Lesson by Pastor John Skaggs
Sovereign Grace Baptist Church
P. O. Box 1447
Claypool, Arizona 85532
928-425-8345
Date: 11-16-03
Text: Galatians 2:11-21
Topics Addressed in this Lesson
(A discussion on Law and Grace)
Are You a Legalist?
Have you ever noticed how a certain mind set or behavior can creep in to your life unnoticed? It may be something of little consequence like a change in the foods you enjoy. Perhaps you have hated Artichokes since your childhood but recently you tasted one and found them delicious. Maybe you’ve always been even-tempered and gentle but the person you see in the mirror now is touchy, irritable, and angry. Your family has known of the problem for some time but you are surprised with the reality of it, when did this happen? Similar things happen in our spiritual lives. Perhaps when you were first saved you were diligent to defend yourself against sin. But now, that, once forbidden behavior, has its own room in your heart. It moved in slowly, unnoticed, but it is there nonetheless. It was a subtle invasion, it came in through the back door with no fanfare, announcement, or slamming of doors.
In the spiritual world, legalism is like that; it often sneaks into ones life without one being aware that its taking place. Its not so much that Christians set out to mix law and grace, so as to deprive themselves of peace and joy, rather, they just kind of find themselves in the depressing world of legalism and they don’t recall the journey. Likewise, the God fearing, Bible teaching, preacher doesn’t set out to do his flock harm by corrupting the Gospel with the law but many end up doing exactly that by unconsciously mixing law and grace in their teaching.
I am thinking of a frame of mind that creeps into the lives of many true Christians robbing them of rest, peace, and joy. I think of the person who has trusted in Christ for salvation but after a time believes he must do more than trust Christ if he hopes to make it to heaven. These folks use the language of grace and would never say that trusting Jesus was not enough but their feelings and actions betray “a legalistic frame of mind.” They are driven toward better and better performance, not out of love for God, but out of fear that they may not do enough to get into heaven.
The professing Christian who is a legalist fights against sin in his life, denies himself many pleasures, keeps himself from bad company, attends church, and helps the poor, IN ORDER TO MAKE OR KEEP GOD HAPPY WITH HIM. He may or may not be conscience of his working for heaven. This is legalism.
The professing Christian who understands and lives by grace also fights against sin, denies himself many pleasures, keeps himself from bad company, attends church, and helps the poor, but he does so for an entirely different reason. This person does NOT work to make God happy with him, he works because God HAS forgiven his sin and MADE him part of the family of God based on the works and righteousness of His Son Jesus Christ. THE CHILD OF GRACE LIVES AND WORKS AS HE DOES OUT OF GRATITUDE AND LOVE FOR THE GOD WHO HAS GIVEN HIM SALVATION APART FROM HUMAN WORKS, BY FAITH IN CHRIST. This is grace.
The difference between law and grace for the unbeliever is the difference between eternal life and eternal death. The difference between law and grace for the true believer is the difference between realizing joy, peace, and assurance of salvation as compared to living with no assurance of heaven, no joy, or peace on earth.
Let’s begin our study of this important subject in Galatians 2:11-21 NASB.
"But when Cephas (Peter) came to Antioch, I (Paul) opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. {12} For (because) prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; (That is, he enjoyed their fellowship with a clear conscience, sharing meals with them, eating when they ate and what they ate. In other words, Cephas no longer felt bound by Jewish dietary laws, he was now a Christian, free from the law.) but when they came, (the Jews from James) he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. (He feared what the Jews would think, say, or report about him to others. Next we see the effect of Peter’s actions on the Christian Jews in the congregation) {13} And the rest of the Jews (who had also been enjoying fellowship with their Gentile brothers) joined him in HYPOCRISY, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. (Barnabas knew better but he was silently, quietly, subtly, pressed into this sin against the grace of God by Peter’s example) {14} But when I saw that they were not STRAIGHTFORWARD ABOUT THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL, (the truth is, it does not matter what you eat or drink, food has nothing to do with ones salvation) 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 (now) compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
The public chastisement of Cephas had to do with the purity of the Gospel. By Peter’s actions he was saying that the saved Gentiles would not be right with God unless and until they ate, acted, and worshiped like saved Jews.
