Over this past week’s political campaigning, certain staffers made mistakes, and their mistakes became public. A satirist depicted a puffin bird flying by and droppings falling on a political opponent. Elsewhere, an email sent in response to comments made by the father of a recently killed soldier in Afghanistan became public. In both instances, the party distanced itself from the individuals and their comments. They claimed that they did not speak on behalf of the party nor reflect the party views.
This was the attack made against Paul by the Judaizers. In Galatians Paul continues defending himself against their accusation that he was a self-appointed apostle proclaiming a self-devised message that was different from that of Peter and the other apostles at Jerusalem. He devastatingly argues that, although he received his message independently of the other apostles, he preached a message identical to theirs, a fact they wholeheartedly acknowledged. His gospel was independent in terms of revelation but identical in terms of content.
In our age of independence what difference does it make to be associated with a local congregation? What impact can it have in checking and verifying the orthodoxy of beliefs, for teaching, support or affirmation? Understanding how Paul relates with the Christians in Jerusalem, provide insight into the benefits of being associated and affirmed by other Christians. Galatians 2:1–10 Paul shows his 1) His Coming, 2) His Companion, 3) His Commission, and 4) His Commendation that he was of one truth and one spirit with the other twelve apostles.
1) PAUL’S COMING (Galatians 2:1–2)
Galatians 2:1-2 [2:1]Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. [2]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. (ESV)
We will spend most of our time on this first point. Each point thereafter will be shorter and shorter. But first, understanding the setting and overall implications:
Paul begins his discourse relating the time that after fourteen years from the first visit when he met Peter and James, he went up again to Jerusalem. During the previous seventeen years he had preached the gospel without any human instruction, his message having been given to him entirely by God’s direct revelation (Gal. 1:11–12, 16–17).
Please turn to Acts 15
It seems probable, as many scholars believe, that this trip of Paul’s again to Jerusalem was for the council (Acts 15) called to resolve the issue, and that again does not linguistically denote a second visit. (William Hendricksen’s New Testament Commentary: Exposition of Galatians [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1971], pp. 69–77.)
According to Acts 15, those professing Jewish Christians from Judea went to Antioch, where Paul and Barnabas were ministering
Acts 15:1-7 [15:1]But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." [2]And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. [3]So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. [4]When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. [5]But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses." [6]The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. [7]And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. (ESV)(Keep you place in Acts 15)
In addition to the leader Paul and his intimate Jewish friend and companion Barnabas, … Titus, a spiritual child of Paul and his co-worker (Titus 1:4–5), went along with me, being among the “some of the others” mentioned by Luke. Titus, as an uncircumcised Gentile and a product of the very ministry the Judaizers were attacking, was a fitting attendee to take along to the council.
• Consistent with their deceitful, self-serving methods of operation, the Judaizers likely claimed they sent the delegation from Antioch to Jerusalem to have Paul’s and Barnabas’s doctrine corrected. But both Luke and Paul make clear that such was not the case. Luke states that they were “sent on their way by the church” at Antioch (v. 3).
Though there may have been some reluctance on the part of Paul in accepting the assignment to go to Jerusalem, Paul mentions in verse two of Galatians 2 that a direct revelation by God affirmed his obligation. Paul says more specifically that I went up because of a revelation. He went up to the Jerusalem church conference, not because the Twelve sent for him to put him on the mat, nor because he felt a need to have his gospel examined to see if it was the true one, nor because the church at Antioch ordered him to go up to have his gospel tested, but he went up in obedience to a revelation from God that he should go up to Jerusalem to have the question of the means of salvation settled once-for-all.(Gingrich, R. E. (2005). The Book of Galatians (12). Memphis, TN.: Riverside Printing.)
• In terms of the confirmation that Paul received from the Jerusalem leaders there is a lesson that is often overlooked in discerning God’s will. Since the Holy Spirit is resident in believers, He will often confirm to others, your gifts. You should see fruit evident in your endeavors and recognition from others. Beware of some personal feeling to discern God’s will that is not confirmed from either fruit or affirmation from others.
When Paul reached Jerusalem, he says in Galatians 2:2 that he simply set before them/submitted (from anatithçmi, to lay something before someone for consideration) the gospel which he had always preached among the Gentiles, the gospel of salvation by God’s sovereign grace through man’s penitent faith-a gospel utterly contrary to the works-righteous belief of the Judaizers that “unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1).
Them refers first of all to the local church apostles and elders, including chiefly Peter, John, and James, our Lord’s half-brother, and then to the whole assembled church at Jerusalem.
