Galatians 2.15-16, 3.26-29, 4.4-6 [15] We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; [16] yet we know that a person is justified not by the 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... [26] For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. [27] As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. [28] There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. [29] And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise... [4] But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, [5] in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. [6] And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
🗝️ Key Concept: Righteousness
What does it mean to be a “good person”? For most of us, the question revolves around our actions. Do we tell the truth? Do we help others? Do we follow the rules? These are important questions, but they only scratch the surface of a much deeper, more transformative idea: Righteousness. This may feel like an irrelevant "churchy" word, but it is actually a key to unlocking the kind of thriving, abundant life we were all created for.
Righteousness is not simply a list of moral behaviors; it is the state of being in a right relationship with God, with other people, and with ourselves. This restored relationship, which is a gift from God, becomes the foundation for justice, which is the work of doing what is right for others. In short, we are Made Right (Righteousness) so that we may Do Right (Justice).
This concept is rooted in the Hebrew word for righteousness tzedakah. It includes ideas of fairness and charity, but its core meaning is relational. It describes fulfilling the obligations of a covenant, a sacred partnership. A righteous person was someone who was faithful to their commitments to God and their community. Similarly, the key Greek word in the New Testament is dikaiosune. In the ancient world, this word meant behaving in a way that was respectable, upright, and just. Early Christians used this word to mean being restored to a right relationship with God through Jesus.
This is where the idea of justification comes in. To be "justified" is to be made righteous. It’s a legal term that means to be declared “not guilty,” but its theological meaning is far richer. It’s about more than just a clean slate; it’s about being welcomed back into the family. A helpful way to remember it is that to be justified is to be treated by God "just as if" I had never sinned.
The crucial point is this: We are not made right so we can stay the same. The moment of justification— when we are put in a right relationship with God— is the starting point for a lifelong process of sanctification, of growing in justice and becoming more like Christ. God makes us right with him so that, empowered by his Spirit, we can begin the work of making things right in the world.
📖 Scriptural Reflection: Galatians 2.15-16, 3.26-29, 4.4-6
The Apostle Paul is the great theologian of righteousness, and his letter to the churches in Galatia is a passionate, fiery defense of this core Christian truth. He was writing to a community that was being tempted to turn back to a system of rule-following, believing that their actions could make them right with God. Paul pulls no punches in reminding them that their relationship with God is based on God’s gift, not their performance.
Paul's logic is revolutionary. He argues that trying to earn God’s favor by meticulously following the law is a dead end. Righteousness isn’t achieved; it’s received through trusting in Jesus. This gift completely reorders society. The social, ethnic, and gender divisions that defined the ancient world are obliterated. In Christ, there is a new, unified humanity. The climax of this passage is the breathtakingly intimate idea of adoption. We are not just pardoned subjects or employees of God; we are brought into the family as beloved children, so much so that God’s own Spirit within us cries out to God with the Aramaic word for “Daddy”: “Abba.” This is the heart of righteousness: a restored, loving, parent-child relationship with the creator of the universe.
🔎 What are the effects of being made righteous?
Being declared righteous by God through Christ is not an abstract legal status; it is a life-altering event with profound practical effects. It’s like being rescued from a shipwreck and brought safely to shore. The experience changes everything. This new reality includes:
Forgiveness: Through the substitution of Christ’s life for ours, our past failures are no longer held against us. We are freed from the burden of our mistakes (Psalm 32:1-2; Ephesians 1:7).
Reconciliation: The relationship with God that was broken by sin is repaired. We are brought back into friendship and communion with our Creator (Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19).
New Creation: Paul writes that "if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are fundamentally remade from the inside out, given a new identity and a new purpose (Galatians 6:15).
Adoption: As the Galatians passage makes clear, we are moved from being orphans or slaves to sin and become full sons and daughters of God, with all the rights and intimacy that entails (Romans 8:15-16; Galatians 4:4-7).
Healing: The spiritual wounds caused by sin— shame, guilt, regret— begin to be healed as we accept God's unconditional love and forgiveness (1 Peter 2:24; Psalm 147:3).
Liberation: We are set free from the cycles of self-destructive behavior and the fear of death. We are liberated not to do whatever we want, but liberated for a life of love, purpose, and joy (Galatians 5:1; Romans 8:2).
