THE BOOK OF GALATIANS – CHAPTER 2:11-21 - MESSAGE 5 – PAUL REPRIMANDS THE APOSTLE PETER PUBLICLY
We are continuing the series in Galatians, following the letter that deeply impressed Paul’s heart because the gospel he preached was being mangled. In this message Paul had to reprimand Peter publicly because Peter failed in the very matter Paul was fighting against.
[A]. THE EVENT THAT PETER MUST HAVE COME TO REGRET
{{Galatians 2:11-13 “When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned, 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, and the rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy,”}}
We take up the study today and do the second half of chapter 2. Paul continues his personal account so the Galatians would know the whole matter of trying to make Christians keep the Law or parts of the Law. Certain men had come from Jerusalem and tried to add to the gospel especially in circumcision, the Sabbath, and keeping portions of the Law. Paul had appealed to his own personal experience in the previous message and now again in this one, he does the same.
[B]. REVISION
Galatian churches had a problem. They had departed from the pure gospel of grace that had saved them and were being told to adopt Jewish customs from the Law. This made Paul very mad (to use the vernacular) so he is providing his own history and the revelation of his gospel. His work was troubled by those wanting to make the Gentiles keep the Law and to put them into bondage. These actually came from the church in Jerusalem and they must have been meeting there.
I said last time I did not understand why the church at Jerusalem did not deal with this problem because many years had passed, and they must have been clear about the gospel of grace, surely? I can’t understand why the Jerusalem church still sanctioned parts of the Law for believers.
Paul stood on no man’s reputation. He dismissed the reputation of the disciples/apostles at Jerusalem. That does not mean he dismissed them. Their reputation (that is, they were the disciples of the Lord) meant nothing to him. He stated that those who were carrying this error and bringing the Gentiles into bondage were to be accursed and called them false teachers. Later in Galatians he said they can go and mutilate themselves. The problem should have been solved with the Council meeting at Jerusalem where the issue was decided, but even so, still it persisted after that. Galatians is the letter to the churches to try to right this evil teaching. Paul was so conscious of the grace of God, more than any other Apostle I would say, but all this false teaching just kept smashing away at the grace of God. Paul would have none of it because the gospel of grace was God’s direct revelation to him in the clear cut outline of the true gospel.
The Body of Christ is one. It is made of Jew and Gentile, free and slave, and all people groups yet it is one Body, one Church, one Bride.
[C]. PERSONAL EXAMINATION – WHERE DO WE STAND?
If I invited you to come to the front here if you have never let the Lord down, would you come? Would you think of coming? No one would want to come because we are sinful creatures saved by grace still retaining the old nature and we have so many failures. (I am making it a public issue for the sake of the argument).
If I asked if you have let the Lord down, then come out, would you? It would be pointless and a waste of time doing it because we would all be standing there. However we would not want to come out in public view because we are ashamed of the old nature that disgraces us far too many times. We do let the Lord down but we don’t like to admit it.
Some of us would be hiding quite serious ways in which we let the Lord down; things we might be ashamed of, but if they were recorded for all to see, how would you feel? Devastated? Ashamed? Worthless? POOR PETER. It was all out in the open for 2000 years. This man who loved the Lord battled just like we do with the old nature and fears and failure. Remember how he got caught up in the moment and in his own strength and was able to walk on the water - for a brief time - then reality led to failure. How did he feel? Remember his boast that he would die before betraying the Lord in the Lord’s greatest need? Yet he failed very miserably and all through his years I don’t think he forgot that failure. The devil recalls our failures. Not only is he the accuser of the brethren before God but he is the accuser TO the brethren.
[D]. THE ERROR ENACTED
Possibly around 15-20 years after that denial at Jesus’ trial, Peter failed again miserably. This time his failure brought a very stern reprimand from Paul. We shall look at the passage dealing with this in Galatians 2:11-13 above.
[1]. Peter was scared and acted cowardly, fearing man, namely the Law-inclined Jews in the Jerusalem church, those false teachers Paul speaks of, and worried about his own reputation among those Jews and not about the truth of the gospel of grace. That is awful because before they arrived he happily ate with the Gentiles but the shock of seeing the legalisers from Jerusalem and the fear of man was too great for him.
[2]. These men came from James in Jerusalem, the Lord’s cousin, and it is suggestive that James was that way inclined himself, even though it was he who chaired the Council in Acts 15. I think that Council changed his mind after Paul and Barnabas related all their blessings among the Gentiles. In the last message I mentioned the “much debate” and I would say positions were quite entrenched.
