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A SURVEY OF GALATIANS

 Defending the Gospel

Introduction.  This is the second installment of our survey of Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia.  In chapter 1, Paul defended the divine origin of the his apostleship and the Gospel, pronouncing anathema on any other message.  Chapter 2 continues that defense with concrete historical events while moving into the theological heart of justification.  This chapter shows the Gospel being presented and confirmed in Jerusalem, then temporarily disregarded through hypocrisy in Antioch, and finally defended with one of the Bible’s clearest statements on justification by faith alone in Christ alone.

Presenting the Gospel.

 Challenging the Gospel, 2:1 – 5.

 Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. [2] I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. [3] Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. [4] This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. [5] We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you.  (Galatians 2:1 – 5 | TNIV)

Fourteen years after his conversion and call, Paul returned to Jerusalem.  He wrote that he went there “in response to a revelation,” not because the apostles summoned him or because he or they doubted his message.  He brought Barnabas along with him.  He was a respected Jewish believer, and he also brought Titus, an uncircumcised Greek convert.  Titus served as a living test case – exhibit A – for the Gospel Paul preached among the Gentiles.

Paul met privately with “those esteemed as elders” – the leaders in Jerusalem.  The purpose was not to receive authority or correction but to ensure that his work among the Gentiles had not a waste of time.  The real challenge Paul was facing came from “false believers” snuck into the churches.  These were the dreaded Judaizers, and they dogged Paul’s step from the get-go.  Here in the Galatian churches, they were spying on the freedom believers had in Christ Jesus and then attempting to drag them into bondage under the Mosaic Law, beginning with circumcision.

The outcome of this meeting was decisive:  Titus wasn’t compelled to be circumcised.  Paul and the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem refused to compromise the pure Gospel.  To require circumcision of a Gentile believer would have been tantamount to adding part of the Law to the finished work of Christ, effectively saying that faith in Jesus is not enough – that it is insufficient for full acceptance with God.

This event show that the Gospel Paul preached was identical to the message so well-known in Jerusalem.  The apostles didn’t impose Jewish ceremonial requirements on Gentile converts.  The false brothers’ strategy failed because the truth of grace prevailed.  Liberty in Christ isn’t a license to sin, but it is freedom from the Law as a system of justification from human traditions as necessary additions to salvation.

Every generation faces attempts to add something to the Gospel, if not circumcision, then baptismal regeneration, moral performance, political alignment, or cultural conformity.  The church must always refuse to yield even for a  moment where the sufficiency of Christ is as stake.  Leaders especially must guard the flock so that “the truth of the gospel might remain with you.”  On the personal level, we all need to ask whether we have subtly added an “and” to simple faith in Christ.

Preaching to the gentile, 2:6 – 10.

 As for those who were held in high esteem—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—they added nothing to my message. [7] On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews. [8] For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles. [9] James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews. [10] All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.  (Galatians 2:6 – 10 | TNIV)

Those “esteemed as pillars” – church leaders like James, Peter, and John – added nothing to Paul’s message or ministry.  They recognized that the same Gospel had been committed to Paul for the Gentiles as to Peter for the Jews.  God, who worked effectively in Peter’s ministry to the Jews was also mightily at work in Paul toward the Gentiles.  When the “pillars” perceived the grace given to Paul, they extended “the right hand of fellowship.”  This was formal recognition and partnership in Paul’s ministry, not a conferral of authority, as Paul derived his authority from Christ.  The only request was that Paul and Barnabas “remember the poor” – a request Paul was already eager to fulfill through a collection for the saints in Jerusalem.

Two truths jump out of the Bible here.  First, there is one Gospel for all people; the distinction is only in sphere of primary ministry.  Second, unity in the Gospel doesn’t require uniformity in every method or secondary matter.  The church leaders in Jerusalem validated Paul’s message and calling without correcting or supplementing it.

True Gospel unity centers on the Person and work of Christ, not on secondary distinctives or influential personalities.  God accepts no man’s person.  Churches today must recognize diverse callings while guarding the one faith.  The Gospel always produces care for the poor; remembering the needy isn’t an optional add-on but a fruit of grace.  We must resist both hero worship of leaders and suspicion toward Biblically faithful ministries that may differ in style or emphasis.

Disregarding the Gospel.

 The Antioch crisis, 2:11 – 13.

 When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. [12] For before certain people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. [13] The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.  (Galatians 2:11 – 13 | TNIV)

We aren’t told how long, but sometime after the meeting in Jerusalem, Peter came to the church in Antioch, which was full of both Jewish and Gentile believers.  At first he ate freely with the Gentile Christians, consistent with the vision God had given him (Acts 10) and the Gospel agreement just reached.  Table fellowship signified full acceptance in the Body of Christ.

Then, certain men from James found themselves in Antioch, too.  These men represented a group of believers within the church who still insisted the Gentile believers must essentially become Jews to enjoy full fellowship in Christ.  Peter drew back and separated himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of what those “men from James” would think of him.  Sadly, other Jewish believers in Antioch followed Peter’s bad example, and even Barnabas, Paul’s friend and co-laborer, “was led astray.”

