Saturday, February 15, 2025

Whose Faith? (Gal 2:20)

I am now more convinced than ever that when Paul refers to the faithfulness of Christ Jesus in Galatians 2:20, he is emphasizing his relationship with Jesus. The traditional translation often supports the doctrine of justification by faith, as seen in the NIV: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." However, Paul's main point is to highlight that the one living in him is not himself, but Christ. Therefore, he must live by Christ's faithfulness.

For example, the NRSVue says, "And it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." 

See also the CEB and NET, which all follow the subjective genitive transition: "by the faithfulness of God's Son" and "because of the faithfulness of the Son of God."

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the life that I now live in my body, I live by faith, indeed, by the faithfulness of God’s Son, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Gal 2:20, CEB)

"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. (Gal 2:20, NET)

I hope that more people will understand what Paul means by faith in Galatians 2:20. His point isn't about his own faith in Jesus, as he believes he no longer exists, at least theologically. Instead, he refers to the faith of Jesus, which serves as the driving force for his new life. 

For more about my views of Paul, read my latest book on Paul: How to Read Paul. Other Pauline verses about the genitive case of Pistis Christou are Rom 3:21-22, 3:26, Gal 2:16, and Phil 3:9. 

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