Being in Step with the Gospel

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?”

Have you ever wondered why you struggle with the same sins all the time?

The things that you thought would stop immediately after you became a Christian?

Maybe you've read books about it, gone to counseling to improve on it

Joined Bible studies, created boundaries

But nothing seems to change.

I believe that the passage we read this morning can help us understand the answer to that and at least one other question.

Review

If you have been following this series with me, you know that Paul has used the first several paragraphs of his letter to argue that he is a bonafide messenger of Jesus, with an untainted message from Jesus.

So far, he has shown that his message is independent of anyone including:

Human teaching (1:13-17)

The major Judean churches (1:18-24)

The Big Three (2:1-10)

My apostleship (a fancy way of saying he was a direct speaker for Jesus) and my Gospel (the message Jesus taught him to share with everyone) are valid, because in addition to the fact that I have never been formally trained in the message of the apostles, everyone including the three most famous religious leaders in the church shook my hand and said, "we're glad you're on our side now."

Introduction

So Paul began his letter with an argument that traveled from broad to narrow terms. From nobody commissioned me, to not the Church in Jerusalem, to not the big three to this week, not even Peter.

In fact, I'm going to share a story with you about my second, (SECOND) interaction with Peter.

Simon Peter, also known as Cephas was one of the apostles, one of the big three (Peter, James and John) and in each instance in the gospels where the apostles are listed, he is first among equals.

Peter was the most popular leader in the Church at least for the first 15 years.

The Holy Spirit told Peter that he was supposed to get up and preach to the Jews on the day of Pentecost.

That was the first Christian sermon after Jesus rose from the grave.

Peter was a very important and integral core of leadership in the first century church.

Before we can go much further, and in order understand just why Paul got up in Peter's face we have to understand what the issue at hand really is.

What grounds does Paul have for even getting up in Peter's face?

Don't we believe that the Holy Spirit convicts people of sin?

Was this even a sin?

So, what was the problem? What was happening?

Explanation

Peter's Visit to Antioch

If you follow the timeline through the NT history book (Acts) you know that just after Peter was miraculously rescued from prison that he left Jerusalem for a while because the religious leaders were not happy with his attempts at proselytizing the Jews in the temple and the marketplace.

The Bible doesn't tell us exactly where Peter went, just "to another place." However, after Paul in Barnabas returned from Jerusalem (which is where they received the right hand of fellowship from Peter, James, and John) they went to Antioch (Acts 13).

The Bible again doesn't say how much time lapsed from the end of Acts 12 when Paul and Barnabas were in Antioch and when they left at the beginning of Acts 13, but it's possible that this is when this event that we just read happened.

Peter was in Antioch where there were Jews and Gentiles and they were in community together. Enjoying life together.

That meant that according to Jewish law, those Jews were unclean in a number of ways

Under the law they weren't to eat with Gentiles

Under the law they weren't to eat food offered to idols, or bacon, or other meats that would have been a part of everyday life for a non-Jew.

Peter knew the law, but don't forget Peter had also had a vision (recorded in Acts 10).

He was hungry, sitting on the roof of a building and God shows him a sheet filled with all sorts of animals (like a big picnic blanket) and inside of it are every type of animal you can think of of.

God says, "Eat up, Peter." Peter says, "No way God! I have never eaten anything that is unclean."

God responds, "Don't call anything that I've made clean, common." Now try that carnitas burrito.

More importantly, is that Peter at first wasn't sure what this meant until the Holy Spirit says, "a few guys are looking for you. Go with them."

Peter goes with them and they take him to a house filled with Gentiles and here is what Peter says,

Acts 10:28 ESV

And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.

Peter preached the gospel to them and baptized them and then went back to the church and said, "Hey everyone, God just revealed to me that anyone can be saved by faith because the Holy Spirit was clearly on these Gentiles because they were speaking in tongues and extolling God."

And here is what happened:

Acts 11:18 ESV

When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

Everyone is pumped. Man! The Gentiles are worshiping our God! This is amazing!