This was no social faux pas.  Peter’s actions were outrageous because they contradicted the truth of the Gospel he himself had just affirmed back in Jerusalem!  By withdrawing, he was basically teaching that the Gentiles were second-class Christians unless they adopted some Jewish practices.  Hypocrisy in any believer is bad, but in leaders it is especially damaging because it misleads others and undermines confidence in the Gospel’s power to create new people in Christ.

Even mature Christians and respected leaders can fall into fear of man and inconsistency.  Hypocrisy is contagious; when leaders compromise, others often follow.  We should all examine our own lives:  Do we live consistently with the Gospel when influential people are present and when they are absent?  Fear of disapproval from the “important” or the “traditional” can lead us to deny in practice what we affirm in confession.

The Antioch confrontation, 2:14.

 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “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?  (Galatians 2:14 | TNIV)

 When I saw what was happening and that they weren’t being honest about what they really believed and weren’t following the truth of the Gospel, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Though you are a Jew by birth, you have long since discarded the Jewish laws; so why, all of a sudden, are you trying to make these Gentiles obey them?”  (Galatians 2:14 | TLB)

Paul didn’t remain silent!  He called out Peter and rebuked him in front of God and everybody!  Paul’s rebuke exposed the inconsistency of Peter’s actions:  He had been living in the freedom of the Gospel, but his separating from the Gentiles was causing them to consider living under Jewish regulations to maintain fellowship.  This wasn’t upright conduct according to the Gospel.

Paul confronted a friend and fellow apostle and respected leader because the very Gospel was at stake.  Personal relationships and reputations must give way to the truth when the message of Christ is compromised.

There is a time for public rebuke when sin is public and damaging to others.  Truth must take precedence over personal loyalty or fear of conflict.  At the same time, confrontation must aim at restoration.  Leaders aren’t above accountability.  Every believer should pray for courage to speak the truth in love and for humility to receive correction when we are the ones in error.

Defending the Gospel.

The Law cannot justify, 2:15 – 18.

 “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles [16] know that a person is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified. [17] “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! [18] If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.  (Galatians 2:15 – 18 | TNIV)

This is Paul addressing the theological issue head on, speaking to Peter but for the benefit all, including the Galatians who were being tempted to add the Law to Christ.  The truth is, the Law serves well to reveal sin, but it cannot in any way remove it or declare sinners to be righteous.

If believers, after seeking justification in Christ, still rely on law-keeping or rule-keeping or return to those things as grounds for acceptance, they make themselves transgressors.  Rebuilding what was destroyed – the Law as a system of justification – proves one hasn’t truly understood or embraced grace.  Christ is not the minister of sin; the Gospel doesn’t encourage sin.  Rather, returning to law-keeping after coming to Christ reveals that one is still operating under a works-for-salvation principle.

Legalism is not just an ancient Jewish problem.  Any addition or religious performance, ritual, or moral effort as necessary for justification or full Christian standing nullifies grace.  We must continually examine whether we are trusting Christ plus something else – our record, our denomination, our political views, or our service record.  The Law may have been good and holy, but it was never given to justify sinners.  Its purpose is to expose sin and drive sinner to Christ.

Justified by faith in Christ, 2:19 – 21.

“For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. [20] I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. [21] I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”  (Galatians 2:19 – 21 \ TNIV)

The well-known verse 20 is the glorious climax to the chapter:  Paul’s personal confession of union with Christ.

Through the law – its curse and its inability to give life – Paul died to the Law as covenant of works.  He is now alive to God in Christ.  The old “I” has been crucified; the new life is in Christ Himself living in and through the believer.  This life is sustained “by faith in the Son of God” – faith directed to the One who loved Paul personally and gave Himself for him.

To add law-keeping as the ground of righteousness is to frustrate the grace of God and to declare that Christ’s death was a waste of time.  If righteousness could come by rule-keeping, the cross was unnecessary.  The Gospel stands or falls with the sufficiency of Christ’s death and resurrection received by faith alone.

The Christian life isn’t merely believing facts about Jesus; it’s living in vital union with the crucified and risen Christ.  Every day we need to reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ, Romans 6:11.  This truth frees us from both legalistic effort and licentious living.  Grace doesn’t make us careless, it makes us grateful and empowers new obedience.  We would all do well to make Paul’s declaration person:  Christ loved ME and gave Himself for ME.  When we are tempted to add anything to Christ or to live as though the cross were insufficient, we must remember that such additions make the Savior’s death pointless.  Stand firm in the freedom Christ has given us.

Conclusion.  Galatians 2 shows us a Gospel worth presenting bolding, defending courageously, and living consistently.  The Jerusalem elders confirmed Paul’s message and ministry among the Gentiles.  Peter’s temporary compromise revealed how easily even godly can be influenced by fear and pressure.  Paul’s public stand and theological clarity remind us that the truth of justification by faith in Christ alone must never be compromised.