Acts 15:10-11 [10]Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? [11]But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will." (ESV) (Continue to keep you place in Acts 15)
It seems reasonable to assume that this private meeting occurred first because Paul wanted to be sure of the theology of the Jerusalem leaders before he spoke publicly. Therefore before any council appearance. Paul and Barnabas related privately before those who seemed influential/ those who were of reputation.
As it says in Acts 15:12
Acts 15:12 [12]And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. (ESV) (Continue to keep you place in Acts 15)
• In complete accord with what Peter was to say, Paul and Barnabas declared, first privately and then publicly, that God had saved Gentiles wherever they had proclaimed the gospel and that their message and those conversions were attested by God himself through means of miraculous “signs and wonders.”
Paul’s referring to the apostles with whom he spoke in private as those who seemed influential/those who were of reputation reflected the general attitude of the church toward those Christ-appointed leaders. The phrase describing them is used of authorities and implies a position of honor. But the fact that he refers to them in this way four times in eight verses (Gal. 2:2–9) suggests a tinge of sarcasm. It is not, however, directed at the apostles but at the Judaizers who had been claiming apostolic approval of their legalistic perversions of the gospel. In the letter sent out by the council the deceitful Judaizers are described as “some of our number to whom we gave no instruction” who had been disturbing the churches and “unsettling [their] souls” (Acts 15:24).
The fact that Paul probably wrote Galatians some years after the Jerusalem Council shows that the decision and proclamation of that council had not stopped the Judaizers either from preaching their false doctrines or from claiming approval by the apostles, those who seemed influential /those who were of reputation. Paul was obviously not of any reputation, they told the Galatian believers, because they claimed that his gospel conflicted with theirs and the apostles’.
But when Paul took Titus to Jerusalem and presented his gospel before these men those who seemed influential/of reputation, he was vindicated and the Judaizers were denounced. He had not sought vindication because he doubted the validity of his preaching. He had just declared emphatically that his message was by direct revelation from God and that it did not have and did not need any human clarification or confirmation (Gal. 1:11–19). He went to Jerusalem to prove that the gospel he preached was identical to that preached by the other apostles, having been revealed to him directly, though separately, by the Lord Jesus Himself. Paul did not go to confirm the apostolicity of his message in his own mind but in the minds of Galatian believers who were being confused and deceived by the Judaizers.
The Judaistic teachings were not simply misinterpretations or misapplications of the true gospel but the very antithesis of it. There was a concern that the Galatians might compromise with the teaching of the Judaizers by their perverse gospel that Paul sought in private to be certain that the teachers in Jerusalem agreed with his revelation of the gospel and would not be soft on legalism. Otherwise he might discover he was like an athlete who was running, or had run, in vain by seeing that all the spiritual effort in his ministry past and present was in conflict with them and was futile. The apostles affirmed Paul’s gospel and added nothing to it (Gal. 2:6). That private confirmation set the stage for the decision in the public council that followed.
How do we ensure that we are not running or had run in vain:
Philippians 2:16 [16]holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (ESV)
• This is one of the benefits of group Bible study. It helps to vocalize the understandings of group members that they can be checked for orthodoxy and understanding. Sometimes error is not detected until it is vocalized and can be politely corrected or clarified.
Illustration: Running For Dinner Or For Life
The reason you do what you do is all important. There is an old fable about a dog that boasted of his ability as a runner. One day he chased a rabbit and failed to catch it. The other dogs ridiculed him on account of his previous boasting. His reply was, “You must remember that the rabbit was running for his life, while I was only running for my dinner.” The incentive is all-important. (Tan, P. L. (1996, c1979). Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations : A treasury of illustrations, anecdotes, facts and quotations for pastors, teachers and Christian workers. Garland TX: Bible Communications.)
We have seen 1) PAUL’S COMING (Galatians 2:1–2) and now:
2) PAUL’S COMPANION (Galatians 2:3–5)
Galatians 2:3-5 [3]But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. [4]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-- [5]to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. (ESV)
Although the Greek text of these verses may have been perfectly intelligible to the Galatians, it is almost impossible for modern scholars to translate. The noted biblical scholar J. B. Lightfoot called the passage “a shipwreck of Greek grammar.” Perhaps Paul became so emotional while defending the very heart of the gospel and was so afraid that his beloved flocks would be corrupted by the Judaistic heresy that he used complex grammar and failed to complete his sentences.
