Galatians 2:21
“I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”
Paul’s teaching comes at a crucial time. The nation of Israel had been the focus of God’s attention for hundreds of years. They were the conduit for the Lord’s plan to save the world. After the resurrection, the message wasn’t to stay with Israel. Peter received the vision in the book of Acts that the message was now to go to the gentiles also. While Paul always visited a synagogue first, he went to the gentiles next.
The Law had it’s purpose. It guided the people and showed the holiness of God. Romans 7:13 says, “Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.” The Law pointed out the need for a savior.
The Law served its purpose. While we are not to transgress it, the Law isn’t a means to be saved. Jesus paid the price. His death on the cross paid for our sin and His resurrection demonstrated the power over death and to live a new life in Him.
Paul says he “does not nullify the grace of God”. Promoting the Law as a supplement to be saved would be just that, nullifying God’s grace. This is a difficult message for one who was raised in a jewish house. The Law was everything. So, for it to be placed in the background is difficult.
Later in this letter (3:24) Paul says, “Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.” It’s about Jesus. The Law pointed to Christ. Now that He died and rose, He is to be our focus. We aren’t to be nostalgic about the Law. It would take away from Christ.
It’s interesting that we can yearn for something that caused such pain. The Law was impossible to keep and helped produce much shame and frustration. We can have parts of our lives that we have trouble giving up. The addicts are the extreme cases. Hoarders won’t part with things that are essentially trash. Substance abusers can’t quit. Codependent people have trouble braking the cycle of dependence.
While we might not yearn for the law, our issue might be legalism. We feel we need to do something to secure our salvation. Some may have difficulty accepting the message of grace. It reminiscent of a child and a security blanket. They are comforted by it. We might feel Jesus’ sacrifice wasn’t enough.
It is enough. We need to be liberated from those chains. As Paul said, it’s nullifying the grace of God. Lord, free us from any area that may be hindering us from full trust in You.