Either Or
nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh will be justified. Galatians 2:16 NASB
Faith in Christ Jesus– The translation of this verse depends on what you believe before you translate the verse,[1]and what you believe before you translate it makes a very big difference. Let’s take a look.
In Greek, the phrase we want to examine first is pisteos Iesou Christou. The NASB translates this as “faith in Jesus Christ,” but Lloyd Gaston points out that these same words in Greek can just as validly be translated “faithfulness of Jesus Christ.” So the choice of translation does not depend on the words but rather on the presuppositions about the words. Theological perspective governs the translation. There is a significant difference between being justified through my faith in Yeshua or being justified through the faithfulness of Yeshua. The first suggests that I must make a choice about Yeshua. The second suggests that His obedience to the Father is the crucial element.
If Gaston’s view is correct, what does this imply about the opening thought? It says that no one is justified by what he or she has done with regard to the Torah but rather justification comes because of what Yeshua has done with regard to the Torah. It does not suggest that the crucial difference is between believing instead of doing. It suggests that the crucial difference is between Yeshua and me.
The other view, the one endorsed by NASB, suggests that the crucial difference is between my doing or my believing (essentially, my works vs. my beliefs). This view pushes the evangelical “decision” objective and supports a theology that divides “works” from “grace.” But now we realize that this translation is not required by the text. It is but one of two legitimate ways of reading this text. That means the correct translation of this crucial passage in Galatians must be determined by other considerations, like, for example, Paul’s other comments about the role of Torah. As far as a proof text for “law vs. grace,” this verse is insufficient. One might legitimately wonder how many other proof texts could be subject to similar criticism.
What do we learn from this little investigation? Hopefully, we learn that relying on the English translations as the basis of our theology, especially our understanding of the “law vs. grace” controversy, is a dangerous undertaking. Even in Greek what Paul says is subject to multiple interpretations. Theology can’t be done verse by verse. It requires a complete picture of the culture, the language, and the thought patterns of the authors. That means we need to take a deep breath when disagreements about the meaning of verses come to the fore. You never know what you might find in the details.
Topical Index: faith, faithfulness, pisteous, Galatians 2:16
First published 09 September 2013
[1]I am aware that there is a good deal of linguistic controversy over the “correct” translation, with lots of debate about the grammar of other verses and the context of Paul’s thought. I doubt we can resolve these debates since we can’t talk to Paul (too bad). As far as I am concerned, the issue lies not with the grammar but with the larger issue of whether or not Paul converted to Christian thinking. I am convinced he didn’t.