The Christian Gospel, on the other hand, says that sinners are saved from wrath and made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ the Lord PLUS NOTHING. Our Creator designed salvation so that all human contributions are excluded, both at the point of one’s salvation, and during one’s Christian life as well. Sinners are saved and kept by grace through faith in Jesus and that not of themselves; it is the gift of God entirely, so that God gets all the praise and glory and men get none!
Circumcision is nothing, yet some saved Jews tried to make this rite a requirement for being saved. Baptism, church membership, observing the Sabbath, the length of your dress, or eating lunch with an Idolater-whore monger, is of no consequence when it comes to salvation! Salvation, from beginning to end, is by faith alone, in Christ alone, plus nothing.
This is what Peter preached with his lips and believed in his heart. But on this occasion he contradicted his usual message without saying a word. He didn’t mean to do it but he did and fear was the culprit. It was the fear of confrontation, of human disapproval, of rejection by one’s countrymen. Peter was taken down in a moment by a common human weakness, the fear of man, the want of approval. In a moment he became what he despised, a hypocrite.
Peter did not plan to be hypocritical he just suddenly found himself playing the part. He lost his mind, as it were; he failed to think clearly when these men arrived. The result of that failure was that he led others into HYPOCRISY with him. People looked to him for leadership; they respected, and believed what he taught verbally and by his living as well. Therefore, they concluded, if Peter has broken fellowship with the Gentiles so must wee. BY HIS ACTIONS, Cephas had taught another gospel. He might as well have announced, “Yes one must believe in Jesus, but he must also observe the Jewish traditions, keep the Law of Moses, and watch what he eats. You must be circumcised or you cannot be saved!” Peter claimed one thing and was doing another, thus he became a HYPOCRIT. He was no longer “straight forward about the Gospel.”
To be, “straightforward about the Gospel, means that one must preach and teach the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. But it goes beyond that to include living out the truth we teach and believe. Peter had it right when he spoke but contradicted the gospel by his behavior. He did this by breaking off fellowship with the Gentiles when the Jews from James showed up. When he moved from one side to the other he effectively declared, there is something wrong with you Gentiles, there is something lacking in you. That something had to do with circumcision and keeping the Law of Moses. By siding with the Judaizers Peter took the place of a legalist and, because of who he was, an apostle, a leader of the church, he laid the yoke of the law on the shoulders of many real Christians. Salvation is by grace through faith but in this moment Peter was clouding that truth, he was not straightforward about the gospel.
The true message of the gospel is captured in Romans 10:1-4 NASB.
"Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. (he speaks of the Jews) {2} For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. {3} For not knowing about God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. {4} FOR CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS TO EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES."
Every sinner who subjects himself to the righteousness of God by trusting in Christ will be saved from the wrath to come. For Christ is the end of the law, that is, He fulfilled the law, He met all the requirements of the law, He is perfect and acceptable TO God FOR everyone who believes in Him. This is the Good News! Jesus saves all who come to Him by faith! This is what Peter believed and taught the Gentiles in his charge and this is what he should have said to his Jewish visitors when they came, ending his lesson on grace with; “whether you like it or not here I stand, I will not encumber the Gospel of free grace with your laws and ceremonies.” Paul was right to rebuke him.
What would Paul say to us? Whether you are a Pastor, Elder, Deacon or a Christian with no official title, ask yourself, “Am I straight forward about the gospel in what I say and how I live?” Or do I encumber the good news with legal requirements? If I somehow make people think that baptism is essential to salvation I have preached another gospel. I can do the same thing with my comments or bad attitude concerning a persons dress, or the form of entertainment he prefers. I can pollute the message of Free Grace by the way I respond to a smoker, or a person with a ring in his nose.
Say for instance that I teach or in some way infer that that ones salvation requires personal reformation BEFORE God will accept them. I have preached another gospel. This is a devilish lie and is not Good News at all. For a man cannot change the color of his skin, a leopard cannot change his spots, and one who is accustomed to doing evil cannot, by the grit of his teeth, become righteous. Whores, thieves, drug addicts, burglars, rapists, murderers, terrorists, and the little old lady down the street who has never harmed a bug, are saved WHILE THEY ARE ACTIVE, LAW BREAKING, SINNERS. They are saved by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ who fulfills the law on behalf of all who believe.
Let look closer at Paul’s rebuke of Peter.
