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Comments on Galatians 2.

Paul in Galatians 2 defends his apostolic authority and, warned by the revelation of God, writes of traveling to Jerusalem with Barnabus and Titus. All had been witnesses of the Holy Spirit given unto the uncircumcised Gentiles who were saved by faith alone free from the bondage of the law. False apostles and those in authority were confounded by Paul’s teaching of justification by faith and sought to pervert it by placing the works of the law above and before faith in Christ. The chief apostles, James, Peter and John, approved and commended Paul and extended to him “the right hands of fellowship”.

For the cause of God and truth, Paul writes of reprimanding Peter for falling into error. By word and deed, Peter had been rightly teaching the Gentiles justification by faith, but when the circumcised Jewish Christians came, Peter drew away and separated himself from the Gentile Christians because he feared offending the circumcised Jews. Paul was appalled by Peter’s dissembling and rebuked him. He saw that Peter’s hypocrisy was a stumbling block to Barnabus and others, who were being led astray in the matter of justification by observing a man of Peter’s standing and reputation mix faith in Christ with observance of the law.

Paul concludes with an appeal to the doctrine of Christ and justification by faith. He restates the folly of seeking justification through the law but warns us thereby not to misconstrue justification by faith as encouraging and allowing for sin. The old man is dead to the moral and ceremonial law and is crucified with Christ, but the new man is alive to Christ’s grace and love and is newly animated by living a nobler and higher life for God. Paul’s last sentence in Chapter 2 concludes with the stunning statement that if justification by faith is not true, then Christ died in vain and his sacrifice was for naught.

Verse 1 – Ref. Galatians 1:18: Paul travels to Jerusalem with Barnabus and Titus after fourteen years from the time of his conversion.

1) This length of time on his own with no dependence on the apostles shows his authority in propagating pure Christianity—he was trusted, not questioned by the other apostles;

2) Barnabus (chosen by Christians at Antioch to be Paul’s companion);

3) Titus (chosen because he was a Gentile and uncircumcised, newly converted to Christian faith, a preacher—he was living proof that the doctrine of justification by faith and the practice of it were one and the same).

Verse 2 – Paul was summoned by revelation and direction from God.

1) Paul uses prudence in proclaiming the gospel “privately” to the apostles and not to whole church because (Ref. Acts 21:20) there were multitudes of believers who were zealous for the law—and he wanted to make sure the doctrine was approved of and in absolute agreement with those in greatest authority;

2) Paul uses caution “lest he should run or had run, in vain”—he didn’t want to stir up opposition so that his past labors prove unprofitable or his future usefulness obstructed.

Verse 3 - Paul was resolute and principled, he would NOT impose circumcision on Titus. At the same time he would not force Jews to abandon circumcision as long as it was done in freedom of conscience.

Verse 4 - False brothers came in (into their company, into the church body) to “spy out our freedom”—to scrutinize whether Paul would stand true to and defend freedom from ceremonial law.

1) Note how Satan’s children do everything under a cover (cloak) of darkness lest they be found out. (Ref. Matt. 10:26) “…for nothing is covered that will not be revealed,..” But Christians are called to be the children of light: (Ref. Luke 11:33-36) “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.” Note in verse 11 that Paul opposes Peter “to his face”.

2) If they had convinced Paul and the other apostles to have Titus circumcised, this would have ushered in Gentile circumcision and brought the Gentiles under the bondage of the law. Note: A little leaven affects (spoils) the whole loaf.

Verse 5 - Paul was determined to preserve and keep pure the truth of the gospel and would not yield even for one instance or moment. He would not allow for the tainting of the truth (a little leaven); to mix the truth with the law would have meant its corruption.

1) Circumcision is in itself a neutral thing—in some cases Paul gives way to it (Ref. Acts 16:3) as in the case of Timothy. This is no compromise of principle. But when circumcision is insisted upon as necessary (as a matter of conscience), it becomes a compromise of principle, a betrayal of truth.

Verse 6 – Refers to James, Peter and John (the “influential”, the “somewhat”):

1) These apostles may have seemed to have a superior position to Paul, having been disciples of Christ and having known Christ in the flesh. They were disciples before Paul, even as Paul was still a persecutor of Christians. But all of that mattered not to Paul—for God shows no partiality—the disciples added nothing to him: Paul knew what he knew by revelation of Christ—this was his great assurance and confidence.

Verse 7, 8, 9 – The other apostles were thoroughly convinced of Paul’s divine mission, that the same One who had given Peter his commission to the circumcised gave Paul his to the Gentile. So they gave Barnabus and him the right hand of fellowship, a symbol of their equality with him. Their meeting ends in harmony and agreement.

Verse 11, 12 – Antioch was chief among churches of Gentile Christian, as was Jerusalem chief among the Jewish Christians.

