Galatians 2:20

  - Popular Bible Verse Series

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. - Galatians 2:20

Paul planted the churches in Galatia, where the Christians initially received the true Gospel from him and accepted it. However, some individuals later arrived and preached a false gospel in these churches. When Paul learned about this situation, he was astonished that the Galatian Christians had so quickly turned from the true Gospel to a false one. He was also angry with those spreading the false gospel and declared repeatedly that such false teachers are cursed. Paul addressed this issue clearly in the following passages.

The false teachers urged Galatian Christians to add works to their faith in Christ as a requirement for salvation.

In Galatians 2:15–16, Paul emphasized that justification by faith in Christ alone is the true Gospel.

We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. 

Unlike the Galatian churches, where some members sought to earn salvation through works, my Christian community firmly embraces the doctrine of justification by faith and salvation by grace. I have not met a single Christian here who denies this truth. However, despite our belief in the true Gospel as presented by Paul in Galatians, we are troubled by a misguided perspective on Christian living.

In the Galatian churches, the false gospel required Christians to work for their salvation. Today, many of us believe that once we accept Jesus, we are guaranteed eternal life regardless of how we live. Some assume we can live like unbelievers, without regard for Christ’s teachings. As a result, some Christians abandon church, Bible study, and obedience to biblical teachings. They question the Bible’s authority, doubt their faith, and live as though they are not saved, all while claiming security in justification by faith. In essence, they accept Christ as Savior and Lord but live without following Him. However, the true Gospel, as taught in Scripture, does not end with accepting Jesus; it calls us to follow Him.

When Paul clarified the true Gospel to the Galatian churches, he did not stop at Galatians 2:15–16. He continued in Galatians 2:17–21, emphasizing the fullness of the Gospel.

But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.  I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Paul taught that Christians do not live for themselves but with Christ dwelling in their lives.

In his letter to the Corinthian church, Paul made this clear in 1 Corinthians 15.

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

After receiving the Gospel message, one must hold fast to it, or it shows they did not truly believe.

Jesus gave His followers the Great Commission, recorded in Matthew 28:19–20.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Jesus instructed His disciples not only to baptize believers but also to teach them to obey His commands.

The verses above share a common theme: genuine faith in the Gospel and acceptance of Jesus must be followed by actions. Christians do not work to earn salvation but work out their salvation, demonstrating its fruit through their lives. However, what happens when someone accepts the true Gospel but shows no corresponding actions, abandons the Christian life, stops attending church, neglects Bible study, or disobeys biblical teachings? Paul did not declare that the Galatian Christians, who were swayed to some extent by a false gospel, were unsaved. Similarly, we should not hastily judge the salvation of a professing Christian who fails to live out their faith or regresses spiritually.

God’s plan for Christians is not merely to save us, allow us to live however we choose, and then take us to Heaven when we die. According to Scripture, Jesus never simply called people to accept Him; He called them to follow Him.

And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you  fishers of men - Matthew 4:19

According to Scripture, Christians are saved by faith alone, by grace alone, and through Christ alone. However, a saved person does not merely rest on the doctrine of justification by faith, waiting to enter Heaven. As discussed in Paul’s letters and the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19–20, a Christian’s life must change after salvation and continue to transform. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17, a saved person becomes a new creation. What does this change entail? Simply put, Christians must follow Jesus in mind, heart, and action, not merely accept Him in words. When Peter and the other disciples followed Jesus, they physically walked with Him from village to town for three years and continued to follow Him spiritually for the rest of their lives.

What does "following Jesus" mean today? It is no different from how Peter and Paul followed Jesus. They preached the true Gospel and lived out their faith by obeying biblical teachings, even amidst life’s struggles.

I knew a devoted American Christian for many years, now in Heaven with our Lord, whom I will see again one day. When he was still with us, we once met and discussed many topics. One question he asked stands out vividly: “Brother, how have you been walking with the Lord lately?” I understand “walking” as synonymous with “following,” so the question could also be, “How are you following Jesus?”

In his second letter to the Corinthian church, Paul urges us to examine ourselves to see if Christ truly lives in us.

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! - 2 Corinthian 13:5

Paul did not call us to judge one another but to examine ourselves to ensure our faith is in Christ and to test whether our faith is genuine.

How do we examine and test our faith? We examine whether we are following Jesus and test whether our actions reflect that commitment. Following Jesus involves both heart and action—obeying His commands and biblical teachings in thought and deed. Jesus commands us to share the Gospel and make disciples. When He ascended to Heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in Christians, guiding and convicting us.

Scripture warns that backsliding or abandoning faith is dangerous for Christians. God disciplines His children in various ways when they rebel or stray. An even greater danger is professing to be a Christian without truly being saved, potentially missing the opportunity for salvation.

Though we face different challenges than the Galatian Christians, we can overcome them by holding fast to the true Gospel—not only accepting Jesus but also following Him.