Imperishable Inheritance

Galatians is by far the greatest letter in the New Testament espousing the belief that Christ—and Christ alone—is necessary for our justification. The New Perspective on Paul (NPP) critics leverage that the "Lutheran Paul," that is, a Paul who responding to Judaic legalism is not a true representation of Paul. Their critique is that Luther read into the debate of his time into Romans and Galatians. Is this true, or was it that the message and application of Galatians was as important in the first century as it was in the 16th century as it is to this very day?

Theme of Galatians (Yesterday)

In my study I'm currently expositing the great letter of Galatians. There is one overriding theme in the work: faith in Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection is all that is necessary for our justification. The Judaizers of Paul's day were syncretizing Judaism and Christianity. Paul is emphatic that faith alone, and not obedience to the Mosaic Law + faith, is the instrument of justification. Contrary to the NPP critics, justification was indeed the heart of Paul's Gospel. To Paul: Justification = the Gospel.

The Judaizers didn't understand the grievous error they were making. They were turning the work of Christ on the cross into one element of salvation. Phillip Ryken in his commentary poses the question: What if Paul didn't succeed in defending justification by faith alone? His conclusion is that Christianity would be a very different faith then it is today, and he is certainly right. Christianity is the only religion that teaches that faith alone is necessary for our salvation and once we have been justified we will surely be glorified (Rom 8:29-30; Eph 1:13-14; 1 Pet 1:3-9).

Paul was responding to something that was as pertinent then as it is today. The overriding question is: What is necessary for man to become reconciled to God soteriologically and not in an ecclesiastical sense? Paul's answer is that "we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law" (Gal 2:16).

Luther's Response

Luther responded to the Catholic doctrine of infused righteousness which is the belief that the righteousness of Christ is continually being added the believer through the Catholic sacraments. He felt, and he was correct, that it robbed the true Gospel that is faith alone is necessary for justification and that Christ's righteousness is imputed in its entirety during justification. This led Luther and the reformers to cry: Sola Fide! Instead of "reading into" Galatians as the NPP adherents would have us believe, I see that Luther actually saw the true essence of Paul's message to the churches in south Galatia. He comments on Gal 2:16:

The nefarious opinion of the papists, which attributes the merit of grace and the remission of sins to works, must here be emphatically rejected. The papists say that a good work performed before grace has been obtained, is able to secure grace for a person, because it is no more than right that God should reward a good deed. When grace has already been obtained, any good work deserves everlasting life as a due payment and reward for merit. For the first, God is no debtor, they say; but because God is good and just, it is no more than right (they say) that He should reward a good work by granting grace for the service. But when grace has already been obtained, they continue, God is in the position of a debtor, and is in duty bound to reward a good work with the gift of eternal life. This is the wicked teaching of the papacy.

Now, if I could perform any work acceptable to God and deserving of grace, and once having obtained grace my good works would continue to earn for me the right and reward of eternal life, why should I stand in need of the grace of God and the suffering and death of Christ? Christ would be of no benefit to me. Christ's mercy would be of no use to me.(Source)

No wonder he was so hated by the Papacy! But it was his resolve that led us to a fundamental understanding of the Gospel that had been largely absent since the ministry and writings of Paul. Luther saw that the message of Galatians was as applicable in the first century as in his own.

The Gospel in Crisis (Today)

You would think that through a study of systematic and historical theology that we as professing Protestants would stay far away from the grievous errors made by both the Judaizers and the Papacy. Unfortunately, the same error that permeated the church then still permeates the church today.

As mentioned, the NPP folks would deny the positive imputation of Christ's righteousness and that Paul was concerned first about soteriological concerns (i.e. justification); they declare that Paul's view was entrenched in ecclesiastical concerns about how gentiles can come into covenant with Yahweh. While the later concern is something was on Paul's mind (he defends it fiercly in Rom 4 and Gal 3), the focus of Paul's Gospel was about reconciliation; and he "neither received [the Gospel] from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ" (Gal 1:12).

I see the most relevant attack similar to the Judaizers and the Papacy is the doctrine of baptismal regeneration. This is the doctrine that one must be baptized in order to be "saved." I'm not going to take time to exegete all their proof texts as Matt Slick has done this quite aptly. I would just like to comment that this doctrine fails on three accounts: (1) it has a defunct view on the value of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection; (2) it adds something to the Gospel of free grace such as was done by the Judaizers and the Papacy; and (3) it turns salvation into a process that must be completed by man thereby doubting the sufficiency of the Spirit in the process of justification and sanctification. I feel safe to say that any Christian who holds to baptismal regeneration is, in effect, not Christian. It is certainly not Protestant, and it is certainly antithetical to Paul's message in Galatians (and throughout his other epistles as well).

The Necessity of the Future Defense of the Gospel (Tomorrow)

I'm quite positive that if the Gospel delivered by Paul has been attacked so maliciously throughout the last 2,000 years I'm sure that the attacks will not stop in my lifetime or until the eschaton. There is now, more than ever, a need for a proper understanding of both the Gospel and justification as the modern missions movements moves towards the unreached peoples of the world. If Paul desired to preach the Gospel of pure grace to those who have never heard then that should set a model for the direction of our church today (Rom 15:20).

God is not glorified when we rob Him of any measure of glory due Him. To take the sacrifice of His Son and turn it into one element of salvation is to not only misunderstanding the character and sufficiency of God embodied in Christ, but it also proves that we never had a true understanding of the Gospel to being with (1 John 2:18-20). I rejoice with Paul that the Gospel is not according to men (Gal 1:11). If there were any element of my salvation left to me I would be in a dire state. Praise our God and Savior for His perfect work—redemption accomplished and applied—which brought me to Him when I had no desire for His righteousness.

"But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God." - The Apostle Paul