Galatians 2:17

Galatians 2:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
• New International Version (NIV)“But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!
• English Standard Version (ESV)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!
• New King James Version (NKJV)“But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not!

Context of Galatians 2:17

15We are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners, 16yet 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. 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! 18But if I build up again those things I once destroyed, I demonstrate that I am one who breaks God’s law. 19For through the law I died to the law so that I may live to God.

Galatians 2:17 word by word

εἰ δὲ ζητοῦντες δικαιωθῆναι ἐν Χριστῷ εὑρέθημεν καὶ αὐτοὶ ἁμαρτωλοί, ἆρα Χριστὸς ἁμαρτίας διάκονος; μὴ γένοιτο.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Butδέde · thenG1161
• ifεἰei · ifG1487
• while we seekζητέωzēteō · to seekG2212
• to be justifiedδικαιόωdikaioō · to justifyG1344
• byἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
• we ourselvesαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• alsoκαίkai · andG2532
• are foundεὑρίσκωheuriskō · to find/meetG2147
• sinnersἁμαρτωλόςhamartōlos · sinfulG268
• thereforeἆραara · no?G687
• the ministerδιάκονοςdiakonos · servantG1249
• of sinἁμαρτίαhamartia · sinG266
• God forbidμήmē · notG3361
• God forbidγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096

Cross-references for Galatians 2:17

• Romans 9:30What shall we say then? – that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness obtained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith,
• Romans 11:7What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was diligently seeking, but the elect obtained it. The rest were hardened,
• Galatians 2:11But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he had clearly done wrong.
• Romans 6:1What shall we say then? Are we to remain in sin so that grace may increase?
• 1 John 3:8The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil.
• Matthew 1:21She will give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
• Romans 15:8For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth to confirm the promises made to the fathers,
• 2 Corinthians 3:7But if the ministry that produced death – carved in letters on stone tablets – came with glory, so that the Israelites could not keep their eyes fixed on the face of Moses because of the glory of his face (a glory which was made ineffective),
• Hebrews 7:24but he holds his priesthood permanently since he lives forever.
• Hebrews 8:2a minister in the sanctuary and the true tabernacle that the Lord, not man, set up.
• 1 John 3:5And you know that Jesus was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.
• Romans 3:4Absolutely not! Let God be proven true, and every human being shown up as a liar, just as it is written: “so that you will be justified in your words and will prevail when you are judged.”

Commentaries on Galatians 2:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17But if while we seek to be justified - If, while we acknowledge that we must be justified by faith in Christ, we ourselves are found sinners, enjoining the necessity of observing the rites and ceremonies of the law, which never could and never can justify, and yet, by submitting to circumcision, we lay ourselves under the necessity of fulfilling the law, which is impossible, we thus constitute ourselves sinners; is, therefore, Christ the minister of sin?…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ - The connection here is not very clear, and the sense of the verse is somewhat obscure. Rosenmuller supposes that this is an objection of a Jew, supposing that where the Law of Moses is not observed there is no rule of life, and that therefore there must be sin; and that since the doctrine of justification by faith taught that there was no necessity of obeying the ceremonial law of Moses, therefore Christ…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-19Verses 15-19 Paul, having thus shown he was not inferior to any apostle, not to Peter himself, speaks of the great foundation doctrine of the gospel. For what did we believe in Christ? Was it not that we might be justified by the faith of Christ? If so, is it not foolish to go back to the law, and to expect to be justified by the merit of moral works, or sacrifices, or ceremonies? The occasion of this declaration doubtless arose from the ceremonial law…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-21Some false teachers were spreading false ideas about Paul's good news. They likely argued that if people did not have to follow the Jewish laws, they would just do whatever sinful things they wanted. Jesus would then be seen as leading people into sin (2:17). Paul explains how this is not true. Those who trust in Jesus receive strength from the Holy Spirit to live holy lives that honor God (see 5:13–26).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. Greek, "But if, seeking to be justified IN (that is, in believing union with) Christ (who has in the Gospel theory fulfilled the law for us), we (you and I) ourselves also were found (in your and my former communion with Gentiles) sinners (such as from the Jewish standpoint that now we resume, we should be regarded, since we have cast aside the law, thus having put ourselves in the same category as the Gentiles, who, being without the law, are, in the…Read the comment

Topics related to Galatians 2:17

• Holiness
• Justification

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• God
• Christ, Messiah
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
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Commentaries on Galatians 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings