Loving God, when you sent Jesus, you already knew that we could never do enough to atone for our sinfulness.  Help us to know the depth of your grace and love, and to give thanks at all times for the salvation we have through Jesus, for in his name we pray.  Amen.

            You may have heard the phrase before: justification by grace through faith.  It is a statement about how we are put right with God through Jesus.  However, how many of us have the foggiest idea what it means?  Even the word “justification” gives us difficulty.  When we think about justifying something or giving justification for something, it sounds to us like making excuses.  It sounds to us like giving reasons for whatever we did or didn’t do.

         However, in today’s reading from Galatians we hear phrases like being “justified by faith,” or being “justified by the works of the law” (2:16).  We also hear in our gospel today that the tax collector is the one who “went down to his home justified” (Lk. 18:14).  All of this is part of a larger discussion about what it is that puts us right with God, or saves us.

         It is a discussion that began in last week’s reading from Acts, as they debated what Gentiles needed to do in order to receive salvation.  While the word “justification” was not used in last week’s reading, Peter did mention both grace and faith.  He recalls how God cleansed the hearts of the Gentile believers by faith, and concludes that all “will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 15:9, 11).

         This week, however, it is Paul who is writing about Jews and Gentiles and justification by grace.  This is the same Paul who has shown up a couple of times over the past few weeks.  At the time when Stephen was stoned to death, Paul was the young man named Saul who looked after people’s coats and approved of what they were doing (Acts 7:58; 8:1). Then, last week, it was Paul and Barnabas who went to Jerusalem to discuss whether Gentile believers needed to be circumcised or not (Acts 15).

         Paul brings a unique perspective to this whole discussion about justification and salvation.  After all, he grew up and was educated as a Pharisee, and was careful to keep every law and tradition that had been handed on to him.  As Saul (which is his Hebrew name), he persecuted those who believed in Jesus quite zealously – actively engaging in their imprisonment and death.

         However, God had different things in mind for him, and reveals Jesus to him so that he can proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ among the Gentiles (Gal. 1:16).  This is when he becomes Paul, which is his Greek name.  This is also, as he relates in his letter to the Galatians, the ministry for which God set him apart even before he was born (1:15).

         Because of his own experience, Paul knows beyond the shadow of a doubt that he is saved through God’s grace.  In fact, he thinks of himself as one of the biggest sinners of all because he persecuted those who believe in Jesus and tried to destroy the church.  Plus, he did this while he was trying to keep the law of Moses as scrupulously as possible!  Hence, Paul knows that keeping the law did not save him, but the grace of God given through Jesus Christ.

         Still, how many of us prefer law to grace?  How many of us worry about whether we have done enough for God to accept us?  How many of us have in our minds a list of rules to follow that show whether somebody is Christian or not?  How many of us have made all sorts of commandments more important than the commands to love God with our whole selves and to love others as we love ourselves?

         There is no doubt that those who believe in Jesus will live in a certain way.  For, as Paul says, “it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).  Because of this presence of Christ in us, we will reflect Jesus in our love for God and for others, and in our ministry to and with outsiders.  We will do this imperfectly, for we are still sinners, but by the power of the Holy Spirit we can at least imitate Jesus.

         The good news is that we do not do any of these things in order to earn God’s acceptance.  It all starts with Jesus, who loved us and gave himself for us even before we were born, and it is because of his faithfulness that we are given salvation – not because of ours.  The good things that we do and the love that we share are in response to the salvation that we have already received through the faithfulness of Jesus and our faith in him.

         And so, today, rest in God’s love.  Give thanks for the gift of salvation and for the love of Jesus.  Keep the love of Christ in your hearts, ready to share with others.  And “may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13).  Alleluia!  Amen.

Easter 6 (NL 3)                                 Galatians 1:13-17; 2:11-21

May 9, 2021

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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