229 – FREE FROM THE LAWMAY, 28th 1961
Henry F. Kulp
Galatians 2: 15 - 20 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 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. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
In the book of Galatians we have the argument between the legalizing teachers who are in Jerusalem and the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul claimed that he was caught up into Paradise, the third heaven, and he received his commission as an Apostle to the Gentiles, directly from God. He received a message of nothing but pure grace from God. This claim from Paul was denied by these false teachers of the law and Paul was constantly called upon to defend his authority and his message, and that is exactly what he is doing here in the book of Galatians.
1/ Remember, how this looked to these legalizing teachers and James. The Apostle Paul was not an ordained minister in the ecclesiastical sense, he did not receive his theological training in their school, he had no degrees, he had no degrees whether earned or honorary or otherwise. He had not been ordained by an official council, or conference. He could produce no diploma from their schools. He had not been licensed to preach by a committee of elders, bishops or folks in Jerusalem. He belonged to no ministerial association. He had no record that he was ever called a reverend, or doctor—he never signed his name, Rev., Dr., Paul, D. D., and actually because of these facts, Paul was rejected by these religious legalists. He had not been ordained, or licensed by them. He had not been approved by them. And so they went everywhere he did, trying to tear down his ministry, and so Paul is trying to prove that he is a valid servant of God.
2/ And Paul gives as one of his proofs of his Apostleship which was the time he rebuked Peter in front of the folks there at Antioch. As we told you, Peter came and visited Paul, he lived among the Gentiles, for there in Galatia, the church was primarily made up of Gentiles. There were just a few Jewish converts, and Peter and Paul went in and out of the homes there in Galatia, visiting with the people, and they would set down and eat together, but back in Jerusalem James heard rumors about these things going on, that Peter was doing these things—living as a Gentile, so he sent some of his spies down, and when Peter heard that they were coming, he left the Gentiles and went over with a few Jewish folks that were there—converted Jews, and he ignored the Gentiles. So Paul says, I confronted him right to the face, and I told him he was wrong that he was a hypocrite.
3/ Now for a moment let’s think about Peter. I can very clearly imagine the feelings of Peter. He was a man of God, there is no doubt about it, but he had been caught away in a snare, and he was afraid of men, and oh, what a terrible thing it is to be afraid of men. I am sure when Paul first rebuked him in front of everyone, he was startled, and I imagined he looked at Paul and his face became blood-red and he bowed his head because he was ashamed—he was filled with shame, for he realized how guilty he was in seeking to please these legalist, who would rob the church of its marvelous grace Gospel.
4/ But, you know, we can just stop in our discourse here for a minute and we can say what was Peter’s attitude towards Paul after the rebuke.
II Peter 3: 15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
He calls Paul, our beloved brother, Paul. He recognized Paul’s position and he called him his beloved brother.
5/ Galatians 2: 14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
Then Paul lets the cat out of the bag. He says, If thou being a Jew liveth after the manner of the Gentiles, not as the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
He was really putting Peter on the spot. As I read these Scriptures and read between the lines, I think I can see the Judezing teachers from James and the Holy City look up and say, what’s this? Up to this point they weren’t really interested in the debate or rebuke, but now suddenly they perk up their ears—why you mean Peter has really been living after the manner of the Gentiles, it is not just rumor, but it is fact? Peter’s action by going over from the Gentiles before they came there, then eating just with them had convinced them they were just shear rumors they had heard about Peter—they weren’t true. Now came unto the folks there at Antioch and he says, you (Peter) in the past, when you were here with me lived after the manner of the Gentiles.
6/ Galatians 2: 15, 16 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 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.
Here Paul reminds his erring brother, Peter, that they both being Jews knew the law, and its inability to justify Jew or Gentile, for he said, Brother, we know that no man is justified by the works of the law. We had to believe in Jesus Christ and not by the works of the law.
7/ Verse 16 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.
In other words, the works of the flesh—the law cannot save you, it cannot justify you.
Notice, Galatians 3: 10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
There it says, for as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse. Why does the law curse? For it is written, cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things—notice the word, all—all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them.
You must keep the whole law, and who has kept the whole law? No one but Jesus Christ has ever kept the whole law. Notice, in the very start of the law—it says, Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.
Exodus 20: 3, 4 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
Remember, when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with the law—he was coming to them with the law and he heard the noise and the shouting of the people, and at the very start, the children of Israel were in the act of breaking the first commandment—they were dancing around the golden calf which they said was their god—they had a golden image before them, and Moses smashes the two tables of stone to pieces upon the rocks, and man has been a law-breaker ever since.
How many of you would be so foolish as to claim that you can keep the Ten Commandments? You say, I’m no idolator, I’ve never made any graven images or fell down before them. Well, I haven’t either—yet, have you ever worshipped gold? Or something else, some possession you have? Anything that comes before God is in reality, your god. It is an image.
8/ Notice, Leviticus 19: 37 Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the Lord.
This Scripture is emphatic in insisting that all the statutes and all the judgments must be kept. All of them, not just part, not just some—not just 98%—you must keep everyone.
9/ For instance, a man is before a judge. He confesses that he is guilty of robbery. But he is there before the judge, he says, Your honor, I’m not such a bad man—you know, I do good sometimes. I’m good to my father and mother, I am good to my wife and my children I broke only one law. You have to admit I didn’t murder or kill anyone, I didn’t beat anybody up, I didn’t have any gods before me, I didn’t have any graven images that I fell down and worshipped. The judge would have to reply, You are not being tried for your good deeds, nor for the laws that you have not broken. You are being tried for the breaking of the law of robbery, so you must go to jail. And before the law, to break one law is to be a law-breaker and to be as guilty as if you had broken the whole law.
