Following Paul’s public rebuke of Peter for bowing to the fear of man, he moves into sharing a beautiful picture of what life should look like when justified by faith in Christ. In our past two posts in Galatians, we saw how the gospel-aligned life is free and for God, is totally identified with Christ, and today, we will see how it is a life of daily faith, a dependence upon Jesus.
By Daily Faith (20b-21)
Paul tells us gospel living is by daily faith. It is a life of continual, ongoing, morning-by-morning, moment-by-moment dependence upon Christ. Christian living is meant to continue as it began—with faith. You receive justification by simple faith, and you are to receive sanctification to walk every day also by simple faith. Paul wrote:
20b 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 nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. (Galatians 2:20b–21)
This statement shows us that Paul still felt responsible for himself. Even though he died with Jesus and no longer lived because Christ was living in him, Paul knew he still had a life to live in the flesh (20). In other words, Paul knew he still had a body to inhabit.
This is the challenge every Christian faces. I am justified. I died with Jesus. I am a new creature. But I have this old body. It has appetites and desires contrary to God's wise commands. And many of us grow weary because of the desires and tendencies of our bodies. It feels like a war that will never end. But be encouraged.
The presence of the war can serve as a reminder that it will one day end. In the age to come, the battle will conclude, and Christ will reign. He will give us new bodies that are unstained and unaffected by sin. Even temptation will be defeated.
Yet, even if we have this hope, what do we do right now? Paul said we must live this life in the flesh by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us (20). But what does this faith look like? What did Paul mean?
First, there is faith in what Christ has done for us. Even on your worst days and in your worst moments, you must consider yourself to have died with Christ and been made new with him. As Paul said to the Romans, you must believe that you are just as alive to God as Jesus is—and just as dead to sin as Jesus is (Romans 6:11).
Second, there is faith in what Christ can do for you. As I mentioned earlier, there is a daily dependence aspect to Paul's words. As God said to Habakkuk, "The just shall live by their faith" (Habakkuk 2:4). Every day of our lives is a faith journey, trusting God for his power and resources.
Sometimes we overcomplicate life by forgetting this simple and daily need to trust in Christ. In my house, when someone tells me their laptop or phone is not charging, or a device is not working, I first check to see if it is really plugged in. Sometimes, the simplest things need to be fixed. And sometimes, our issues stem from a lack of simply plugging into the power and resources of Christ by expressing daily trust in him.
Jesus Loves Me
Paul was motivated to trust Jesus daily because he knew that Jesus loved him and gave himself for him (20). Jesus has done the same for you and me.
So why is Paul saying this here? By recalling Jesus' love, Paul was highlighting the trustworthiness of Jesus and the desire of Jesus. Legalists love to highlight the earnestness of your works, even the earnestness of your trust—you better really believe and have strong faith! You better be serious! You better show God just how earnest you are! But Paul wanted to highlight the earnestness not of us, but of Jesus.
My family watches It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown each year. In it, little Linus believes a figure called The Great Pumpkin will visit the pumpkin patch he thinks is the most sincere. It’s a parody of Santa Claus—and the idea that you must believe in order for him to appear. And once Linus finds his pumpkin patch of choice, he says, "He's gotta pick this one. He's got to. I don't see how a pumpkin patch can be more sincere than this one. You can look around and there's not a sign of hypocrisy. Nothing but sincerity as far as the eye can see." [1]
This same sentiment is often how our legalism-prone hearts feel about our walk with God. If we are sincere enough, if we are earnest enough, if our faith is strong enough, then Christ will work in and for us. And, in response to God’s grace, sincere and earnest faith is beautiful, but Paul's understanding of Jesus' love and grace should help us shed a works-based way of relating to God (20). Paul refused to nullify the grace of God by thinking that way (21). Instead of his trust in Christ becoming a work or performance, it was merely a reaction to the overwhelming love and grace of Jesus—Of course I will trust him! Think of who he is!
As Charles Spurgeon once said, "It is not what you feel that will save you, but what Jesus felt." [2] It was this love from Christ that drove Paul to trust Jesus every day.
[1] Melendez, Bill. 1966. It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. USA: CBS. [2] Spurgeon, C. H. 1972. Around the Wicket Gate. Welwyn Garden City, England: Evangelical Press.