Gal 2:17-21 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Gal 2:17-21: 2:17-21 The false teachers probably claimed that Paul’s law-free Good News would lead to lawlessness, that people would flaunt their sinfulness, and that Christ would thus be seen as leading people into sin (2:17 ). Paul shows that this is false, because those who place their faith in Christ are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live holy, God-honoring lives (see 5:13-26 ).

Summary for Gal 2:17-21: 2:17-21 ^a The false teachers probably claimed that Paul’s law-free Good News would lead to lawlessness, that people would flaunt their sinfulness, and that Christ would thus be seen as leading people into sin (2:17 ^b). Paul shows that this is false, because those who place their faith in Christ are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live holy, God-honoring lives (see 5:13-26 ^c).
2:18 ^d I am a sinner (or lawbreaker): Turning away from faith and back to the law brings a person under the jurisdiction of the law, where all stand under God’s judgment (Rom 3:10-12 ^e, 23-24 ^f; see Heb 6:1-8 ^g), and is itself a serious sin against Christ (Gal 5:2-4 ^h; cp. Heb 6:4-6 ⁱ). See also study note on 2:19.

• if I rebuild: By insisting on keeping Jewish laws concerning food and circumcision (Gal 2:11-13 ^j).

• Christ tore down the system of law through his death (Eph 2:14-16 ^k).
2:19 ^l when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me: Attempting to gain acceptance with God through keeping the law inevitably leads to sin (5:2-4 ^m; see Rom 7:5 ⁿ, 8-11 ^o), whereas living by the Spirit leads away from sin (Gal 5:16 ^p, 22-24 ^q).

• I died to the law: The NLT adds an explanation that this means I stopped trying to meet all its requirements. Those who trust in Christ participate in his death (2:20 ^r); they are no longer under the law’s judgment (see Rom 6:2 ^s, 10-11 ^t; 7:2-6 ^u), and they stop seeing the law as a means of their salvation. Instead, Christians live for God in a new relationship with God through Christ (Gal 3:23–4:11 ^v; see Rom 6:10-11 ^w; 14:7-8 ^x; 2 Cor 5:15 ^y).
2:20 ^z A law-free Good News does not lead to lawlessness, as Paul’s opponents argued (2:17 ^aa), because lawlessness is a response of the unredeemed. The redeemed Christian has been crucified with Christ. See also Col 2:11-14 ^ab, 20-23 ^ac. A Christian has laid aside the old self, which strove to achieve merit by keeping the law (cp. Rom 7:4-6 ^ad).

• It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me: Christians, having experienced Christ’s death and resurrection (Rom 6:1-14 ^ae), have new hearts (see Jer 31:31-34 ^af; 32:38-41 ^ag; Ezek 11:19-20 ^ah; 36:24-31 ^ai) by the indwelling power of the Spirit (see Rom 8:9-11 ^aj; Eph 3:16-19 ^ak; Col 1:27 ^al; 3:1-17 ^am).

• I live in this earthly body: Christianity does not teach that the body is evil or that we have to escape from this world to have fellowship with God. Instead, by trusting in the Son of God, we fulfill God’s purposes for our lives.

• who loved me and gave himself for me: Christ’s self-giving love makes new life possible (Gal 1:4 ^an; Rom 8:32-39 ^ao; 2 Thes 2:16-17 ^ap).
2:21 ^aq Perhaps Paul’s opponents in Galatia suggested that his message would make God’s grace to Israel meaningless, since it was connected with the law (cp. Rom 3:1-2 ^ar, 31 ^as). Instead, it was Paul’s opponents who treated the grace of God as meaningless by voiding the need for Christ to die.

