The Berean Expositor
Volume 38 - Page 77 of 249
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"His righteousness and His faithfulness" (I Sam. 26: 23).
"The men did the work faithfully" (II Chron. 34: 12).
"All His works are done in truth" (Psa. 33: 4).
The "faith of God" (Rom. 3: 3) is practically synonymous with "the truth of God"
(3: 7) and shows that Paul retained the Hebrew meaning of the word. In Gal. 3: 22 we
have the two expressions used together:
"In order that the promise out of the faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that
believe."
The context speaks of another possible source, ek nomon "out of law" (Gal. 3: 21).
But righteousness cannot arise "out of law", it can only arise "out of the faith of Jesus
Christ". His faith and faithfulness, not my belief in Him, is the one great foundation of
the gift of righteousness.
So in Gal. 2: 20, the apostle's new life as well as the free justification he had
received, originated and was sustained by the faith and faithfulness of his Substitute and
Surety, or as he so feelingly puts it "The Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself
for me".
"Nevertheless I live: yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in
the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God Who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Paul who could say "I have been crucified with Christ" could nevertheless affirm that
he lived. The words "Yet not I" refer not to Paul absolutely in himself, or to Paul
relatively as distinct from others, but to Paul naturally, the old man, the descendant of
Adam, the breaker of law. He still had to live "in the flesh" though he no longer was
under any obligation to walk after the flesh.
Sarx "flesh" has a variety of meanings, each of which must be decided by the context.
"Flesh and blood" (Gal. 1: 16) is repudiated, "no flesh shall be justified" (2: 16) gathers
up into itself all human nature, "Are ye now made perfect by the flesh" (3: 3), refers to
the activities of a carnal chimerical religion; "infirmity of the flesh" (4: 13) makes
reference to the mortal nature of the apostle. Here, in Gal. 2: 20 "the life which I now
live in the flesh" does not stress mortality, carnal religion or mere human nature, it is a
way of indicating the present, transitory life, lived here under similar conditions and
limitations as before, but now activated by a new power "Christ liveth in me". "I live by
the faith of the Son of God."