May 21, 2001
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June 10 Lesson
The law is no substitute for God's bountiful grace
___Galatians 2:11-21
___11When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. 12Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
___14When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?
___15"We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' 16know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.
___17"If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! 18If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker. 19For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"
___By Don Guthrie
___Galatians 2:11-21 is one of the most dramatic episodes in the New Testament. In an effort to answer his critics and to defend the gospel, Paul tells the story of a tense and dangerous confrontation that took place years earlier with the Apostle Peter over the same issues.
___It is a perfect illustration. Since his opponents claimed he was not a real apostle, this story proves he related to Peter as an equal. Since his accusers claimed he was mistaken about Jewish legal observances, this story allows him to reflect on the reasons that gave him courage to correct Peter in public.
___As shocking as it is to witness the head-to-head collision of two Christian leaders, this story is evidence of the value of Christian confrontation. Never an easy task, Paul models for us the courage necessary to confront (even friends) when the gospel is at stake.
___Confrontation is Christ-like
___Contrary to popular opinion, Jesus himself was capable of strong public disagreement. It is a mistake to think of the Lord as soft. He was, at times, a formidable opponent who spoke unapologetic truth to his enemies.
___Not long ago, I was watching television with my son, Alex. It was Easter week. We were watching one of the many "Jesus" movies that are broadcast during that season. During the show, I occasionally said to Alex, "That didn't really happen" as I noted places Hollywood had taken liberty with the biblical story.
___After a few minutes, the scene changed to the day Christ cleansed the Temple, Matthew 21:12-13. The movie portrayed accurately the Lord making a whip of cords and forcing the money-changers and venders from the Temple area. To my surprise, Alex turned to me and said, "That didn't happen."
___The trouble is it did happen, and no one had told Alex. Jesus was tender at times, but he also could be very tough.
___Cowardice
___It is almost impossible for the modern reader to appreciate the level of resentment and distrust associated with Gentile/ Jewish relationships in the ancient world. Even though a tense compromise had been reached in Jerusalem, social contact was forbidden by Jewish law.
___Was it permissible for Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians to eat together? Could Christ bring together these two people groups who had so long been traditional enemies? The details were still to be settled.
___The church at Antioch was a test case. From the start, mixed membership (Jewish and Gentile) had made Antioch a progressive congregation. Having no traditions to overturn, they had (from the first day) allowed and encouraged Jews and Gentiles to eat together and relate as equals. Antioch was a model of racial harmony; a testimony in a deeply divided world.
___When the Apostle Peter visited this dynamic fellowship, he gladly participated in these joint meals.
___Peter had a long history with this issue. In Acts 10, God told Peter to "rise and eat" food that formerly had been forbidden. Peter had heard Jesus declare the food laws were now set aside, Mark 7:19. Reluctantly, but obediently, Peter had eventually been able to overcome his dietary scruples and fully accept Gentiles as brothers.
___If Peter was a rock, however, he was a wobbly one! When visitors came from Jerusalem, Peter began to waver and withdraw from Gentile fellowship. The Bible says these visitors "came from James," verse 12. They may or may not have had James' approval or knowledge of their actions. They were, however, appalled at what they saw and critical of the Jews who were being disobedient to their heritage. The impact on Peter was to make him afraid (note verse 12, "fearing the party of the circumcision").
___Perhaps he feared rejection. Perhaps he caved in to their criticism. Perhaps he feared the rumors and subsequent loss of influence in Jerusalem. Whatever it was, the apostle who once fearlessly faced the unbelievers and preached at Pentecost was now reduced to a coward by the threat of scorn from legalistic brothers.
___Peter's decision also impacted others. Even Barnabas was influenced, and the Antioch church soon felt the divisive influence of racial discrimination. Jews ate with Jews. Gentiles ate with Gentiles.
___Scholars disagree on the chronology of the Galatian letter. Some believe Paul's confrontation with Peter took place before the Jerusalem council. They find it unlikely Peter would be so definite in his beliefs at the council, Acts 15, and then soon abandon them. Others, however, think Peter may have conceded later (under pressure) that Jewish Christians ought to continue to observe Jewish laws even if it had the effect of dividing the church.
