The Faithfulness of Jesus Christ
© 09.17.23 By David Eric Williams
We are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners, yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified (Galatians 2:15-16 NET).
Samuel Wesley, father of John and Charles, once told his sons it is important to know the original languages of the Bible because every translation is at the same time an interpretation. The verses quoted above are an example of that truth. Most older translations say "no one is justified by the works of law but by faith in Jesus Christ." Some of the more recent translations such as the Common English Bible or the New English Translation cited above say we are justified by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. This places the locus of salvation in the work of Christ rather then our faith.
It should be noted that the grammar in this verse is not definite. To translate this as the faithfulness of Christ does not in any way deny the Pauline concept of faith in Christ. Nevertheless, in view of the theme of Paul's letter to the Church of Galatia, it makes sense to translate this as the faithfulness of Christ. Remember, the question answered by the letter is, "who are the people of God?" Or, to put it another way, "who is the family of God?" As the letter unfolds we will come to understand that the faithfulness of Jesus Christ is all important in answering that question. You see, Jesus was faithful as the (last) Adam. He was faithful as the true Israel. He was faithful as the singular seed of Abraham. He was faithful as the Davidic King. He was faithful as the suffering servant of the Lord. All this will come together later in the letter.
Again, this is not to say having faith in Jesus is unimportant or an option. Obviously not. Indeed, we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ. Belief in Jesus Christ is required. But our belief in Jesus Christ is truncated if we do not understand the faithfulness of Jesus the Messiah.
In Isaiah chapter 49 we read, He [Yahweh] said to me, "you are my servant, Israel, through whom I will reveal my splendor. . . . he says, "is it too insignificant a task for you to be my servant, to reestablish the tribes of Jacob, and restore the remnant of Israel? I will make you a light to the nations, so you can bring my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth" (Isaiah 49:3, 6, brackets added). It seems this is the primary aspect of Jesus' faithfulness Paul has in mind at this point in the letter. Paul is adamant that Jesus is Israel's Messiah and as such he brings the nations into the family of God. Moreover, it is faith in this faithful Messiah that makes one part of the family of God. In other words, one does not need to become a Jew in order to be part of the Jesus family. One does not need to be a blood descendant of Abraham in order to be an heir according to the promise. It is the faithfulness of Jesus and our belief in him that secures these blessings.
We will return to Galatians 2:15-16 next week.
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