10/ Then, you will notice, you not only have to keep the whole law, there is only one thing the law can do, and that is curse, because we are all sinners, we are all guilty. The law can’t justify—all the law can do is curse.
11/ Then notice, Galatians 2: 19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
Paul is still before Peter, still rebuking Peter with his words, when he says, I through the law am dead to the law—What a tremendous statement. Paul does not say that the law is dead—far from it. Rather, he says, I am dead to the law. And he is speaking of God’s whole law, this includes the Ten Commandments, written upon tables of stone. He says, as far as I am concerned am dead. In the eyes of the law, I don’t even exist any more. The law does not even recognize my existence, so it has no power over me.
12/ Let me repeat, Paul does not say the law is dead, it is very much alive, it still curses, it still condemns those who break it, and, of course, all do break it.
Notice II Corinthians 3: 7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
But if the administration of death, written and engraven in stone was glorious. Notice he says the law—he is talking of the Ten Commandments here. He says, it is the administration of death, it curses, it kills. The law is not dead, and it still curses—it still demands the death of the transgressor, but Paul says, as far as I am concerned, the law can’t touch me any more. I am beyond its reach forever. But then notice, Paul says, I am alive unto God.
13/ What did Paul mean by the expression, I am dead to the law? Let me give you an illustration or two, and I am sure it will help to make it clear. Suppose a man has committed a terrible crime, let’s say the crime of murder, and naturally, he deserves the penalty of the law is death—he is to be electrocuted. He is arrested and brought into court before the judge, and the indictment of murder is brought against him. The witnesses are called and one by one they testify and they all agree that this man is guilty—they saw him commit murder, and there is really no defense for him—he is guilty, and according to law, he should be put to death. But just as the judge is ready to pronounce judgment upon him—the jury found him guilty, and the judge is ready to pronounce the death sentence upon him, suddenly something happens to this man. He suddenly grasps his throat, his face becomes blue, his eyes bulge out, he stiffens in every muscle, and suddenly he slumps down a passes out. A physician is called, and as he tests the body, he pronounces that this man is dead. Let us ask you—what does the judge do? Does he continue the trial? Does he continue and say, this man is guilty of murder, and he shall be electrocuted at the prison on such and such a day? No, he just adjourns the court, the law can’t touch this man as he is dead. For all the law can do is kill—it curses and then it kills. But you can’t kill someone who is already dead.
14/ That is what Paul says, Paul says, I am dead to the law. In the case of our illustration the man cheated the law, he robbed the law of its right to put him to death, he died before the law had a chance to exact its penalty, but actually that is not what Paul says here—he says, I am dead to the law. But I didn’t cheat the law. I didn’t die before the law had its opportunity to try me.
15/ Notice, what he says here—and these words are important. Paul has added three words—through the law. He not only said, I am dead to the law, but he said, I through the law am dead to the law.
16/ Another illustration. Here again is another criminal. He, too, is guilty of murder. He goes through the same trial. Witnesses testify. It is proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is guilty of murdering someone, and the jury brings back the decree of guilty of murder in the first degree. And the judge pronounces judgment upon him and this man is taken to prison, and on a specific date he is put into the electric chair, the switch is thrown and he is electrocuted. The physician enters and pronounces him legally dead, and his body is buried.
17/ Now, you see this man is not only dead to the law, but he is dead through the law. The law tried him and by the law he was electrocuted. The law has put him to death. Now, a strange thing happens. Three days later you are walking down the street of the same city and suddenly you meet the same man, who was pronounced guilty of murder—he was electrocuted. And you see him walking alive on the streets of your town or your community or your city. You can’t believe your eyes at first, so you look again the second time—yes, it is the same identical man. You are sure. You rush to the police and you say, get that man, he is a murderer, he is walking loose on the streets of our city, but they look up the records and they find that the man is dead, he was legally declared dead, so there is nothing they can do. The law does not anticipate resurrection. It has no provision for life beyond death. It is interested only in death, it is an administration of death, it is interested only in death, and after a person has died through the law, the law has no power or interest in the individual. It can’t touch a man who is raised from the dead, and Paul says, that is my condition. He said, the law found me guilty, the law crucified me, put me to death, and now I have been raised from the dead, and now the law can’t touch me. That is exactly what has happened to every believer.
Go to that glorious portion of Scripture Romans 6: 3, 4 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Notice, here, that so many of us, that is believers, as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into His death.
Not into water—but into death. Jesus Christ died for us, therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death, and then it says, we were raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, so when you believe on Jesus Christ, you are identified with Christ—you are placed into Christ, and what Christ is. Christ bore the penalty, the curse of the law which is death, but after He was crucified, He was resurrected on the third day, and now He lives, and we have been crucified with Christ, buried with Christ, we have been resurrected with Christ, and now the law can’t touch us, the law has no dominion over us. The law can’t do a thing to this person.
18/ Romans 7: 4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law, how—by the body of Christ. Notice, what Paul is doing here. He is talking about husband and wife. He says here is a case of a married woman, and the married woman is bound by the law to her husband as long as he liveth, but if the husband is dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. Now, that is simple, isn’t it? A wife, by her husband’s death, ceases to be a wife. Before that event of his death, she was a wife. After the event the wife is no more. Oh yes, the woman remains but she has become dead to the law, which has bound her to her husband, and now she is free to go out and marry again. Get another husband.
We were under the law, in Christ Jesus, but He died, and we died in Christ, and now we are free from the law, just as that wife is no longer a wife, she is free from the law of her husband, he is dead, now the law is dead as far as we are concerned. We are dead to that law, and no longer under dominion of it.
Oh, how wonderful this truth is, and it is all by the grace of God in sending His Son to die for us that we might live.
AMEN
Ref: 05/28/1961 / FREE FROM THE LAW / 03/21/2021
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