In Chapter 2 Paul again reminds the Galatians that the gospel he preached to them from the start is the only true gospel of faith in Christ Jesus alone and not salvation by the works of the law from which Christ has set us free!
The false teachers that had crept into the Galatian Church were trying to put the Church back into the bondage of the law, the laws that no man could keep. In other words, the false teachers were trying to mix in legalism with the gospel!
The major point of concern to Paul here was that these false teachers were insisting that the gentiles were to first be circumcised before they could receive their salvation in Christ Jesus, being born again! This is a perverted gospel which is no gospel at all! It is a perverted gospel and all it does is put man back into bondage and return them to the slavery of sin instead of freedom in Christ Jesus!
Man is saved by faith in Christ Jesus alone and by no other name and by not other means!
Acts 4:11-12 (NIV)
11 Jesus is
“‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the cornerstone.’[Psalm 118:22]
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Paul Defends the Gospel
1Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. 2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain.
In verse one above Paul tells the Galatian churches that after preaching the gospel for 14 years outside of Jerusalem and outside the sphere of the Council in Jerusalem, he returned to Jerusalem and took Barnabas, a Jewish believer, and Titus, a gentile believer, with him.
In verse two he tells us that the reason for his return to Jerusalem was by divine revelation and while he was there, he told some of the apostles privately (not in public) about the gospel that he preaches to the Gentiles. He does this to assure the Galatians that the Jerusalem church leaders and he were of one mind, particularly as far as the true gospel of faith in Christ Jesus alone goes!
The revelation that Paul refers to when he says in verse two, “by revelation” is more than likely the prophecy by Agabus spoken of in Acts 11.
Acts 11:27-30 (NKJV)
27 And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. 29 Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. 30 This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
This prophecy resulted in Paul’s second return to Jerusalem to take famine relief to the Church in Judea, and Paul used this opportunity to make sure that he and the Jerusalem Council were on the same gospel page – Jesus Christ and Him crucified!
1 Corinthians 2:1-2 (AMP)
And when I came to you, brothers and sisters, proclaiming to you the testimony of God [concerning salvation through Christ], I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom [no lofty words of eloquence or of philosophy as a Greek orator might do]; 2 for I made the decision to know nothing [that is, to forego philosophical or theological discussions regarding inconsequential things and opinions while] among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified [and the meaning of His redemptive, substitutionary death and His resurrection].
3 Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. 4 And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), 5 to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
To emphasise his point that under the new covenant of faith in Christ Jesus no one has to follow the law of Moses, he tells the Galatians and ultimately all believers that when they (Paul, Barnabas and Titus) were with the church leaders in Jerusalem no one was even compelled to be circumcised, not even Titus who was a Gentile!
This effectively meant that the false teachers and prophets who had infiltrated the Galatian churches were not operating on instructions from the church leaders in Jerusalem but on their own perverted beliefs! The beliefs of man!
This false teaching was being brought in to rob the Church of their freedom in Christ Jesus so that the believers would be brought back into bondage once more. At no point is the Church to be in submission to any kind of false teaching – the truth of the gospel of faith in Christ Jesus must continue – it is the only route to salvation!
6 But from those who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me. 7 But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter 8 (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles), 9 and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.
In verse 6 – 10 above, Paul informs us that the Church leaders in Jerusalem, James, Peter (Cephas) and John could add nothing to the message that Paul was preaching to the Gentiles and confirmed and recognised that the gospel to the Gentiles had been committed to Paul by Jesus himself, just as the gospel to the Jews had been committed to them!
James, Peter and John recognised that the grace of God had been given to Paul, and so they gave Paul the right hand of fellowship signifying that they were in full agreement with him and that he had their full support to preach the gospel to the Gentiles! The only thing they asked Paul to do was to remember the poor, the very thing that he had been doing anyway – he had brought famine relief to Judea!
Giving the right hand of fellowship to Paul was a solemn act of partnership signifying acceptance, agreement and trust. In those days it was a way of honouring in each other and affirming a partnership or a promise from one party to another.
By giving the right hands of fellowship, these believers were agreeing to serve God together. James, Cephas, and John would focus on reaching the Jewish people (the circumcision), while Paul and Barnabas would focus on reaching the Gentiles (the uncircumcision).
This was an agreement before God that these men would serve God and spread the gospel together! An agreement which every believer of the day would recognise. This shows without any doubt that Paul and the other apostles were in complete agreement with each other in the true gospel of faith in Christ Jesus and Him alone!
No Return to the Law
11 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for 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. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.
In order to strengthen his point of their being no difference between Jewish and Gentile believers, Paul relates to the Galatians an incident that took place in Antioch between him and the Apostle Peter. Paul had confronted Peter publicly about his hypocrisy before the Church in Antioch.
This was what was happening. When Peter had first arrived in Antioch he would eat and enjoy fellowship with the Gentiles, but a time came when “certain men came from James” in Jerusalem who were obviously Jewish believers as they are described in verse 12 as being “those who were of the circumcision.”
Now Peter, who knew better because of the vision he had received from the Holy Spirit (Acts 10 - Peter at the house of Cornelius the centurion in the Roman army), withdrew from fellowshipping with the Gentiles and it can be safely assumed that he didn’t want to offend the Jewish visitors – like many of today’s pastors he wanted to be PC which is a cowardly fear of man instead of a reverent fear of God! This act by Peter also led the other Jews in Antioch into the same hypocrisy, even Paul’s fellow Jewish evangelist Barnabas was led astray!