[3]. That meal time in Antioch must have been very disconcerting for the Gentiles. They witnessed hypocrisy and dissention. Not only that but the great Barnabas they knew in the Gospel also walked out as if the Gentiles were inferior. Then the whole Jewish band pulled away. No wonder that Paul was furious with this insincerity.
[4]. Let us recall the special vision God gave to Peter to prepare him to take the gospel to the Gentiles. It was in Acts chapter 10 Peter was commissioned to take the gospel to the Gentiles. Among other things God had to explain to Peter was this – [[Acts 10:15 “And again a voice came to him a second time, “WHAT GOD HAS CLEANSED, NO LONGER CONSIDER UNHOLY.” Especially - Acts 10:28 “And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him, and yet GOD HAS SHOWN ME THAT I SHOULD NOT CALL ANY MAN UNHOLY OR UNCLEAN.” And again - Acts 10:34 “And opening his mouth, Peter said, “I most certainly understand now that GOD IS NOT ONE TO SHOW PARTIALITY.”}}
Even when Peter returned to Jerusalem, those there, these stern, legalistic Jews in the church, the mob who had believed, who came from the Pharisees, took issue with him – [[Acts 11:2-3 “And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”]]
A legalist is one who ignores the evidence and strangles one particular point he has made a hobbyhorse for himself. In that case the great power of God was overlooked by these critics who upbraided Peter because it did not fit their pharisaical ways. I hope on that occasion Peter put them in their place.
Peter should have known better though all those many years later. He was right at the forefront of the whole gospel going to the Gentiles. Peter had been taught of the Lord what was right but hypocrisy took over. Peter became a hypocrite for he went back on what he knew to be the truth. He had no excuse. Sadly he caused others to stumble and that is serious.
There are ways we cause others to stumble, and sometimes we may not even be aware of it. It might be through our way of life or through what is said, or in heated exchanges we have. Ironically, it was this very James who was of this exclusive Jewish faction in the Jerusalem Church who wrote these words – {{James 3:2 “We all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man able to bridle the whole body as well.”}} Yes, we stumble, but don’t cause others to stumble.
[E]. PAUL’S REPRIMAND TO PETER
There was a problem. Peter had caused dissention, uncertainty and confusion. The question arises – <<“How shall this matter be dealt with?”>> Paul could have ignored it; he could have spoken to Peter privately; he could have considered it an aberration; he could address it publicly. He did the latter because the error was a public one and needed public attention.
Some churches have real problems. These problems are false teaching, other errors, misconduct in the church not addressed, moral problems, decisions taken that bring the church into bondage, among other things. How are the issues dealt with? Often they are not resolved and left unaddressed. In some cases, decisions need to be taken in private, especially in the matter of relationships. In others, matters have to be publicly addressed for the whole church has been affected to its detriment. That is particularly so when an error is sweeping the church.
In the case of two unpleasant women Paul asked (possibly) a friend (see next verse) to deal with it privately – {{Philippians 4:2 “I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord.”}} (Someone once used a play on words for these two women and came up with Odious and Soontouchy). Paul and Barnabas split over the matter of John Mark and that was private between them. However in the case of immorality in the church at Corinth, Paul ordered the church to address the issue as a whole. It had to be public.
I hate conflict. I don’t want to be part of it. I wish that the troublemaker would go away and take his conflict with him, rather than to have to deal with it. But sometimes we have to deal with it, especially those who have leadership or oversight positions.
[F]. THE APOSTLE PAUL NOW TAKES CONTROL OF THE SITUATION
{{Galatians 2:14-18 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? We are Jews by nature, and not sinners from among the Gentiles. 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, 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, 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, for if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor,
Galatians 2:19-21 for through the Law I died to the Law that I might live to God. 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. I do not nullify the grace of God for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”
Before we go any further, in spite of what commentaries might say, I believe what Paul said to Peter is what we have in verses 14 to 21 (8 verses). Some may think Paul ended his comments at verse18 and then 19-21 is his summary of the doctrinal position. I don’t think so, but either position does not detract from what God says to us, except the shorter version is a slightly less of a dressing down for Peter.
Paul gave Peter a dressing down, a full on dressing down in fact. That shows us the seriousness of compromise. Paul would never stand for compromise. I think, “Poor Peter”. It was deserved but nevertheless, poor Peter. He often did not get things correct. I really feel for Peter because he is like me in some regard. On Sermon Central, in one of my Series called “The Characters of John’s Gospel” I have a study of Peter in 4 Parts you might like.
