• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

Galatians' Justification

NewLifeInChristJesus

Well-Known Member
Sep 4, 2011
1,532
451
Georgia
✟100,967.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Married
So what is the difference between justification and sanctification? None?
Justification: "to cause someone to be in a proper or right relation with someone else—‘to put right with, to cause to be in a right relationship with.
Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 451). United Bible Societies.

Sanctification: "to cause someone to have the quality of holiness—‘to make holy.’
Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 744). United Bible Societies.

These are related, but different concepts.
 
Upvote 0

NewLifeInChristJesus

Well-Known Member
Sep 4, 2011
1,532
451
Georgia
✟100,967.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Married
I don't know exactly what you are talking about. What specifically did I say that indicated that I misunderstood you? Also, what specifically does Paul disagree with me about?
 
Upvote 0

tonychanyt

24/7 Christian
Oct 2, 2011
6,061
2,239
Toronto
Visit site
✟196,430.00
Country
Canada
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Upvote 0

Gary K

an old small town kid
Aug 23, 2002
4,660
1,017
Visit site
✟111,942.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Constitution
I don't know exactly what you are talking about. What specifically did I say that indicated that I misunderstood you? Also, what specifically does Paul disagree with me about?

The following:

 
Upvote 0

NewLifeInChristJesus

Well-Known Member
Sep 4, 2011
1,532
451
Georgia
✟100,967.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Married
I understood you to be talking about pre-conversion. So was I. Lots of people pre-conversion think right standing with God is through obeying His laws. Conversion happens when they give up that notion and turn to Christ Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins.

Does that put us into agreement, or does it make things worse?
 
Upvote 0

Gary K

an old small town kid
Aug 23, 2002
4,660
1,017
Visit site
✟111,942.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Constitution
Reactions: Aaron112
Upvote 0

Gary K

an old small town kid
Aug 23, 2002
4,660
1,017
Visit site
✟111,942.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Constitution
OK. I understand your position now. We completely disagree though because of what Paul says in Galatians 5:22, 23. Paul did not trust his own works when he wrote that and I do not trust my own works for believing him.
 
Upvote 0

NewLifeInChristJesus

Well-Known Member
Sep 4, 2011
1,532
451
Georgia
✟100,967.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Married
For a different opinion, see What is justification?
Sorry, I thought you were asking a question instead of making a statement.

Since this is a thread on justification, let me ask you a question. If God declares someone to be right with Him, is it so, or is it a wink and a nod to the underlying truth to the fact that he’s not? Answer: if God declares that a person is right with Him, that settles it.
 
Reactions: Clare73
Upvote 0

NewLifeInChristJesus

Well-Known Member
Sep 4, 2011
1,532
451
Georgia
✟100,967.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Married
OK. I understand your position now. We completely disagree though because of what Paul says in Galatians 5:22, 23. Paul did not trust his own works when he wrote that and I do not trust my own works for believing him.
Thank you for that. I’ll think through your response and reply later.
 
Reactions: Gary K
Upvote 0

Gary K

an old small town kid
Aug 23, 2002
4,660
1,017
Visit site
✟111,942.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Constitution
You're going to confuse Tony with all that. He said earlier in the thread that he is slow.
 
Upvote 0

Soyeong

Well-Known Member
Mar 10, 2015
12,657
4,681
Hudson
✟346,891.00
Country
United States
Faith
Messianic
Marital Status
Single
There can be many reasons for obeying God's law, some of which are correct while others are incorrect, so the fact that we do not earn our justification as a wage as the result of our obedience to God's law does not mean that our justification does not require us to obey God's law for correct purposes. While Paul denies that we can earn our justification as a wage (Romans 4:1-5), he also said that only doers of the law will be justified (Romans 2:13), so there must be reasons that our justification requires us to choose to be doers of the law other than in order to earn our salvation as a wage, such as faith inso far as Romans 3:31 says that being justified by faith does not abolish our need to obey God's law, but rather our faith upholds it.

God's law is God's word and Jesus is God's word made flesh, so Jesus is the embodiment of God's word and it is contradictory to think that we should have faith in the one who is the embodiment of God's word, but not have faith in God's word. God is trustworthy, therefore what He has instructed is also trustworthy (Psalms 19:7), so the way to trust God is by trusting in what He has instructed, while it is contradictory to think that we should trust God, but should not trust what He has instructed.

Our salvation is from sin (Matthew 1:21) and sin is the transgression of God's law (1 John 3:4), so while we do not earn our salvation as a wage as the result of obeying it, living in obedience to it through faith in Jesus is nevertheless intrinsically part of the concept of him saving us from not living in obedience to it. Trusting in our own ability does not involve relying on anyone else, so relying on what God has instructed is relying on God, not on our own ability.

I don't know how that could possibly happen. Justification through faith in Christ Jesus causes you to become a child of God. See Galatians 3:26 (NKJV): "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus."
In 1 John 3:4-10, those who do not practice righteousness in obedience to God's law are not children of God.
 
