Galatians 2

Galatians 2:1-5

After fourteen years of spreading this gospel of the "grace and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ" (Galatians 1:3), the Apostle Paul "went up again to Jerusalem" (Galatians 2:1). This time he went accompanied by Barnabas (Galatians 2:1), who was a Jewish believer - "a Levite of the country of Cyprus" (Acts 4:36). He also took Titus (Galatians 2:1) with them, who was a Greek believer (Galatians 2:3).

The Apostle Paul says he "went up by revelation" (Galatians 2:2). This reference to a revelation may have been the revelation through Agabus when he "stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world" (Acts 11:28), to which the disciples responded with the sending of relief "to the brethren dwelling in Judea" (Acts 11:29), and also "to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul" (Acts 11:30). Whether Apostle Paul is referring to this revelation, or to a separate revelation by which God may have made clear to him a need to address the elders in Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit led him to communicate to them that gospel which he preached "among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation (Galatians 2:2). He did so for fear that somehow, he "might run, or had run, in vain" (Galatians 2:2).

For Paul to have run in vain, it would have meant the gospel (of grace and peace through the mercy of God) had been rejected by those who had fallen prey to the false gospel of salvation by the works of the law. As Apostle Paul said in Romans 9:16, "it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy." He points this out because this is the very thing the Galatian churches are facing. As he later states, "You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?" (Galatians 5:7). Therefore, Apostle Paul says to the Galatian churches, referencing this visit in Jerusalem, "not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised" (Galatians 2:3).

So, the false gospel, of salvation by keeping of the law, did not come from any of the faithful apostles. It came neither from the Apostle Paul nor from the servants of the true faith who were in Jerusalem. It came from "false brethren" (Galatians 2:4). They are mentioned in Acts where "certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question" (Acts 15:1-2). This is more likely to be the revelation Apostle Paul was referring to in Galatians 2:2. These men were not only spreading a false gospel; they were intentional in their effort of bringing Christians into legalistic bondage. As Paul said, they were brought in secretly "by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage" (Galatians 2:4).

Apostle Paul tells the Galatians that for the sake of the churches they "did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you" (Galatians 2:5). Yet, very much unlike the church in Colosse of whom he said he gave "thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel" (Colossians 1:3-5), this letter from the Apostle Paul to the Galatian churches discloses that he marvels that they "are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ" (Galatians 1:6).

Galatians 2:6-10

In view of the abundant provision of grace given to everyone who comes to God through Jesus Christ, Apostle Paul says, "God shows personal favoritism to no man" (Galatians 2:6). In fact, the only thing that matters is the truth of the gospel. He refers to men such as "James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars" (Galatians 2:9) and says, "those who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me" (Galatians 2:6). The apostle Paul was in no way inferior to the other apostles and elders. As he said, "those who seemed to be something added nothing to me" (Galatians 2:6). In other words, the Christian leaders at Jerusalem were in complete agreement with the gospel he preached among the Gentiles which during his visit to Jerusalem he "communicated to them" (Galatians 2:2), which was: "Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Galatians 1:3-5). Yet, the present evil age was still knocking on the doors of the church to bring the believers back into the bondage of legalism.

Rather than having anything to add to the Apostle Paul, when the Christian elders at Jerusalem "saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed" to him, just "as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter" (Galatians 2:7), with the Holy Spirit working effectively by grace in both ministries as mentioned in Galatian 2:8, James, Cephas, and John "who seemed to be pillars" (Galatians 2:9) gave Paul "and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship" (Galatians 2:9) that Paul and Barnabas "should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised" (Galatians 21:9). Those who Paul said seemed to be pillars desired that Paul and Barnabas "should remember the poor" (Galatians 2:10), but even in this they added nothing to Paul because the Holy Spirit's grace through Paul had already made this the very thing which he "also was eager to do" (Galatians 2:10). This is to say, it is the will of God, in His great mercy and grace, for the poor to be remembered among both the Jews and the Gentiles.

Galatians 2:11-13

The severity of the Apostle Paul's message to the churches of Galatia is seen in his account of Peter's arrival to Antioch where Paul "withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed" (Galatians 2:11). The fact that Paul would address Peter in this way shows the churches that the Apostle Paul was truly in no way inferior to the other apostles and elders. More importantly, it addressed what Apostle Paul was telling the churches regarding the grace and peace which comes from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. "God shows personal favoritism to no man" (Galatians 2:6). Since God considered the Gentiles to be worthy of salvation along with the Jews through the sacrifice of His Son, "even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:8). Peter's hypocrisy is put on display here so that the churches would understand that the Apostle Paul "did not yield submission even for an hour" (Galatians 2:5) to anyone who would "pervert the gospel of Christ" (Galatians 1:7), that the truth of the gospel might continue with you" (Galatians 2:5).

Peter's hypocrisy is seen in the fact that "before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision" (Galatians 2:12). Peter's fear of the legalistic Jews led to this compromise of the gospel. The Apostle Paul's actions here were in keeping with what he said to the believers in Rome, "For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15). His actions are also in line with the Holy Spirit's message through the Apostle John where he said, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:8). However, here we see that neither Peter nor the rest of the Jews were operating in the love of God. Peter failed to honor the gospel, "and the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy" (Galatians 2:13).

Galatians 2:14-21

In Galatians 2:14 Apostle Paul makes it clear that his concern was for "the truth of the gospel," for which he exposed Peter before them all saying, "If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?" (Galatians 2:14). The point the Apostle Paul was making to the churches in Galatia regarding the true gospel which they had received from him is found in his statement to Peter when Apostle Paul said, "We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified" (Galatians 2:15-16).

The Apostle Paul corrected Peter before all the hypocritical Christian Jews, and he wanted the Galatian churches to grasp this as well; that Christ is not a minister of sin. Should those who come to trust Christ do so with the only result of their Christianity being ongoing sin? To this Apostle Paul says, "Certainly not!" (Galatians 2:17). However, that is the result of anyone who would "build again those things" (Galatians 2:18) which have been destroyed, referring to the false gospel of salvation through the law. Such an individual makes himself what Apostle Paul is explaining to be "a transgressor" (Galatians 2:18). The Apostle Paul uses himself as the example of all Jewish Christians who "through the law died to the law" that they "might live to God" (Galatians 2:19). True Jewish Christians, whether in Jerusalem, in Galatia, or anywhere else in the world for that matter, are able to say what Apostle Paul said in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ; 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 gave Himself for me." Gentile believers are able to say the same thing as the Jews, because this is the confession of the believer unto the salvation of God through Jesus Christ. As Apostle Paul said in Romans 10:10, "For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

Paul continues to state to the Jews who fell into the false gospel the very thing they too should be confessing along with him; that through the law, Christian Jews "died to the law" that they "might live to God" (Galatians 2:19); that they (as well as Gentile believers) "have been crucified with Christ" and they no longer live, "but Christ lives" in them; "and the life" which "they now live in the flesh" they "live by faith in the Son of God, who loved" them "and gave Himself for" them (Galatians 2:20).

The Apostle Paul's heart for the Jews is seen through all of this. As he said in Romans 11:13-14, "I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them." His effectiveness is seen in the words of the Apostle Peter which he wrote over a decade later. Apostle Peter said, "Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him" (2 Peter 3:15). So, still making himself the example for the sake of the true gospel to all, Apostle Paul finally says exactly what the churches of Galatia, as well as the Jews at Antioch at the time of this confrontation needed to hear. The hope was that they too might take their stance, as the Apostle Peter obviously did, regarding the true gospel of the grace and peace given to us all, which comes from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. To this end the Apostle Paul said, "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain” (Galatians 2:2).

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