Ultimately, we are set free so we may live a righteous life and become our best, most thriving selves. God doesn't just wipe the slate clean; he invites us on an adventure of becoming the people we were always meant to be.
🔎 How did Jesus use Old Testament Law to define righteousness?
If righteousness isn’t about rule-following, what is it about? Jesus engaged this very question with the religious experts of his day. It’s important to note that both Jesus and these teachers of the Law agreed on the most important principles in the Law: The Great Commandments to love God with all your being and to love your neighbor as yourself are the goals the entire Law directs us to. The disagreement was about how to achieve those goals.
One popular approach could be called the "Outside In" method. This approach came from a good intention. The idea was to build a "hedge" of smaller, specific rules and traditions around the great commands. The theory was that if you focused on obeying all the external details, you would protect yourself from breaking the big commands at the center. If you practice doing good things as a habit, you will eventually become a good person on the inside. The danger of this approach, however, is that it often leads to a cold, robotic obedience. It can become a system of "checking off the boxes" to earn God's favor, leading to a heart that is far from God even while the hands are busy with religious activity.
Jesus championed an "Inside Out" approach to ethics. He taught that true righteousness isn't about external conformity but internal transformation. He sums up this approach in Matthew 12: "Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure." And he even demonstrates this approach by breaking the letter of the law in order to uphold the Spirit of the Law: He touches the bleeding and diseased to heal them; He heals the needy on the Sabbath; He even overturns the direct wording of the law to seek vengeance with "Eye for eye and tooth for tooth". He breaks the law and social taboos so that he may extend God's healing Love.
The goal of Jesus' "Inside Out" approach is not just to modify behavior, but to have a new heart. For Jesus, a life of righteousness begins with falling in love with God. This "vertical" love, when it is genuine, will naturally and inevitably overflow into "horizontal" love for God's children. This creates a "cross-shaped life" of Divine Love entering us and overflowing to our neighbors. The theory here is that if you focus on becoming good on the inside— by cultivating a heart of love, gratitude, and compassion— you will naturally do good as a habitual way of life. The choice is ours: Do we start with the outside and hope it seeps in, or do we start with the inside and let it pour out?
📎MORE TO THE STORY: See this chart to better understand the Two Ways of Applying Torah (Outside In versus Inside Out), as well as an essay on how Jesus applied the Torah.
🔎 How can we live righteous lives in Christ?
Living a righteous life is the lifelong practice of nurturing our right relationship with God, others, and ourselves, so that we can all thrive with the abundant life God created us for. It’s about becoming Healthy, Whole, and Holy as we practice the "cross shaped life" of the Great Commandments:
1. Loving God: This is the vertical beam of the cross. We live in right relationship with God by orienting our lives toward him in prayer and worship, with thanksgiving for all of God's blessings. This leads us to become a good steward of the blessings God has entrusted to us: Caring for the environment, managing our resources wisely, and developing the unique talents God has given us.
2. Loving Neighbor: This is the horizontal beam of the cross. We are called to treat others as we would want to be treated, and love others as God loves us. The Book of Common Prayer charges us to "seek and serve Christ in all persons," "strive for justice and peace among all people", and "respect the dignity of every human being." This is where righteousness flows into justice, as we work to ensure that every child of God has their "daily bread"— the resources and opportunities they need— to thrive.
3. Loving Self: This is often the most neglected command. Loving ourselves is not about selfish pride. It’s about seeing ourselves as God sees us: As beloved children of immense value. We live this out by caring for our bodies, minds, and spirits, nourishing ourselves with healthy relationships, and developing our gifts to become the best version of ourselves, the person God created us to be.
This cross-shaped life of Love is the most important value in Scripture. Love is one of the few things repeated verbatim in all three synoptic Gospels as "the greatest commandment" (Matthew 22:35-40, Mark 12:30-31, Luke 10:25-28). Jesus serves as the model for Love by saying we should love each other as he loves us (John 13:34, 15:12). And then the rest of the New Testament reiterates it by declaring Love as the highest spiritual gift (1 Corinthians 13), the premier virtue (Colossians 3:14), the Royal Law (James 2:8), the basis for all we do (1 Corinthians 16:14), and the only thing that counts (Galatians 5:6), which sums up the Law (Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14), all because Love is the very nature of God (1 John 4.7-16).