When I was forming part of this message a few years ago, I was up early and put the TV on and Dr Michael Youssef was speaking on this very event and he said that if it was not for the tenacity of the Apostle Paul in holding his ground against Peter at Antioch in the matter of the gospel of grace, that it is likely that Christianity as a Gentile salvation could have become irrelevant by the end of the first century. God used Paul because no other was strong or gifted enough to stand against this error, not even Peter. Even the great Barnabas succumbed. We owe Paul much!
[G]. NOW WHAT WAS IT PAUL WAS SAYING TO PETER?
[1]. THE QUESTION. The first thing he did was confront Peter with a question. He was saying, “If you are happy with associating with Gentiles yourself, why are you trying to make the Gentiles conform to Jews? What’s wrong with the Gentiles?”
[2]. Next, Paul was not saying the Gentiles are worse sinners than the Jews (What he says in Romans confirms that), but he was giving the Jewish perspective on all that.
[3]. The crucial and central fact is then addressed. It is Law and Grace. He told Peter no one is justified by the works of the Law (by keeping the Law) but Jew and Gentile can only be justified by faith in Christ Jesus.
[4]. We might be justified but if we are found to be sinners (and we all are), then Christ can’t be found to be a minister of sin. The works of the Law are destroyed because no one can be justified by them, so if we return to the Law (by doing what you, Peter, did) then we are transgressors.
[5]. Paul states his case in the singular case. He died to the Law so that he could properly live for God. As Christ was crucified in order to end the dominion of sin from the Law, then he said that he has been crucified with Christ, so he now lives by faith.
[6]. To cap it all off, the direct statement was made to Peter – IF THE LAW MADE ONE RIGHTEOUS THEN CHRIST’S DEATH WAS A WASTE OF TIME!
[H]. LET US REVISE SO WE TAKE IT IN PROPERLY
What has transpired was so important that it sets the whole foundational teaching on Law and grace. I want to repeat the above summary in a slightly different way so we do not miss the point.
(a). As a Jew Paul is saying that he was condemned by the Law because The Law is perfect and that condemnation resulted in his death. The Lord took that condemnation and died the death the Law required for sin, in His own body. Paul says the he, too, in Christ, is dead now to the Law.
(b). The next verse explains it more fully - he has been crucified with Christ so as Christ died to fulfill the Law so has he, and so has every Jewish Christian, and everyone in fact. The exchange is that we died but we are now alive in Christ. We live our lives in Him. More to the point, He lives his life in us and through us. This is what the gospel of grace is all about. We have been delivered from all penalty to be alive in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no bondage, for the Law brought bondage. Peter’s act was to bring the saints back under the Law and into bondage. It was an awful thing. Paul says that his life is lived by the faith of the Lord. It is all substitution.
(c). The Lord Jesus Christ took the penalty and all the bondage of death. He has now given freedom to live for Him with His own powerful life. This is a life of faith, and lived by faith through the blessed Lord who was delivered up for us. Not only that but He delivered Himself up for us.
(d). Then he delivers the strong conclusion to Peter – if righteousness could be obtained through the Law then Christ died in vain. There would be no such thing as the gospel of grace and we would trample over the grace of God. What Peter had done was to display an ignorant dismissal of God’s grace, even though secretly he must have understood it very well.
[I]. APPLICATIONS FOR CHRISTIANS IN LIVING FOR CHRIST
(a). Don’t allow yourselves to come into bondage by adding anything to the finished work of the Lord. Cherish the grace of the Lord that has bought you out of the slave market of sin and bondage and given you freedom. Be careful of new ideas springing up as some new thing, or new practices or rules or regulations wanting to be brought into churches and denominations.
(b). Be not conceited lest you fall. Even the great Peter fell through the weakness of the old human nature. You will never be better than Peter. Don’t allow yourselves to think you are something great for YOU ARE NOT!
(c). Get to know the whole aspect of the gospel of grace so you know where you stand. Flimsy knowledge is flimsy foundation, and flimsy foundation means collapse.
(d). Be careful of relationships with one another that you nurture them. Pride has no place, nor any ill-feeling in the fellowship. A great curse is your own self worth. Moment by moment, live in dependence on the Lord.
(e). Be very careful how you approach people to deal with a problem. Dealing with conflict can destroy communication and well being. If there is a problem don’t be like a rhinoceros and charge forward crashing headlong into it. Some walk away and pretend there is no problem. Some ignore it all and don’t want to know. Then again some complain to everyone else about it.
Seek the grace of God in dealing with another brother and sister in Chirst. Christ died for them also.
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
