Thick or Thin
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February 1, 2009)
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February 1, 2009 - Galatians 2:11-21
Open It
If a colleague of yours were doing something wrong, how would you confront that person?
How do you tend to take criticism?
Explore It
When Peter visited Antioch, what did Paul do? (2:11)
Why did Paul rebuke Peter? (2:11-13)
Why did Peter feel free to eat with Gentiles at one time? (2:12)
Who pressured Peter to stop eating with Gentiles? (2:12) Why?
How did Peter's behavior influence other Christians? (2:13)
What did Paul say in response to Peter's hypocritical behavior? (2:14)
What did Paul say to those who were Jews by birth? (2:15)
How is a person justified before God? (2:16)
How does a Christian avoid being a lawbreaker? (2:17-19)
How is the new life characterized by faith and not works? (2:20)
How does Christ live out His life through Christians? (2:20)
How had Peter set aside God's grace? (2:21)
If righteousness were possible by keeping the Law, why would the Cross have been absolutely useless? (2:21)
Get It
What hypocritical practices have you seen in churches you have visited?
Why is it easier for Christians to live by rules and traditions than by faith?
If Paul hadn't spoken out against Peter's inconsistency, what could have happened among Hebrew and Gentile Christians?
How did the matter of legalism provide Paul with the opportunity to spell out the doctrine of justification by faith?
How could addressing a problem in your congregation provide a real opportunity for spiritual growth?
Apply It
How do you plan to confront troubling behavior the next time you see it in your local fellowship?
In the future, how can you show courage in resisting well-meaning Christians who want to impose their own rules on others?
Notes
Galatians 2:11-12: Antioch in Syria (distinguished from Antioch in Pisidia) was a major trade center in the ancient world. Heavily populated by Greeks, it eventually became a strong Christian center. In Antioch the believers were first called Christians (Acts 11:26). Antioch in Syria became the headquarters for the Gentile church and was Paul's base of operations.
2:11ff: The Judaizers accused Paul of watering down the gospel to make it easier for Gentiles to accept, while Paul accused the Judaizers of nullifying the truth of the gospel by adding conditions to it. The basis of salvation was the issue-is salvation through Christ alone, or does it come through Christ and adherence to the law? The argument came to a climax when Peter, Paul, the Judaizers, and some Gentile Christians all gathered together in Antioch to share a meal.
Peter probably thought that by staying away from the Gentiles, he was promoting harmony-he did not want to offend James and the Jewish Christians. James had a very prominent position and presided over the Jerusalem council (Acts 15). But Paul charged that Peter's action violated the gospel. By joining the Judaizers, Peter implicitly was supporting their claim that Christ was not sufficient for salvation. Compromise is an important element in getting along with others, but we should never compromise the truth of God's Word. If we feel we have to change our Christian beliefs to match those of our companions, we are on dangerous ground.
2:11-12 Although Peter was a leader of the church, he was acting like a hypocrite. He knew better, yet he was driven by fear of what James and the others would think. Proverbs 29:25 says, "Fear of man will prove to be a snare." Paul knew that he had to confront Peter before his actions damaged the church. So, Paul publicly opposed Peter. Note, however, that Paul did not go to the other leaders, nor did he write letters to the churches telling them not to follow Peter's example. Instead, he opposed Peter face to face. Sometimes sincere Christians, even Christian leaders, make mistakes. And it may take other sincere Christians to get them back on track. If you are convinced that someone is doing harm to himself/herself or the church, try the direct approach. There is no place for backstabbing in the body of Christ.
Galatians 2:15-16: If observing the Jewish laws cannot justify us, why should we still obey the Ten Commandments and other Old Testament laws? We know that Paul was not saying the law is bad, because in another letter he wrote, "the Law is holy" (Romans 7:12). Instead, he is saying that the law can never make us acceptable to God. The law cannot possibly save us
Galatians 2:17-19: Through studying the Old Testament Scriptures, Paul realized that he could not be saved by obeying God's laws. The prophets knew that God's plan of salvation did not rest on keeping the law (see the chart in Galatians 3:25 for references). Because we have all been infected by sin, we cannot keep God's laws perfectly. Fortunately, God has provided a way of salvation that depends on Jesus Christ, not on our own efforts. Even though we know this truth, we must guard against the temptation of using service, good deeds, charitable giving, or any other effort as a substitute for faith.
Galatians 2:20: How have we been crucified with Christ? Legally, God looks at us as if we had died with Christ. Because our sins died with him, we are no longer condemned (Col. 2:13-15). Relationally, we have become one with Christ, and his experiences are ours. Our Christian life began when, in unity with him, we died to our old life (see Romans 6:5-11). In our daily life, we must regularly crucify sinful desires that keep us from following Christ. This too is a kind of dying with him (Luke 9:23-25).
And yet the focus of Christianity is not dying, but living. Because we have been crucified with Christ, we have also been raised with him (Romans 6:5). Legally, we have been reconciled with God (2 Cor. 5:19) and are free to grow into Christ's likeness (Romans 8:29). And in our daily life, we have Christ's resurrection power as we continue to fight sin (Ephes. 1:19-20). We are no longer alone, for Christ lives in us-he is our power for living and our hope for the future (Col. 1:27).
Galatians 2:21: Believers today may still be in danger of acting as if Christ died for nothing. How? By replacing Jewish legalism with their own brand of Christian legalism, they are giving people extra laws to obey. By believing they can earn God's favor by what they do, they are not trusting completely in Christ's work on the cross. By struggling to appropriate God's power to change them (sanctification), they are not resting in God's power to save them (justification). If we could be saved by being good, then Christ did not have to die. But the cross is the only way to salvation.
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