Galatians Part 5 | Chapter 2:15-3:9

Last updated on Apr 20, 2026

We Are Justified by Faith and Not Our Works | Galatians 2:15–3:9

Read Galatians 2:15–3:9

The truth of the Gospel tells us that we are justified by our faith and not our works. This is the premise of Paul's letter to the churches of Galatia and the primary reason for his letter — to make it clear to others how one is justified (to be saved). That this is not a work or action, but it is through faith.

Paul begins his commentary on justification by faith with his rebuke of Peter. Paul had previously called out Peter's hypocrisy because he had pulled away from the Gentiles and began sitting with the Judaizers. His actions were showing others that he was validating their false beliefs that one had to become a Jew to be a Christian. After Paul called Peter out on his hypocrisy, he then gave a passionate discourse on how we are justified by our faith and not our works.

Important Terms and Statements to Understand

Justified or Justification

To be "justified" is the word used when a judge would declare someone to be "not guilty" or innocent. When used in the Scriptures it describes how God declares one to be righteous and who has had their sins forgiven. This is how one becomes a Christian — God declares the sinner to be justified and therefore "not guilty" of their sins.

His righteousness is transferred (imputed) to the person and their sins are transferred (imputed) upon Christ. Even though the sinner is truly guilty, God takes or imputes the sins upon Himself.

1 Peter 2:24 — "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed."

Because of the sinner's faith, God will justify them — a free gift because of His grace (Romans 3:23–25b). Salvation comes to those whom God has justified.

Works of the Law

Used in the context of this passage, the "works of the law" are the things that the Judaizers had been declaring were necessary for one to be saved — salvation through legalism. This was for one to become a Jew and so consisted of circumcision, the food laws and observance of the Sabbath.

When we talk of the law and works in general, this also reflects the Mosaic Law — the commands given to Moses for how the Israelites were to live their lives, which also included the 10 commandments. These can be found in Exodus chapters 19–23.

Faith (Belief) in Jesus Christ

This is what is necessary in the heart of a Christian for them to be deemed justified and to have their sins forgiven. When one truly believes in their heart that Jesus is the Christ and trusts in what He came to do — it is only once this true faith is present that God will deem one justified and made righteous.

Paul Makes It Clear That We Cannot Be Made Righteous Through the Law or Our Works

The core foundational truth for salvation is to know that it is only through faith that this is possible. That we CANNOT be justified by our obedience to the law or by any works we may perform.

Galatians 2:16 — "yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified."

Ephesians 2:8–9 — "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God."

The Scriptures are explicit that no one can be justified by doing the works of the law or works of any kind, no matter how "good" they may be. This was a hard concept for the Jews and even for the world today.

To receive or earn something by "works" is the way the world functions — you work a job to earn a paycheck; if there is something you want, you have to do something to get it. To apply this same thought process to salvation "makes sense," only we see God explicitly saying this isn't so.

Galatians 2:16b — "...because by works of the law no one will be justified."

Ephesians 2:9 — "not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

The Scriptures say that it is impossible to be saved this way — one cannot do any work or follow a set of commands/instructions to be justified.

Paul then says that if righteousness was possible through the law, then there was no reason for Christ to be sacrificed.

Galatians 2:21b — "...for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose."

That is a really significant statement — if righteousness was possible through the law then Christ's sacrifice on the cross was unnecessary.

The law cannot save you because its purpose is only to reveal our sin, not save us from it.

Romans 3:20 — "For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin."

The law tells us that we are sinners and in need of a savior.

Paul appealed to the Galatians regarding their salvation. He was refuting to the Galatians that works were required for justification and appealed to their own experience of salvation — asking them how they came by it, whether it was through works or through hearing the Gospel and having faith (Galatians 3:1–3).

💬 Discussion Questions

Why is it that the Scriptures tell us that if righteousness was through the law then the cross was unnecessary? What then was the purpose of the cross?
Why is it common for people to think that salvation has to be earned?

Salvation is a Free Gift That God Bestows Through Faith

God did not want us to earn our salvation because it is impossible for us to do. There isn't anything that we can do in works or actions that would void our sins. No matter how many good deeds we may do it will NEVER make up for our sins. So, no matter what works we do or obedience to God's laws, once we have sinned we are guilty.

Romans 5:12 — "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—"

The ONLY way our sins could be forgiven was for Jesus to nail it to the cross and to sacrifice Himself for us.

Colossians 2:13–14 — "And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross."

This is why God gifts it to us — because it is NOT anything that we can earn on our own. It is a free gift.

Romans 6:23 — "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 4:4–5 — "Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness."

Our salvation is never DUE to us because we deserve it.

God made it a free gift so that we would see His grace and righteousness.

Romans 4:16a — "That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace..."

Romans 3:25b–26 — "...this was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."

Our part is to believe that the gift is real, that Christ is who He says He is — to have faith in Him. This is no work; this is something within our hearts.

💬 Discussion Questions

Why else do you think God made salvation a free gift?
Why does He not make us work for it?
What do you think of Romans 4:16a and 3:25b–26?

The Scriptures Concerning Abraham Show Us That Salvation Has Always Been by God's Grace Through Faith

Another important truth provided to us here in Galatians is that salvation by faith was not something "new." Sometimes we can look at the Scriptures and think that to be saved by grace through faith is new and that before that there was a "different" way to be saved. It is easy to see how we might think this, but we find that this is not the case.

Abraham Was Not Justified by His Works

One might think that Abraham was justified to God through his works, as he did many good things and is seen as the Father of the people of Israel. But the Scriptures tell us otherwise — his actions did not make him justified before God.

Romans 4:1–2 — "What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God."

Abraham Was Justified Just as We Are — Through Faith

He didn't have faith in the effects of Jesus's sacrifice on the cross, but he had faith in the promises of God — and it did NOT come from the law.

Galatians 3:6 — "just as Abraham 'believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness'?"

Genesis 15:6 — "And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness."

Romans 4:13 — "For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith." (The law was given some 460 years after the recordings in Scripture of Abraham's salvation through faith.)

In Romans 4 we have a detailed breakdown as to why Abraham was deemed righteous because of his faith (Romans 4:18–22).

💬 Discussion Questions

When you look at Romans 4:18–22, how does Abraham's faith compare to our own for salvation by believing in Jesus Christ?

God's Promise of Salvation by Grace Through Faith Was Always Going to Be Available for Both Jews and Gentiles

While God chose the people of Israel to bring Jesus into the world and to be His "chosen people," God from the beginning was going to make salvation through grace available to everyone.

Galatians 3:8–9 — "And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, 'In you shall all the nations be blessed.' So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith."

Genesis 22:18 — "and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice." (Offspring = Christ. Nations = Everyone, including Jews and Gentiles.)

Romans 4:23–24 — "But the words 'it was counted to him' were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord."

The "blessing" that was given to Abraham and that would be passed to the nations is salvation through faith.

Galatians 3:14 — "so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith."

Salvation has ALWAYS been by God's grace through faith.

💬 Discussion Questions

What are examples of seeing this saving faith throughout the Old Testament?

Hint: Hebrews 11