Peter’s Correction

Confession

The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition The Shorter Catechism

Quest. 1. What is the chief end of man?

Answ. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.b

Q. 2. What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him?

A. The word of God, which is contained in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him

The Confessing Church and the State Church

First they came for the Communists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Communist Then they came for the Socialists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Socialist Then they came for the trade unionists And I did not speak out Because I was not a trade unionist Then they came for the Jews And I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew Then they came for me And there was no one left To speak out for me

These lines are remembered from the lectures and sermons of Martin Niemueller, a German Pastor who publically opposed the Reichbishop, Ludwig Mueller of the German State Church, die Deutsche Evangelische Kirche or known colloquially as die Reichskirche, on the grounds that he was not serving Christ or Germany but the National Socialist Agenda alone.

In the 1930s, the German Church saw the separation of church and state dissolved into one state church, where many of the pastors who opposed Hitler, didn’t do so on moral grounds, but out of frustration that he had taken authority away from the church. In response to this, men like Niemueller and Dietrich Bonhoeffer stood up and proclaimed that the German church had gone astray, not just in means of recreating Jesus in the image of the Aryan ideal, but also in their reasoning for opposing the Nazi regime.

Bonhoeffer publically rebukes German Christians on both sides for seeking power in both the church and in the state, by pointing back to the Son of God’s emptying of himself to take on flesh and die on a cross for our sins.

Each generation has its one complications and difficulties. In the 1930s, the German Church was facing the obvious issue of an anti-Christian Christian faith in the state church. But this issue flows naturally out of the 19th century influence of enlightenment and modernist philosophy on theology. There were seeds of the state church’s divergence from biblical Gospel well over one hundred years before the National Socialist rose to power, but the problem is that the right people did not call out the seeds of error until it was too late.

In our passage today, we see an example of one of these seed moments. Paul publicly rebukes Peter for acting out of fear to the detriment of the Gospel. Instead of waiting for a climax in conflict, Paul speaks out against Peter’s actions that alienate the Gentile in the Church to elevate the Gospel truth that the Gospel is for all regardless of Jew or Gentile and the Gospel is one.

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?”

Healthy, Biblical Rebuke

Paul presents us a healthy and biblical description of rebuke. Paul opposes Peter on the grounds that Peter is acting hypocritically amongst the Jewish Christians.

For context, we spoke last week about Paul and Barnabas being in agreement with the pillars of Jerusalem, Peter, James, and John, over the issue of circumcision. The agreement is that Gentiles may be received into the Church without the external sign of circumcision, and the theological weight of that agreement was that the Old Testament Law is not binding on participation in the Church. Gentile Christians do not have to adhere to the Law for salvation and participation in the Church.

Last week, I really emphasized that first component that there was Apostolic agreement that circumcision is not a salvation requirement. This week, we are looking closely at the second part: circumcision, that is adherence to the Law, is not required for Gospel participation.

Paul begins this section with the words “But when . . .”

Galatians 2:11 ESV

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

After the period of agreement, Peter has come to visit Antioch where Paul and Barnabas are doing ministry, and while he is there, Peter is eating and drinking in fellowship with his Gentile brothers and sisters in Christ. Peter is doing life like a Gentile by doing life amongst Gentiles.

Galatians 2:12–13 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. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

In the 1st century context, table fellowship was a big deal. The Jews had strict dietary restrictions and purity laws that made it difficult if not impossible to eat alongside those who did not adhere to the same rules. Not only that, but the act of table fellowship was an act of identifying with those whom you are fellowshipping.

Jesus took flak from the Pharisees for eating with tax collectors and sinners, and now Peter finds himself in a sticky situation where he was eating unclean foods without regard for the purity laws and then separating himself from the Gentile Christians to only eat with the Jewish Christians.

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?”

Peter was not in the wrong for eating with Gentiles. Earlier in his ministry, Peter receives a vision from God to “Get up, kill and eat.” Referring to unclean food. Peter responds, “Surely not Lord! I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” To which the Lord answers, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

In Acts, Peter is given a revelation that the food laws are no longer intended to separate Israel from the Gentile world, and so Peter begins to eat amongst Gentiles.

So what is this word from James that gives Peter such fear that he separates himself from the Gentiles?

We don’t know who these “certain men from James” are, nor do we know what their message was, but we do know from the immediate context of Galatians that James, Peter, and John were in agreement with Paul and Barnabas regarding circumcision and the Gentile Christians inclusion in the church, so these men from James either bring a message from James that was not a rebuke about following Jewish ritual law, or these men from James are the same men referenced in Acts 15:24 “certain persons who went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds with what they said.”

We see the result that Peter separates from the Gentiles out of “fear of the circumcision party.” If these men are actually from James, they are not the circumcision party as we saw in the previous interaction with the church in Jerusalem, but if these men are only claiming to be from James, but are actually of that deceptive group of spies that Paul previously mentions, then they are men from the circumcision party trying to infiltrate the Church through deceptive practices. Regardless, Peter acts hypocritically out of fear of the circumcision party, and because of his influence as an Apostle and one of the twelve, the Jewish believers in Antioch, including Barnabas, follow suit.

For this reason, Paul publically calls Peter out for his hypocrisy.

