How can Galatians 2:18 guide us in maintaining our faith in Christ? Verse at the Center “If I rebuild what I have already torn down, I prove myself to be a lawbreaker.” (Galatians 2:18) Setting the Context • Paul is standing up to Peter, defending the gospel of grace. • The “lawbreaker” he has in mind is anyone who tries to re-erect the old system of law-keeping for acceptance with God after trusting Christ. • Verse 18 sits between Paul’s reminder that we died to the law (v. 19) and his famous declaration, “I have been crucified with Christ” (v. 20). Core Truth of Galatians 2:18 • Christ’s finished work tore down the wall of legal requirements as a means of justification. • Trying to rebuild that wall—adding human effort to divine grace—makes us transgressors because it denies the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice. • So, maintaining faith means refusing to put confidence back in religious performance or old patterns of sin. What “Rebuilding” Looks Like Today • Trusting in church attendance, rituals, or Bible knowledge to earn favor with God. • Measuring spiritual worth by outward comparisons rather than Christ’s righteousness. • Slipping back into sins we once renounced and rationalizing them instead of confessing and forsaking them (2 Peter 2:22). • Letting guilt or shame dictate our standing instead of Christ’s atonement (Hebrews 10:14). Maintaining Faith Through the Finished Work of Christ • Remember Galatians 2:19—“For through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God”. Dead people don’t renovate tombs; they live new lives. • Embrace Galatians 2:20—our old self was crucified, and now “the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.” • Celebrate Romans 7:4—“you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another.” • Rehearse the reality that justification is a completed act (Romans 5:1). Practical Steps for Staying on Gospel Ground • Daily remind yourself of your position: accepted “in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6). • Saturate your mind with Scripture that declares Christ’s sufficiency (Colossians 2:13-14). • Confess quickly when you catch yourself relying on works or slipping into old sins; receive fresh cleansing (1 John 1:9). • Fellowship with believers who emphasize grace and truth (Hebrews 10:24-25). • Serve out of gratitude, not to earn standing—“the love of Christ compels us” (2 Corinthians 5:14). Encouragement from Related Passages • 2 Corinthians 5:17—“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away; behold, the new has come!” – Your past is dismantled; don’t rebuild it. • Hebrews 10:26—deliberate sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth brings loss of joy, not loss of salvation—another warning against rebuilding. • Colossians 2:6—“Therefore, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in Him.” – We began by faith; we stay by faith. Living Verse 18 Daily • Each time you’re tempted to trust religious effort or revisit forgiven sin, let Galatians 2:18 sound the alarm: “Don’t rebuild—Christ already tore that down!” • Stand firm in grace, keep looking to the cross, and enjoy the freedom Christ purchased for you. |
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