Galatians 2:16

[Pilgrimbygrace]

A fellow member to this forum (Identity removed by Moderator) and myself have gotten on the topic of Justification.

Now, I’m not trying to stir the pot, I’m just trying to gain some understanding of Catholic Doctrine.

So without quoting everything that has been discussed to this point, I’m simply going to ask for an interpretive view, to start off with, of Galatians 2:16.

I’m new to the Catholic doctrines and traditions, so it’s difficult for me to understand it’s presuppositions. But I have done some reading on the Catholic Encyclopedia no Justification, confession, sanctification and Christian perfection. This has helped me understand a little things a little better.

But It would help me more, if I could get some good feedback on the versus in the New Testament that seem to say that we are justified by faith and not by works of the law. I most certainly will appreciate your answers and consider them seriously.

In His loving grace,

 

[Della]

It’s really quite simple. St. Paul was talking about the Mosaic Law, not acts of Christian charity. The Mosaic Law had no power to save anyone, is what he is telling us, which is why we need faith in Christ. And why is that? Because Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection made salvation possible because it was redemptive.

Catholics do not believe in keeping the law to be saved. We do believe that good works of Christian charity are necessary since they are mandated by God that “we should walk in them” as Paul put it. They are a part of the grace God gives us through faith in Christ.

 

[Fidelis]

It’s really quite simple. St. Paul was talking about the Mosaic Law, not acts of Christian charity. The Mosaic Law had no power to save anyone, is what he is telling us, which is why we need faith in Christ. And why is that? Because Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection made salvation possible because it was redemptive.

This is exactly right, and it is the crux of the misunderstanding.

Protestants usually read Paul with the presupposition that “works of the law” means “good deeds” or “doing good” as a means to win God’s favor. Paul is talking about nothing of the sort. If he were, other things he says in numerous places would be nonsense, such as Romans 2:5-8:

By your stubbornness and impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself for the day of wrath and revelation of the just judgment of God, who will repay everyone according to his works: eternal life to those who seek glory, honor, and immortality through perseverance in good works, but wrath and fury to those who selfishly disobey the truth and obey wickedness.

As Della pointed out, the whole context of Galatians and most of Romans especially is Paul’s arguments against Judaizers who are trying to impose the Jewish Law on Gentile believers, as we see in Acts 15.

Try this experiment. Read these passages (Galatians 2, Romans 3-4) from the view point that St. Paul was talking about the Mosaic Law, not acts of Christian charity. You will find that, given the context of Paul’s overall teaching and the backdrop of Acts 15, this will make enormous sense.

 

[StCsDavid]

It’s also important to understand the context of who Paul was speaking to. The Galatians were having themselves circumcised and reverting to other Mosaic practices in the belief that this was what was necessary for salvation. Paul was telling them that doing those things wasn’t going to be their ticket to Heaven.

 

[Pilgrimbygrace]

Hey David, Fidelis and Della.

First, thank you for taking the time to reply to my question and I am getting a better understanding between the “Works of the Law” or keeping God’s moral law perfectly and the “Works of the Spirit” or “law of the Flesh” and “law of the Spirit.”

Yes, as we read in James and other places, I do agree that we are meant to preform loving, charitable “works” i.e., helping others, being patient, kind, loving, forgiving, generous, etc…

I also agree that as we are being sanctified, we are “putting on Christ.” or we are being conformed closer to His image. Meaning that we are becoming more humble, meek, we are forsaking our love for possessions, we are putting away our old nature etc…

This is the Law of Christ. By our indwelling of His Spirit inside us, being born again or born into the likeness of Him after our conversion, we are new creatures, we are walking in newness of life, we have drunk from the wellspring of abundant life and His Spirit inside us, spurs us on to “Good Works.”

But after reading about The Sacrament of Penance and Sanctifying Grace I have to come to this conclusion.

Please forgive me, because again, I’m trying to learn all of this in way to short of a time and these discussions will certainly help me understand it better.

But, it seems to me, because there is a “requirement” of confession of mortal sins and that Justification and Sanctification is one in the same, that this is dealing with the Moral Law. We are focusing on here, not the Law of Christ or Charitable or loving Works, but that of the Moral Law and obeying it perfectly.

I also read this CHRISTIAN PERFECTION which leads me to believe that a Christian can obtain perfection in this lifetime.

As a Protestant, Hebrews has been drilled into me in an understanding of, Jesus died for our sins past present and future. That his sacrifice atoned for “all” of our sins and that the only one that was ever perfect was Christ.

So it is a little confusing to me here, because on one hand, I’m being told that Catholicism isn’t a “works of the law” system, but what I’m reading leads me to believe that it is.

Again, please don’t get impatient with me, I’m not trying to debate, I’m just trying to understand this, because it is a stumbling block for me right now and I don’t want it to be.

 

[StCsDavid]

Hey Pilgrim,

Don’t feel bad if you don’t understand it. Most Catholics don’t get it either. Yes, Christ paid the price for all of our sins, past, present and future. Of that there is certainty.

When one commits a mortal sin, which is a sin involving a grave matter that a person commits with full knowledge of its gravity and full consent, one, in essence, turns one’s back on the mystical body of Christ. One steps outside of the communion with His Church. He divorces himself from Christ. One, by one’s free will, discards the sanctifying grace given by God. Unlike the Calvinist, Catholics do not believe in predestination or double predestination. We can choose Heaven or not by our own free will.

How does one get back into full communion? In His mercy, Christ gave to the Church this beautiful sacrament of reconciliation, where one can get back into communion with the Lord and His Church. Why the Church? Because Christ said so is the easy answer. Christ gave Peter, our first Pope, the keys to the kingdom of Heaven (Matt 16:19.)

This is just he tip of the iceberg of a much larger discussion, but I hope it helps

 

[FCEGM]

A fellow member to this forum, (Identity removed by Moderator) and myself have gotten on the topic of Justification.

Now, I’m not trying to stir the pot, I’m just trying to gain some understanding of Catholic Doctrine.

So without quoting everything that has been discussed to this point, I’m simply going to ask for an interpretive view, to start off with, of Galatians 2:16.

I’m new to the Catholic doctrines and traditions, so it’s difficult for me to understand it’s presuppositions. But I have done some reading on the Catholic Encyclopedia no Justification, confession, sanctification and Christian perfection. This has helped me understand a little things a little better.

But It would help me more, if I could get some good feedback on the versus in the New Testament that seem to say that we are justified by faith and not by works of the law. I most certainly will appreciate your answers and consider them seriously.

In His loving grace,

Pilgrim, I think you’ll find these articles helpful:

bringyou.to/apologetics/a54.htm

bringyou.to/apologetics/a127.htm

bringyou.to/apologetics/a53.htm

bringyou.to/apologetics/a119.htm