Profile: Titus
Titus was a Gentile convert who served as one of Paul’s trusted assistants. One of Paul’s last letters was addressed to him, when Titus was helping to consolidate the church at Crete. Titus is an example of the Gentile converts who were so deeply touched by the Good News of Christ that they left their homes and devoted their lives to assisting Paul in the proclamation of the Good News.
We know nothing about Titus’s background or conversion; his name is not mentioned in Acts. We first hear of him as a Gentile believer who accompanied Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem (Gal 2:1 ^at). Significantly, Paul emphasized that Titus was not compelled to be circumcised (Gal 2:3 ^au).
Later, as a trusted member of Paul’s team, Titus was sent on special assignments. He was the one sent by Paul to Corinth to deal with a difficult situation there (apparently carrying the demanding letter mentioned in 2 Cor 2:4 ^av, 9 ^aw; 7:8-9 ^ax). This task required both tact and strong leadership (Titus’s personality seems to have been stronger than Timothy’s; see 1 Cor 16:10-11 ^ay; 2 Cor 7:13-15 ^az; 2 Tim 1:6-7 ^ba). When Titus returned to Paul with good news (2 Cor 7:6-7 ^bb, 13-15 ^bc), Paul sent him back to Corinth carrying the letter we call 2 Corinthians to encourage the believers to complete their money-raising project for the poor believers in Jerusalem. It was an assignment he eagerly accepted because of his love for the Christians in Corinth (2 Cor 7:15 ^bd; 8:6 ^be, 16-17 ^bf). Paul speaks of him as a person of integrity and as one who is similar to Paul himself (2 Cor 8:23 ^bg; 12:18 ^bh).
A few years later, following Paul’s first trial in Rome and subsequent release, Paul left Titus on the island of Crete to help consolidate the church. While Titus was there, Paul wrote his letter to Titus, giving him advice on choosing church leaders and encouraging him to teach and model godly behavior. Paul then asked Titus to meet him at Nicopolis (in Achaia), where Paul hoped to spend the winter (Titus 3:12 ^bi). Later, shortly before Paul was killed in Rome, he wrote that Titus had gone to Dalmatia (along the Adriatic coast, northwest of modern-day Greece), probably for ministry there (2 Tim 4:10 ^bj).
The church historian Eusebius refers to an early tradition that Titus eventually settled on Crete, serving as the bishop there until he was quite old (Eusebius, Church History 3.4.6).

Passages for Further Study
2 Cor 2:13 ^bk; 7:6 ^bl, 13-14 ^bm; 8:6 ^bn, 16-17 ^bo, 23 ^bp; 12:18 ^bq; Gal 2:1 ^br, 3 ^bs; 2 Tim 4:10 ^bt; Titus 1:4 ^bu; 2:1 ^bv

Profile: James, Brother of Jesus
James, one of Jesus’ brothers (Matt 13:55 ^bw; Mark 6:3 ^bx; Gal 1:19 ^by; cp. Jude 1:1 ^bz), became the recognized leader of the church in Jerusalem shortly after Jesus’ resurrection. He is traditionally recognized as the author of the book of James.
Though Jesus’ brothers were initially skeptical of his claims (John 7:2-5 ^ca), they later became believers (Acts 1:14 ^cb). James’s personal encounter with the resurrected Jesus (1 Cor 15:7 ^cc) might have helped convince him. Two of Jesus’ brothers (James and Jude) are known to have played significant roles in the early Christian community. James quickly rose to the position of leader of the church in Jerusalem. At the council in Jerusalem, James was instrumental in getting the Jewish church leaders to accept Gentile believers without requiring that they be circumcised—a decision of major importance for Paul and the early mission to Gentiles (Acts 15:13-21 ^cd). Paul visited James in Jerusalem after his third missionary trip (Acts 21:18 ^ce), just as he had done earlier, following his conversion (Gal 1:19 ^cf).
Like most Jewish Christians, James continued to observe the law of Moses. He emphasized the need for believers to observe certain key laws when among Jews (Acts 15:20-21 ^cg; 21:18-25 ^ch). James acknowledged the validity of Paul’s missionary calling and emphasis on salvation by faith alone (Gal 2:6-9 ^ci), but many Jewish Christians did not. These Jewish believers—whom Paul does link with James on one occasion (see Gal 2:12)—demanded that Gentile converts be circumcised and observe the law of Moses in order to join the Christian community.
James’s Jewish background is reflected in his letter, which is full of wise, practical advice for living, much of it in line with the traditional wisdom teaching of Jewish Scripture. One paragraph of his letter (Jas 5:1-6 ^cj) reads very much like the work of the Old Testament prophets (e.g., cp. Amos 5:21-24 ^ck; 6:1-7 ^cl).
James, titled “the Just” by his contemporaries, was apparently put to death for his faith by Jewish priests in Jerusalem (Josephus, Antiquities 20.9; Eusebius, Church History 2.23.4–18).

Passages for Further Study
Matt 13:55 ^cm; Mark 6:3 ^cn; Acts 12:17 ^co; 15:13-21 ^cp; 21:18-25 ^cq; 1 Cor 15:7 ^cr; Gal 2:9 ^cs, 12 ^ct; Jas 1:1–5:20 ^cu; Jude 1:1 ^cv