Gal 2:11-21 Living Out the Gospel ES 15 Oct 23 2538
11But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12For 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. 13And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14But 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?”
15We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
17But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.
The Gospel is the revelation of God for the salvation of mankind.
• It is the salvation of man by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
• The person who believes in Christ is freed from the condemnation of sin, forgiven and restored in his standing with God.
• This reconciliation with God brings about a new life. The Holy Spirit dwells in him and enables him to live a life that is holy and righteous.
The Christian may still fall and sin but he is no longer in BONDAGE to sin. And he will not also give LICENSE to sin because he has been transformed by the saving work of Christ.
• That is the Gospel. That is the only Gospel that God has revealed. There is no other Gospel, Paul said in Gal 1.
• Any other additions or subtraction to this message changes the essence of the Gospel and it is NO GOSPEL at all. It is a distortion of the truth.
This is the thrust of Paul’s opening remarks to the Galatians. This understanding is important because it is the only Gospel that saves. There is no other gospel.
• If you hear anyone coming to you and preaching “a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” (1:8)
• Again in 1:9 “If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”
The Gospel was under threat. False teachers had arrived with their own version of the gospel.
• 1:6 “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel…”
• The Galatians were confused and on the verge of turning away from the Gospel, they first heard from Paul and returned to doing the works of the Law.
• The Jewish legalists insisted that new converts have to keep the Law to be saved, including the ceremonial and dietary laws of the Jews.
• In short, you need to be Jewish to be a Christian. They added requirements to the Gospel.
The false teachers were against Paul and what he preaches, hence the need for Paul to respond with this letter. He countered their falsehood or heresy beautifully in the book.
• In the first 2 chapters, Paul established the divine origin of his apostleship, his message and his commission. Let me recap the context:
HIS DIVINE CALLING
• He started by telling them that God had called him to proclaim this message.
• He was called to be an apostle of the Gospel “not from men nor through man but through Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead”. (1:1)
• “And I met Him!” He called me to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles.
• 1:14-16 Paul said he was formerly passionate about Judaism but God “15…who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by His grace, 16was pleased to reveal His Son to me, in order that I might preach Him among the Gentiles…”
HIS DIVINE CONTENT/MESSAGE
• 1:11-13 11For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. 12For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.
• The Gospel was GIVEN to him. It was a REVELATION. He did not make it up! It’s not man’s gospel.” (cf.1:11)
• He was an ex-Judaiser and more zealous than many of his peers. (1:14) “I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.” (1:13)
HIS DIVINE COMMISSION
• So we see his divine calling, his divine message and his divine commission, called to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. God set him apart for this at birth (1:16).
• It was not a self-proclaimed mission. He visited Jerusalem and met with Peter (and also James), the two closest disciples and eyewitnesses of Jesus. (1:19)
• [We can guess what the conversations would be about, for Paul to meet up with the two disciples in those 15 days since he has not seen the earthly Jesus personally.]
Gal 2 tells us after 14 years Paul went down again to Jerusalem with Barnabas and Titus (a Gentile believer who is uncircumcised).
• And the Jerusalem church understood his work and gave him the right hand of fellowship, that Paul “7…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)…” (2:7-8)
So this is the only Gospel they understand and preach – salvation by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. There is no other Gospel.
• Titus, being an uncircumcised believer, was a non-issue to the Jerusalem church.
• No one needs to be Jewish to be a Christian.
We cannot add anything to it or subtract anything from it and not distort it.
• That explains why in today’s passage, Paul has to pen down this very unfortunate event that happened in Antioch.
• To highlight a point that everyone needs to understand. It was necessary because this incident could potentially corrupt the message of the Gospel.
I divided today’s passage into two parts – the CONDUCT and the CRUX of the Gospel.
THE CONDUCT OF THE GOSPEL – 2:11-14
Paul has to rebuke Peter for his hypocritical conduct which confused the people and gave a wrong message about the Gospel.
• The Jews and Gentile believers were in fellowship and Peter was eating with them, sharing meals without concerns about Jewish dietary laws.
• Which was right and good but then the “circumcision party” from Jerusalem came – the name given to refer to the Jews who insisted on circumcising Gentile believers.
Peter was afraid and he changed his behaviour. He “drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.” (2:12).
• No longer would he eat with the Gentile believers. He was afraid of what the “circumcision party” might say about him.
• He wanted to play it safe and seek their approval, or at least, appease them and not offend them.
But his actions would tell another message, a wrong one – that Jewish and Gentile believers are different. His behaviour gives all the wrong signals:
• Are you saying that Jewish believers are superior because they are circumcised and observe dietary laws?
• Are you conveying the message that the Gentile believers ought to keep the Law to be saved or to be accepted into the church?
• Are there two different types of Christians? And two different churches – the Jewish church and the Gentile church?
Unfortunately being a prominent leader, Peter’s conduct was influential. It was not just something personal or private.
• 2:13 “And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.”
• They all followed Peter and succumbed to the pressure. Paul says even Barnabas was led astray tells us the pressure they face in accepting Gentile believers.
• All of them were guilty of behaving hypocritically. They did not walk the talk. They might believe correctly but their actions tell a different story.
Did Peter make an honest mistake? No. Does Peter understand the Gospel? Yes.
