Verse Lens · Context pointer
Galatians 2:18 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 18. 18For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
This verse says rebuilding what Paul dismantled would demonstrate his own transgression.
Read It With
- Galatians 2:15–21
Read Galatians 2:18 with 2:15–21. This verse says rebuilding what Paul dismantled would demonstrate his own transgression. The complete unit establishes this movement: Paul insists that Jews as well as Gentiles depend on Christ rather than works of law for justification, rejects making Christ a servant of sin, describes dying to law and being crucified with Christ, and locates his present life in the Son's love and self-giving grace.
Why It Needs Context
Read this line within Galatians 2:15–21. The surrounding lines are necessary because they complete this movement: Paul insists that Jews as well as Gentiles depend on Christ rather than works of law for justification, rejects making Christ a servant of sin, describes dying to law and being crucified with Christ, and locates his present life in the Son's love and self-giving grace.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Galatians 2:15–21 — Justified through Christ, Paul Lives by the Son Who Loved HimSources used for this context pointer
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: Galatians 2:15–21, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, repeated terms, and original-language discussion.
Exact location: SBLGNT official text file Gal.txt, 2:15–21
Open the Galatians Greek text file ↗