Galatians 2:15 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

We who are Jews, &c.— What the Jews thought of themselves, in contradistinction to the Gentiles, see Romans 2:17-23. Dr. Heylin observes, that sinner here, and Galatians 2:17 and often elsewhere, signifies "a man in the state of nature, before that application of the merits of Christ which is termed justification." Christ is not the minister of sin, (as Galatians 2:17.) to save such, while they continue in that state. He saves onlythose who, renouncing themselves, are justified through faith in him, and resigned to his Spirit for their purification. These last he justifies, from their entrance into a simple and entire resignation of themselves to him, and dependance on him, which is frequently, in scripture, called faith. See what kind of persons they are in the sequel, where St. Paul describes himself, and, by consequence, all who are in that stat