God's Unity or Man's Slavery

Good Morning,

Today we are still in Galatians 2:1-10, and I want you to remember back to the end of chapter one in verses 18-21 Paul deliberately separated himself from the Apostles authority. In Galatians 1 verses 18 and 19, he writes,

Galatians 1:18-19 “Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother.”

Essentially saying, look I did visit Jerusalem but I was not there long enough for the apostles to train me and not only that I only met with two of them. In today’s passage though, he is showing how he is in partnership with the Apostles and they are both preaching the same Gospel.

Let me open with a word of Prayer +3mins

Before we get into Galatians, I want to look at a few passages in the Old Testament before we actually get into our passage in Galatians.

Paul the Hebrew of Hebrews

Deuteronomy 16:16 ESV

“Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.

We see in Deuteronomy the command to go to Jerusalem 3 times a year to celebrate these three different feasts. The first was the Feast of Unleavened Bread or Passover as directed by God in Exodus 12 and Leviticus 23:4-8.

The second was the Feast of Weeks also known as Pentecost, which God instituted in Leviticus 23:15-21.

The third is the Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of Booths, which was also instituted in Leviticus 23:33-43.

Here we see three times every year every Jewish Male was to appear before the Lord at the Temple in Jerusalem. Paul knew this and the Judaizers who were trying to add the law back in knew this as well. Look what James says about breaking just one part of the Law.

James 2:10 ESV

For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.

Read Galatians 2:1-10

Look what the opening words of our passage say, “Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem.” While the time frame is not the main aspect of this passage nor is it that main aspect of Chapter 1 verse 18 when Paul says after 3 years he went up to Jerusalem. It is an important point to remember in this Letter. He had only been to Jerusalem 2 maybe 3 times in 14-17 years depending on how one reads this passage in conjunction with Acts. In this portion of the the letter to the churches of Galatia, Paul is deliberately separating the Gospel from the Law. This is the major theme of this letter justification by faith in Jesus not justification in keeping the law. The fact that he is not following these laws is a testament to that. Paul is ignoring these festivals instituted by God in the wilderness. These festivals that Jews were required to keep. Festivals that point to the Messiah, who Paul now knew.

But after 14 years Paul finally does go to Jerusalem, however we see he does not go alone. He goes with Barnabas, we first read about Barnabas in Acts 4:36.

Acts 4:36 ESV

Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus,

Barnabas we see is a Levite, so there would not be any disputes with him. He was already Jewish and at least in the eyes of the Judaizers not much to argue against him becoming Christian.

Why did Paul Bring Titus?

However, Paul takes along another person. He takes along this man named Titus.

Galatians 2:1-2 “Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain.”

Paul goes to the Apostles and presents the Gospel that he proclaimed among the Gentiles to them. If you are reading the NASB, it says, “for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain.” The Gospel that Paul proclaimed, had been taught to him by Jesus Himself. He made sure that his readers understood that at the beginning of this letter. So this fear cannot be that he was preaching an incorrect Gospel. The fear here or what Paul is making sure of is that the Apostles are accepting and preaching what God had laid out. He brings Titus with him. Titus this Gentile believer, in order to verify they were in line with the Gospel.

So Paul goes and privately presents the Gospel that he proclaimed to them with Barnabas and Titus. Before we look at their response look at the wisdom here. Paul goes to them privately, he is doing what he can to maintain the unity of the body. These are men he believes truly know the Lord. He takes the matter to them privately even though this was a matter of first importance. This is so contrary to the way we tend to work in today’s culture. We tend to want things to be public first then resolve it in private if at all. We have whole “ministries” dedicated to calling out every false, potentially false, sort of disagreeable, or I just don’t like them teachers out there. I ask that we take some of the wisdom that Paul shows here and put it into practice. While sometimes it is important to call out false teachings, and we will see Paul stand against false teachers here in this passage. It is usually better to help those we know see the truth of the Gospel and as they or we grow in truth, we can then point out counterfeit versions of it.

Here in verse three, we get the answer to our question. Why did Paul take Titus?

Galatians 2:3 ESV

But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek.

He wanted to see how these men who were reputed to be pillars in the Church would respond to a Gentile believer. Paul is putting everything on the table with this meeting. The possible fear he had was whether or not these men would try to force Titus, a gentile, to be circumcised according to the Law of Moses. He wanted to know are they preaching what God had taught himself. He knew that had they tried to force Titus to be circumcised it would have ruined his ministry. That is why Paul says, at the end of verse two, “In order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain.” He knows if these men who everyone holds in such high regard disagree with him, he would have to stand against their teaching. However, instead they receive Titus as a Christian without trying to add anything to him.

Not only that but we read in verses 7-9, that they gave Paul and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship. The only area they seem to be different at this point is who they were called to minister to.

Galatians 2:7-9 “On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.”

Complimentary or Contradictory?

These men were a united front in sharing the Gospel. Each group had a specific calling and each recognized the others ministry and supported it. There are two reasons they were able to do this so well.

Gospel Focused Ministries

The first was that they were both Gospel Focused. Each one had a calling to share the Gospel with a particular group of people. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 15. I will be reading verses 3-8.

