Keeping in Step with the Gospel

At the 1993 annual meeting of the American Heart Association, 300,000 doctors, nurses, and researchers met in Atlanta to discuss, among other things, the importance a low-fat diet plays in keeping our hearts healthy. Yet during mealtimes, they consumed fat-filled fast food—such as bacon cheeseburgers and fries—at about the same rate as people from other conventions. When one cardiologist was asked whether or not his partaking in high-fat meals set a bad example, he replied, “Not me, because I took my name tag off.”

As we begin this morning I want to ask you a simple question…when you walk out the door into the parking lot do you “take your name tag off”?

By that I mean, are you in danger of being accused of living a double life? Do you hide behind the mask of a Sunday morning only worshipper? Is your behavior on Monday at work consistent with a life changed by God’s grace?

Let’s go a little deeper…Is there a gap between what you believe and your behavior? Does your theology match your actions?

I ask you these questions this morning for two reasons...

The text before us describes a real life situation where a pillar of the church had “taken his name tag off” and there was a huge gap between what he believed and what he practiced…if a pillar of the church can fall into that trap, so can we.

We need to seriously consider the implications of living a double life. There is too much at stake for us to be flippant about how we choose to live.

We’re not talking about spiritual perfection where every moment of your life, every decision you make, every word spoken, or every action taken is without sin…that is an impossible reality.

We’re talking about being careful enough with how we live before others so that we do not communicate Christ’s death on the cross was meaningless…being careful how we live so we do not compromise the message of the gospel and the power of grace to bring about radical change.

Please turn in your Bibles to Galatians 2:11-21.

So far in our study of Galatians we have learned the believers in this church were being confused by false teachers who insisted that Gentile believers must become Jews in their practice in order to be Christians…you must adopt all the Mosiac Law with its ceremonies and rituals.

These false teachers were accusing Paul of preaching a false gospel and that he did not have the authority as an apostle and learned everything second-hand.

So Paul defends himself and more importantly the truth of the gospel he preaches…his goal is to ensure the Galatians actually live the truth of the gospel…to live in step with the gospel.

What we have before us in this text is a situation that developed in Paul’s home church in Antioch where a majority of the church were not in step with the gospel…in fact, they were led astray by a pillar of the church…Peter…so as we examine this text...

Main Point: Beware How You Live Because the Gospel is At Stake.

We need to recognize the seriousness of that statement…explain.

Although it had a large Jewish population, Antioch was predominantly Gentile.

Evidently there were two sizable groups of converts in that one local church.

There were the Jews who had been circumcised, raised under the Law, and had come to faith in Christ.

Then there were the Gentiles who had not been circumcised, had been raised in pagan religions, and had come to Christ.

Those two groups were experiencing great fellowship together.

The Jews and Gentiles in the church loved each other and enjoyed each other’s company despite their very different backgrounds.

They even ate their meals together, which for the Jewish converts was a huge step since that meant leaving the kosher laws of their childhood.

But a rift developed in this church because of Peter’s lack of courage to do what was right…his actions had compromised the gospel and he caused others to compromise it as well…this was a very serious matter that drove Paul to get in the face of Peter publicly!

Lets look for two keys to use when evaluating how we choose to live...

Know the Dangers of Hypocrisy (11-14)

Gal 2:11 “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.”

Context —when Peter came to this church he began eating meals and spending time with them.

We do that on a regular basis so for us it is no big deal.

But for Peter, a Jewish man, this was a big step.

Jews were known for their strict laws and separation from Gentiles.

Under the law, God established certain dietary laws and other commands designed to keep the Jews from intermingling with Gentiles and being corrupted by their idolatry and immorality.

Gentiles ate certain foods that were considered unclean to Jews, and even sitting at the table with them was considered by some as impure.

Table-fellowship was more than just inviting someone over for a meal…it was often viewed as a sign of acceptance and approval.

That’s why the Jewish establishment was so upset with Jesus when He ate with the tax collectors and sinners.

Something else we need to add to this topic is what happened to Peter in Acts 10-11.

Peter was given the vision of the table cloth filled with food the Jews knew to be unclean…he would not partake of that…God used that vision to reveal to him to go to Cornelius, a Gentile, and share the gospel with him…after meeting Cornelius and Cornelius becoming a believer, Peter had table-fellowship with him...it was at that point Peter realized the Gospel was for both Jew and Gentile.