And then (I imagine) a deacons meeting is called by the board of deacons and he says, "I am all for Gentiles being followers of Christ. That is just great. Should we be a little concerned about what Moses said? I mean, how many hundreds of years have we lived under the law?"

What about our identity? What happens to Jew-ness? What about the good name that we have in our community? I've seen the way that some of these Gentiles eat? There is fat and blood and grease slinging everywhere when they eat those vile baby-back ribs.

"Yeah, I bet they're not circumcised either. And I'm just not sure they are aware of our holy days and resting on the Sabbath."

Can we just pause to talk about these food laws?

Eating Kosher

Basically, the Bible (Lev. 11; Deut. 14) prohibits the consumption of (1) all four-footed animals except sheep, goats, cattle, and a few kinds of deer,5 the most notable prohibition being pork; (2) shellfish and molluscs;6 (3) birds of prey;7 (4) most insects (except locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers);8 (5) swarming land creatures (like lizards, crocodiles, chameleons, and weasels);9 and (6) dead animals (which should be obvious).

Furthermore, for food that was permissible there was a further restriction: no food could be consumed that had either fat or blood (Lev. 3:17). In the passage of history, Jews added other prohibitions, like Gentile meat and wine (cf. Dan. 1:12–16), because both could have been contaminated through idolatry. One other prohibition was the eating of food that was not properly tithed, though Pharisees debated this point quite heatedly.

What does this all mean?

If you trace the dietary restrictions back to their origin you will land in the second and third books of the Bible (Exodus and Leviticus.)

After God had rescued the Israelites from the land of Egypt (out of slavery) he initiated an agreement with them called the Mosaic covenant.

The agreement essentially said, "I will bring you in to the land of Canaan (which I promised to your forefathers) and you will obey my commandments." Agreed? Agreed.

God's presence descended on the top of Mount Sinai and he told Moses all that he wanted Israel to do. Moses relays the message to the Hebrew people and then returns to the mountain to receive the rest of the instructions from God.

The people become restless because of Moses' absence and raise up a leader (Moses brother) and pressure him in to building an altar and molding an image that they could worship. Aaron complies.

God tells Moses that the people have already abandoned the covenant and that he should wipe them out and restart with just Moses; Moses pleads with God not to do this. God's anger subsides and Moses returns with instructions on building the tent of meeting. The place where God's presence would dwell with the people.

They construct this extremely detailed and ornate tent that is filled with all sorts of Garden of Eden like imagery and symbolism and God's presence fills the tent, but Moses is unable to enter the tent.

The beginning of Leviticus God speaks from inside the tent out to Moses who is outside the tent.

The book of Leviticus is 27 chapters of instructions and laws that were given to the priests (who would enter the tent and be a mediator between the people and God and God and the people) and purification laws that were given to the people so that they pure and therefore acceptable to God.

Don't forget that last part; Let's get back to the story...

Peter Leaves the Table

We were talking about how Peter was enjoying community with Gentile Christians, but that comes a messy ending when (v. 12)

Galatians 2:12 ESV

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.

Peter acts like he's sitting at the table with another woman when his wife walks in the door at a restaurant. Popping up trying to make it look like he didn't know this other woman.

This is the same guy who went to bat for the Gentiles in front of the church in Jerusalem; the same guy who shared his vision about Gentile inclusion to the church and worshiped God with the church because the Gentiles were turning to Christ. What happened Peter?

Peter's tune had changed once these "men from James" came to Antioch. And here is the tragic part of this, nobody wins for the cause of Christ. Because, the Gentiles are clearly confused, the "rest of the Jews" who lived in Antioch, those who travelled with Peter, and even Paul's partner in the gospel (Barnabas) was led astray by their hypocrisy.

Peter was such an influential leader that people followed him at the expense of causing baby Christians to stumble.

Paul would not stand by and let Peter divide the church like this, so Paul charged Peter with being a hypocrite.

