Galatians 2:11-16

Galatians 2:11–16 KJV 1900

11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. 12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. 13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. 14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? 15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

Introduction

Peter and Barnabas struggle with uniting Jewish and gentile cultures. 11-13

Here’s what happened.

Peter made a trip to Antioch to visit the church that had been started there.

We studied this church.

It was vibrant and dynamic.

It was full of God’s grace and power.

If you were to go back to the book of Acts, you would remember that it was Peter that initially broke from the Jew-only ministry model.

God led Peter first to the Samaritans.

Then God led him to the gentiles.

It should be no surprise them that Peter chose in Antioch to eat with the gentiles.

He had pioneered early gentile ministry.

He was not afraid to eat with gentiles.

This almost certainly included the partaking of the Lord’s Supper.

How many of us give even a second thought to taking the Lord’s Supper with someone of a different ethnicity.

Hopefully none of us.

This is the way it’s supposed to be.

But, this changed for Peter when some visitors showed up from Jerusalem.

Certain people came to Antioch.

Some commentators think that these were some specific believers that had issue with gentile believers.

Peter knew this and so he responded in fear of what these people might say about him.

For Peter this meant an immediate cessation of eating with gentiles.

No more common meals together.

No more Lord’s Supper together.

He was not alone in this behavior.

The other Jews followed his example.

The church had been a united diversity.

Peter had now driven a wedge between them.

The Jews had never given a second thought about this, but now Peter had introduced it to their minds.

Even Barnabas got caught up in it.

Barnabas was a man whose testimony was that he brought people together.

He was the encourager.

He was the one who had gone looking for Paul to bring him to Antioch in the first place.

When we read that Peter did this, we should not be as surprised as we are that Barnabas went along with it.

Not just because of his character, but also because of his position.

He was one of the pastor’s of the church in Antioch.

These were his fellow church members.

How could he segregate them and be okay with keeping them apart from each other?

Why did it happen?

Though Peter is in the wrong, it is doubtful that he intended to draw so much attention to himself.

Peter is in a terrible predicament.

It goes back to something we mentioned two weeks ago.

Damage can be done when we compromise the truth for the sake of peace.

Peter was trying to keep the peace, instead he ended up dividing the church.

The real danger is that his actions are affecting others.

The other Jews and even Barnabas, one of the pastors of the church were affected by Peter’s actions.

Left unchecked, Peter’s decision and example could have permanently impacted international relationships between Christians for all of history.

Paul seems to be the only one thinking about the reality of what they were doing.

Paul judges their actions to be wrong and hurtful. 14

Paul understands that Peter and the others are not walking uprightly.

The idea of walking uprightly is used in a variety of ways in the Bible.

In this case it has to do with walking a straight path.

It has to do with the progress of the church and the gospel.

Peter’s actions were not promoting the advancement of the church and its mission.

Instead, he was hindering it and setting a dangerous precedent.

Paul does what must have been a very difficult thing to do.

He withstood Peter to his face.

He corrected him publicly.

Both of these were necessary steps in this situation.

Paul had to address Peter personally.

There would be no resolution to this problem by trying to talk about this matter behind Peter’s back

Paul dealt with this conflict the way that Jesus had commanded His followers to deal with conflict.

We see no indication that Peter resisted Paul’s correction.

Paul had to address Peter publicly as well.

Why?

Why couldn’t it just be personal?

Because it had become a public issue within the church.

It had to be dealt with publicly.

Paul used that moment to teach an important lesson.

It was a lesson for Antioch.

Galatia would have to learn it as well.

Now we learn from it too.

Finally, we see the logical argument against their actions. 15-16

Paul starts with a question.

Peter is a Jew, and yet he sets aside his Jewish customs so that he can fellowship with the gentiles.

But, in order for the gentiles to fellowship with the Jews they must adopt the Jewish customs or face exclusion.

When Peter was in the minority, he ate with the gentiles as they were accustomed.

But, when Peter and the Jews were in the majority, then the gentiles could either act like Jews or they became unwelcome?

The Jewish table customs were more than just cultural, they were religious.

They stemmed from the law.

More than cultural respect, the Jews were pressuring gentiles to adopt law observance.

Paul makes a point that Peter already knew.

The two of them were historically privileged.

They were each members of God’s chosen people, the people of Israel.

They were not like the sinful heathens of the gentiles.

They had the law.

They had been raised under the law.

And yet, they had to each come the understanding that no one, Jew or gentile is justified by the law.

It doesn’t matter if you are Jew or gentile.

It doesn’t matter if you observe the Sabbath or not.

It doesn’t matter if you keep a kosher diet.

None of these things make you more or less justified.

Remember, we are not guilty because of what we do, we are guilty because of who we are.

In Adam, we are all sinners.

The law couldn’t change that.

It only served to point it out.

Justification is attained through faith in Jesus alone.

What is this faith?

It is simply trust.

We trust Jesus.

What does that mean?

Jesus did something for each human.

He lived a perfect life.

He died in our place on the cross as the perfect sacrifice to appease God’s judgment.

He rose from the dead.

To trust Jesus means that we accept and believe that He did this for my sins.

If believe that He is able and willing to forgive me...

Then I will ask him to forgive my sins.

By faith, I am then justified.

Justified means that I am declared innocent.

It is a legal term.

I have a legal standing of innocence.

Just like everyone else that has ever placed their faith in Jesus.

Just like the jewish believers in Antioch and Galatia.

Just like the gentile believers in Antioch and Galatia.

Paul’s point is that, if you’re justified by faith in Jesus, and I am justified by faith in Jesus, what business do we have in judging the worthiness of our brothers and sisters?

What are we connected by?

Are we connected by appearances?

Are we connected by our preferences?

Are we connected by something deeper?