Implications of being justified by the faith OF Jesus Christ

Gal 2:16-21  yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.  (17)  But if while seeking to be justified in Christ we ourselves have also been found to be sinners, is Christ then one who encourages sin? Absolutely not!  (18)  But if I build up again those things I once destroyed (the law,) I demonstrate that I am one who breaks God’s law.  (19)  For through the law I died to the law so that I may live to God.  (20)  I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  (21)  I do not set aside God’s grace, because if righteousness could come through the law, then Christ died for nothing!

Paul clearly taught that one was justified by the faithfulness or faith of Jesus Christ. Christ's faithfulness describes His faith in the Father. Unfortunately, many of the versions of the scripture translate this passage to be justified by faith in Christ rather than the faith of Christ or faithfulness of Christ. This is a very important distinction and it changes the reality of what took place on the cross and with the resurrection. The Greek clearly states faith of Christ as it is in the genitive case. The question is why did the translators render it faith in Christ? I personally believe it is for theological reasons. The belief that it is faith in Christ that saves is what drove the interpreters to use "in" instead of "of."

If in fact one is justified by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ and not by their faith in Jesus Christ then it means that Christ's death, burial and resurrection justified everyone. The justification is not dependent on the faith of the individual. Rather, the  individual apprehends the justification with their faith. I think that this illustration does a good job of explaining what I mean. If someone was to deposit 10 million dollars in your bank account it would be there but would not benefit you unless you knew it was there and believed that it was there. Only then can you apprehend the benefits of the deposit. If you don't know it's there you will not benefit, and if you are told it is there but do not believe it you also will not benefit. It is only when you hear of the deposit, believe it is really there that you can go to the bank and benefit from the money.

People often ask this question. If all people are justified by the faith of Christ, what would be the point in preaching the gospel. The answer is in the above paragraph. There are great benefits available for believing and apprehending the gospel. If one realizes that he/she has peace with God because of the justification of the faith of Jesus, he/she can truly begin to love and appreciate God. Loving God for real is the catalyst for loving others. This love for God comes from Sabbath Rest. This is the Sabbath Rest that is mentioned by the author of the letter to the Hebrews. It is a rest from working for acceptance with God. This is precisely the benefit that comes from being justified by the faith OF Christ.

The bottom line is this. If we are justified by the faith of Christ, and grammatically we are according to the original Greek texts, then we only apprehend that justification by our faith in the gospel message. The reason that we are justified by the faith of Christ is explained in a couple of places in the New Testament. First, we are told that Jesus was God's son in whom he was well pleased. Then we are told in Hebrews that without faith it is impossible to please God. One can easily extrapolate that since God was well pleased with Jesus it was his faith in the Father that was pleasing. So then, where the first Adam failed with no faith, the Last Adam, Jesus succeeded with his perfect faith. Our faith would never be acceptable for justification, because there is always doubt and fear to a degree. Like the father of the sick son in Luke, we must say, Lord I believe, help my unbelief. On the other hand, Jesus perfect faith was the source of justification, and when we believe the gospel, the Holy Spirit gives us a measure of faith. Our measure of faith apprehends the perfect faith of Christ.