Not Enough

Galatians 2:15–21

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.

Paul wasn’t messing around with the Galatians. No prayers of thanksgiving, no commendations of their faith or generosity.

Rather, after the perfunctory greeting, he writes that he’s “astonished that [they] are so quickly deserting” the Gospel. Urgency and rebuke burn in each word. The problem? The Galatians were being swayed by false teachers into believing their faith wasn’t enough. Namely, these Gentiles weren’t Jewish enough.

Not enough. That too familiar condemnation of our souls.

I don’t pray enough. Read the Bible enough. Give enough time or money. Love enough. I don’t Christian enough.

In our passage, Paul flexes a logical and theological takedown of that false Gospel: we’re justified by faith alone in Christ alone. The law brings death, and Christ took that death for us. He continues this in verse 20, declaring, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

Galatian Me, though, cries, “But Paul, logic only takes us so far. Life’s not that easy!” And Paul responds, in that adjective clause at the end of verse 20 that my faith is in Christ “who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Justification is not just a legal transaction. Paul’s letter is not just a slap upside the head. Justification is intensely personal and loving. Christ suffered pain on a cosmic scale that we can scarce imagine. For me. For you.

And so, in both our present difficulties and apathies, when we really feel we don’t deserve his forgiveness (faith without works is dead, I cry!), let’s ruthlessly cling to the costly, painful, and personal love of Christ. He loves us. And he gave himself for us. He is enough. We are justified.