___Most of our opportunities to be courageous come in ordinary moments. Most challenges to our faith come in private moments when we are forced to quickly decide whether we will behave based on what we believe or concede to the pressure of our critics. Cowardice is a sin. James would later write, "To him who knows what to do and does it not, it is a sin," James 4:17.
___Confrontation
___Paul's decision to confront Peter was not an easy one. Since Peter's compromise had been out in the open, it was necessary for the censure to be public. No one likes confrontation! The same people who were intimidating Peter also were pressuring Paul. The fact that years later Paul still is battling these same opponents reminds us of the high cost of this decision.
___None of us should be naïve that truth-telling is popular or easy. No doubt Paul was burdened with his affection for Peter and sincerely desired not to embarrass or offend him.
___"When I saw," verse 14, suggests it took some time for Paul to realize what was taking place. Likely, Peter never publicly announced his change of heart. Without fanfare or explanation, he began to decline invitations to Gentile homes, and eventually Paul realized what was happening.
___The stakes were too high to remain silent. "Mind your own business" is the motto of the modern generation rather than the spirit of the Scripture. When Paul saw Peter's example would have a destructive effect on the church, he acted with courage. Part of the damage of Peter's action was to put pressure on the Gentiles. In verse 14 Paul says, "Why do you compel these to live like Jews?"
___The suggestion is the secret motive of the Judaizers was to coerce or pressure the Gentiles in observing the law by making them feel inferior if they didn't. Peter had to be confronted because unconsciously his actions aided the Judaizers in coercing people to comply with their wishes.
___The courage to confront is rare. Most of us are too cowardly to face problems in person. Often we opt for gossip or private criticism. Sometimes we get angry and withdraw affection, but the person never knows what the issues are.
___Not Paul! In an open forum (not to embarrass but in order to confront), Paul raised the issue and challenged Peter to be true to his own convictions.
___Conviction
___Paul's argument is complicated. From verse 14 to verse 21, he speaks to Peter and then reflects on the same issues. It is hard to know where the exact quote ends. His basic idea is clear, however. None of the Jews ever found life in legal requirements. "We know," he says in verse 16, "that no man is justified by works of the law!" (Justified means to be set right with God, legally and spiritually.)
___All of us know the same thing. Going to church, reading the Bible, giving money to the poor can never change the heart. We may feel better for awhile, but if we are angry, selfish or afraid when we go to church, before long we will be angry, selfish and afraid again.
___Only God can make our hearts right, and he did that on the cross. Paul continues, "If we (as Jews) found by our own experience that our works could have no power to make us right and, therefore, abandoned these works in order to trust Christ and be saved, why would we now ask the Gentiles to go back and pick up a system that never worked for us?"
___Two separate systems of religion always have existed: One focuses on what a person must do; the other focuses on what God has done. The Christian faith rests on the work of God, accomplished on the cross and received by faith. That was Paul's point to Peter.
___Commitment
___At this point, Paul wisely switches from the "we" pronoun to the "I" pronoun, verses 18 and following. Testimony is a powerful tool. Sometimes when we cannot persuade other people, we can, at least, clarify our own resolve. Paul says the real mistake would be to go back.
___In verse 18, he says, "I prove myself a transgressor if I rebuild what I once destroyed." To go back would mean that I was wrong when I left it or wrong now to return. Paul was determined not to go back to the works of the law as a basis to salvation.
___"I have been crucified with Christ," he says in verse 20. Just as death is irreversible in the body, so faith is an irreversible step in the soul. Paul was resolved to live this new life even if he was criticized for it.
___By using Peter's old name (Cephas in Greek, verses 11 and 14), Paul may have been warning Peter he had slipped back into a former life. All of us benefit from a similar reminder!
___Even though Christ has given us a new life by faith, it may still be taken from us if we allow our freedom to be replaced with fear and the frail effort of legalism.
___Paul closes his argument with the clear logic that serves as the central verse of the whole letter. "I do not (I will not, I refuse to do it) nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died needlessly," verse 21.
___If people can be saved by their own efforts, the cross was an act of unnecessary courage.
___Paul refused to believe it. We should, too!
___From this commitment came the courage to confront Peter. May God give us similar strength.
For thought and discussion
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