Upvote 0

Clare73

Blood-bought
Jun 12, 2012
29,438
7,593
North Carolina
✟348,519.00
Country
United States
Gender
Female
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Republican
In context, where Paul is opposing works to faith in justification in his correction of Peter,
"might be" is as in "in order to be". . . and "seeks" is as in "looking to". . .

16) "yet who know that a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Christ Jesus (objective genitive, shown by-->) even we have believed in Christ Jesus, 'in order to be' justified by faith in Christ (objective genitive). . .
17) But if, in our 'looking to' be justified in Christ, we ourselves were found to be sinners,"

It's not about a process in contradiction of the rest of the NT, it's about a form of expression.

See post #97 for your translation errors.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

Soyeong

Well-Known Member
Mar 10, 2015
12,657
4,681
Hudson
✟346,891.00
Country
United States
Faith
Messianic
Marital Status
Single
We express what we believe by the way that we live and our faith in Christ refers to living like or putting on Christ, which refers to the same manner of living as the faith of Christ.

Hebrews 11 lists examples of justifying faith and Abraham was listed twice, so he was justified in Genesis 12:1-5 when he obeyed the call to go to the land where he would receive his inheritance (Hebrews 11:8), he was justified in Genesis 15:6 when he believed God (Romans 4:1-5, James 2:21-24), and he was justified in Genesis 22 when he offered Isaac (James 2:21-24, Hebrews 11:17).

Every aspect of being children of God, through faith, in/of Christ, children of Abraham, and heirs to the promise refers to living in obedience to God's law. In 1 John 3:4-10, those who do not practice righteousness in obedience to God's law are not children of God. In Matthew 23:23, Jesus said that faith is one of the weightier matters of God's law. In 1 John 2:6, those who are in Christ are obligated to walk in the same way he walked. In John 8:39, Jesus said that if they were children of Abraham, then they would be doing the same works that he did. In Genesis 18:19, Genesis 25:4-5, and Deuteronomy 30:16, the promise was made to Abraham and brought about because he walked in God's way in obedience to His law, he taught his children and those of his household how to do that, and because they did that.
 
Reactions: Gary K
Upvote 0

NewLifeInChristJesus

Well-Known Member
Sep 4, 2011
1,532
451
Georgia
✟100,967.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Married
he also said that only doers of the law will be justified (Romans 2:13)
Nope, this is part of Paul's argument that righteousness through the law only is achievable if you obey it completely, as explained in more detail here:

25 For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? 27 And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? 28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God. (Ro 2:25–29 NKJV)​

This is nearly identical to his argument in Galatians:

10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” 12 Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.” (Ga 3:10–12 NKJV)​

Obeying the law is not the same as following the Lord.

In 1 John 3:4-10, those who do not practice righteousness in obedience to God's law are not children of God.
1 John 3:9 (NKJV) is a difficult verse: "Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God." It is not explained away by inserting the word, "practice" in front of both instances of the word, "sin".

A while back, I heard a famous preacher say on a podcast that he has gone as much as 3 days in a row without sinning. I didn't believe him, but let's say he's right. That would mean he sinned at least 10 times a month and at least 120 times a year every year. Sinning every 3rd day for your entire life constitutes the practice of sin and is the antihesis of practicing righteousness no matter how you slice it.
 
Reactions: Clare73
Upvote 0

NewLifeInChristJesus

Well-Known Member
Sep 4, 2011
1,532
451
Georgia
✟100,967.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Married
OK. I understand your position now. We completely disagree though because of what Paul says in Galatians 5:22, 23. Paul did not trust his own works when he wrote that and I do not trust my own works for believing him.
I agree with what you said about Paul, and I also take what you said about yourself at face value. But it's not clear how those statements are in conflict with what I said.

Perhaps you are saying that the fruits of the Spirit are in alignment with God's laws, so striving to obey the law is the same as walking in the Spirit? I don't know. Please help me understand your position.
 
Upvote 0

Gary K

an old small town kid
Aug 23, 2002
4,660
1,017
Visit site
✟111,942.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Constitution
You're close to my position. When we are changed by the power of the HS in our lives He causes us to live in obedience to the 10 commandments. That's what Galatians is all about.
 
Reactions: HIM
Upvote 0

NewLifeInChristJesus

Well-Known Member
Sep 4, 2011
1,532
451
Georgia
✟100,967.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Married
You're close to my position. When we are changed by the power of the HS in our lives He causes us to live in obedience to the 10 commandments. That's what Galatians is all about.
I would say we are close also. I would only argue that Jesus coming to live in our hearts was not the result of us obeying His laws, but was the result of faith in His sacrifice for our sins. So, delight for the things of God in the inner man, which things eminate from His Spirit inside us, do not cause us to be saved, but rather are the result of us being saved.
 
Upvote 0

Gary K

an old small town kid
Aug 23, 2002
4,660
1,017
Visit site
✟111,942.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Constitution
I have no problem with that as that is what I meant.
 
Upvote 0