“But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ, therefore, a minister of sin? Certainly not!”
But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ,
Paul continues to argue against Peter and Barnabas eating with the legalists in this verse. This group implied by their eating with the legalists and excluding the Gentiles that they were not fully justified before God.
Paul’s antagonists contended that justification by faith eradicated the moral law. If people are not under the law, they can sin freely. If grace does away with the law, then people can live as they please. They argued that eliminating the law would mean people could do as they please. By aligning with Judaizers, Peter and his crowd implied that a person must work for justification and that their justification was incomplete. People could draw the conclusion that the cross of Christ is not enough for salvation. How can people already justified seek justification again?
we [Jewish Christians] ourselves also are found sinners,
It was also an implied admission that justification by works proves that they are still “sinners” before God in a legal sense. Their failure to keep the law forces them to admit their present sinful condition. They did not find righteousness before God in upholding the law. The law fails as a justifying agency.
is Christ therefore a minister of sin?
Paul draws a hypothetical inference from Peter’s action. Jews would argue that salvation by grace, by faith in Christ, would remove all incentive for moral effort or any desire to avoid sin. This would lower moral standards and make Christ the promoter of sin.
If, after being justified by Christ, Jewish Christians eating with Gentiles were found to be “sinners” in the view of the legalists, does this mean Christ promotes sin? Faith in Christ abandons faith in the law.
If God declares a person right in His eyes by faith, does this make Christians lawless? Legalists argued this way, “If Christ does away with the law for salvation and sanctification, then that would make Christ lawless.” Christ would endorse sin, a horrible thought. This conclusion, however, is false because Christ dealt with the sin issue on the cross. To believe that God justifies and sanctifies a person by faith does not imply lawlessness.
Liberty in Christ is not liberty from God’s righteous standards. Neither is it lawlessness to fellowship with Gentiles. Returning to the law as a system of salvation and sanctification abandons the grace principle. We imply what Christ did on the cross was not sufficient.
If Peter was right in returning to the Mosaic Law, then he was wrong in eating with the Gentiles. If he was right in eating with the Gentiles, he was wrong in returning to the Mosaic Law. If he is right in one place, he is wrong in the other. He cannot hold the two contradictory beliefs at the same time. They are mutually exclusive. If he starts by grace, then goes back to the law, he abandons grace. He would say, in effect, that what Christ did on the cross was not enough. Peter’s return to legalism was an attack on grace.
Certainly not!
The conclusion that Christ is “the minister of sin” is the correct inference if Peter’s reversion to legalism is right. The thought that Christ is the minister of sin is a revolting thought to Paul. “Certainly not!” is a very strong negation. The law cannot add anything to the death of Christ for our sins. If we carefully investigate justification in Christ and find ourselves to be sinners still, that doesn’t make Christ the minister of sin. This is an abhorrent thought. Paul adamantly denied the accusation that Christ promotes sin by offering the principle of grace.
Principle:
The principle of grace does not endorse licentiousness.
Application:
The principle of grace never encourages sinful living. People who believe in Christ no longer do as they please because they are under the Lordship of Christ.
When Christians abandon grace and revert to legalism to gain God’s approbation, they vilify Christ’s work on the cross. They imply that His work is not sufficient for salvation or sanctification. They say, in effect, that after they accept Christ as Savior, they are still not sure of salvation.
Christ’s finished work on the cross flies in the face of all that. His completed work on the cross is sufficient for salvation and sanctification.
What do you mean by “moral law”? Certainly you not trying to equalizing it with “works of the Law”, otherwise, we better stop right there! I lot a people, mostly prostestants, tend to make such errors. By “Law”,”works of the Law” Paul does mean the Mosaic Code, not necessary fruits of the Christian Faith.
God wants us to keep the moral law such as the Ten Commandments but not as a means to gain God’s approbation.
Hi Grant…your previous comment is loved by sabbaterians ….they would jump up and say see, see, but you changed the sabbath to Sunday and are the beast, have the mark, etc. how do you slay that dragon?
Michael, how are things going?
The command to keep the sabbath is the only command of the ten that is not repeated in the New Testament. Note the exposition beginning in Colossians 2:16 http://versebyversecommentary.com/colossians/colossians-216/ This study deals with sabbaths per se: http://versebyversecommentary.com/colossians/colossians-216c/
Hi Grant,
The Bible repeats all the 10 commandments in the New Testament–Hebrews 4:10: “Be ceased from your own works AS GOD DID from his.” A heart of Love, loves what God loves. He loves His Sabbath and He loves you–so do I! Revelations says end time saints will “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus”. Rev 11:29 John sees the Ark of the Covenant where the 10 are housed and, sure enough, the lightning, etc. still accompany it.
Hebrews 10:6 describes the New Covenant…God will write the Law on our hearts–our hearts will be God’s Throne with the 10 written on it.
Jane, you have not proven the command to keep the Sabbath is found in the New Testament, that is, for the church. Again, I suggest that you study this passage: http://versebyversecommentary.com/colossians/colossians-216/ Keep advancing to the end of the chapter. You may want to start earlier in verse 13, for example.
