How can we reconcile Galatians 2:17 with Romans 6:1-2 about sinning? Setting the Challenge: Two Seemingly Contradictory Texts Galatians 2:17 — “But if, while we seek to be justified in Christ, we ourselves are found to be sinners, does that make Christ a minister of sin? Certainly not!” Romans 6:1–2 — “What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer?” What Paul Is and Is Not Saying in Galatians 2:17 • Paul is confronting the charge that justification by faith alone turns Jesus into a promoter of sin because believers are declared righteous apart from law-keeping. • His answer, “Certainly not!”, rejects the idea that Christ’s gift of righteousness produces lawlessness. • Context (2:18-19): rebuilding a law-based righteousness would prove Paul a transgressor; the fault lies with the sinner, not with Christ. Romans 6:1–2: Grace Never Licenses Sin • Paul anticipates the same objection: “If grace abounds where sin increases, why not sin more?” • “We died to sin” points to our spiritual union with Christ’s death (6:3-4). • Grace delivers from sin’s penalty and also from its reigning power. Reconciling the Two: Union with Christ Is the Key 1. SAME AUTHOR, SAME GOSPEL – Paul consistently defends justification by faith and simultaneously condemns ongoing, willful sin. 2. JUSTIFICATION VS. SANCTIFICATION – Galatians 2 focuses on how we are declared righteous (justification). – Romans 6 explains how the justified now live (sanctification). 3. POSITION AND PRACTICE – Position: In Christ, our legal standing is perfect (Galatians 2:20). – Practice: Because we are in Christ, His resurrection life empowers obedience (Romans 6:4,11). 4. CHRIST DOES NOT PRODUCE SIN; HE PRODUCES NEW CREATURES – “Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20) cancels any notion that He would lead His own body into sin. – “Slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:18) shows the expected outcome of grace. The Law, Faith, and Justification • The Mosaic law exposes sin (Romans 3:20) but cannot justify. • Faith unites us to Christ, providing both righteousness (Galatians 2:16) and the Spirit who enables holy living (Galatians 3:3). • Any return to law-dependence undermines both justification and sanctification. Practical Implications for Our Walk – Count yourself dead to sin and alive to God (Romans 6:11). – Refuse to rebuild legalistic systems that imply Christ’s work is insufficient (Galatians 2:18). – Rely on the Spirit, not self-effort, to bear the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23). – Present your bodies as instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:13). Guardrails Against Misusing Grace • Titus 2:11-12 — Grace “trains us to renounce ungodliness.” • 1 John 3:6 — “No one who remains in Him keeps on sinning.” • Jude 4 — Warns against turning grace “into a license for immorality.” Summary of the Harmony Galatians 2:17 denies that justification by faith makes Christ responsible for our ongoing sin; Romans 6:1-2 denies that grace encourages more sin. Both passages affirm: 1. We are justified solely by faith in Christ. 2. That same faith unites us to Christ’s death and resurrection. 3. Union with Christ inevitably produces a life that fights sin and pursues righteousness. |
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