"If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, (when no one else is around) how is it that you (now) compel the Gentiles to live like Jews? (Peter might have objected, “I compelled no one to live like the Jews!” But, in fact, he did by refusing to fellowship with the Gentiles when his fellow Jews had arrived. . .) {15} "We are Jews by nature, (born Jews) and not sinners from among the Gentiles; {16} nevertheless knowing (as we Christian Jews do) that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we (Jews) have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be JUSTIFIED BY FAITH IN CHRIST, AND NOT BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW; SINCE BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW SHALL NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED!”
In this short text Paul restates the doctrine of justification by faith. “a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, . . . . . . and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified!” He is saying what must be said again, and again; sinners are made right in the eyes of God by looking away from themselves to the perfect person and work of another, Jesus Christ. He is the justifier of the ungodly by faith!
(Romans 3:21–24, 28) “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. … For we maintain that a man is justified by faith APART from works of the Law”.
Paul continues;
{17} "But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, (as Paul, Peter, and the other believing Jews were) we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be!
God had declared believing Gentiles clean, saved, and forgiven by faith in Christ, equal to any saved Jew. But Peter now acts like they are unclean, like it is sinful to enjoy their company. The question Paul asks is this, “When Christ told you to embrace believing Gentiles did He send you into a sinful relationship?” Of course not! Peter had momentarily lost his mind, he had returned to or rebuilt that “works based religion” that had been destroyed by Christ.
Paul continues in verse eighteen. (Galatians 2:18-21 NASB) "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, 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 delivered Himself up for me. {21} "I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."
The first four verses of Romans eight explain that beautiful phrase found in verse twenty of our present text, {20} ". . . the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.” Christ’s giving of Himself for us and the result of that sacrifice are found in Romans 8:1-4 NASB.
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. {2} For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has SET YOU FREE from the law of sin and of death. (the law that exposes sin and condemns you to death) {3} For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: (He did this by . . . ) sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, {4} in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us."
Therefore we must reason, “If Christ gave Himself to fulfill the demands of the law for me. And if His work was effective in fulfilling that requirement then I HAVE NOTHING TO DO FOR SALVATION BUT TRUST IN HIM. Peter knew, believed and taught this wonderful truth but when he walked away from the Gentile believers to stand with the Judaizers he declared that Christ’s work was ineffective without the addition of human works. He effectively said, “If you hope to be saved you can’t eat pork, you men must be circumcised, you can’t take square-dancing lessons, or drink wine with your dinner, you must keep the Sabbath, and tithe your spices!”
Such mixing of law and grace NULLIFIES the grace of God. Hear the word of the Lord:
(Romans 11:6 NASB) "But if it (salvation) is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace."
Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ plus nothing. There is no other way to made right with God!
It had to be hard for Paul to rebuke his dear brother in public. But it had to be done. The peace and comfort of these Gentile Christians was at stake. More importantly, the truth of the gospel was at stake. What Peter had done, without intent, and without saying a word, was to destroy the Gospel. He had declared that Jesus death was not enough to save the lost, they must make a contribution of good works, and so Paul stepped in to make the correction.
When you and I are dealing with truth we must understand that the slightest adjustment in the Good News will turn it into a lie. We must be careful not only with our words but with our behavior. We must not play the part of the legalist, the hypocrite, teaching, by our silence, what we would never say with our lips. Something like, “In order to become a Christians you must clean up your life, be baptized in our church, increase the length of your dress, speak in tongues, and never ever mow your grass on Sunday, otherwise, Christ will be of no value to you. “Quit, smoking and drinking, and chewing and hanging out with folks that do, then you can be part of the family.” Is this the Gospel? Is this Good News to slaves of sin, self and the Devil? Is this Good News to people who know their lives are ruined and have tried for years to reform themselves? No, a thousand times no! The Good News is that Jesus saves the ungodly from their ungodliness and the wrath due them for sin. The Good News is that sinners can come to Jesus just as they are, dead in trespasses and sins, filthy, and smelly, enslaved to their passions. The Good News is that sinners are saved in spite of themselves and because of Jesus Christ.
"But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, {31} that, just as it is written, "LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD." (1 Corinthians 1:30-31 NASB)
I hope you see the seriousness of these issues; that they require prayer and discernment that only God can give. May He grant us the strength and courage to be patient with weaker brothers and to be straightforward about the Gospel in both our speech and practice at all times and in all situations. May He guard us against the fear of man and enable us to live a gracious life that speak to men of God’s mercy to sinners through faith alone in Christ alone apart from the works of the law.