But wait, doesn't the Bible itself sometimes exclude people from this love? This is a fair and important question. As we’ve discussed, the Bible is not a flat text; it’s a story on a trajectory, moving from a limited and tribal understanding toward a full and universal vision of God's Love. Some parts of the Bible reflect the cultural biases of their time, representing low points on that trajectory. Here's four examples which were later re-visioned:
Jesus chose only ethnically Jewish males as his twelve apostles.
Paul tells wives to be silent in church (1 Corinthians 14:34).
A prophet dismisses all Cretans as liars (Titus 1:12).
An ancient law excludes eunuchs (those with abnormal genitals) from the assembly of God’s people (Deuteronomy 23:1).
These passages must be read in the light of the full trajectory of Scripture, which clearly fulfills and surpasses them. The "high points" reveal God's ultimate will, and radically change the practices of the previous Scriptures:
Paul himself recognizes the radical new reality: "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11).
We see this trajectory in action as non-Jews and women are mentioned as leaders and apostles in places like Romans 16 and Philippians 4.
We see it when eunuchs, once excluded, are embraced and celebrated as full members of God’s people (Isaiah 56, Matthew 19, Acts 8).
It is also clear in light of this trajectory that entire parts of the Bible were inspired to show us what NOT to do, rather than what TO do. For instance, in the book of Joshua, we are told that God commanded the Israelite armies to kill every man, woman, and child among their enemies. And when we look at the overall trajectory of these stories, we see that they led to an Israelite society that was corrupt, violent, unjust, impure, and idolatrous. They became everything God did not want for them in the Torah. The implication seems clear: If a society claims God vindicates their violence and hatred, then they will be consumed and destroyed by their own violence and hatred. It seems God inspired these "texts of terror" as case studies in what not to do when trying to follow God.
Yet, when we look at the low points and high points of Scripture in one big picture, the overall trajectory is unmistakable: God’s plan of righteousness is to bring full thriving to every kind of person, from every cultural background, and with every kind of identity. To be made righteous is to be invited into this grand project of becoming the very best version of ourselves, together, in Christ.
📚 Topical Scriptures
Here are some Scripture passages which explore and elaborate on the themes of this chapter. As you look them up and study them, think about how they relate to the Key Concept and Guiding Questions.
Genesis 15:1-6
This is the foundational Old Testament passage for justification by faith. Notice how Abram’s (later Abraham's) simple trust in God's promise is what God "reckoned to him as righteousness," long before the Law was given.
Psalm 32:1-11
This psalm explores the deep psychological and spiritual healing that comes from God's forgiveness. Look for the language of liberation and relief as the psalmist moves from the pain of hidden sin to the joy of being made right with God.
Wisdom of Solomon 9:1-18
In this prayer, King Solomon asks for divine Wisdom, recognizing that without God's guidance, humans cannot understand what is right or pleasing to God. Righteousness is presented as a gift that flows from knowing God's will through the Holy Spirit.
Luke 18:9-14
Here Jesus tells the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. Pay attention to who "went home justified," not the one who listed his righteous deeds, but the one who humbly begged for mercy, showing that righteousness is a gift for the repentant.
Romans 3:21-31
This is one of Paul's clearest explanations of justification. He argues that righteousness is a gift given through faith in Jesus's faithfulness, and it is available to everyone on the same terms, apart from works of the law.
Romans 5:1-11
Paul unpacks the immediate effects of being justified by faith. Note how this new status brings peace with God (reconciliation), access to grace, and a firm hope that holds up even in the midst of suffering.
Romans 8:12-17
This passage describes the liberating result of righteousness, showing how we are freed from the law of sin and death. The key theme here is adoption, as the Spirit confirms that we are no longer slaves to fear but are God's own children.
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Here Paul presents the radical idea that "if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation." He connects our new righteous status directly to the work of reconciliation, stating that God has given us this same ministry.
James 2:14-26
James provides a crucial balance to Paul's teaching, arguing that a faith that does not produce righteous works is dead and useless. Observe how he insists that true, justifying faith will always manifest itself in acts of justice and compassion for others.
Matthew 25:31-46
In the parable of the Sheep and the Goats, Jesus provides a powerful vision of the final judgment. Notice that the standard for being counted as "righteous" is not theological knowledge or religious observance, but practical acts of love shown to the hungry, the stranger, the sick, and the imprisoned.
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