What justification is Paul talking about in Galatians 5:4?

[Ferris Bueller]

Justified has two definitions. It can mean to be made righteous, and it can mean to be shown to be righteous. Which definition is Paul using in Galatians 5:4? Does the definition he's using affect whether he is only talking about specific laws in the law of Moses that can't justify us, or if he's talking about any and all laws in the law of Moses not being able to justify us?

2Take notice: I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4You who are trying to be justified by the law have been severed from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.5But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the hope of righteousness. 6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. All that matters is faith, expressed through love. (Galatians 5:2-6)

And in vs 5, why are we waiting for a righteousness that we already have through faith in Christ? Could he be talking about something other than the legal declaration of righteousness we received the moment we believed? Can this help us understand what 'justification' Paul is talking about here in Galatians?

 

[101G]

Addressing the OP. read Romans 2:13. and if by works, read Romans 4:2 & 3.

Maybe that might help you.

PICJAG
101G The "Spiritual Saboteur"

 

[Ferris Bueller]

Addressing the OP. read Romans 2:13. and if by works, read Romans 4:2 & 3.

Maybe that might help you.

PICJAG
101G The "Spiritual Saboteur"

Feel free to spell out your thoughts. Those two scriptures seem to contradict one another. Do they?

 

[atpollard]

What Justification does Galatians 1 to Galatians 4 suggest Galatians 5 might be speaking about?

 

[101G]

Feel free to spell out your thoughts. Those two scriptures seem to contradict one another. Do they?

nope, there is no works that you can justify yourself before God, but Believe is the Work of God, listen John 6:28 "Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?"
John 6:29 "Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."

so I suggest you re-read, those scriptures again.

PICJAG
101G The "Spiritual Saboteur"

 

[Ferris Bueller]

What Justification does Galatians 1 to Galatians 4 suggest Galatians 5 might be speaking about?

Let's see......

Galatians 1:6-9
6I am amazed how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ.8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse! 9As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse!

Since he's talking about a false gospel of justification that leads to being under the curse (eternal damnation, right?) he must be talking about justification as defined in the first meaning—making one righteous, rather than showing one to be righteous.

But.....

As I'm pointing out, by the time you get here in chapter 5, you have to decide if you're going to stick with the meaning of justification he started out using (being made righteous) and are now going to switch to the other meaning of justification (being shown to be righteous).....

Galatians 5:4
4You who are trying to be justified by the law have been severed from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

So, which is it? Is he still talking about being justified (made righteous) by the law as he has been up to now? Or is he now talking about being justified (shown to be righteous) by the works of the law, and that he doesn't actually mean being severed from Christ to eternal damnation like he has been talking about up to now?

 

[justbyfaith]

Concerning Galatians 5:3-4...

If I begin to walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit, and the righteousness of the law becomes fulfilled in me thereby (Romans 8:4), am I therefore justified by the law?

Or, have I been justified by faith in Christ, as He has given me the Holy Spirit through faith (Galatians 3:14)?

 

[mjrhealth]

Let's see......

Galatians 1:6-9
6I am amazed how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ.8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse! 9As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse!

Since he's talking about a false gospel of justification that leads to being under the curse (eternal damnation, right?) he must be talking about justification as defined in the first meaning—making one righteous, rather than showing one to be righteous.

But.....

As I'm pointing out, by the time you get here in chapter 5, you have to decide if you're going to stick with the meaning of justification he started out using (being made righteous) and are now going to switch to the other meaning of justification (being shown to be righteous).....

Galatians 5:4
4You who are trying to be justified by the law have been severed from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

So, which is it? Is he still talking about being justified (made righteous) by the law as he has been up to now? Or is he now talking about being justified (shown to be righteous) by the works of the law, and that he doesn't actually mean being severed from Christ to eternal damnation like he has been talking about up to now?

No man was ever justified by the law, not in the beginning and not after Christ. The only way for any man to enter in is though Christ and His works.

 

[Enoch111]

Justified has two definitions.

Since no one can be justified by law-keeping, there is only one definition of justification -- to be declared righteous by God Himself. It is based entirely on the grace of God and the finished work of Christ, and is the result of believing God and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work of redemption.

 

[justbyfaith]

Since no one can be justified by law-keeping, there is only one definition of justification -- to be declared righteous by God Himself. It is based entirely on the grace of God and the finished work of Christ, and is the result of believing God and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work of redemption.

Justified in James is before mankind (see Romans 4:2). Justification in Romans 4 is the kind of justification that you are talking about.

 

[Enoch111]

Justified in James is before mankind (see Romans 4:2).

What James is really saying is that THE OUTWARD EVIDENCE of justification is presented before men. But long before Abraham presented that evidence, he was justified by grace through faith and God was the Justifier.

 

[justbyfaith]

What James is really saying is that THE OUTWARD EVIDENCE of justification is presented before men. But long before Abraham presented that evidence, he was justified by grace through faith and God was the Justifier.

Amen...

 

[Ferris Bueller]

If I begin to walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit, and the righteousness of the law becomes fulfilled in me thereby (Romans 8:4), am I therefore justified by the law?

Yes, you are justified (shown to be righteous) by the law. Your obedience to God's commands shows you to have the righteousness of God through faith in Christ. The law does not make you to be righteous as Paul talks about that in Romans. The law can only show you to be righteous.

 

[Ferris Bueller]

So which one is Paul talking about in Galatians 5:2-6? Justified as in being made righteous? Or justified as in being shown to be righteous?

2Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. 6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

 

[justbyfaith]

Obviously, the law can not make anyone righteous (Galatians 3:21). However, if justification in Galatians 5:4 is referring to being shown to be righteous, then Galatians 5:4 is saying that if you are shown to be righteous through law-keeping, you have fallen from grace. So, we lose our salvation the moment we begin to gain the victory over besetting sins?

Do you see the ludicrosity of such an idea?

If I find that the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in me (Romans 8:4), it does not mean that I am justified by that law-keeping. For I am not justified by keeping a set of do's and don'ts; but by walking after the Spirit rather than the flesh. The venue by which I obtain this righteousness therefore is faith rather than law-keeping.

I am justified through Christ's blood, which also sanctifies me so that I am obedient to the law in the way that I live my life.

It is not my behaviour that justifies me but it is the application of the blood that changes my behaviour and which also justifies me. It is the root of the blood of Jesus that both justifies me and changes my behaviour. Therefore the root of justification is not in my behaviour but in the blood that sanctifies me.

The fact that I am a doer of the law means that I am justified before man; but before God I am most definitely justified by the faith that changes my behaviour.

 

[Philip James]

Justified has two definitions. It can mean to be made righteous, and it can mean to be shown to be righteous. Which definition is Paul using in Galatians 5:4? Does the definition he's using affect whether he is only talking about specific laws in the law of Moses that can't justify us, or if he's talking about any and all laws in the law of Moses not being able to justify us?

2Take notice: I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4You who are trying to be justified by the law have been severed from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.5But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the hope of righteousness. 6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. All that matters is faith, expressed through love. (Galatians 5:2-6)

And in vs 5, why are we waiting for a righteousness that we already have through faith in Christ? Could he be talking about something other than the legal declaration of righteousness we received the moment we believed? Can this help us understand what 'justification' Paul is talking about here in Galatians?

Hello Ferris,

I think this sums it up quite well:

All that matters is faith, expressed through love

Faith working in love fulfills the Law.
Love is that which we are all called to and called to share, for God is love.

How do we love? By laying down our lives for those around us. By putting the GOOD of others ahead of our own desires/needs/comfort...

There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love.

We love because he first loved us.

If anyone says, "I love God," but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.


Peace be with you!