This brings us to the doctrinal section of this marvelous epistle, which deals with justification by faith. In this section Paul shows his perspective as a Jew.
We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles [Gal. 2:15].
The Jew in that day looked upon the Gentile as a sinner. In fact, Gentile and sinner were synonymous terms. Therefore, the rebuke that Paul gave shows the folly of lawkeeping -- how really foolish it is to try to be good enough to go to heaven, and how ridiculous to consider others to be sinners when you keep failing at your own lawkeeping.
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified [Gal. 2:16].
This is a clear-cut and simple statement of justification by faith. Believe me, the legalist has trouble with this verse. This verse will upset every legal system there is today. To say that you have to add anything to faith in Christ absolutely mutilates the gospel.
Notice what Paul says here. If a Jew had to leave the Law behind -- that is, forsake it -- in order to be justified by faith, Paul's question is, "Why should the Gentile be brought under the Law?" That was the great argument at the council of Jerusalem in Acts 15; "Should the Gentile be brought under the Law?" Thank God, the answer, guided by the Spirit of God, was that the Gentile was not under the Law for salvation -- not for his daily living, as he was called to a much higher plane.
Could the Gentile find justification under the Law when the Jew had already proven that it was impossible? The Jews had had the Law for almost fifteen hundred years and had not been able to keep the Law at all. Why
