Getting in Line with the Gospel
We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives 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. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. (Gal. 2:15-21)
Gospel realignment happens when every part of us–hopes, dreams, desires, and affections–are brought in line with the gospel. That’s why Paul told Peter he was out of step with the gospel. Peter’s life was not aligned with the gospel.
You see, the gospel is this straight line that runs through every area of life. It’s the straight line that exposes our crookedness. But we don’t like being exposed, and like Adam and Eve we sew fig leaves together to cover the things we don’t want others to see. That’s called control. We control to preserve our misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And so we do things like Peter.
Like Peter, we will maintain racial and ethnic pride because our people and tribe are better than those people over there; we will act like hypocrites so people can like us and think well of us; we will say and do things we would never think possible out of fear of losing others approval. Control.
But when the gospel realigns us, it wrestles control from our hands. And it’s not because God is a control freak, but because we are. Since the gospel has implications for every area of life, it demands gospel realignment. When the gospel realigns us we will feel less prone to control situations. We can lose the fig leaves of hiding and hypocrisy and be honest. We can stop living for approval and start living from it.
Gospel amnesia demands gospel realignment, and gospel realignment allows us to experience gospel freedom. Peter sought to justify himself by the approval of others, and Paul told him to stop. How does Paul go about it? That’s what verses 15-21 are about. Paul goes from problem in verses 11-14, to solution in verses 15-21. And the thing that solves Peter’s problems is the gospel, specifically, justification by faith.
Peter suffered from gospel amnesia, Paul realigned him with the gospel and then went a step further and reminded him of his gospel freedom. Essentially, this is the argument Paul makes in verses 15-21: “Peter, stop trying to justify yourself through racial and ethnic pride and the approval of others. Why? Because you have already been justified by faith in Jesus Christ.”
Justification comes from the courtroom–it’s legal language. This tells us that Peter tried to justify himself in the court of public opinion and Paul had to remind him that this is just another form of salvation by works. In verse 19 Paul says, “For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.” He’s saying that he died to the law as a way of being saved.
Peter should die to the law, and so should we. Then Paul goes on to say some of the most beautiful words in scripture, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives 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."
Paul is saying that he died to the law because he has been crucified with Christ. Basically, Christ’s death became Paul’s death and Christ’s life became Paul’s life. Paul died to the law and then lived by faith in the Son of God who loved and gave himself for Paul’s own self-righteous law keeping life, so that Paul can be free.
That’s amazing because it’s true of us too. We need to remind ourselves daily that deeds don’t determine our destiny. We need to remind ourselves daily that God suffers from gospel amnesia too. What do I mean?
God suffers from gospel amnesia in that he forgets our sin by forgiving them in Christ. God suffers from gospel amnesia because while God remembers our sin by recollection, he does not remember them by retaliation. There’s no such thing as double jeopardy in the gospel. God forgives us in Christ fully and finally. Don’t ever forget that.
Let me bring this home with a story.
Several years ago I read this book entitled, Scary Close by Donald Miller. Excellent book. In the book, Donald talks about the beginning stages of his relationship with his fiancé Betsy. They’re preparing for their wedding and Donald decides he wants to shed some pounds to look good for his wedding day. He’s not a fan of the gym, so he chooses to lose weight by swimming an hour a day.
The thing is, Betsy loves Donald just the way he is, but he can’t accept that. He’s too flawed in his own eyes, and how can another person love him with all his flaws. Listen to how Donald explains all this:
Another argument Betsy and I got in was strange, for sure. She’d told me she loved me and rather than saying, “Thanks” or “I love you too,” I made some kind of self-deprecating joke. She looked at me perturbed and ate another bite of her ice cream. I was offended that she didn’t laugh, so I repeated the joke just to frustrate her. “It’s not funny,” she said. “It is funny,” I said. “No, Don,” she said straightly. “When I say I love you and you don’t believe me, you’re being a jerk. Basically what you’re saying is I only love conditionally. You think you’re being self-deprecating and funny, but you’re really saying I’m not a good enough person to love you if you have a few flaws. It gets old.”I thought about her having said that when I was beating myself up for not swimming hard enough. If I was going to make Betsy happy, I’d have to trust that my flaws were the ways through which I would receive grace. We don’t think of our flaws as the glue that binds us to the people we love, but they are. Grace only sticks to our imperfections. Those who can’t accept their imperfections can’t accept grace either.
Here's my point: You’re loved and accepted despite your flaws. So, accept grace, receive it, and then give it freely.