But something happened here to Peter in Antioch that caused Paul to get up in his grill…

Stood condemned — clearly at fault…for something…for hypocrisy.

Remember the apostles had already declared the Gentiles belong to the church and did not have to keep the Old Testament law to be saved…they just asked the Gentile respect Jewish customs.

Gentiles can behave like Gentiles…Jews like Jews.

The apostles had settled the theological question of salvation for the Gentiles, but they had not settled the practical question of fellowship with Gentiles.

But how were they supposed to relate to one another in the same church?

The Essence of Peter’s Hypocrisy

Gal 2:13 “The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.”

We see the word hypocrisy in verse 13, but what is it?

The word hypocrisy means to “speak out from under”… came from the world of drama and play acting…someone would put on a mask and play a part in a performance…it came to denote the concealing of one’s true character, thoughts, or feelings under a guise implying something quite different.

Paul was accusing Peter of masking his true convictions…Peter was adapting to his present culture…what he said he believed as the gospel, he was beginning to deny in his behavior.

He said he believed in the freedom of the Gospel

He said he believed there was no difference between the Jews and the Gentiles (go back to Acts 15)

Acting hypocritically is when you believe something to be true and then behave in a way that is contrary to that belief.

Claiming to be a Christ-follower means you have that name tag…but when you live like the rest of the rest of the world, that is hypocrisy…you’ve taken off your name tag.

The Expression of Peter’s Hypocrisy

Gal 2:12 “For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision.”

Peter, a Jew, was enjoying table-fellowship with Gentiles, the verb here is in the perfect tense indicating it was a continual habit over the course of time…

Because certain men came claiming the authority of James, (which they did not have)…see Acts 15… he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof...

This “James gang” were in all likelihood former Pharisees who were very traditional in their faith…we don’t know if they said anything to Peter or if just their presence was so intimidating...

withdraw — is sometimes used to describe a military withdrawal…Peter was ashamed of the gospel…imperfect tense here may indicate it was a gradual and sneaky retreat.

Out of fear of them, he stopped eating and having fellowship with them…Peter did not want to offend the “circumcision party”… this was not a matter of principle it was a case of cowardice.

The pressure of the Jewish cohort was too much for Peter so he acquiesced to both the ritualism and racism…not only did he no longer accept invitations from them, he alluded them altogether.

What exactly was he afraid of…this group had no authority to imprison or execute him? The worst they could have done was ridicule and malign him…

He was afraid of losing popularity and prestige with a group of self-righteous hypocrites.

Fear is a strong social influencer…many believers today are on the verge or have already compromised their testimonies by giving in to the social pressures…when you are more concerned about how the world defines you than how God defines you, you have followed Peter’s example!

The Effect of Peter’s Hypocrisy

Gal 2 13-14 “The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Other Jewish Christians and even Barnabas (pastored this church along with Paul) were carried away into Peter’s hypocrisy.

They were all guilty of hiding their convictions… that same Barnabas that brought Paul to the apostles, who loved everyone, had a need to be loved and feared the circumcision group and capitulated by following in Peter’s footsteps…

Putting all this together, the gospel that had come to both Jew and Gentile alike and brought them together into the same family of God through the Lord Jesus Christ was now being called into question by a hard-line minority seeking to redefine the gospel.

v 14 — Peter was out of step with the gospel.

straightforward - is where we get the word orthopedic from…it is a compound word meaning “straight foot”…to walk straight or uprightly…Peter, pastor Barnabas, and the other Jews were guilty of not living parallel to God’s Word, not walking a straight spiritual path.

Because this was such a public thing, it required public confrontation.

Paul was pointing out Peter’s inconsistency...He reminds him that when he first came, it was not an issue for him to be a Jew and eat with Gentiles and regularly fellowship with them.

The integrity of the gospel was threatened…especially because a prominent leader was doing it.

Implications

Be aware of who you follow because even godly leaders can succumb to compromise.

Right doctrine without right behavior always produces hypocrisy.

our behavior can undermine our belief.

you can believe the gospel in your heart and even confess it with your mouth, yet deny it with your life.

Truth is more important than outward harmony and peace.

God’s Word determines what is right and wrong.

Falsehood is not to be ignored, regardless of the consequences that opposition to it may bring.

What do our actions say? Are we in danger of compromising the gospel?

1st key is to Know the Dangers of Hypocrisy…the 2nd key is to...