This is what it looks like to me. The law was a burden to follow. It was a yoke put on the people to go in the way of the law. The gospels come up with a new idea of salvation by faith. But faith without works is dead. So you still have to work at it and there are threats to loosing your salvation. So we exchanged the law for “putting on the Christ personality” a perfect man, a heavier yoke than the law. Furthermore, since you can loose your salvation by going back to sin, then Christs work on the cross was for nothing. Supposedly people are sinners and cannot save themselves. So Christ saves us for his work done on the cross. But when a condition is put on your salvation to do works, then Christ’s work was for nothing and it is once again, up to us to work at salvation. In my mind it’s just an exchange. Following in the footsteps of a perfect man in exchange for the law. Here’s what I think. Here’s my personal idea. Christ died for all of mankind. That goes for retrospect too; all of man in the past as well as the future. Christ payed for and bought them all. They all belong to him now. He freed them from death so that they may have a chance at life. So there’s gotta be a second chance. I am in the process of reading the New Testament to see things for myself. I used to be a Jehovah’s Witness. They believed in a thousand year reign on earth where people would live in perfect conditions. People from the past as well. This would be the ultimate test as to who would stay under Christs kingdom and who would rebel. I don’t know if this is true or not. I’m going to be looking for it as I study. But something like that makes more sense then this wishy washy idea of salvation. You’re either saved by grace without works or you’re saved by grace with the condition of works. They are opposing ideas.
Bonnie, I deeply appreciate your reading Scripture for yourself. The Bible calls that a “noble” exercise (Acts 17:11).
It is important to note that there is order to the idea of faith and works. First, person has to stop working for their salvation to become a Christian because they would depend on themselves rather than the work of Christ. Note my study on stopping works to be saved here: http://versebyversecommentary.com/romans/romans-45/ The argument from Romans chapters 3 to 5 is that a person is justified by faith, not works. Once a person becomes a genuine believer then they will produce works. This is the argument of the book of James–if you have faith it will result in works. Therefore, there is a difference between how a person becomes a Christian and how the believer lives afterward.
Hi. So idk if anyone will reply to this since it has been years since the last comment but, im new in reading the bible and this specific verse is what I have been stuck on, I have re-read it over and over but still am not getting it. How does Peter come to the final thought that Christ could be a minister of sin?
Zeph, note that the statement about Christ is a question, not a statement of fact. Paul answers the question of whether Christ is the minister of sin with “Certainly not.” It would only be true if Peter’s legalism was right, which it was not.
Thank you for sharing the study and subsequent comments from everyone. The book of Galatians is an amazing study in contrast for understanding of Salvation through faith in Christ alone vs. faith in Christ and something in addition (law keeping)… I’m working my way slowly through this epistle so as to be clear and allow God to speak his Truth. Blessings to all.
Wes, I am blessed by your comments.
Good works is the outcome of our relationship with Jesus. Because of His love for us and our love for Him we want to do good works, its the effect (for lack of a better word) of our closeness to Him. Bible say we cant say we know God and not love. If we know God and He lives in us the desire to do good works will come naturally without even trying…we enjoy it!
I kind of see like a kid who gets characteristics from their parents. When we are born again and as we abide in Jesus and He abides in us we start to pickup the characteristics of Him. If serving God and doing good works is a burden then that’s a red flag that your either striving (working/religious check box) for salvation, don’t really know God or you have become disconnected with Jesus and its not a relationship anymore. Our passionate love for Jesus is the fuel that drives everything we do for Him. Bible says everything we do is unto the Lord. And fellowship with the Holy Spirit is very important, He is our helper 🙂
My response was to Bonnie, it seemed she was confused with good works and grace.
Amen you broke this down perfectly. It is by Grace through faith that our ultimate salvation hangs on, Jesus cross, where our sins were condemned (Romans 8:3). And even more confidently we can be in Christ because just as we are reconciled to God by His death much more since Christ lives we shall be saved by His life (Romans 5:9-10). So once you put your faith in Christ we have peace with God (Romans 5:1).
What about sinning as a Christian?I’ma go a step further. Even as a Born again Christian we will fall short because we always have we are still in our corrupt flesh but God will continue to change us and remove sin out of our lives as we surrender to His Spirit and Word for it is by the Spirit we put the death of the deeds of the body. But even if we do sin Jesus is faithful (1 John 1:9, ” if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness”). This is made possible because Jesus is at the right hand of God always interceding on our behalf, (Romans 8:34, “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us”).
The difference for the Christian is the conviction, a ‘godly grief’ that takes place in our heart that produces repentance(2 Corinthians 7:10-11). This is because of conviction of the Holy Spirit and our new desire to please God. The desire for righteousness, holiness, godliness, has been installed because we have been born again, the Spirit of Christ who desires to do His Father’s will lives inside of us, (Galatians 2:20, “For it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me”). But this only comes if we are also willing and obeying His Word which in return causes us to desire more and more of Him and love His commandments ( 1 John 5:3, “For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not burdensome/ Psalm 40:8,”I desire to do your will, O my God your law is within my heart.” & Psalm 119:35-36 ). In other words we surrender and He produces wether that’s repentance of sin or performing good deeds, it’s God who works in us to will and do for his pleasure.