“We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” (Galatians 2:15–16, ESV)
There is an old idiom that goes, “Two Peas in a Pod.” It is used to indicate that two people are very similar in either character or appearance. I remember going with my grandmother to a farmer’ market out in the country and purchasing peas by the bushel. We would bring them back home and then take them and open the pods to remove the peas. When you opened the pods, the peas looked very similar and they were jammed close together. Of course, each pea was unique, but they were the same an more significantly to the idiom, they were in the same container, that is the same pod.
Paul is writing to the churches in Galatia about a theological problem. Some came to the church purportedly from James who said that works of the law were necessary for a person to be justified before God. This undermined the message of salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone. The false teaching began to create a division in the church between Jewish believers and Gentile believers. In these verses, Paul shows that God, through the gospel is bring perfect unity between both Jew and Gentile.
Paul indicated that Jews were Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners. In this, he is not indicating that Jews are without sin, but only differentiating between the groups. Yet he goes on to state that both the Jews and the Gentiles are only justified by faith in Jesus Christ alone. The verb Justified, dikaiow, refers to rendering one as righteous. Paul indicated that he and the Jews have believed in Jesus for justification and that this the same requirement for the Gentiles.
The theological truth that unites is this. Neither Jews or Gentiles can be justified through works of the law. Only those who have trusted in Jesus alone are justified before God. Thus, the gospel joins every true believer into one. Believing Jews and Gentiles are no longer separated, but have been made to be one in Christ.
This fulfills the covenant promise God made with Abraham.
“and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”” (Genesis 22:18, ESV)
As such, both believing Jews and believing Gentiles have been made two peas in one pod.
Renewing the Heart 