But Paul’s meaning is obvious, and there is no difficulty in understanding precisely what he is saying. As specific evidence in a test case showing that the Jerusalem apostles were in complete accord with him, Paul states that even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek while at Jerusalem (cf. Acts 15:10, 19). Titus, a true Christian, was living and incontrovertible proof that circumcision and Mosaic regulations are not necessary for salvation. The Jerusalem Council refused to accede to the demands of the Judaizers to have Titus and all other Gentile believers circumcised:
Acts 15:13-14 [13]After they finished speaking, James replied, "Brothers, listen to me. [14]Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. (ESV) [15]And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, [16]"’After this I will return,and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, [17]that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things [18]known from of old.’[19]Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, (ESV) (cf. v. 28). (We will continue with Acts 15 in point three)
It should be noted that some years after that occasion Paul circumcised Timothy “because of the Jews who were in those parts” (the region of Galatia), but he did so because Timothy was hail Jewish (Acts 16:1–3). He was not making a concession to the Judaizers, but rather was giving Timothy closer identity with Jews to whom they might witness. Timothy was circumcised as a Jew, not as a Christian. His circumcision had no relationship to his salvation but simply gave him entrance to Jewish synagogues, from which he would otherwise have been excluded.
• Once again the lesson for us is to concede to cultural and social issues when it does not affect the content of the Gospel. We should be willing to accommodate differences to the extent that they do not become identified with something being necessary for salvation.
• Allow me to give you a personal example. I have visited synagogues for funeral services and worn a Yamaha. If I had not, I would not have been able to attend.
• Attending allowed me to provide comfort and bridge to a conversation later on the comfort and hope in Christ. By wearing the Yamaha I don’t believe I was saying that faith in Christ was incomplete but I did not want to offend the grieving Jewish family by refusing over an issue that not doctrinal.
o Each personal must consider the ramifications for themselves on each situation.
In contrasting with Timothy, Titus, however, was a full Gentile, and to have had him circumcised would have undercut the gospel of grace and made him a monument of victory for the Judaizers. Paul may have intentionally brought Titus to Jerusalem to confound the Judaizing 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/ bondage. Paul was perfectly confident in the outcome of the Jerusalem Council and knew that afterward he would have a companion who would be personal proof that his gospel of grace apart from law was valid.
The Judaizers were marked as false brothers (pseudadelphos), a phrase that has also been translated “sham Christians” (NEB ) and “pseudo-Christians” (Phillips). Those professing Jewish believers had developed a hybrid faith that was true neither to traditional Judaism (because it claimed allegiance to Christ) nor to apostolic Christianity (because it demanded circumcision and obedience to the Mosaic law for salvation).
• We must be likewise diligent today to not assume a teacher is orthodox just because they call themselves such. Labels do not produce the contents.
Some of the Judaizers no doubt sincerely believed their legalistic gospel was correct and that they were the only genuine Christians. But Paul refers to those who slipped in/ sneaked in to spy out our freedom/the liberty of true believers in terms that suggest enemies entering a camp by stealth with the objective of sabotage. Those men may not even have been honest Judaizers.
• One of the reasons we require membership in order to vote on congregational decisions is in order to protect congregational affairs. We have discussions with prospective members in order to ensure basic orthodoxy and public professions of accountability.
The false brothers of Galatians 2:4 had their specific purpose to undermine the freedom/liberty which true believers have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring them into slavery/bondage of legalism. The verb (katadouloô) is a compound and conveys the strong slavery of a works system. The Judaizers could not tolerate a gospel that was not tied to Mosaic ritual and law, because their view of salvation was centered in what they could self-righteously perform to earn favor from God rather than in what God could do for them.
• Be very careful that you do not slip into the error of believing that even after salvation that it is by some work that you do, that you continue to earn favor with God.
• We want to be obedient to Christ’s commands in order to please Him and be fruitful for His kingdom, but our standing and approval from the father only come and continue through the work of Christ.
In Christ Jesus believers have freedom/liberty from the law as the way of salvation and freedom/liberty from its external ceremonies and regulations as the way of living Because Christ has borne that curse (3:13), they also have freedom/liberty from the curse for disobedience of the law, which God requires all men to obey but which no man is able to perfectly keep. Freedom is a much-repeated theme of the New Testament.
Christian freedom is not license to sin.
Romans 6:18 [18]and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. (ESV) (cf. 1 Pet. 2:16).
