The Gospel Must Be Defended

Galatians 2:11–14 ESV

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

“Reprove compassionately. Soft words and hard arguments do well together.” George Swinnock

1. To Defend, Call Out Hypocrisy (2:11-14)

When Practice Contradicts Theology (v.12-13)

Galatians 2:12–13 (ESV)

For before certain men came from James, [Peter] was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.

And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

Hypocrite = pretender, actor

Background: Acts 10 Peter and Cornelius (add picture illustration?)

The hypocrisy here is the inconsistency (contradiction) between theology and practice. It’s not good enough to just have good/correct theology: our actions/practices ought to line up with it.

We need both: orthodoxy and orthopraxy.

Peter’s theology was good, but his behavior did not match it. Well, it did temporarily, but then he felt the need to pretend in front of others whom he thought might feel uncomfortable (the Judaizers)—even himself.

Hypocrisy is the loudest lie.

George Swinnock

(Swinnock - English Puritan of the 17th century)

Other Jews and even Barnabas followed Peter in it!

Public Sin Requires Public Rebuke (v.11, 14)

Galatians 2:11 ESV

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.

Jesus called out hypocrisy:

Matthew 23:15 ESV

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

Briefly mention the difficulty and purpose of public rebuke (refer to Matthew 18 and 1 Corinthians)

Why did Paul call it out?

Galatians 2:14 ESV

But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Behavior/conduct inconsistent with the Gospel.

To use George Swinnock’s words, this is where Paul’s “hard arguments” begin.

Here is the hypocrisy.

2. To Defend, Proclaim the Gospel (2:15-16)

Justification is by Faith, not Works (v.16)

Galatians 2:16 (ESV)

Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Repeated in a nutshell:

Romans 10:4 ESV

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

This is what was meant by the Protestant Reformation slogan “Faith Alone.” (Sola Fide)

The real reason why the doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone is unpopular is that it is grievously wounding to our pride.

John Stott

It Does not Matter Who You Are (v.15)

Galatians 2:15 ESV

We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners;

Romans 3:23 (ESV)

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 3:10–18 (ESV)

As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;

no one understands; no one seeks for God.

All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.”

“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”

“Their feet are swift to shed blood;

in their paths are ruin and misery,

and the way of peace they have not known.”

“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Jeremiah 17:9 ESV

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

The human heart has so many recesses for vanity, so many lurking places for falsehood, is so shrouded by fraud and hypocrisy, that it often deceives itself.

John Calvin; Henry Beveridge

3. To Defend, Respond to Objections (2:17-21)

The Objection: Doesn’t Justification by Faith Promote Sin? (v.17)

Galatians 2:17 ESV

But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not!

Galatians: Verse by Verse (The Problem of Sin: From the Law, Not from Christ (2:17–18):

If faith in Christ means abandoning the law, these Judaizers charged Paul, then following him means turning Jewish Christians into sinners like the Gentiles ~Grant Osborne

Reply: μὴ γένοιτο!

Why:

Response 1: I’d Still Be a Sinner (v.18)

Galatians 2:18 ESV

For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor.

v.18 explanation:

If Paul makes following the Law a requirement to being a Christian, then he proves himself to still be a sinner.

He (everyone) is still a sinner even if they were to follow the Law of Moses—because everyone has broken the moral laws of God.

Galatians: Verse by Verse The Problem of Sin: From the Law, Not from Christ (2:17–18)

The critical point is that it would not be the Mosaic law they were breaking but the eternal laws of God. That would be a far more serious transgression and would have eternal consequences. To go back to the law would break the new covenant reality and destroy the true essence of the gospel

Paraphrase: 2 thoughts: (1) “If we are sinners because we are saying a person is saved by faith and not the Law, then logically we have to say that Jesus is a promoter of sin! But may this never be! (2) And if I say that we have to follow the Law, just like you Judaizers do, then I am still a sinner.

But this is not the case because:

Response 2: In Fact, I Am Dead (v.19-20)

Galatians 2:19–20 ESV

For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Imputation: not made righteous, but reckoned as righteous

Response 3: Jesus’ Death would be Needless (v.21)

Galatians 2:21 ESV

I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Reflect on video from previous week: if we can work ourselves out of the pit of sin, there is no need for Jesus to come pull us out.

4. To Defend, How Shall We Live?

Are We Able and Willing to Defend the Gospel?

Can we define it? => study stats

Can we respond to objections to it? => Need to know our theology and apologetics

William Craig:

“As Christians we face two tasks in our evangelism: saving the soul and saving the mind, that is to say, not only converting people spiritually, but converting them intellectually as well. And the Church is lagging dangerously behind with regard to this second task. If the church loses the intellectual battle in one generation, then evangelism will become immeasurably more difficult in the next. The war is not yet lost, and it is one which we must not lose: souls of men and women hang in the balance. For the sake of greater effectiveness in witnessing to Jesus Christ Himself, as well as for their own sakes, evangelicals cannot afford to keep on living on the periphery of responsible intellectual existence. Thinking about your faith is indeed a virtue, for it helps you to better understand and defend your faith. But thinking about your faith is not equivalent to doubting your faith. Doubt is never a purely intellectual problem. There is a spiritual dimension to the problem that must be recognized. Never lose sight of the fact that you are involved in spiritual warfare and there is an enemy of your soul who hates you intensely, whose goal is your destruction, and who will stop at nothing to destroy you.”

Are We Willing to Call Out Publicly False Gospels and Sin?

Church discipline is the key to the purity of the church, which in turn will enable us to reach the world.

John F. MacArthur

It is for the love and care of the individual Christian

Bring him back to repentance

Sanctification

Does Our Behavior Match the Gospel of Grace?

(1) Are we hypocrites? Do we walk the talk?

Does our behavior match our theology/beliefs?

We talk about salvation by grace through faith but do we extend grace to others?

Jesus’ parable about the talents (Matt 19)

Sometimes we need to take inventory of ourselves individually before pointing out someone else’s deficiencies or sins:

Matthew 7:1–5 ESV

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

(2) Do We Make Sinful and/or Artificial Distinctions Regarding Grace?

Be a Christian “+” - Republican, Democrat, Independent, US Patriot

Be a Christian “-” - this is what Peter actually did - not a Baptist, not Pentecostal, not Presbyterian