• God had already prepared him when he was tasked to go to the house of Cornelius, the Gentile centurion and share the Gospel (Acts 10).
• The Lord showed him a vision of unclean animals and asked him to kill and eat, and said, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” (Acts 10:15).
• God taught him and Peter saw firsthand the salvation of God for the Gentiles.
• Sadly here in Antioch, he was acting contrary to his convictions.
Paul had to confront Peter to his face because of the serious implications of his action.
• It was not done out of pride or arrogance, nor was it personal or political; Paul was not here to prove that he was the better leader.
• It was theological! His concern is given in 2:14 “…their conduct was not in step with the truth of the Gospel” That’s what was at stake - the Gospel!
• The truth of the message has been compromised! It has been distorted by their conduct.
We can identify with Peter’s fear. This was not his first time – we saw how he denied knowing Christ three times even before a maid-servant, after Jesus was arrested.
• No one is immune from situations like this when we are under pressure and fearful when the tide is against us and we find it hard to stand by our convictions.
• Even giants like Peter and Barnabas can succumb to pressure so can we. No one is infallible. We need to be vigilant and discerning, humble and yet brave.
• It would not be easy but we pray for the courage to stand firm, especially when the circumstances are not in our favour.
• The pressure to conform will always be there but we pray that, by God’s grace, we can all stay true to the Gospel in words and actions.
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Paul moved on to talk about the THE CRUX OF THE GOSPEL – 2:15-22
2:15-16 15We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ…
• Paul says even though we may feel privileged to be a Jew and given the Law, our justification before God is the same as anyone else.
• We are all justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law. Even Jews have to be saved through faith in Christ.
• Hence it is foolish to think we can re-establish the Law as the basis of our salvation. By the works of the Law, no one can be justified.
Our justification before God is by faith in Jesus Christ, period. Paul said it 3 times in this one line!
• 2:16 16yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ – GENERAL
• so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law – PERSONAL
• because by works of the law no one will be justified. – UNIVERSAL.
• It applies to everyone, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free; whether we are black, yellow or white, rich or poor.
Paul went on to say in 2:17 17But if, in our endeavour to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin?
• If we seek to be justified through Christ and drop the Law, but end up finding ourselves still sinning, then isn’t Christ an advocate or promoter of sin?
• Paul was likely answering his critics who say that dropping the law is tantamount to lawlessness; giving license for people to sin.
Paul says, “Certainly not! 18For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor.” (2:18)
• If I return to the Law, it can only do one thing – prove that I am a transgressor!
• That’s all it does. Keep the law cannot save me or change me. It can only prove that I am a sinner. Don’t place your faith in the law.
Christ is our answer, our only answer, to a life that is set free from the BONDAGE of sin and set free from the LICENSE of sin.
• In Christ, we will not want to sin. We experience a transformation that comes from our justification by faith in Christ. There is no other way.
Paul went on to describe his transformation in terms of the death and resurrection of Christ, as if he was in Christ when He died and rose again.
• 2:19 19For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.
• 2:20 20I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
• “I live by FAITH in Jesus Christ” who dwells in me and enables me to live like Him.
• My old sinful self has been “crucified with Christ” and died. The self-righteous, self-centred SAUL has died.
• It’s no longer the old SAUL that is living but Christ living through PAUL.
It reminds me of the story about Saint Augustine who was walking down the street and saw his former mistress walking towards him. He bowed his head and walked to the other side. She called out to him, “Augustine! Augustine!”
He did not look up or answer. She called all the more urgently and other passers-by began to notice. “Augustine! Don't you remember me? It is I.”
Finally, he looked up and said, “Yes, I know, but it is no longer I.” He is no longer the old Augustine!
Paul urges the Galatians NOT to turn away FROM faith in Christ and RETURN to placing their faith in the Law.
• 2:21 “…for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”
• We can either trust the Law or we trust Christ. No hybrid, no a bit of this and a bit of that. Grace and the Law are mutually exclusive.
• If the Law is sufficient to make you righteous, then the death of Christ is not needed. He died for no purpose.
Only Christ and Christ alone can save us and change us. That’s the Gospel!
• Anything more or anything less changes it and it ceases to be the Gospel.
• Don’t miss the next few Sundays because the following texts will explain more.
If you have not placed your trust in Jesus Christ, I hope you will consider it seriously.
• There is no way we can know God and return to Him apart from Christ.
• For “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
• Pray for the Lord to work in your mind and heart to bring about faith and conviction.
Conclusion - The takeaway from this passage?
• GUARD THE MESSAGE WE BELIEVE
- Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
- Stand firm in the truth and fear not the opinions of men.
• WATCH THE MESSAGE WE GIVE
- Watch our conduct and consider the implications of our actions.
- Conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ.
Prayer:
In all circumstances, Lord, help us to respond with humility and wisdom so that people will come to know the truth of the Gospel. Strengthen us, Lord, so that we do not fear the opinions of men but seek to please You in every way.
May our conduct be a good testimony of your truth and love, and points people to you and not push them from you.
This we pray, in Jesus’ name, we pray, AMEN.
You can see the video sermon with slides at https://youtu.be/iwAJkxWd2Q0?si=RAUq4rVIHeN3AkNE
Earlier sermons are available at https://tinyurl.com/KTCC-EnglishService
