“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by THE FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by THE FAITH OF CHRIST, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” (Galatians 2:16 KJV)
“Know that a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but by THE FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST , even we, I say, have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by THE FAITH OF CHRIST, and not by the works of the Law, because that by the works of the Law, no flesh shall be justified.” (Galatians 2:16 GNV)
The King James and Geneva Bible are the older and more trustworthy translations of the Bible. They are both very clear in this verse of Apostle Paul. It is the work and Faith Christ has, (faith OF Christ) and our belief in Him, that justifies us with God. It is not our work and our amount of faith. It is the work and amount of faith Jesus Christ has, and belief in that! Jesus said,
“…if ye have faith as much as is a GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove: and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (Matthew 17:20 KJV)
A mustard seed is the smallest of seeds. It is not the amount of OUR FAITH in our own ability. It is faith in Christ’s ability that is powerful and effective faith. We also see this in the Armor Of God in Ephesians, which all starts with VERSE 10,
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of HIS MIGHT.”
(Ephesians 6:10 KJV)
And the confusion today is because of CORRUPT modern Bible versions. Let’s compare Galatians 2:16 by showing modern translations which are corrupt:
“nevertheless, knowing that a person is not justified by works of the Law but through FAITHIN CHRIST Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of [b]the Law; since by works of the Law no flesh will be justified.” (Galatians 2:16 NASB)
“know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith IN CHRIST Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.” (Galatians 2:16 NIV)
“yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faithIN 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.” (Galatians 2:16 NIV)
Faith In Christ, As A Work That We Do For Salvation?
Works That We Do, In Our Faith To Remain Saved?
No. Both Are The Wrong View.
It is the faith OF CHRIST ! Switching one little word from ‘of’ to ‘in’ and look at the result in Christianity? False Gospel preaching from pulpits across the world is rampant in these End Times. Did you or me take the sins of the world and pay for them or did Jesus Christ? Who has been given all power to rule? You? Me? No. Christ alone. We are ambassadors for Christ. And our belief and faith in WHAT HE DID justifies us. Not works of the Law of Moses. Not our good deeds. Not our being a good person nor any religious ritual. This TRUTH is opposing most pulpits these days. The Apostasy of last days is here now and growing worse everyday.
Stop relying on yourself to ‘keep yourself saved’ . Lordship Salvation is utterly the same false gospel of works that Paul warned about in Galatians,
“Christ is become of NO EFFECT UNTO YOU, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are FALLEN FROM GRACE. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness BY FAITH.” (Galatians 5:4-5 KJV)
“Looking UNTO JESUS THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH ; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2 KJV)
Does That Mean We Should Not Do Good Works?
Not at all. We are ambassadors for Christ. We should be disciples of Christ. Salvation and discipleship are not the same thing. A believer may choose to not be a disciple but is an eternally saved person by their belief on Christ and faith in what Christ has done (by the faith OF Christ). As James states in James 2,
“If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. (James 2:15-17 KJV)
What will it profit others if, as a born again believer, you have no good works, as ambassadors of Christ, towards others in love? What a great love Christ has bestowed on all who believe? Should we not be at the Work of the Kingdom? Should we not show compassion and love toward others as Christ loves us? Should we not have good works in love toward others in great gratitude? Yes, we should. We are in union with Christ and we should allow the love of Christ to flow through us. Apostle Paul put it this way; we are not saved by our good deeds and works but we should have them after we are born again in our Spirit. He uses the word SHOULD not MUST in regards to salvation though. That means there is a choice for believers to make in this regard.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10 KJV)
Yes, we should walk in good works and love towards others. The next question is how? It is by the faith OF CHRIST who lives within us, and through us believing and walking in The Spirit (Galatians 5). Jesus said in prayer for us,
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:17 KJV)
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2 KJV)
Both these Scriptures are showing us that while our Spirit was born again by belief on Christ and His redemptive work on the cross (John 3:5-18, 2 Cor. 5:17-21, Colossians 2, Romans 5 and 6, Ephesians 1:!3-14, 1 Cor 15:1-4 etc.), our mind and body has not yet been fully restored. Our Old Spirit of Adam, which we were born physically with, DIED WITH Christ on that cross and was born as a new creation in The Spirit. When that happened, we became eternally saved and fully forgiven all sins of our lives because Christ paid for all sins for all of time (1 John 2:2). Yet, our MIND will have left over wrong beliefs and thought processes from our now dead Spirit of Adam that will need to be renewed. This renewal is by the guidance of the indwelling Holy Spirit and through renewing these wrong beliefs by studying God’s Word. When we do this, our world view begins to change to God’s view. We see who Christ made us and who we now are IN CHRIST. God places desires in our hearts to good works in love for others. It is Christ in us, working through us by The Spirit of God we have been MADE.
