White Horse Inn: The Fight Over Justification and the Gospel in Galatians

Episode Date: December 7, 2025
Hosts: Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, Bob Hiller, Walter R. Strickland II

Episode Overview

This episode launches a two-part mini-series exploring Paul’s letter to the Galatians, focusing on chapters 1–3. The hosts examine the controversy over justification: Are believers made right with God by faith alone, or is something more—law, customs, identity—essential for belonging and salvation? Drawing connections between church history, New Testament context, and contemporary theology, the conversation unpacks foundational differences between the gospel of grace and the addition of requirements for salvation. The roundtable also critically engages alternative readings such as N.T. Wright’s "new perspective" on Paul.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Background: Table Fellowship and the Controversy in Galatians ([00:50]–[03:18])

• Table Fellowship & Social Boundaries:
  • Peter faced criticism for eating with Gentiles, viewed by Jewish Christians as a violation of purity boundaries.
  • “Table fellowship at this time in history is a big deal. It marks association. … By Peter going into those homes, he’s crossing a boundary marker that would have ... been very offensive.” – Justin Holcomb ([01:05])
• Significance of Breaking Those Boundaries:
  • Eating together signified unity and equality, highlighting the radical nature of the gospel as breaking traditional divisions.

2. Paul’s Tone in Galatians: A Unique Severity ([03:18]–[05:29])

• Contrast in Epistolary Greetings:

  • Unlike his other letters, Paul immediately rebukes the Galatians for buying into a “different gospel.”
  • “He does not talk like that ever again at the beginning of a letter.” – Bob Hiller ([05:05])

• The Judaizers:

  • Jewish believers insisted Gentiles must adopt Jewish law (circumcision, customs) to be fully part of God’s people.
  • “That’s the big idea: Get circumcised to be saved, follow these customs so you can be our equal.” – Bob Hiller ([05:29])

3. Incidents Illustrating the Gospel Divide ([07:15]–[14:00])

• Acts 11 – Peter’s Vision and Its Fallout:

  • Peter’s vision (clean and unclean) symbolized Gentiles’ acceptance without adherence to Old Testament law.
  • “All foods are clean. All peoples are clean through faith in Christ.” – Michael Horton ([10:14])
  • The subsequent criticism exposes the social and theological struggle in the early church.

• Acts 15 – The Jerusalem Council:

  • Central question: Must Gentiles be circumcised to be saved?
  • The Council affirms salvation apart from the law, eliminating ceremonial requirements for Gentile believers.

• Galatians 2 – The Antioch Incident:

  • Paul rebukes Peter for withdrawing from eating with Gentiles, accusing him of hypocrisy and aligning with the Judaizers.
  • “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it then that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?” – (Gal. 2:14 quoted by Bob Hiller [12:58])

4. Heresy of the Judaizers and the Core of Justification ([15:16]–[16:42])

• Nature of the Judaizing Error:

  • “They believed that what Christ had done needed to be pieced out by the believer’s own effort to keep the law.” – (quoting J. Gresham Machen, read by Michael Horton [17:15])
  • This was not a minor doctrinal issue but the heart of the gospel.

• Condemnation of Another Gospel:

  • Paul’s language of “eternally condemned” reveals the gravity of adding requirements to the finished work of Christ.

5. Division: Who’s Responsible? ([19:03]–[20:31])

• Judaizers as Divisive, Not Paul:
  • The insistence on law as a prerequisite for fellowship and salvation internally divides the church, creating classes rather than unity in Christ.
  • “Paul is separating out the heretics ... who are trying to supplant the Gospel of Jesus Christ with something else.” – Justin Holcomb ([20:18])

6. Justification by Faith Alone: Its Totality ([21:24]–[23:36])

• Faith versus Law Works:

  • “If you let yourself be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all ... You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ.” – Bob Hiller reading Gal. 5:2–4 ([21:24])
  • Any required addition to faith (not just circumcision) voids grace.

• Cultural or Ceremonial Customs as Additions:

  • Whether political affiliation, behavior, or cultural identity, anything added as a salvation requirement compromises justification by faith.

7. Is Paul Talking Only About Ceremonial Law? ([24:49]–[26:49])

• Some argue Paul addresses only ceremonial/cultural requirements in Galatians, but:
  • “If you’re circumcised, you’re obligated to keep the whole law ... The covenantal curses are not conditioned merely on circumcision. They’re conditioned on obedience to the law as a whole.” – Justin Holcomb ([25:32])
  • Justification is not a matter of “picking and choosing” parts of the law but involves the totality of the law.