I imagine it went something like this: “Peter! You publically agreed with me in Jerusalem regarding the Gospel. You publically agreed that circumcision and the law are not requirements for salvation, and you publically agreed with me that they are not requirements participation in the church! You shook my hand on this matter! Now I must call you out publically for failing to live up to the very thing you agreed with me on! I must call you out publically because you are publically leading others astray and dividing the church on Jewish-Gentile lines! You hypocrite! If you though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew by eating food considered unclean, how can you force Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Peter was not acting in accordance with the Gospel, and Paul publicly rebukes him.

Identifying with Peter

I think, we are quick to identify with Paul when we hear this story. Paul is defending the independence of his Gospel and warning against honoring fallible men over the infallible Word of God, but we must remember that each and every one of us, Paul included is a fallible man by nature. We are generally more like Peter than like Paul. We are more like Martin Niemueller in our hesitance to say anything about the Gestapo taking people away to prison camps until they finally come for us and much less like Niemueller when it comes to publically repenting and rebuking the authorities in our midst at the cost of our freedom and comfort.

No, we are more often like Peter than like Paul here. We like the status quo, and we do not wish to stir up controversy with the influential at the risk of alienating the rest. Peter receives word from James, and his response comes from fear, not from faith. Peter draws back and separates himself from the Gentile believers and only eats with Jewish believers.

Like Peter, how often do we live contrary to our convictions of the Gospel? Peter is called out for acting hypocritically. He knows there is one Gospel for all, yet he is acting like there are two Gospels! Peter is distracted out of fear. How often do we allow fear of man to distract us from fear of God?

But we can identify with Peter because we are all sinners who make mistakes and need grace every day.

Identifying with Paul

Paul, on the other hand, rightfully rebukes Peter. Paul calls Peter to affirm Peter’s own convictions. And this is Peter, the Apostle of Jesus! One of the three, inner circle disciples! Paul does not cower in the face of his conviction, but takes courage from his conviction. It is not that Paul is better than Peter. Paul too is a sinner in need of grace, but in this moment, when he sees Peter acting contrary to his Gospel convictions, Paul does the most loving thing he can do. He corrects him! And this does not result in a division between Paul and Peter, but this results in reconciliation. There is one Gospel! One Savior! One Church, the true body of Christ!

Paul sees Peter as a member of the body of Christ, and an influential one at that. For this reason, Paul calls Peter to repentance for the good of the Church. We see the importance of membership here: our sins impact the Church and one another. Peter’s hypocrisy misguides others. Even Paul’s equal in Antioch, Barnabas, is misled by Peter’s error. Sin corrupts the individual and the whole. Sin impacts others! So Paul, disciplines Peter by correcting him that he may repent and be reconciled! Praise God for great men like Peter who may hear rebuke and repent! This is the role of the Church. Just as Paul corrected Peter, you are invited to membership in your local church to trust that the elders will humbly offer correction when needed as well as receive correction from its members! When Paul and Peter shake hands in 2:9, they are making a vow of fellowship to one another. A vow of membership into the body of Christ to live true to the Gospel.

Application

If you are not yet a member of here but view this church as your church home, please come talk with me. We will be doing a membership class in the near future, and I will teach more on what it means to be a member of a local church and why we should all be members of a local church. It is good to be in community with your brothers and sisters in Christ, and it is good to entrust yourself to one another and your church’s authority because we are all sinners in need of grace. If Peter was susceptible of going astray in his life, how much more susceptible are we? It wasn’t that Paul was a super Apostle over the other Apostles, and it wasn’t that he had a better grasp of the true Gospel. Paul, the former persecutor of the church understood how undeserving he was of grace, and so he lovingly rebukes Peter who is his brother in Christ who is leading others to act contrary to this Gospel of grace. As members of the same body, they may hold one another accountable. We all need accountability because sin impacts others!

I began with a quote by Martin Niemoller, but the problem is that this quote comes far too late. Before the Nazis began arresting communists, socialists, Jews, and Christians, Martin Niemoller supported the nationalistic, right-wing and antisemitic national socialists. Niemoller publically proclaimed Christ on one hand but hated his Jewish brothers on the other, and the church did not call him or any of their pastors out until it was too late. Niemoller, like Peter, was living hypocritically to his convictions in the Gospel. His hypocrisy led others astray, and all leaders in the church need others to hold them accountable. Leaders in the church need the members of their church!

Peter’s sin of hypocrisy leads his Jewish brothers into the same sin. We are prone to focus on our own spirituality in our American, Western context, but we need to remember that we are called to be members of the body of Christ, and that requires commitment to that body. There may be some of you here who live as if you are a member but haven’t made that step to join the church or any church for that matter, and I would encourage you to unite with us here in membership to commit yourself to growing here and encouraging others to grow.

And for those of you who have yet to commit to joining the body of Christ through professing faith in him, let’s discuss that! Put your faith in him today and receive the gift that He has given you in Jesus Christ. If you have never been baptized and initiated into the body of Christ, or if you have children who have not yet been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, lets schedule a date to meet outside of church and talk through what baptism means to make that happen!

Let us all humble ourselves to receive correction from one another and love one another enough to have the courage to humbly confront others who may be living outside the will of God, not as the judge but as brothers and sisters in Christ.