Understand Your Justification is by Faith Alone (15-21).

Paul realized he was dealing with more than a social problem…he understood his skirmish with Peter was nothing less than a battle for the gospel of free grace.

On the surface it was unity between Jewish and Gentile believers at the table.

Below the surface lurked the deeper issue of what God requires for salvation.

By Peter’s behavior he was endorsing a works-righteousness…Peter had succumbed to the position that a Gentile must first become a practicing Jew in order to become a Christian.

So Paul lays out the beautiful doctrine of justification to set them straight…this is a crucial doctrine for all of us to take hold of…it was the doctrine at the heart of the Reformation…the heart of Christianity.

Exalting Jesus in Galatians (Through Faith in Christ, We Are Accepted before God)

Luther claimed that justification by faith alone is the doctrine upon which the church stands or falls (Sproul, Acts, 266). Calvin referred to it as “the hinge upon which everything turns” (ibid.).

Luther said the following of justification:And this is the truth of the Gospel. It is also the principal article of all Christian doctrine, wherein the knowledge of all godliness consisteth. Most necessary it is, therefore, that we should know this article well, teach it unto others, and beat it into their heads continually. (Luther, Commentary, 206)

Justification Defined (15-16)

Gal 2:15-16 ““We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles; nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.”

We = used four times in these verses = refers to Paul, Peter and all other Jewish Christians.

The first part of his argument here is that as Jews, we of all people know what it is to live by the system of law.

It is our way of life and we know what it means to function continually under the demands of religious rituals and regulations

Yet we Jews were saved by believing in Jesus, not by the law…and if we Jews cannot be saved by the law, how can we expect sinners from the Gentiles to be?

Sinners = Jews would regularly label the Gentiles.

In their minds, Jews are Jews by birth, and they believed the Gentiles were sinners by nature because they had no law to guide them…no way of pleasing God.

What Paul is saying is that regardless of your position with the law, no one is saved apart from belief in Jesus.

The verb form of justification is used 4x in verses 16-17 and the noun form is used in verse 21 were it is translated as righteousness.

The basic term was originally used in a legal sense of a judge declaring an accused person not guilty and right before the law…it is the exact opposite of condemned.

Verse 16 is the key verse of the entire book of Galatians…

Justification is the gracious act of God by which God declares a sinner righteous solely through faith in Jesus Christ.

Gracious Act of God

Paul alludes to Psalm 143:1-2 “Hear my prayer, O Lord, Give ear to my supplications! Answer me in Your faithfulness, in Your righteousness! And do not enter into judgment with Your servant, For in Your sight no man living is righteous.”

The Psalmist is at the end of himself and knows there is nothing in man that can make him right before God.

Nothing in us to warrant or initiate a cause for God to save us.

Faith itself is an act of grace…it is not a work we must up.

Faith is an evidence of grace.

Justification is an act of God that only He can make, and we need Him to make it for us.

By Which God Declares

it is a judicial term…a declaration.

It is an act, not a process…meaning we are never going to be more justified tomorrow than we are today…Rom 5 1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

It is a once-for-all declaration

A Sinner

God the judge makes a declaration that involves a sinner…a man standing guilty before a Holy God…both Jews and Gentiles

This was critical in Paul’s thinking…he had spent his entire life seeking to obey the law of God, trying to be good…but when he encountered Christ, everything changed.

he discovered he wasn’t good enough

All his self - generated righteousness was garbage before God…Phil 3:8 “More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,”

Righteous

The holy judge of the universe takes a sinner who is full of rebellion, deserving only a guilty verdict and says “not guilty”.

It includes God’s forgiveness, pardon, restoration, and acceptance.

Not only did the judge declare you “not guilty”, the judge opened his home to you the criminal and said welcome in enjoy the blessing of being my child.

You are at peace with him now…you are righteous in his sight!

Solely through faith in Jesus Christ.

God the judge takes the righteousness of Christ and credits it to your account when you put your trust in Him.

2 Cor 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

We are guilty, deserving of death, but our accounts were credited to Jesus who bore the weight of all of God’s wrath on the cross.

By his death on the cross, Jesus also made a way for His righteousness to be credited to us.

It is by faith alone…not by our own attempts to add to his finished work…

The reason faith justifies is that it takes hold of Christ, and Christ is the one who makes us right with God.

We are acceptable to God—not by keeping the law ourselves, but by trusting in the only man who ever did keep it, Jesus Christ.

