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corpus-paul - Re: [Corpus-Paul] Galatians 2:16: Exploring the Relationship between Faith and Works

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  • From: "John Brand" <jbrand AT gvsd.mb.ca>
  • To: Corpus-Paul <corpus-paul AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Corpus-Paul] Galatians 2:16: Exploring the Relationship between Faith and Works
  • Date: Wed, 11 Aug 2004 17:18:56 -0500

> Jerry wrote,
> >Welcome to the list, John. I think this is an interesting
> expression in 2:16, though I'm not sure I would want to have it take
> up those categories that Paul did not work with at leasst as
> understood by the Reformers (and perhaps James). I have been
> wondering if it might not better be related to understanding the
> faithfulness of Christ as a fulfilling of the Torah. Then the sense
> of the passage would be something such as this: [we] know that no
> one is justified through the works of the Torah, unless it is
> through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ; and we have put our trust
> in Christ Jesus in order that we might be justified by his
> faithfulness...
>
> >This just seemed an interesting possibility as I read the passage
> earlier in the week.

Rabbi Saul wrote:
>
> That's an intriguing possibility, particularly in view of 2.19: "I
> *through the law* died to the law." I take this to mean that through
> Torah's death sentence which was laid upon Christ, Paul was removed
> out from under Torah's covenantal bond. Thus, correlating with your
> suggestion: the only way in which Torah justifies is precisely
> through that sentence, which Christ faithfully bore.

John:
My own interpretation of 2:19 is that Torah brought Paul to a point of
realizing his utter
helplessness in fulfilling the demands of Torah (i.e. Romans 7). His faith
still held to the
truth of the law but his body was in rebellion. Rather than relieving the
tension by
positing a fulfillment of the divine justice through a surrogate, he hoped
for a fulfillment
of the law in those who live according to the Spirit (Romans 8:4). Those who
are led by
the sarx cannot please God because they rely upon their own efforts to do
what can only
be done by the inner work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts (i.e. the
writing of the law
upon the human heart in terms of Jeremiah 29).

It is not that we are forgiven or made worthy of this kind of process by our
own merit. It
is that we are forgiven freely on the basis of Christ's sacrifice which frees
God up to
begin the inner the work that is necessary to have us doing what he requires.
Thus,
while it is Abraham's faith that God recognizes as a fulfilment of his
expectations
(Genesis 15:6); it is Abraham's willingness to give up all hope in having the
blessings
fulfilled in Isaac that enables God to do what he has promised (Genesis
22:16). It is
because Abraham will teach his children to pursue cedekah and mishpat
(Genesis
18:18) that God will fulfill what is promised.

John Brand
BA Bib Stu (Providence College, 1980); MMin (Providence Seminary, 1991)




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