Gal 2:11-21[1]
20 June 2010, Rolling Hills Church
I want to address two centers, two questions, and the central theme of the book, the one thing to rejoice in.
In the grand scheme of things, it may seem small to us that Peter and Paul were equals as apostles, as preachers of the gospel sent out by Jesus Christ to take the gospel to the nations. But to the churches made up of mostly Gentile believers in the cities of Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, and Antioch of Pisidia, it was crucial. And truth be told, it IS crucial to us today; that's why God had this story recorded for us, and why we have this good gospel book of Galatians. So here is the message from this text today: Don't look back, don't rebuild; you are dead to all that. Rejoice in the righteousness you have by faith in Christ alone!
Gal 2:11-21
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.
12 For 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.
13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.
14 But 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?"
15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners;
16 yet 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.
17 But 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!
18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor.
19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.
20 I 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.
21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.
Two centers of early church Christianity: Antioch and Jerusalem. Location is critical here to the background of this issue and of this confrontation.
Jerusalem was the early HQ of the Jewish branch of the Christian church. It was where the temple was, where David ruled, and where Judaism was centered literally for centuries before Jesus died and rose again there. It was where the Apostles received the Holy Spirit and began preaching Jesus as the Christ, the Lord and Savior. Many Jews converted to faith in Christ there in that great city and founded the church there. Many law-abiding Jews had come to faith in Christ there, and it had not been such an issue to emphatically divorce the law from faith in Christ; He was, after all, the fulfillment of the sacrifices given under the law, right?
Antioch of Syria was the early HQ of the Gentile branch of the Christian church. It was where
What united these two Christian churches is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Not much else could bring these two cultures together. Jews arrogantly disdained the Gentiles as fodder for hell, lost sinners who deserved what they would get; Gentiles reveled in debauchery and idolatry, and disdained the foolish Jews, their morals, their law, and their God. Christ saved both of them, and made them one in Him.
There were many differences in these cultures, but Christ saved folks from both. Peter came from the Jerusalem/Jewish culture to visit and worship with the Antioch/Gentile culture, and he enjoyed good meals, fellowship, and life with them – until some Jewish guys from Jerusalem came down to visit. Then he pulled back from the Gentiles, and went back to a measure of Jewish ritual and separation. So…
How can one die to the law through the law? 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. Answer:
The law makes us aware of our sinfulness. One can be led to evidence of their need for God through the law. When we read the law and see that we have broken God's law – and when we believe that God's wrath is on everyone who has broken that law – we see our sinfulness. Let's just turn there and look at a couple of examples. Ex 20…
12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
13 "You shall not murder.
14 "You shall not commit adultery.
15 "You shall not steal.
Now have you ever once not honored your father?
Have you ever, even once, been angry enough to wish for someone's death?
Have you ever looked upon a man or a woman to lust after him or her?
Have you ever stolen one thing – in your entire life?
Paul had, and he had been led to believe that he could still be justified by doing works of the law, by zealous growth in knowledge, and by adding new ways to obey the law. But when He saw Christ, the gospel in the Scriptures suddenly became clear to him; only by faith in Christ, the one the law foreshadowed, could a man be made right with God. More on that in chapter three.
One cannot then be saved by keeping that law, for no one does it perfectly.
So the law proves that we are law breakers; and the law proves that we need a Savior from God's wrath! So Paul, having believed in Christ alone for justification, had died to any hope of being saved by keeping the law. The law points to our sin and death, and it points us to Christ and life as well. Thus, "For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God." Now that we have that settled, let's ask another question that comes from v 11-14…
What is the big deal!? I mean, to rebuke a fellow apostle in front of everybody – that's huge. It IS gigantic, after all: the question in v. 17 proves it. "But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin?" But v. 14 already gave us the essence of the problem: "…their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel". The NAS said "they weren't being straightforward about the truth of the gospel". That's the big deal; the gospel is being perverted by their actions, specifically Peter's actions.
The big deal is perverting the gospel. This, of course, is the big deal in the whole book of Galatians. Either it's right and we believe Christ and are saved, or we are lost regardless of our faith. It is right, and we must believe the gospel and hold fast to it!
The big deal is the work of Christ and the place of the law. You see, looking back to the law, rebuilding what was proven faulty brings the work of Christ into question to the church AND to the world!
The big deal is the influence of Peter's leadership. Hypocrisy always hurts a church, but hypocrisy in its leadership is magnified through visibility and status, so it's negative influence is magnified. So Paul addressed it to his face, in public – as he later taught the church to do if necessary. 1 Tim 5:20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. So this is why it was such a big deal, and still is today. Now let's look at what can be a tough question that Paul brings out with a sentence.
Peter looked back to Jerusalem, to Judaism. So Paul shook him with a stern, public rebuke. You see, Paul wanted all in step with the gospel. This is what Paul then emphasizes:
Grace comes through faith alone in Christ alone.
Paul was justified by faith, and Paul lived by faith. 20 I 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.
This is not only the model given, (testimonial writing, I, I, I), but the message given as well here! In the context of this book it is not just 'here's how I do it', but it is the very heart of the message; we have received Christ by faith and we must continue to depend on, believe in, live by, and follow Christ by faith. The law – being circumcised to identify with keeping the law – didn't save the Jews, it didn't save me, a very dedicated law-abiding Jew, and it won't save the Gentiles.
So the simple message is that Peter shouldn't look back, he shouldn't rebuild; neither should any Jew look to anything or anyone to save them but Christ, and His shed blood alone.
Thus the simple message to this Galatian group of churches is the theme of the book; we receive grace from God by faith alone in Christ alone, and not by any works of the law. So don't be swayed toward that; remain steadfast in your faith in Christ only!
Now what do we gain from this passage? It depends, on some questions we need to answer:
- Do you believe that you will stand before God one day to be judged? You will; you're fooling yourself if you don't.
- Do you believe anything you have done (or will do) can make you justified before this terrible, holy, loving God? If you think that you can escape His wrath by any other way than the shed blood of Christ being applied to your life, you are sadly, grievously mistaken. Your life answers this question, not your words.
- Do you have any hope in any religious experience, feeling, ritual, or event to save you, or do you have a faith in Christ alone to save you? If you are retaining any measure of hope in any religious works of your own, you are not crucified with Christ! Here is how you can know;
o Do you live daily by faith in Jesus Christ?
o Are you consciously aware of the Holy Spirit's conviction?
o Do you often repent of sin?
o Are you bearing fruit that reflects the work and character of Christ?
o Are You convinced by the Holy Spirit that You are God's child?
o Is your faith evidenced in love for and obedience to Jesus?
If you can't answer a hearty 'yes' in your heart, your inner man to these questions, you might not be saved. You might be mixing your faith with law, or with some other failed ingredient. I beg you today, to repent of your sin and to believe in Christ alone for your salvation. It is time to turn from your foolish sin, your death-directed life, to faith in the One who died for you out of love!
Here is how God describes those justified by faith in Christ alone.
Justified.
Righteous.
Saved.
Power of sin broken on that cross.
Grace.
Loved.
Sonship.
Forgiveness.
Acceptance.
Power.
Purpose.
Life.
Heaven.
So church family…
Don't look back to what you thought would save you; it couldn't.
Don't rebuild what you hoped would reach heaven; it didn't.
Rejoice that you have been justified by faith in Christ alone.
Don't nullify the grace of God.
It is critical that we get it right, that we live it right – in step with the gospel – and that we preach it right as we make disciples, plant churches, and advance the one true gospel around the world. Let's pray…
[1] All Scripture, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (via E-Sword Software) © 2001 Crossway Publishing. All Rights Reserved
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