Galatians 2:15-16 "We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners..."

“We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is justified not by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law” (Galatians 2:15-16).

Question:

I take a metaphysical approach in relating with Ain Sof, the Divine, and I am wondering why Paul is using “grace” as a basis only.

Comment:

This is a section of a speech which, Paul tells the Galatians, he made to Peter (Cephas) in Antioch. At issue was the urgent question of whether the Gentiles Paul converted to belief in Jesus Christ had to first become Jews and undergo circumcision before being accepted into the fellowship of The Way. Peter and the church in Jerusalem that he represented at this time were convinced that they did. Paul insists that “if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing” (Gal. 2:21). To Paul, the purpose of the law was to guide us to the point at which we are ready to understand and embrace the spiritual truth that Jesus taught and demonstrated: our innate Oneness with the Divine. Once we accept that truth, obedience to the law is no longer necessary. In essence, Jesus “fulfilled” the law through his message and demonstration. We don’t “earn” our way into the new consciousness that Jesus describes as “the kingdom of heaven” by meticulously obeying the dictates of the law, but by embracing our spiritual truth. 

Blessings!

Rev. Ed