Paul specifies in Galatians 2:5 that he in response to the Judaizers:
Galatians 2:5 [5]to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. (ESV)
Preserved/Remain is from diamenô and emphasizes a permanent state. In regard to methods of ministry and issues of no spiritual importance, Paul became as we have seen previous in our Galatians series, “all things to all men, that [he might] by all means save some” (1 Cor. 9:22). But in doctrinal matters, especially those relating to the heart of the gospel, he was inflexible. He would make considerable concessions in order to accommodate weak Christians, but he would not yield an inch of truth to accommodate false Christians. And the leaders of the church at Jerusalem were wholeheartedly in agreement with Paul’s gospel, as their declarations in the council indicated (Acts 15:13–21).
Quote: How Badly Do You Want It?
In pursuing a righteous goal Les Brown said: “If you want a thing bad enough to go out and fight for it, to work day and night for it, to give up your time, your peace, and your sleep for it … if all that you dream and scheme is about it, and life seems useless and worthless without it … if you gladly sweat for it and fret for it and plan for it and lose all your terror of the opposition for it…if you simply go after that thing you want with all of your capacity, strength and sagacity, faith, hope and confidence and stern pertinacity … if neither cold, poverty, famine, nor gout, sickness nor pain, of body and brain, can keep you away from the thing that you want…if dogged and grim you beseech and beset it, with the help of God, you WILL get it!” (Les Brown, Live Your Dreams, Avon Books, quoted in Bits & Pieces, Vol. T/No. 17, pp. 21-22)
We have seen 1) PAUL’S COMING (Galatians 2:1–2), 2) PAUL’S COMPANION (Galatians 2:3–5) and now:
3) PAUL’S COMMISSION (Galatians 2:6–8)
Galatians 2:6-8 [6]And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)--those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. [7]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 [8](for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles). (ESV)
Again Paul refers to the other apostles as those who seemed to be influential/were of high reputation, apparently a favorite phrase of the Judaizers. In going on to say, what they were makes no difference to me, he was not mocking or repudiating those godly men. He respected them or he would not have sought a private audience with them, nor would he have sought their public confirmation so that people would know he was not running in vain. He rather was defending himself against the mocking of the Judaizers, who accused him of not comparing with the Jerusalem apostles and of being a false, self-appointed, and inferior apostle. His point here was that, although those twelve men were personally appointed apostles by Jesus Christ, so was he. He did not need their approval for his own commission, nor did he need to seek their confirmation in order to legitimize his work, and in that regard who or what they were made no difference to him and his ministry, meaning that he had a commission and task independent of them.
Paul goes on to say, God shows no partiality, as Peter had learned with some difficulty (Acts 10:9–48). The unique privileges of the twelve therefore did not make their apostleship more legitimate or authoritative than Paul’s.
• Some people who do not receive an income from doing Christian service wish that they did, so they could really be in ministry. But just because you may be employed in by a church or para-church ministry, does not mean you are in more authentic ministry than someone who does not.
o Those who have occupations that are not overtly identified as ministry often have the best opportunity to witness and proclaim the Gospel. It is often expected from those who are identified in ministry, but for those who are not, often guards are down and informal ministry can be most significant.
o Never count yourself out of an opportunity for ministry in general, evangelism or discipleship in particular, just because you do not earn your living from formal Christian ministry.
The Twelve Apostles had added/contributed nothing to Paul’s knowledge or understanding of the gospel or to his authority to preach it. For seventeen years he had preached the gospel without their having had the least part in it. When he finally went to Jerusalem to testify to what he preached, it was not for approval or correction but simply for recognition-and that not for his own sake but for the sake of those who had been deceived by the false accusations against him being spread by the Judaizers.
He continues in verse seven:
Galatians 2:7 [7]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 (ESV)
The apostles in Jerusalem recognized he was entrusted with preaching the true gospel. At that point the Judaizers’ contention that Paul was preaching a deviant message was refuted once and for all.
Continue now in Acts 15
Acts 15:22-29 [22]Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, [23]with the following letter: "The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. [24]Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, [25]it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, [26]men who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. [27]We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. [28]For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: [29]that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell."
As Luke explains in Acts 15, not only did the Jerusalem Council vindicate Paul’s message of grace apart from law but they entrusted him with the primary responsibility of reporting their decision to the churches in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia-areas where his work had been severely criticized by the Judaizers (Acts 15:22–24).
Paul continues in Galatians 2:8
Galatians 2:8 [8](for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), (ESV)
The same Holy Spirit (He) who energized (worked, from energeô, to be at work, to produce results) and empowered Peter energized and empowered Paul, and the Spirit has but one gospel.