Gospel realignment happens when every part of us–hopes, dreams, desires, and affections–are brought in line with the gospel. That’s why Paul told Peter he was out of step with the gospel. Peter’s life was not aligned with the gospel.
You see, the gospel is this straight line that runs through every area of life. It’s the straight line that exposes our crookedness. But we don’t like being exposed, and like Adam and Eve we sew fig leaves together to cover the things we don’t want others to see. That’s called control. We control to preserve our misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And so we do things like Peter.
Like Peter, we will maintain racial and ethnic pride because our people and tribe are better than those people over there; we will act like hypocrites so people can like us and think well of us; we will say and do things we would never think possible out of fear of losing others approval. Control.
But when the gospel realigns us, it wrestles control from our hands. And it’s not because God is a control freak, but because we are. Since the gospel has implications for every area of life, it demands gospel realignment. When the gospel realigns us we will feel less prone to control situations. We can lose the fig leaves of hiding and hypocrisy and be honest. We can stop living for approval and start living from it.
Gospel amnesia demands gospel realignment, and gospel realignment allows us to experience gospel freedom. Peter sought to justify himself by the approval of others, and Paul told him to stop. How does Paul go about it? That’s what verses 15-21 are about. Paul goes from problem in verses 11-14, to solution in verses 15-21. And the thing that solves Peter’s problems is the gospel, specifically, justification by faith.
Peter suffered from gospel amnesia, Paul realigned him with the gospel and then went a step further and reminded him of his gospel freedom. Essentially, this is the argument Paul makes in verses 15-21: “Peter, stop trying to justify yourself through racial and ethnic pride and the approval of others. Why? Because you have already been justified by faith in Jesus Christ.”
Justification comes from the courtroom–it’s legal language. This tells us that Peter tried to justify himself in the court of public opinion and Paul had to remind him that this is just another form of salvation by works. In verse 19 Paul says, “For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.” He’s saying that he died to the law as a way of being saved.
Peter should die to the law, and so should we. Then Paul goes on to say some of the most beautiful words in scripture, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives 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."
Paul is saying that he died to the law because he has been crucified with Christ. Basically, Christ’s death became Paul’s death and Christ’s life became Paul’s life. Paul died to the law and then lived by faith in the Son of God who loved and gave himself for Paul’s own self-righteous law keeping life, so that Paul can be free.
That’s amazing because it’s true of us too. We need to remind ourselves daily that deeds don’t determine our destiny. We need to remind ourselves daily that God suffers from gospel amnesia too. What do I mean?
God suffers from gospel amnesia in that he forgets our sin by forgiving them in Christ. God suffers from gospel amnesia because while God remembers our sin by recollection, he does not remember them by retaliation. There’s no such thing as double jeopardy in the gospel. God forgives us in Christ fully and finally. Don’t ever forget that.
Let me bring this home with a story.
Several years ago I read this book entitled, Scary Close by Donald Miller. Excellent book. In the book, Donald talks about the beginning stages of his relationship with his fiancé Betsy. They’re preparing for their wedding and Donald decides he wants to shed some pounds to look good for his wedding day. He’s not a fan of the gym, so he chooses to lose weight by swimming an hour a day.
The thing is, Betsy loves Donald just the way he is, but he can’t accept that. He’s too flawed in his own eyes, and how can another person love him with all his flaws. Listen to how Donald explains all this:
Another argument Betsy and I got in was strange, for sure. She’d told me she loved me and rather than saying, “Thanks” or “I love you too,” I made some kind of self-deprecating joke. She looked at me perturbed and ate another bite of her ice cream. I was offended that she didn’t laugh, so I repeated the joke just to frustrate her. “It’s not funny,” she said. “It is funny,” I said. “No, Don,” she said straightly. “When I say I love you and you don’t believe me, you’re being a jerk. Basically what you’re saying is I only love conditionally. You think you’re being self-deprecating and funny, but you’re really saying I’m not a good enough person to love you if you have a few flaws. It gets old.”I thought about her having said that when I was beating myself up for not swimming hard enough. If I was going to make Betsy happy, I’d have to trust that my flaws were the ways through which I would receive grace. We don’t think of our flaws as the glue that binds us to the people we love, but they are. Grace only sticks to our imperfections. Those who can’t accept their imperfections can’t accept grace either.
Here's my point: You’re loved and accepted despite your flaws. So, accept grace, receive it, and then give it freely.
Rev. Mike Hernandez serves as the senior pastor of Crossroads Presbyterian Church. He is a graduate of Trinity International University (B.A.), Knox Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) at Reformed Theological Seminary Orlando.
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