Rectify

Galatians 2:15-21

Paul is writing to the Galatians about the infamous Antioch incident. This is the time when the issue of the gentile Christians needing to follow the Jewish laws and traditions come to a head for Paul. See Peter (Cephas) had been visiting for a while and had been sharing in table fellowship with every believer, those of Jewish decent like himself and gentile decent. However, when a contingency came from Jerusalem from James, Peter drew back from open table fellowship in fear of the reaction of the circumcision faction (as Paul named those that require the continuation of Jewish laws and customs). This was outrageous to Paul, and it seems he lost the argument this particular time for how he writes about it with passion, and Luke the writer of Acts writes about the incident matter-of-factly. Yet we know that Paul ultimately wins this theological argument, for we do not keep kosher. (I do love Hebrew International Hot Dogs, but it is not required to be a Christian).

So Paul then writes this theological statement about the justification through faith in Jesus Christ. Now today we hear the word justify and we cannot help but think of validation and/or vindication of someone's actions, however Paul is making it clear that our salvation does not come from our own actions, such as following the works of the law. One may simply look at this problem as being passé for the vast majority of Christians are not of Jewish decent and we do not require the works of the law. As written above, Paul did win this argument, yet today we slip back into some of the same problems of the early church. Church should not be a place where the rules and traditions dictate salvation, for salvation is God's acting alone.

Paul believes it is the faith in Christ which then justifies an individual, which in our English sounds as if our faith validates our salvation. This is not what Paul really meant when he penned dikaioo), for when we translate it to justify we imply vindication and validation, which is exactly what Paul is critical of the works of the law. However, the word can be translated also as rectify, which demonstrates we are put in the right only by responding to God's Grace and Love in our faith of the Christ. For when you read that one is rectified by faith in Christ, there is no way to assume that what you did makes you deserve salvation, rather, your faith has allowed God to put you right, "saved you." It is not what we do but we must respond to God's Grace with faith so we may be rectified.

From the Greek word dikaioo), the translation to English via the Latin Root becomes "Justify" and via the Anglo-Saxon root "Rectify." While I believe the latter is better suited as I stated above, having grown up in print shops I cannot help but think of how printers use the word justification. You may remember when you used a typewriter or anytime you use a word processing program, that you must justify the margins. This use more closely resembles the theological use Paul desires, for it also does not imply validation or vindication. Each page needs to be justified as per its use and the creator of the document is the one that determines the margins. We are blank pages to God since Jesus wiped our sins off the page with His time on the tree and the empty tomb. As blank pages we need direction and guidance from God, but not in the form of rules and regulations, but margins visible by the Creator God and known on each individual.

We are rectified through our faith in Jesus Christ, and we are justified as a page of living scripture to be a witness.