We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in/from/of Jesus Christ

[tonychanyt]

English Standard Version, Galatians 2:16a

yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ,

faith
πίστεως (pisteōs)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 4102: Faith, belief, trust, confidence; fidelity, faithfulness.

in Jesus
Ἰησοῦ (Iēsou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2424: Of Hebrew origin; Jesus, the name of our Lord, and two other Israelites.

We have two genitive nouns in apposition. The English preposition "in" is supplied by the genitive case and is not explicitly present in Greek.

Alternatively, Berean Literal Bible:

nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by works of law, except through faith from Jesus Christ

BLB translated it according to the genitive of origin, i.e., faith originated from Jesus.

Moreover, King James Bible:

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ

KJV used the genitive of identification, i.e., Jesus is the faith and faith is Jesus.

Usually, I go against KJV translation and favor the more modern versions. Even NKJV updated it to "faith in Jesus Christ".

Let's continue, Galatians 2:16b:

so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ [πίστεως Χριστοῦ ] and not by works of the law

have believed
ἐπιστεύσαμεν (episteusamen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 4100: From pistis; to have faith, i.e. Credit; by implication, to entrust.

in
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

Christ
Χριστὸν (Christon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5547: Anointed One; the Messiah, the Christ. From chrio; Anointed One, i.e. The Messiah, an epithet of Jesus.

Now we have the Greek "in". No translation controversy here. It is explicitly required because the accusative does not supply it.

The next part, "faith in Christ" [πίστεως Χριστοῦ ] is again in genitive apposition.

To be consistent with part a, KJV part b:

even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ

Overall, for this verse, I like the KJV "faith of Christ" indicating genitive of origin and identification.

For the whole verse, King James Bible, Galatians 2:16:

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ,

i.e., the faith that comes from Jesus and that identifies with Jesus, and not the faith from ourselves

even we have believed in Jesus Christ,

Yes, we have the responsibility to actively believe in Jesus as an action. (John 6:29)

that we might be justified by the faith of Christ,

However, justification is from Christ and of the person of Christ.

and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

It's the works of God that matter. See He remains faithful.

This is a rare occasion where I favor KJV over ESV

See also JUSTIFICATION by works, grace, or faith?.

 

[AlexB23]

English Standard Version, Galatians 2:16a


faith
πίστεως (pisteōs)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 4102: Faith, belief, trust, confidence; fidelity, faithfulness.

in Jesus
Ἰησοῦ (Iēsou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2424: Of Hebrew origin; Jesus, the name of our Lord, and two other Israelites.

We have two genitive nouns in apposition. The English preposition "in" is supplied by the genitive case and is not explicitly present in Greek.

Alternatively, Berean Literal Bible:


BLB translated it according to the genitive of origin, i.e., faith originated from Jesus.

Moreover, King James Bible:


KJV used the genitive of identification, i.e., Jesus is the faith and faith is Jesus.

Usually, I go against KJV translation and favor the more modern versions. Even NKJV updated it to "faith in Jesus Christ".

Let's continue, Galatians 2:16b:


have believed
ἐπιστεύσαμεν (episteusamen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 4100: From pistis; to have faith, i.e. Credit; by implication, to entrust.

in
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

Christ
Χριστὸν (Christon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5547: Anointed One; the Messiah, the Christ. From chrio; Anointed One, i.e. The Messiah, an epithet of Jesus.

Now we have the Greek "in". No translation controversy here. It is explicitly required because the accusative does not supply it.

The next part, "faith in Christ" [πίστεως Χριστοῦ ] is again in genitive apposition.

To be consistent with part a, KJV part b:


Overall, for this verse, I like the KJV "faith of Christ" indicating genitive of origin and identification.

For the whole verse, King James Bible, Galatians 2:16:


i.e., the faith that comes from Jesus and that identifies with Jesus, and not the faith from ourselves


Yes, we have the responsibility to actively believe in Jesus as an action. (John 6:29)


However, justification is from Christ and of the person of Christ.


It's the works of God that matter. See He remains faithful.

This is a rare occasion where I favor KJV over ESV

See also JUSTIFICATION by works, grace, or faith?.

Galatians 2:16 is a key verse in the New Testament that emphasizes the role of faith in salvation, rather than works of the law. The apostle Paul writes that a person is not justified, or made right with God, through obeying the laws but through faith in Jesus Christ. He further explains that he and other believers have placed their faith in Christ for this very reason - to be justified by faith, not by the works of the law.

This verse is significant because it highlights the difference between justification by faith and justification by works. The former asserts that salvation comes through trusting in Christ's sacrifice and God's grace, while the latter suggests that people can earn their salvation through following the law. Paul argues strongly for the former perspective in Galatians, as he perceived a threat to this message from those advocating for works of the law.

The Catholic Church's stance on this issue is that both faith and good works are essential parts of the salvation process. According to Catholic teaching, faith alone (known as sola fide) is not sufficient for salvation. Instead, one must have faith and perform good works as a response to that faith. This viewpoint is sometimes referred to as "faith and works."

The Catholic Church holds that James 2:14-26, which emphasizes the importance of good works in conjunction with faith, provides crucial context for understanding Paul's teachings in Galatians. They argue that Paul's emphasis on justification by faith should not be taken to mean that good works are unnecessary for salvation, but rather that faith is the foundational starting point.

In summary, Galatians 2:16 highlights the importance of faith for salvation and asserts that works of the law cannot justify a person. The Catholic Church acknowledges this perspective but maintains that both faith and good works are necessary for salvation.

For me, as a Catholic, I believe in sola fide, though God likes us to do good works also, but I trust in Galatians 2:16.

 

[Diamond7]

We know that a person is not justified by works of the law​

We follow the law of God for our own sake, not to appease an angry God, we live right before God for our own benefit. Just like exercise and eating right keeps us healthy. To follow the law of God keeps us healthy and keeps us from getting sick. God wants us to be healthy and He does not want us to do things that are not healthy. When Paul talks about being "Just" he quotes David and David will be the very first person to tell you about the benefits of being good and following the law of God.

Jesus in the sermon on the mount Matthew chapter five said: "Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." He followed the law and He lived His life as an example for how we are to live. We are not justified by the law but we will suffer the consequences if we are lawless and do not follow the law of God.