Galatians 2:17 (DRB)

Passage

But if, while we seek to be justified in Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ then the minister of sin? God forbid!

Nearby Context

Galatians 2:15 We by nature are Jews: and not of the Gentiles, sinners.

Galatians 2:16 But knowing that man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, we also believe in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law: because by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

Galatians 2:17 But if, while we seek to be justified in Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ then the minister of sin? God forbid!

Galatians 2:18 For if I build up again the things which I have destroyed, I make myself a prevaricator.

Galatians 2:19 For I, through the law, am dead to the law, that I may live to God; with Christ I am nailed to the cross.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "justified", "seek", "christ", "ourselves", "found", "sinners", and "minister". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "justified" and "seek", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "But knowing that man is not justified..." into verse 18's "For if I build up again the...", so "justified" and "seek" belong inside that flow. In Galatians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "justified" and "seek" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.