Lynne Baab

Justified by faith not by laws, parts 3 and 4

Lynne Baab • Tuesday April 14 2026

Overall theme for the next few months: God’s law is love

Lesson 7: Justified by faith not by laws, parts 3 and 4 (Galatians 2:1-21)

Key verse: “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.” Galatians 2:20b.

A turning point

Scholars debate which came first, Paul’s letter to the Galatians or the council in Jerusalem, described in Acts 15, when the Jerusalem church decided that Gentile Christians do not have to obey the Old Testament law. Galatians may have been written a few months or a year before the council, or up to a few years later. Either way, this letter from Paul, coupled with the council, together created a major turning point for the young church.

Circumcision and the Jewish dietary laws had functioned for centuries as identity markers for Israel. Jewish leaders had fallen into the understandable error that following God’s law in these areas not only pleased God but also proved to God that they were righteous. For someone passionately dedicated to obedience to God’s law, it must have been incomprehensible that God could make another way to draw near to the Creator. The Judaizing Christians who came to visit Antioch, and who influenced Peter, may have been motivated by a deep desire to please God. Perhaps they were thinking, “Yes, Jesus is wonderful, the best teacher we ever heard. He presented God to us in a lively, joyous manner, and we deeply desire the eternal life he talked about. His death and resurrection were miraculous. How can we lose if we worship Jesus but also continue to obey God’s law? We’ll cover all our bases.”

“No,” Paul replies. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is unique and particular in its arguments. Paul’s presentation of the Gospel in his letters is clear: Humans are sinful, broken, and enslaved to sin. No level of obedience to the law will free us and make us whole and clean. Jesus died on our behalf so that the requirements of the law might be met and so that our lives could be freed from bondage to sin. God invites us to respond in faith, to allow the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts so that we can love God and follow in Jesus’s footsteps. When we try to cover all our bases by seeking justification by the law as well as through Jesus, we reject the biggest gift we can imagine.

The turning point moment that happened with the letter to the Galatians and the council of Acts 15 shaped the Christian church for the next centuries and even today. Paul took the Gospel to the Gentiles across the Roman Empire, and the Jesus way spread all over the earth. Christians today don’t have to be circumcised or follow Jewish dietary laws because of this significant turning point.

What do you experience as the greatest gifts that come from not having to obey rules in order to be righteous before God?

Stepping into the world

Many congregations encourage their members to join small groups. Some groups study the Bible, share prayer requests, and pray. Other groups read and discuss Christian books or focus on prayer support or silent prayer together. Small groups play a significant role in helping Christians live with integrity because they provide a place to talk about the intersection of faith and life. What does my faith look like in practice? How can I find strength to act with integrity at work and in my family and neighborhood? How can I grow in living by God’s grace rather than perfectionism or people-pleasing?  

Small groups provide a setting for extended conversations about the intersection of faith and daily life, but every gathering of Christians provides opportunities for such conversations. As Kevin and Hugh wash dishes after a congregational dinner, they talk about the challenges of being faithful to God’s call to love their teenagers. As Kelly and Jessie chat in the parking lot after choir practice, they discuss the challenge of integrity at work, and they promise to pray for each other. Along with others in their congregation, Chris and Kerry sign up to cook a meal at a homeless shelter, and as they cook, Chris mentions concerns about how to get involved politically in ways that reflect Christian values.

Very few Christians today feel peer pressure to observe Jewish dietary laws, but other pressures are very real, arising both from peers and from our consumer culture. Many of us experience pressure to conform to values we learned in childhood. For those of us raised in church-going families, that pressure often includes a drive to obey rules and look good to others. We need just as much help as Peter did to recognize — over and over — that our worth and value come from God’s love for us. Nothing we do can make God love us more, and nothing we do can make God love us less. We need other Christians to help us discern Jesus’s voice among so many other voices.

“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” (Galatians 2:20). Paul’s words are clear, theologically perceptive, and freeing. Figuring out how to live consistently with these words is the work of a lifetime. Faith and everyday life intersect in so many ways. Year after year we seek to find that intersection with the help of Christian discussion partners who help us think clearly, give us valuable support, and pray for us.

Who helps you explore the intersection of faith and everyday life? Where do you turn when you need support in your journey of faith?

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Next week: The superiority of the Gospel. Illustration by Dave Baab: Yellow roses for the Easter season.

Previous posts about the Easter season:

• Spiritual practices for the Easter season
• Nature speaks about God: Mountains and clouds on Easter
• Jesus frees us from bondage on Easter

This lesson appeared in the Fall 2023 edition of The Present Word adult Bible study curriculum published by the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Used with permission.

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Lynne M. Baab, Ph.D., is an author and adjunct professor. She has written numerous books, Bible study guides, and articles for magazines and journals. Lynne is passionate about prayer and other ways to draw near to God, and her writing conveys encouragement for readers to be their authentic selves before God. She encourages experimentation and lightness in Christian spiritual practices. Read more »

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