All Striving Should Cease - October 24

Read Galatians 2:17-18 

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! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 

Reflect 

When we become Christians, what is it that gets torn down and why should we never rebuild it? 

It probably isn’t one of the most exciting books in the Bible to read but I highly encourage you to read the book of Leviticus some time. Why? Because most of us only have a vague idea of all that the Jewish law entailed. We don’t fully understand all of the rituals and sacrifices that the Lord prescribed in order for the Jews to know how to deal with their sin. Through His law, God exposed the peoples’ sin but also showed them how they can be made right with Him.  

But following the law required a lot of work. Regulations had to be followed every day and sacrifices were repeatedly made. In many ways their religion was a prison of never-ending striving. But when Christ came, He fulfilled the law! He was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins once and for all. Now our religious striving should cease. In Christ, we are free!  

In the previous verses, Paul had called out his fellow apostle, Peter, for withdrawing his fellowship with the Gentiles in Antioch after being intimidated by the Judaizers. The Judaizers claimed that Gentile Christians should convert to Judaism and follow the law in order to be saved.  

But in Acts 15:9-11, Peter was on record at the Jerusalem Council in reference to the Gentiles: “...and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” Peter knew that the Gentiles were saved by grace alone just as they had been. But he was intimidated into returning to the law.  

In today’s verses, Paul continued his rebuke of Peter and the others who joined him in this hypocrisy. But it can be a little confusing to understand Paul’s point. Dr. Warren Wiersbe paraphrased it this way:  

“Peter, you and I did not find salvation through the law; we found it through faith in Christ. But now, after being saved, you go back into the law! This means that Christ alone did not save you; otherwise you would not have needed the law. So Christ actually made you a sinner! Furthermore, you have preached the gospel of God’s grace to Jews and Gentiles, and have told them they are saved by faith and not by keeping the law. By going back into legal-ism, you are building up what you tore down! This means that you sinned by tearing it down to begin with!”  

In other words, Paul pointed out that if Peter had been living and preaching freedom from the law but then returned to it, that is like saying Christ led him into sin by abandoning the Old Covenant. Which is absurd, of course!  

Friends, if we are believers in Christ, we have been set free from our endeavor to make ourselves right before God through our own works. We have something infinitely better than works—we have been justified to God by the blood of Christ. We have been made right with God through His Son and there is nothing more that we have to do to be justified except believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved (Acts 16:31). So don’t rebuild the system of the law that has been torn down because of Christ’s work on your behalf. Let all striving cease! 

Respond  

Lord, I know I am saved by Your grace alone and through faith in You alone. And yet, like Peter, sometimes I experience a relapse and fall back into striving for my own salvation. Help me to rest in You. Amen. 

Reveal  

It’s easy to slip back into a mindset of performance—trying to prove ourselves to others or even to God. This week, try releasing that pressure in a simple, intentional way. When you notice someone around you striving to meet expectations—maybe a coworker under stress, a parent overwhelmed, or a student discouraged—pause and offer genuine encouragement. You could say, “You’re doing enough,” or offer to help with something small instead of just watching them struggle. These small gestures remind both you and them that worth isn’t earned through constant doing. When you make space for rest, grace, and empathy, you show a glimpse of what it means to live free—no longer trapped in proving your value, but learning to rest in it.