Romans 10:12-13 (NIV)
12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “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? 15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 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.
In verses 14 – 16 above, Paul explains to us exactly how he dealt with this incident. He addresses Peter in front of all the Jews because Peter was to blame for the hypocrisy (see verse 11 above) in that they (Peter and the other Jews) were undermining the truth of the gospel in their actions by not eating and fellowshipping with the Gentiles, they were in fact returning to the law from which Christ had set them free!
Paul goes on to say that no man, neither Jew nor Gentile, is saved by the works of the law but only by faith in Christ Jesus. Faith in Jesus renders the law null and void because He fulfilled the law (all of it) by His death on the cross and His subsequent resurrection.
Matthew 5:17 (NIV)
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Our salvation does not come through the works of the law it comes through faith in Christ Jesus and is by the grace of God and is a gift to us from God – a gift we do not deserve! Because Christ fulfilled the law, we as believers, born again Christians, do not have to live by the law, no part of it. A return to the law is an act of sin and needs to be repented from!
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
17 “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.19 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.
In verses 17-19 above Paul makes it clear to the Galatians and to us today that he is not encouraging the Gentiles’ pre-salvation lifestyle of sin! Eating and fellowshipping with the believing Gentiles is not promoting their pre-salvation lifestyle. For once any man (Jew or Gentile) is saved through faith in Christ Jesus, we are all equal in the eyes of God. We all become brothers and sisters in Christ. See Romans 10:12-13 above.
Let’s look at an example of the love, grace and mercy of God towards us in the scripture when Jesus let the adulteress go in John 8, he was not promoting her sinful lifestyle. His compassion for her was not an endorsement of sin and neither should ours be today! We need to tackle a brother or sister who sins full on!
Galatians 6:1 (NIV)
Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.
In fact, when Jesus dismissed the adulteress, he emphasised the fact that she was a sinner and told her to go her way and sin no more. That is the same salvation message that Paul was preaching. Anybody can come to Christ, no matter what their background. When they do, they must go their way and sin no more, which means they must repent, turn away from their sin!
John 8:10-11 (NKJV)
10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
11 She said, “No one, Lord.”
And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
There is no condemnation for anyone who is in Christ Jesus!
Romans 8:34 (NIV)
34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
Paul goes on to tell us in verse 18 of our chapter that if we try to institute legalism in any form into the true gospel of faith in Christ Jesus alone, then we are the transgressors, and it is us who are sinning.
The false teachers in the Galatian times were trying to bring back circumcision (legalism) and force it upon the Gentiles as part of the gospel and Peter and the other Jews by separating themselves from the Gentiles were condoning legalism by their actions. This is why Paul took Peter to task and rebuked him publicly, they had slipped back into the bondage of legalistic sin!
This is the type of thing that false prophets and teachers are doing today, preaching a false gospel that denies faith in Christ Jesus alone! Today’s Church needs to confront these false teachers and expose their sinful and dark deeds!
Ephesians 5:11 (NKJV)
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
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. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”
In verses 20 and 21 above, Paul tells the Galatians and the Church today, that because we know Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, the one who took our sins to the cross and died for us, we have effectively been crucified with Christ and it is no longer we that live but it is Christ who lives in us. The life we now live after our salvation, we live by faith in Christ Jesus alone because He loves us and died for our sins!
Our righteousness does not come through ourselves or through the law or through our works. Our righteousness comes through our faith in Christ alone – we belong to Him and He did not die in vain!
A born again Christian should no longer habitually and willfully sin!
Romans 6:1-4 (AMP)
What shall we say [to all this]? Should we continue in sin and practice sin as a habit so that [God’s gift of] grace may increase and overflow? 2 Certainly not! How can we, the very ones who died to sin, continue to live in it any longer? 3 Or are you ignorant of the fact that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 We have therefore been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory and power of the Father, we too might walk habitually in newness of life [abandoning our old ways].
Some points from this chapter that today’s Church need to embrace and live out.
- Just as Paul was obedient to a revelation from the Holy Spirit, we too should be obedient to the Spirit’s promptings and do what He is leading us to do.
- Remember the freedom we receive in Christ Jesus and stop returning to the bondage of our former sin and live in the freedom of Christ our Saviour!
- Have nothing to do with false teachers, preachers and prophets and their deeds of darkness. They are ravenous wolves and their fate’ and the fate of their followers is destruction.
2 Peter 2:1-3 (NKJV)
But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.
The destruction of false prophets and teachers is imminent is they do not repent - it is a sure thing!
Prayer
Dear Father
In the name of Jesus, I pray that you would continually fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me wisdom and discernment so that I will not be led astray by the errant teachings of false prophets and teachers. Reveal to me, I pray, the wolves in sheep’s’ clothing that I may not stray from your path – Jesus Christ and Him crucified! Lord, I pray that you would keep my ears and my heart ever attentive to the voice of your Holy Spirt! Amen!
To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!
Jesus the Name above all names!
Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself. My word is flawed the Bible is not!
Excellent Teaching Brother Ray!! Once again I am blessed beyond measure by your awesome work. Thank You so much for your amazing instruction. God Bless You Abundantly my dey brother.🙏🔥🕊️🙏
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