2:18-21 What fundamental truth is Paul teaching here?
2:18-21 What fundamental truth is Paul teaching here?
The fundamental truth Paul is teaching here is that no Christian ever has to work to become righteous.
Their faith in the finished work of Christ alone has made them righteous before God (cp Ro 3:20-26 with 2 Cor 5:21 and Eph 2:8-9).
Ga 2:18 teaches that if believers try to add works to grace to save themselves, they are sinning.
That is what Peter and Barnabas and the Jewish Christians in Antioch did in our previous study (cp Ga 2:11-17). Once they accept Christ as saviour believers are dead to the law and only follow after the things of God revealed in Christ, who was the fulfilment of the law (cp Ro 5:20-21; 10:4; Ga 3:19-28).
A Christian's life is no longer centred on self, but on Christ. Being crucified with Christ means dying to self and allowing the resurrection power of Christ to indwell us (cp Ro 6:1-14; 7:6).
The life we now live is a result of trusting in Christ alone who died for us. We do not nullify God's grace by self-efforts to attain righteousness, because if we think we can add works to grace for our salvation as Peter and the others did at Antioch, then Christ died needlessly (cp Ro 4:4-5 and 11:6 with Ga 2:20-21).