Galatians 2:11-14
When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was in the wrong. 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. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter 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?
Previously, we saw that Paul's authority to call himself an apostle and to preach and teach had been challenged by Judaizers (the circumcision group). We saw that when Paul met with the other apostles they commended his work among the Gentiles and welcomed him. Now Paul demonstrates further his apostolic authority when he rebukes Peter for his hypocrisy.
Throughout history in all lands one of the greatest acts of geniality and hospitality has been in the sharing of a meal–in the breaking of bread. In Old Testament times the great meal was the Passover, celebrated in commemoration of the time of the Exodus when God spared the Jews from the death of the first-born which was visited on the Egyptians during their captivity. In the early Christian church the people celebrated the Agape meal or love feast–similar perhaps to what we today might call the pot luck dinner. Everyone who could brought food to eat and to share with the church community. At the end of this meal bread and wine were taken in commemoration of Jesus and the last supper.
But there was a problem. Historically, Jews were forbidden by the law to even associate with Gentiles, much less eat with them. They were the Chosen People and were required to dissociate themselves from any who were "not." Further, there were strict rules surrounding meals that observant Jews had to follow. In Antioch, however, they were "fat, dumb and happy." The church was made up primarily of Gentiles, but when Peter arrived he sat right down with them to eat. All went well till the Judaizers arrived, who insisted that in order to be a Christian one must first become a Jew, observing all the Jewish laws and rituals.
Peter, because he was afraid of the Judaizers, did an about-face, withdrew and separated himself from the Gentiles. Following Peter's lead the other Jews did the same, including Barnabas. This infuriated Paul, so he confronted Peter in front of the whole congregation for his hypocrisy, pointing out that Peter was no longer living in accordance with Jewish law and rituals, yet by acceding to the Judaizers, he was appearing to want to force the Gentiles to follow Jewish customs. Paul really had no choice but to confront Peter. Peter's behavior was a direct contradiction of Paul's message of salvation by faith alone, apart from the law.
Galatians 2:15-16
We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' 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 and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.
Acts 15 tells of the first Christian Council, held in Jerusalem. The apostles and elders of the church met to consider the issue of whether the Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the Law of Moses–in other words–become Jews. The decision was made "not to make it difficult for Gentiles who are turning to God", but require only that they abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. (Acts 15:19 & 20)
Notice the interesting phraseology. For those who insist that every word of the Bible was placed there by God, the writer of Acts indicates that the decision not to require the Gentiles to become Jews in order to become Christian was a decision made by ordinary people in a conference.
As happens so very often in modern times, the dictates of a governing body to the governed creates additional problems. The result of this decision continued the separation of Jew and Gentile within the same Church. Jews were to continue to observe the laws of Moses and the rituals of Judaism, but the Gentiles were not required to do so. When Paul uses the term "Gentile sinners" he is not speaking of their morality. Since Gentiles never observed the Jewish law they were automatically considered "sinners." (i.e., they naturally broke the Jewish law by not observing it.) Paul reminds Peter and the rest of what they received from Jesus:
Paul goes so far as to say no one will be justified by observing the law.
Galatians 2:17
If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!
Even today there are those Christians who do not accept the concept of justification by faith alone apart from the law. They will use the words and claim the salvation, but then they tack on their particular interpretation of the law–the rules and regulations they believe God requires–come to our church, follow our rules, follow the Bible the way we interpret it, and you can earn your way into God's good graces.
They argue that the doctrine of salvation by faith alone without regard to the law is libertinism, and a license for immorality. In effect, what they are inferring is: saying that the gift of salvation through faith alone in Jesus Christ, apart from the law, is tantamount to saying that Christ promotes sin! Paul will refute that argument right now!
Galatians 2:18-21
"If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a law- breaker. for through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Only-Begotten of God, who loved me and was crucified for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"
One concept for rearing children in today's secular world says that if you want a child to be good, you will treat him or her as though you believe he or she is good. I wonder if the persons who came up with that wonderful idea got it from God. They merely restated the doctrine of justification and salvation by faith alone in Jesus Christ, apart from the law. When God justifies us, it does not mean that we are sinless. It means God treats us as though we are sinless. To what purpose? To open us to receiving Christ's Holy Spirit. The law only gives us reason to feel guilty–to feel like failures–because, as long as we are trying to earn heaven we will be failures–it is impossible to do so.
Remember how at the Last Supper Jesus told the disciples that the Holy Spirit would come to guide them and lead them into all the truth? (John 16). When we accept Jesus as Savior the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us. We become changed people. Paul describes it this way: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." In a way, who we were before accepting Jesus has died, and now we live for God.
This is what Paul says happened to him. This is what happens to us, not always right away and not always all at once. For some of us the changes seem to come very slowly, but they come to the extent we are willing to work on making the changes. The point is that we aren't doing it alone, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, guiding us and leading us "into all the truth." The point is that we aren't doing it out of guilt or resentment, but out of love–in return for the love, compassion, and grace God shows to us first. Grace is the experience of God's mercy and favor. It is a gift freely given and cannot be earned.
Paul ends this chapter saying he doesn't diminish the importance of the grace of God. I believe it is imperative to our spiritual health that we too, acknowledge and accept the gift of the grace of God. In spite of what anyone tries to tell us, in spite of those who would try to heap impossible burdens of law upon us, in spite of those who insist that the law still applies, the simple fact of the matter is, as Paul so eloquently stated, "...if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"
LIFE APPLICATION