Watch the wording carefully in this Scripture. It is one of the most powerful truths a believer should believe. It will change everything when it is believed.
“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might BE MADE the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Cor. 5:20-21 KJV)
When we realize that our Father has MADE US the very righteousness of God, as in the present tense, (RIGHT NOW) and not later when we are bodily resurrected, it can be a game changer in our life. It is chains of bondage from our sins, melting off. The shackles of sin fall away and we are free indeed. This allows us in great gratitude and in the freedom and liberty we have, in Christ, to work for the Kingdom as ambassadors with the love of Christ flowing through us.
If a believer never reads or hears this passage of Scriptural truth, they will be living their lives as if they still have shackles on. They will be living with a sin consciousness that Christ already set us free from. An eternally saved person, that remains as a babe in the faith of Christ and has a ‘dead faith’ as James wrote. A faith that is dead, as in ‘useless’ for the Kingdom and for helping others in love. As believers, we still have a free will and God wants to live in us and through us. God has sovereignty to work through us as He wishes but if we decide to make the choice to want God to do so, it is powerful, whether we feel it or not. It allows God to shine IN US so others can see God.
Do we want to just be a saved person or will we make the decision to be disciples? Learners of the knowledge of the truth of the Gospel with Christ changing our MIND (the very definition of repentance after salvation) by God’s truth in the Word of God of who we now are, IN CHRIST. Allowing Christ to work THROUGH US, from the inward change of Spirit, outwardly to mind renewing and outward good works in love for others. Or will we decide as believers to just be saved and live the rest of our lives without that power of Christ living through us and affecting others for Christ?
Do not miss out! Get excited and be a disciple of your Saviour and God!
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20 KJV)
Here again we see Paul write ‘the faith OF the Son of God’ and not the faith IN the Son of God. We put our trust in what Christ has accomplished and who He is. Paul was a disciple and Apostle. He was a learner and by having His mind renewed to the truth by Christ, he went forward and Christ worked through Paul. It could not have been easy. Paul was an expert in the Law and was the top persecutor of Christians. He was at the stoning death of Stephen. He imprisoned and killed Christians. Now he made the decision to be an ambassador FOR CHRIST! A disciple. He was about to go out and be the opposite of what he was and what he did, and who he was known to be.
Believers must have been very leery to even hear him or be in his presence at first. This is the guy that was persecuting them. However, on that road to Damascus, he had an encounter with the risen Christ Jesus and he became a saved believer and made the decision to do as Christ instructed him. Saul became known as Paul. Paul became the main Apostle to the gentiles. He wrote 2/3 of the New Testament where we have knowledge of the Gospel of Grace Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul counted the cost and moved forward, allowing Christ to live through him. He had many hardships in this. Paul was beaten, stoned, jailed, under house arrest for years, yet God worked all that to God’s purpose and changed the world for Christ! Millions and millions of people saved by Paul being a disciple. And more and more people being added to the Kingdom everyday by Christ, through what Paul allowed the Holy Spirit to do through him.
My fellow believers, we too have that decision to make as born again in The Spirit redeemed. Will you make that decision to be a disciple, a learner of God’s Word? Renewing your mind by God’s Word? Learner the fullness of who God made you at your moment of conversion in salvation? We will never be perfect in our mind and beliefs until our bodily resurrection but you can make a decision to renew your mind to the truth. You can have good works in love for others. You can shine that little light God MADE YOU in the Spirit in the darkness of this current world system. We all can allow the light of Christ shine bright to others.
Jesus said,
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I AM THE LIGHT of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12 KJV)
In the Book of Matthew we see that Jesus also said,
“YE ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. LET YOUR LIGHT so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16 KJV)