Paul Charges Peter

What does Paul mean Peter and the rest of the Jews with him were acting "hypocritically?"

When we hear the term we think of someone who is acting one way in front of some people and another way in front of others.

This certainly applies to Peter's actions here, but that term isn't necessarily worthy of such a harsh criticism.

Let me remind you of what Paul said in

1 Corinthians 9:19–23 ESV

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

In other words, contextualizing to the culture can be a good thing. Which Paul says in a minute is what Peter had done and then flopped back undoing the spirit of unity he created by being with the Gentiles.

The term has not only Greek roots but Jewish roots as well and the word has a stronger accusation than just being a chameleon.

The term carries with it the senses of wickedness, opposition to God and his truth, and even heresy.16

16 See further in N. Turner, Christian Words (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1980), 219–20. The finest history of the term is found in C. Spicq, Lexique Théologique du Nouveau Testament (Fribourg, Switzerland: Editions Universitaires de Fribourg, 1991), 1546–53; see also U. Wilckens, “ὑποκρίνομαι,κτλ.,” TDNT 8:559–71.

McKnight, S. (1995). Galatians (p. 106). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

Peter wasn't just acting like a first century theatrical performer, he was behaving contrary to the "truth of the Gospel."

Paul was saying Peter, you're acting like a complete heretic. You're acting like the Gospel doesn't actually have an affect on our standing before God.

Peter, you've claimed that Gentiles are saved by faith (just like Jews) and that they are filled with the Holy Spirit (just like Jews) but now you're acting like they have to become national Jews in order to be accepted by God.

V. 14 ends with Paul's direct charge against Peter in front of all of those who were in the clean room.

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?”

The first part is the contextualization that I talked about a minute ago and this is not Paul's charge.

It is appropriate to lay down preferences for the sake of Christian unity.

Eschatology is not a gospel issue

Whether you're continuationist or cessationist is not a gospel issue

Whether you're complementarian or egalitarian is not a gospel issue

Whether you're young earth creationist or old earth creationist is not a gospel issue

Whether you're a dispensationalist or a reformationist is not a gospel issue

Whether you prefer hymns sung by a choir or a full band is not a gospel issue

Whether you like to worship in jeans or a dress is not a gospel issue

The second part of the verse is where the problem lies. What was going on?

Peter Forcing Gentiles to be Jews

It was not good that Peter drew back and separated himself from the Gentiles.

It was not good that Peter influenced other Jews to do the same.

But what Paul says next lets us know that Peter did not just stop with avoiding the Gentiles. He says, "How can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?"

A couple of key words here: force and live.

Peter was somehow forcing the Gentiles to live like the Jews.

Let's start with the first term, force:

This isn't the same as mere persuasion, but it indicates the use of physical force against the will of another.

If you remember Paul used this word already when he was talking about his interactions with the Big Three when he met them in Jerusalem. He said, "they did not force Titus (who was a Greek) to be circumcised."

Luke (who wrote the book of Acts) writes down Paul's own words

Acts 26:11 ESV

And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

In Paul's life before Christ he tried to force Christians to blaspheme the Name of Jesus.

In Acts 9, Luke tells us that Paul was entering in to cities and dragging people back to Jerusalem to be tried as criminals, just for being Christians.

Peter is attempting no small thing here.

What is he forcing them to do? Live like Jews.

And this goes back to the issue that runs throughout the entire letter --

In order to be fully accepted in the covenant family of God, as a Gentile, you must become a cultural Jew.

I don't know how this went down, but I wonder if he gathered in one of the Gentile members homes and said, "Okay, Guys, we have not been perfectly obedient to all that God wants us to do. So, in order for you to be a part of this assembly all of the men and boys will need to be circumcised by next Saturday. No one is allowed anymore to eat the following foods and we will all be gathering on Saturdays instead of Sunday... no exceptions."

This is a mess. A sham. The height of nationalistic pride.

The Closing of a Defense

Paul's final defense against the Judaizers is that not even Peter taught him the gospel that he preached because even Peter was confused about the full implications of the Gospel.