Justification is not God sweeping our sin under the rug and pretending it never existed…God knows it exists…sin has a penalty, but that penalty has been paid…we are accepted before God through faith in Christ.

By talking about justification, Paul argues against the Judaizers teaching that to live like a Jew (legalism) is to secure one’s place in the people of God.

Justification Defended (17-21)

Gal 2:17-21 ““But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be! “For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor. “For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.””

Paul anticipated the Judaizers objection…their thought was that if it was all by grace then there was no accountability of righteousness…salvation by grace alone makes it too easy for Jews and Gentiles to live however they wanted.

v17 — Paul specifically debunks their theory that faith in Christ alone promotes a license to sin!

Paul claims that if the Judaizers are right that believers are in part saved by and continue to be saved by adherence to Mosaic Law, then he, Peter, Barnabas and the other Jewish Christians had fallen back into the category of sinners by having freely eaten and fellowshiped with Gentile believers before they came to Antioch…because the law forbid such practices...

Then through a rhetorical question, he makes a more precise point…if you became sinners by fellowshipping with your Gentile brothers, then Christ became a minister of sin did he not?

Jesus clearly taught that no food can spiritually contaminate a person — Mk 7:19.

He also taught that all who trust in Him are one.

If they were right, if they taught truth, then Jesus taught falsehood and was thereby a minister of sin!…May it never be!

v. 18 — Paul uses a hypothetical example

if anyone, including myself, tries to rebuild a system of legalsim after we have destroyed it by believing and preaching the gospel of God’s grace, we are proven the transgressor, not Jesus.

At that point, we have proven ourselves to be hypocrites by abandoning grace.

v. 19 — We died to the law

The law does not die…we die in respect to the law…no longer under its power…we can renounce it and be freed from its dominion.

We have no confidence in the law and it does not hold us captive.

The law demanded death…the penalty of the law has been carried out…the demand of death was satisfied in the death of Christ…it was the law that put Christ to death…when he died, we died with him…as far as the law was concerned.

V. 20 — We are alive in Christ

When Christ died, it was reckoned to you, believer, that you (instead of Him) were dying on the cross, bearing the punishment for your sins.

He died in your place, bearing the wrath of God you deserved.

In Christ, you died to your old ways. The old you (that old “I” mentioned here) no longer lives. The past is gone so far as the record goes.

And the record also shows that Christ’s righteousness is attributed to you as though you lived a perfect life.

But, something more is true. Christ, in the person of the Holy Spirit, has taken up residence in you.

Paul says He lives in me.

That makes His illuminating and strengthening power available to you.

And the life you (that is the new you) now live, you live by faith.

And this faith is “from God’s Son.” It is a gift.

It is He Who gives faith, increases faith, Who by means of His indwelling presence enables you to draw upon His truth in the Bible by faith in order to live for God as you should.

The life you now live depends not upon keeping the law in your strength, but upon faith in Christ, Who alone enables you to do so.

v. 21 — If our righteousness comes by all we do, then we nullify grace, and Jesus death was meaningless.

Righteousness is already given to us…our obedience to the Scripture is the fruit that proves that righteous life of Christ is in us.

Lesson for Life — Live by Faith

This is the key to the Christian life: faith in Christ—not just the Christ who died on the cross for you, but the Christ who lives in you.

We live by faith when we believe Christ every moment of every day. We believe Him to be our sustenance and our strength. We believe Him to be our love and joy and peace. We believe Him to be our satisfaction—more than money and houses and cars and stuff.

We believe Christ to be our purity and our holiness and our power over sin. This is Christianity: believing Christ to be everything you need for every moment you live. You live by faith in the Son of God.

So how do you please God? How can you obey all these radical commands of Christ that we see in the Gospels and throughout the New Testament?

The answer is you can’t. You need Christ to do it. And He’s there. So trust Him.

Even after we have been accepted by God, our good works are still the result of Christ’s work in us. We must trust Him daily to produce in us that which pleases God.

You can trust Jesus to be everything you need or want and to be your life because He is passionate about you. He loves you.

I want to remind you that Christ died on the cross for you...He has paid a price for you...He gave Himself for you on the cross so that His life, with all of its present and eternal benefits, might be yours.

So let’s trust Him…our own holiness is never enough in itself…Jesus alone is our entire holiness…when ours isn’t enough, his is!