Galatians Study Part Five: 2:11-21
NLT: “11 But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. 12 When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. 13 As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.
“14 When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?
“15 “You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles. 16 Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”
“17 But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! 18 Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. 19 For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. 20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.”
NASB: “11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 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. 13 The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. 14 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?
“15 “We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles; 16 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. 17 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! 18 For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. 20 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. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.'”
Paul continues in his letter with sharing of another time where people were trying to get believers to follow the law and Peter was pulled into it, which influenced other Jewish believers. It infuriated Paul and he appears to have immediately addressed it openly.
If we don’t understand how the Jewish people looked upon Gentiles, we won’t fully understand what is happening. They would not eat with Gentiles and considered them to be dogs. If you look at Acts 10 in how God prepared Peter to go to the Gentiles, he had to show him that what he had cleansed, Peter was to no longer call unclean. Even though it had been prophesied that Gentiles would come to God, the Jewish believers didn’t all automatically change. After Peter had visited the Gentiles, in Acts 11 we see that he was questioned by those in Jerusalem upon his return. They criticized him for going into the home of Cornelius and eating with him and the others. Peter had to share the entire story before they were satisfied and rejoiced that God had granted salvation to the Gentiles.
You will also see this when a woman approached Jesus for healing of her demon possessed daughter in Matthew 15. In answering her, Jesus said it wasn’t right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs.
The Jewish people had similar feelings toward the Samaritans. This may be seen in John 4, where Jesus asks the Samaritan woman for water to drink.
Considering these things, what Peter was doing by separating from and not eating with the Gentiles while in Antioch (Syria), was reverting to Jewish laws….Jewish laws that he was really no longer keeping as a believer in Jesus. Paul called it as he saw it- hypocrisy.
Peer pressure. Some time back, a friend reminisced with me about their time in boot camp. It was a custom that the entire platoon would be punished when one of the men did something they should not. This used the tactic of peer pressure as the rest didn’t appreciate being punished for what only one person did. That often was enough to cause the other individual to line up.
From verse 11 of chapter two until the end, Paul shares an instance of what happened with some of the Jewish believers, again because of this group that tried to force the law of Moses on the Gentiles.
This worked in the form of peer pressure. Peter, who knew better, who had seen a vision from God before he went to see Cornelius, was caught up in separating himself from eating with the Gentiles. Watching Peter, others were pulled into this nonsense. The pressure got so bad that Barnabas, Paul’s companion in spreading the gospel, was pulled into the nonsense.
People face peer pressure today- in various places. Those of us who have been involved in unhealthy churches saw it at work there. Some people claim to follow outward rules due to a conviction when it is actually peer pressure. (That isn’t at all to say that people do not have personal convictions- this isn’t a blanket statement.)
When Paul saw what was happening, he was not happy. He spoke up and opposed him since Peter was a leader and his actions were influencing others. Peter feared these keepers of the law, at least at this point in time. Prior to their arrival in Antioch, he ate and mingled with the Gentile believers. Peter was living like a Gentile, but appeared to expect Gentile believers to follow Jewish traditions and this was hypocrisy. Paul now goes on to explain that our walk with God is about faith and not following the law.
“You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles. Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law. …For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.”
The last verse of chapter two is strong- if people could be made righteous by following all the rules of the law, which were given directly by God, then Christ didn’t need to die and his death was for nothing.
If today we can somehow be made righteous through following the law of Moses, or any other laws or rules, then Christ again would have died for nothing. We see this emphasized in Romans 9:30-32 (NLT) : “What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place. 31 But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. 32 Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path.”
Romans 10:1-4: “Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. 2 I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. 3 For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. 4 For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.”
This is the other gospel that Paul warned of at the beginning of his letter to the Galatians. They had started their walk with God by faith in Jesus, but were being pulled into observing the law in order to be saved. Jews and Gentiles alike are justified by faith in Christ Jesus and not by rule following. Righteousness will never come by observance of the law or any set of rules. Attempting to do so will set aside the grace of God.
Jesus didn’t die so that we could replace the law with another set of rules. If God himself could not deliver a law that would make people righteous, then why do we think we have the ability to do so? Think about it if you are tempted to follow a list of rules that are attached to your salvation, no matter how well intentioned.
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