Please turn to 2 Peter 3
In his second letter Peter highly commended Paul as a wise and beloved brother and this is how he saw the Holy Spirit work though Paul and how the message of Paul compared with the rest of the Scriptures:
2 Peter 3:15-16 [15]And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, [16]as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. (ESV)
Illustration: Salman Rushdie, is an author who had a fatawah, or Islamic death edict, put on his life several years ago for writing a book critical of Islam called Satanic Verses. In another book he wrote entitled Imaginary Homelands he notes one of the family traditions of his home:
“In our house, whenever anyone dropped a book, it was required to be not only picked up but also kissed, by way of apology for the act of clumsy disrespect. I was as careless and butterfingered as any child, and accordingly I kissed a large number of books. Devout households in India still contain persons in the habit of kissing holy books. But we kissed everything. We kissed dictionaries and atlases. We kissed novels and Superman comics. If I’d ever dropped the telephone directory, I’d probably have kissed that too”.
Is it any surprise that Salman Rushdie grew up to become an author? What we honor defines us. (Larson, C. B. (2002). 750 engaging illustrations for preachers, teachers & writers. First work originally published: Illustrations for preaching and teaching. Grand Rapids, MI : Baker Books, 1993. 2nd work originally published: Contemporary illustrations for preachers, teachers, and writers. Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Books, 1996. 3rd work originally published: Choice contemporary stories and illustrations. Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Books, 1998. (251). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.)
We have seen 1) PAUL’S COMING (Galatians 2:1–2), 2) PAUL’S COMPANION (Galatians 2:3–5) 3) PAUL’S COMMISSION (Galatians 2:6–8) and only briefly:
4) PAUL’S COMMENDATION (Galatians 2:9-10)
Galatians 2:9-10 [9]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. [10]Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do. (ESV)
Still again Paul refers to the reputation of James and Cephas (Peter) and John-those who seemed to be/were reputed to be pillars (a Jewish term used to refer to great teachers). As already mentioned, the somewhat sarcastic reference does not reflect against these men but against the Judaizers. Because those false teachers apparently used the term pillars (emphasizing their role in establishing and supporting the church) when referring to the three Jerusalem leaders, Paul throws the term back in their faces He demonstrates to them and to the Galatian believers they were trying to turn against him that he was in perfect doctrinal harmony with those three pillars and with all the other apostles and elders at Jerusalem.
He not only was in doctrinal harmony with them but in personal harmony with them as well. There is only one gospel, and those five men (who wrote 21 of the 27 New Testament books) demonstrate that truth.
They gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, Paul says as he continues to confound the false claims of the Judaizers. In the Near East, to clasp the right hand of a person was to make a solemn vow of friendship and was a mark of fellowship, or partnership.
• As it indicates in Phil. 1:3-5, fellowship is not a social gathering, but a situation where those of like minds have an agreement and partnership in the Gospel. Biblical fellowship therefore cannot occur between parties that disagree on the nature and means of salvation.
The “pillars” at Jerusalem recognized Paul not only as a true preacher and teacher of the gospel but also as a beloved partner with them in Christ’s service. They had different fields of service-Paul and Barnabas ministered primarily to the Gentiles and the Jerusalem leaders primarily to the circumcised-but they proclaimed the same gospel and served the same Lord in the power of His Spirit.
Finally in verse 10, the only request made of Paul and Barnabas at Jerusalem was that they remember the poor. The request was not doctrinal but practical, a reminder about the special needs of believers in Judea, especially Jerusalem. Even before the widespread famine (see Acts 11:28) for which Paul was called to bring relief, the Jerusalem church faced a serious problem of feeding and caring for its members. Its ranks were swelled by hundreds, perhaps thousands, of believers who had been converted while visiting the city and who then decided to stay there rather than return home. Many had little money, and they soon discovered that, because they were Christians, it was sometimes difficult to find employment, therefore, the church at Jerusalem had been economically pressed.
Paul was therefore eager to do all he could to fulfill the request of James, Peter, and John, as his numerous and constant collections for the poverty-stricken saints in Judea attested.
The affirmation of the Gospel is not an academic exercise, it is the basis for true fellowship and true compassion for others. The Gospel is the only true message of freedom and yardstick of orthodoxy. It is the message of true ministry, in which we must persevere. In presenting the Gospel we can see God working though our words and our actions.
(Format note: Outline and some base commentary from MacArthur, J. (1996, c1987). Galatians. Includes indexes. (34). Chicago: Moody Press.)
