Justified through Christ, Crucified with Christ

Paul moves from the Antioch confrontation into one of the letter’s central theological statements: a person is not justified by works of law but through Jesus Christ, and “by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” He then describes salvation not only as a verdict but as participation: “I am crucified with Christ… Christ liveth in me.” The section ends with a sharp conclusion—if righteousness could come through law, Christ died for nothing. Galatians joins justification, union with Christ, grace, faith, and the cross in one tightly connected argument.