Galatians Chapter 2 — Justification by Faith
Paul describes his meeting with the apostles in Jerusalem to confirm his mission to the Gentiles and explains that justification comes through faith in Christ.
1Then after a period of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus also with me.
2I went up by revelation, and I laid before them the Good News which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately before those who were respected, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain.
3But not even Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.
4This was because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who stole in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage,
5to whom we gave no place in the way of subjection, not for an hour, that the truth of the Good News might continue with you.
6But from those who were reputed to be important—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God doesn’t show partiality to man—they, I say, who were respected imparted nothing to me,
7but to the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Good News for the uncircumcised, even as Peter with the Good News for the circumcised—
8for he who worked through Peter in the apostleship with the circumcised also worked through me with the Gentiles—
9and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, those who were reputed to be pillars, gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision.
10They only asked us to remember the poor—which very thing I was also zealous to do.
11But when Peter came to Antioch, I resisted him to his face, because he stood condemned.
12For before some people came from James, he ate with the Gentiles. But when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.
13And the rest of the Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.
14But when I saw that they didn’t walk uprightly according to the truth of the Good News, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live as the Gentiles do, and not as the Jews do, why do you compel the Gentiles to live as the Jews do?
15“We, being Jews by nature and not Gentile sinners,
16yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because no flesh will be justified by the works of the law.
17But if while we sought to be justified in Christ, we ourselves also were found sinners, is Christ a servant of sin? Certainly not!
18For if I build up again those things which I destroyed, I prove myself a law-breaker.
19For I through the law died to the law, that I might live to God.
20I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.
21I don’t reject the grace of God. For if righteousness is through the law, then Christ died for nothing!”
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Galatians 2:16
“yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because no flesh will be justified by the works of the law.”
This verse is a central theological statement of the New Testament regarding how a person is made right with God.
Galatians 2:20
“I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.”
It describes the personal and transformative nature of the believer's identification with Christ's death and resurrection.
Galatians 2:21
“I don’t reject the grace of God. For if righteousness is through the law, then Christ died for nothing!”
This serves as a logical conclusion to Paul's argument that grace and legalism are mutually exclusive methods of salvation.
Chapter Summary
Paul recounts his journey to Jerusalem fourteen years later with Barnabas and Titus. He met with leaders like James, Peter, and John to ensure they were in agreement regarding the Gospel he preached to the Gentiles. The leaders affirmed his mission and did not require the Greek Titus to be circumcised, showing that salvation is for all. However, Paul later had to confront Peter in Antioch because Peter stopped eating with Gentiles to appease a legalistic group. Paul uses this incident to explain that no person is justified by the works of the law, but only through faith in Jesus Christ. He concludes by stating that he has been crucified with Christ, and it is Christ who now lives through him, emphasizing that if righteousness could be earned through the law, then Christ's sacrifice would have been for nothing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Paul went to Jerusalem by revelation to speak with the leaders of the church—James, Peter, and John—to ensure that his preaching of the Good News among the Gentiles was recognized and supported.
Paul confronted Peter because Peter withdrew from eating with Gentile believers when certain Jewish legalists arrived. Paul called this behavior hypocrisy because it contradicted the truth of the Gospel that all are equal in Christ.
According to the text, being justified by faith means that a person is made righteous before God through belief in Jesus Christ rather than through following the specific rituals or works prescribed by the Mosaic Law.
Titus was a Greek companion of Paul. Paul mentions him specifically to show that the apostles in Jerusalem did not force Titus to be circumcised, proving that Gentile converts were not required to follow Jewish law.
Study Note
The mention of 'James, Cephas, and John' as pillars refers to the core leadership of the early church in Jerusalem, where Cephas is the Aramaic name for the Apostle Peter.
Related Chapters
Acts 15
This chapter provides the historical narrative of the Jerusalem Council which parallels the events Paul describes.
Romans 3
Paul explores the concept of justification by faith in greater depth in his letter to the Romans.
Galatians 1
The previous chapter establishes Paul's divine calling and the independence of the Gospel he received.
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