There are several ways to apply this passage to us this morning, I've chosen two.

Application

Why do repeat the same sins over and over?

The reason Peter stopped living in community with the non-Jewish brothers and sisters in Antioch is because he felt pressure from the Judaizers. And he cracked under pressure and committed a sin that was very costly in the lives of Paul, Barnabas, the Jews in Antioch and the Gentile Christians in Antioch.

If you are familiar with Peter, this is not his first time cracking under pressure.

The first time Peter stood outside the courtyard of the High Priest as Jesus (His Messiah) was being unjustly tried. He was warming himself by a fire when a servant girl of the high priest said, "Hey you were one of the guys with Jesus." Peter said, "I don't understand what you're saying." And then a few others joined in and said, "Yeah, you are one of his followers, you're from Galilee. And Peter said again, No I am not. The third time, Peter was accused of being a follower of Jesus he invoked a curse on himself followed up with a little swearing just as the rooster crowed... just as Jesus said it would.

It seems like Peter's offenses were born out of the same problem; he was afraid of what others would think about him. The fear of man.

But this second time, this is grown up, spiritually mature Peter, preacher at Pentecost Peter, Super Apostle Peter.

Paul told us that he broke fellowship with the Gentiles because he feared what the circumcision party was thinking of him or would do to him. Would Peter be removed from a position of authority?

But Paul helps us understand that this wasn't just about breaking fellowship, or even fearing man because Paul says that in doing this Peter's conduct was "not in step with the truth of the Gospel."

We commit repeat sins because we're not in step with the gospel

By an act of racism, Peter reveals that his heart is not in step with the Gospel.

Sure, theologically, he believed that Gentiles were saved by grace, but he was willing to be persuaded that in order for them to be acceptable to God, they had to purify themselves by following the cultural rites of purification.

Peter's behavior revealed that deep in his own heart were still lines or steps that the Gospel had not touched.

Repeat offenses occur when we're out of step with the Gospel; or to put it another way, when the Gospel has not affected the lines of all of our life.

The truth is that we are unable to in the presence of God, because we can never be completely pure.

The story in Exodus reveals that even if people only have a few simple rules, our hearts will justify a way for us to break them.

The dietary laws are all about cleaning yourself up; purifying yourself to be acceptable to God. They're symbolic to cleaning the outside of a dish, while leaving the inside rank with spoiled food.

Jesus is better. When we receive the offer of Christ to take our punishment in exchange for his purity; his righteousness, we become acceptable to God. We become beautiful to God.

That is why the Gospel is called good news! You and I are born with an ugliness that goes far deeper than skin, our ugliness is at our core and it draws lines to our hearts, our hands, and our heads. It affects everything that we are and everything that we do. And we try all sorts of self-salvation methods and tactics to make our selves beautiful to others. Acceptable to others.

We are not different than Peter. When we repeat the same sins over and over we are revealing something about ourselves; the gospel has not yet ravished me in this area.

Examine yourself this morning and look for the places in your life that you struggle with repeat offenses and the principle that Paul shows us this morning is that THAT place hasn't been struck with the gospel.

When we're really struck by the Gospel of Jesus Christ everything changes:

Our political views begin to change (refugees, the poor)

Our relationship values change

Our financial views are challenged

Our business practices and ethics begin to change because the Gospel has come to bare in those areas.

Communion

2 Peter 1:3–9 ESV

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

Peter's second letter to the churches reveal that he had learned from Paul's own rebuke.

Peter had forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins... and that is what makes us acceptable to God.

Where have the Gospel lines not been drawn in your life?

What would my life look like if the Gospel came to bare on the area that I struggle with the most?

Gospel Fellowship Questions

Discuss what Paul meant by saying that Peter stood condemned?

Why was eating with Gentiles such a big deal to the Jews?

What did Peter's behavior reveal about his own heart?

What should we do (personally) when we are out of step with the Gospel?

When (if ever) should we call out another Christian's sin?

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