The problem with "faithfulness of Christ" as the translation is that then the verse stops being a contrast of our faith vs. our work as to HOW we are justified. What is Paul's point? Is his purpose to remind the Galatians that they were justified by a faithful Savior who worked? Or is it to confront them with their misplaced trust in work to finish the justification begun by faith?

Grammatically, the 'case' is genitive (ieasou), which is frequently rendered in English with the preposition "of", hence "of Jesus". But "of" doesn't always mean "from" "out of" or "possessed by". It can mean "with reference to" (and many other nuances beside). So, when some have chosen "in", that is a very good English rendering of the sense we mean to convey when we say "faith IN Jesus." The KJV translators were firm believers in consistency, as well as responsible exegesis and preaching/explaining the text. So they saw no confusion in using the simple "of" for the genitive. They knew that "of" could convey different senses, and trusted the preacher to help anyone with difficulty deciding which sense fit here. Those men had an excellent grasp of the flow of Paul's theology, as expressed in Protestant thought.

Where does Paul speak unambiguously about "Christ's faithfulness" outside these (now-)disputed texts? Hint: its not a "big" theme of his... On the other hand, eliminate these vital texts, and to a large degree (as we have seen in NTWright's work) the whole doctrine of Justification by faith is commensurately reduced in prominence and importance. It stops being the core of Biblical soteriology. Or, in NTW's own words, "Justification is more about ecclesiology than soteriology."

The objective view has much riding on it. Saying that "justification by faith in Christ" is taught elsewhere by Paul, therefore this "locus classicus" and related texts can be given over to the innovative scholarship of today, is irresponsible. FIRST prove the doctrine, and found it just as firmly as ever without reference to these texts, and then introduce the innovative doctrine of "justification by the faithfulness of Christ" and see how it flies.

__________________
Rev. Bruce G. Buchanan
ChainOLakes Presbyterian Church, CentralLake, MI


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