1 Corinthians 15:3-8 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.”

Many scholars today, including many non-Christian scholars, believe that contained within these verses is the earliest creed of the Christian Church. The creed opens: That Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.

This is what all of them were teaching. They all agreed this was of first importance. Christ died for our sins, he was buried, he was raised on the third day; all of this in accordance with the Scriptures or the Old Testament at that point. But then it continues, That he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve, then to more than 500 brothers at one time, then James, then to all the Apostles, finally to himself. They were unified in the Gospel.

These Were God’s Ministries

They both recognised that it was God who was at work in both of these ministries. Galatians 2:8 reads:

Galatians 2:8 “(for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles),”

The goal of biblical ministry, at least in the Galatians context, is to glorify God by displaying Jesus through us to the people in our lives. The reason either one of them were at work doing what it was they were doing was because God was at work through them. It was God who performed the miracles that the Apostles displayed, it was God who breathed out the letter we are reading while using Paul and his personality. We see that later in our chapter when Paul writes It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. We saw this earlier in Galatians, in Chapter 1 when Paul said God was pleased to reveal His Son In him so he might preach Him (the Son) among the Gentiles.

These men understood their total dependence on the Lord. John, who was reputed to be a pillar of the Church here, would later write down the words of Jesus in John 15:5

John 15:5 ESV

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

They understood the ministries they had were because of God’s working. Just as we are here because of God’s work. We can be unified with all who are working to share the Gospel of Christ here and abroad. Each of us is serving Christ in different ways and all for His Glory. However we see in this passage and in the fact that Paul had to write this message, that we must be on the look out and stand against those who would add to the Gospel.

Back in Galatians 2 in verses 4-5 it reads:

Galatians 2:4-5 “Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.”

Contradictory “Ministry” and message

Even in Jerusalem with these three reputed pillars of the Church there are false brothers who secretly come in. Their whole aim is to bring us back into slavery. Their “ministry” and message contradicts the Gospel and it’s message.

Paul gives two very different pictures of slavery in these two opening chapters. The first is one who willingly makes himself a slave to another. Before you say no one in their right mind would do that, turn with me to Exodus 21.

Exodus 21:4-6 “If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out alone. But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever.”

Now remember that his wife and kids would go free under Mosaic law, look what the slave has to say; I love my master. Then he shall be the master’s slave forever. This is a slave that loves his master and is willing to submit the rest of his life to him. This is the picture of being a slave of God. We love our master for what he has given us and are willing to submit our entire lives to him out of love.

However the picture in today’s, is not that at all. This word here is not quite the same word Doulos to be a slave. The word here is more this idea of being enslaved by them and being brought into subjection under their rule. This slavery is more like what would happen to a conquered people or the idea of slavery that the Jews faced in Egypt. This slavery is the opposite of the freedom found in Christ. It has none of the grace or peace that Jesus offers.

Romans 3:19–20 ESV

Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

These men who were trying to add the law back in missed the whole point of the law. It was only ever supposed to reveal our sinfulness and point us to the Messiah, the one who could save us from our sin. Who could offer us new life. The one who lifts the burden of our guilt. Even now if you have placed your faith in Christ, and you read the law with the idea of this is how I can be good, we are missing the point. When you read the law today, it should give you great joy. Knowing that you cannot keep it, you cannot perfectly fulfill all the 613 laws laid out in the Old Testament, but there was one who could and did. Jesus perfectly kept God’s law, living a perfect life, and laid down his life the perfect spotless lamb, to take on our punishment. He offers us freedom, joy, and peace. He sanctifies us making us more and more like him every moment of everyday as we lean into him and abide in him.

It was to this bondage they did not submit, Paul says we did not submit. He includes those he was meeting with as well as Barnabas and Titus. All of them stood against the bondage they were pushing for. What is interesting is if having Titus circumcised would have helped Titus to advance the Gospel Paul likely wouldn’t have had a problem with it. We see in Acts 16, Paul have Timothy be circumcised to help Timothy’s witness.

1 Corinthians 8:9 ESV

But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.

In 1 Corinthians 8 it would have been a stumbling block for those Timothy was going to share the Gospel with. In our passage today, it was in addition to the Gospel. They wanted to law to Gospel. That is why Paul is so adamantly against Titus being circumcised.

After all of this, and after James, Cephas and John give Paul and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship. These three men leave him with this one command in verse 10.

Galatians 2:10 ESV

Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

What do you think of the Poor?

After all of what Paul writes in this passage, his whole defense of the Gospel and partnership with these men who were reputed to be pillars, they leave him with this one sentence. They asked them to remember the poor, something Paul was eager to do. Jesus says in Luke 4

Luke 4:18 ““The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,”

While the apostles are speaking of those who did not have the means to buy food. Look at what Jesus says about the poor. He speaks of the poor as all of those still in captivity, the blind, and the oppressed. The poor are all of those who have needs that we can fulfill. Those who need clothed that we can clothe, those who need food that we can feed, and those who need salvation and we can introduce them to the savior.

Remember...

1) We can find unity in the Gospel

2) We must stand against those who want to bring us into bondage

3) We must remember the poor.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ga 2:2.