1) Peter’s fault: Peter WELL KNEW the doctrine of justification by faith (Ref. Acts 10 – the story of Cornelius and Peter’s vision: call nothing “common or unclean”) Peter was not ignorant of the doctrine. Yet when Jewish Christians from Jerusalem came, he withdrew from the Gentiles in order to uphold the reputation of circumcision and the law among the Jewish Christians.

2) That’s the message for us all: after accepting Christ, we tend to fall back into the flesh of false doctrines, idol worship, hypocrisy.

3) Note: The apostles were not saints—even Paul was once blinded to the truth. If Peter and Paul can fall, I can fall too. But if Peter and Paul can rise again, I can too--we all have the self-same spirit of grace and power.

Verse 13 – The other Jews also dissembled causing even Barnabus to stumble as they observed Peter’s example.

1) The weakness and inconstancy of the BEST OF MEN—how easily they stumble and fall away from God out of an overzealous desire to please men and not God.

2) The great force of bad example, especially from those of great honor and reputation. Note: It is much easier to excuse your own falling away when a great and honorable man has preceded you.

3) Paul ROSE UP to defend his principles when other faltered—his singleminded desire was to magnify and use his office as apostle of the Gentiles to protect them from deception and discouragement.

Verse 14 – Peter’s conduct was in contradiction with itself—he compels the Gentile to live as the Jew not by force but by implication. Paul will have none of it. He reproves Peter for mixing up works of the law with justification by faith.

Verse 15, 16,17 – Paul is saying that as Jews who are born into the law, they know that they must be justified by faith in Jesus and not by works of the law. Does Christ then give them liberty to sin if they embrace justification by faith and not law? No, says Paul, for God would not lead them into a defective doctrine that gives encouragement to sin.

1) - (Ref. Hebrews 10:26—those who knowingly sin because they think all they’ve got to do is repent, will reserve a double portion of punishment from God.)

2) To establish the law is to abolish the gospel. But the law cannot be discarded either, for the law is EMBEDDED in the operations of this world of flesh. We cannot escape it in the flesh. The law is a mirror that tells us we need to clean up, or a speed limit sign that tells us we’re going too fast. God’s law is a good thing, but obeying it will not save you. It’s role is to point you to Christ by humbling and terrifying you concerning the truth of your sinful nature, which man does not naturally comprehend or acknowledge. Only through faith in Christ Jesus are we justified and that not by anything we do, but by His unmerited favor of Grace.

3) Note: Can there even BE an argument for justification by works when considering the thief on the cross?

Verse 18 - Paul argues against going back to build up what they have worked so hard to tear down (justification by works). If it is folly to build back up what they worked so hard to tear down, isn’t it even more foolhardy to lead the Gentile into the law that the Gentile has not known and has never been troubled or burdened by? If I do so, says Paul, I make myself liable to the charge of deceit and prevarication and acting inconsistently.

Verse 19, 20 – Through the law, Paul says, “I am dead to the law”.

1) Paul means that his “spiritual man” is dead to the law—the “flesh” cannot be dead to the law for God’s law is embedded in the operation of the world of flesh. The gospel justifies in heaven (conscience); the law justifies on earth (flesh). Paul has followed the law to the end of its road and he has died to all hope of justification by law for no one can perform the law perfectly and obediently.

2) One must accept God’s saving Grace to be dead to the law and alive to God. But regeneration is the source of faith, given by the grace of God, not earned by man. In the heart of the unregenerate, even faith can become a work, i.e., the error in thinking that if one can only muster from the depths of one’s heart enough “faith”, one can meet the condition of salvation.

3) The law places “I” firmly in my life—what “I” have done, what “I” can do, what “I” will do. Faith places “Christ” firmly in my life, what “Christ” has done for me.

Verse 20 – Paul’s deduction is (must be) that Christ died for nothing if justification is through the law. And if Christ died for nothing, then Christianity is a lie.

This page was prepared by Diane Ottlinger and expresses her understanding on the subject and not necessarily that of the Bible Dialog Institute.

Library

These links may lead to reliable and unreliable information. Use your own judgment to evaluate all pages.

Justification http://www.gracesermons.com/robbeeee/justification.html http://www.bible.org/docs/theology/soter/regen.htm http://www.immanuelchurch.com/sermons/2001/052001.htm http://www.grebeweb.com/linden/justification.html http://www.graceonlinelibrary.org/theology/full.asp?ID=92

Sanctification http://www.angelfire.com/fl4/heritageherald/cure18.html http://www-students.biola.edu/~jay/theo-sanctification.html

Luther on Galatians: Martin Luther said of Galatians, "This is my epistle, I am wedded to it." Luther A , Luther B, Luther C, Luther D, Luther E, Luther F, Luther G.

Commentaries: Note 1, Note 2, Note 3, Note 4, Note 5, Note 6, Note 7, Note 8, Note 9, Note 10, Note 11.

Other courses: Course A, Course B, Course C, Course D, Course E, Course F, Course G.

Course Instructor: R. Klimes, DMin.