8. James and Paul: Law, Gospel, and Grace ([29:03]–[31:19])

• James echoes Paul’s law-gospel structure:
  • James calls for works, but also highlights radical need for mercy and grace.
  • “Mercy triumphs over judgment.” – (James 2:13)
  • “The thing undergirding that is he gives more grace.” – Bob Hiller ([30:00])
• Peter’s Struggles Show Ongoing Need of Grace:
  • Even apostles fail; their only hope remains God’s grace in Christ.

9. Scripture and the Reformation: Word Above Apostles ([32:01]–[32:49])

• Reformers identified with Paul’s defense of the word over institutional authority:
  • “There’s a word that’s higher than Peter … The apostles get out of line, they need a preacher like Paul to come along and say, no, no, no, no, no. You are not in line with the word of Christ.” – Justin Holcomb ([32:01])

10. The New Perspective on Paul: Engaging NT Wright ([33:07]–[41:26])

• N.T. Wright’s Critique:
  • Argues Reformation focus on Galatians/Romans overemphasized going to heaven, whereas Paul’s main vision was about cosmic renewal and church community. ([33:46])
  • “If the Reformers had chosen Ephesians … the history not only of the Western church, but of the whole world might have been very different.” – N.T. Wright ([34:08])
• Hosts' Response:
  • Affirm cosmic scope (new heavens and earth) but maintain justification by grace is central, not merely ecclesial identity.
  • “It is salvation of the whole person, of the whole cosmos. But it is salvation.” – Michael Horton ([37:31])
  • Ecclesiology is built upon soteriology (salvation), not the other way around.
  • “We get the Church because we get saved.” – Michael Horton ([42:21])

11. Justification Across the Pauline Letters ([42:35]–[43:54])

• Not Isolated to Galatians/Romans:
  • The doctrine appears consistently in Timothy, Titus, Philippians, and elsewhere:
  • “Not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” – Bob Hiller ([43:12])
• Justification means “not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law.” ([44:07])

12. Summary and Exhortation ([44:07]–[45:15])

• Galatians defends the gospel: justification by faith, not by keeping the law.
• The gospel frees, transforms, and reorders lives—not just as individuals but as a community no longer divided by old boundaries.
  • “When the gospel grips our hearts, it reorders our identity, our relationships, and even the gospel community that we inhabit.” – Walter Strickland ([44:07])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Table Fellowship:

  • “Eating with sinners is the as-if-ness of the Gospel … there really is a sins forgiven, declared righteous, great exchange thing happening just with eating with sinners.” – Bob Hiller ([10:53])

• On Adding to Christ:

  • “Anything that is necessary for salvation besides Christ no longer becomes adiaphora or indifferent.” – Michael Horton ([22:40])

• On Law and Grace:

  • “The law leaves you with no hope apart from Jesus. And if you try and find anything to grasp onto within the law, you’re placing yourself under the curse.” – Justin Holcomb ([26:49])

• On Justification in Paul:

  • “Not having a righteousness of my own is Paul’s definition of justification.” – Michael Horton ([44:07])

• On the Role of Foundational Doctrines:

  • “The doctrine upon which ecclesiology stands or falls is the doctrine of justification. You lose that, you lose the church.” – Justin Holcomb ([39:07])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Table Fellowship and the Boundary Crisis: [00:50]–[03:18]
• Paul’s Severe Rebuke to the Galatians: [03:18]–[05:29]
• Historical Incidents: Acts 11, 15, and Galatians 2: [07:15]–[14:00]
• What’s at Stake: Heresy, Division, and the Heart of the Gospel: [15:16]–[21:24]
• Faith Alone vs. Additive Salvation: [21:24]–[23:36]
• Ceremonial versus Entire Law?: [24:49]–[26:49]
• James’ Role and the Need for Grace: [29:03]–[31:19]
• The Word Above All Earthly Powers: [32:01]–[32:49]
• Engaging NT Wright’s ‘New Perspective’: [33:07]–[41:26]
• Justification’s Centrality Across Paul: [42:35]–[43:54]
• Closing Summary and Application: [44:07]–[45:15]

Conclusion

This episode offers a robust, theologically rich look at the book of Galatians’ defense of the gospel. The hosts challenge additions to salvation, reaffirm that the church is created by and stands upon justification by faith alone, and reject any teaching that muddles or weakens the radical grace of God in Christ. The historical debate is shown to have urgent relevance today, wherever believers are tempted to add requirements—cultural, moral, or political—to the finished work of Jesus.