Commentary on Galatians (35)

Rick Joyner, who claims to be a prophet, published a book in which he recounts a vision he had received about "the final quest" of the church – its journey, growth, triumph, and so on. It pictures the church as a group of warriors marching against the enemies of Christ. At one stage in the story, as this army climbs a mountain on its way to the destination, it reaches a plateau called "Galatians 2:20," and the interpretation is that the church will not succeed in its mission until Christians finally attain to the advanced spirituality described in that verse.

This false prophecy reflects a common misuse of the verse, which describes the condition of anyone who has been justified in Christ through faith, rather than an advanced stage of spiritual maturity to be attained by one who is already a believer. That is, unless a person has been crucified with Christ, and unless Christ lives in him, he is not just an immature Christian, but he is not a Christian at all. The irony is that there is in fact some truth to Joyner's claim, although in a completely different sense than his alleged revelation intends. And that is the fact that the way for the church to move forward today is for professing believers who are not truly believers to become converted.

For a long time the church has been advocating false doctrines, employing false methodologies, and refraining from harsh reprimands and excommunications. Because of this massive failure, millions of false converts have gathered in our congregations. The only corrective is to reverse these three tendencies – to preach sound doctrines, enforce proper methodologies, and cleanse the church by confronting wickedness and expelling the unrepentant. Then a greater part of the church will have attained to Galatians 2:20 – that is, they will be Christians.

Perhaps the verse has been so easily misused because of its profound expressions and its elevated concepts, so that although they have already been converted, even true believers feel as if they have not yet attained to it. Even for Christians, its Christ-centered emphasis presents a sharp contrast against our self-centered thinking and behavior. Nevertheless, we cannot use our diverse and fickle feelings or our struggles in sanctification as controlling factors in biblical interpretation. Galatians 2:20 describes a person who has been justified in Christ through faith – that is, it is a description of any Christian at all.

One commentator remarks that if Paul had ended his letter here, he would have already made his point. Indeed, he has answered his opponents regarding his personal history, his relationship with the Jerusalem leaders and their position on the doctrine at issue, his role in the Antioch incident, and the theological reasons for the gospel of justification by divine grace through faith in Christ as opposed to a doctrine of justification by human effort through the works of the law. Relative to the arguments of the Judaizers, it is not necessary for Paul to say more – he has already won by this point. Yet God inspired the apostle to provide additional clarifications and arguments. In any case, this is the reason for our extensive exposition on this first major portion of the letter. Subsequent passages will expand on the foundation now established, reinforcing Paul's doctrine from several perspectives.

This is as good a place as any to make one point about the use of this doctrine of justification by faith in Christian apologetics. It is sometimes argued that Christianity is the only religion that does not advocate in some way salvation by one's own effort and good works. It is the only message of salvation that insists on a total dependence on divine grace and mercy, and faith in a sacrificial atonement. And this is somehow supposed to indicate that Christianity is a superior worldview or even the only true religion.

However, although uniqueness (and uniqueness on this issue) might have its place in some contexts, it is hardly a convincing argument here. For one, unless additional and convincing arguments are supplied, its uniqueness does not necessarily indicate a positive, but it can very well mean that it is an inferior worldview or religion, so peculiar and problematic that it occupies a place by itself below all other alternatives.

Moreover, the uniqueness of Christianity on this matter, if it is indeed unique, can be quickly destroyed by anyone who invents a religion that mimics its doctrines of atonement and justification. Of course, we can argue that, unless it copies Christianity completely, in which case it is Christianity, such a religion will have insuperable problems. But then we are already defending Christianity apart from its alleged uniqueness on this matter of justification.

Likewise, it begs the question to argue that a religion invented by mere men will always advocate salvation by works, so that the Christian gospel of justification by faith suggests its divine origin. Unless additional and convincing arguments are supplied, the fact that Christianity advocates justification by faith could very well mean that it is the only system that cannot save anyone even before we examine other doctrines in the system. Just because Christianity insists on salvation by grace in itself does not make it a true religion, let alone the only true religion.

Of course, the above is not to be taken as a denial of the truth of any part of the Christian faith, or even its uniqueness. Rather, in the interest of promoting sound arguments and superior apologetics, it presents a challenge against the suggestion that Christianity's uniqueness or emphasis on grace as opposed to works somehows prove that it is true. But truth is not vindicated by mere comparison. Christianity is not true because it teaches justification by faith – this reverses the proper order of reasoning. Rather, justification by faith in Christ is true because Christianity is true, and we show that Christianity alone is true on the basis of some other arguments.