeying the law (Philippians 3:6).
But Paul now knew that that legalistic righteousness was a delusion. In order to truly be saved, one first had to admit that he or she was a sinner, as sinful as a gentile. That was a stumbling block to many of the Jews, but the true gospel states very clearly that all have sinned, both Jews and gentiles (Romans 3:20-24).
That reality doesn’t mean that Jesus promotes sin by helping people to realize that they are sinners. Instead, He merely reveals the sin that is already there, even if it is staunchly denied. A deeper sin would be to go back to claiming legalistic righteousness again, moving away from the mirror that exposes our sin, and taking solace in our own ability to obey the rules.
Paul’s gospel, just as valid for the Jew as for the gentile, is based on the law. Through the law which defines sin and through which the solution for sin is clearly shown to be the Messiah, Paul had died to the law, as had ALL followers of Jesus. He had turned away from self-righteousness and covering up the sinful heart that lay within, and instead had surrendered to faith in Jesus through whom genuine transformation could be experienced.
Paul’s final word in confronting Peter is the great truth that if anyone could be saved by works of the law, then the death of Jesus was needless. All that would have been necessary was a prophet to urge the people to do better. But no one, neither the law-wise Jews nor the law-ignorant gentiles could ever be declared genuinely righteous on their own, so Jesus was absolutely essential for both. As far as salvation was concerned, the Jews had no “edge” over the gentiles.
Father, these were all things that Peter knew, and even taught. But his actions were not in accordance with what he knew inside. And even though Paul doesn’t tell us how this all turned out, we can be confident that Peter repented and amended his ways immediately. A marvelous illustration of both confronting sin in love, and of responding to that correction with humility. Amen.