The Epistle to the Galatians
Chapter 2

The Apostle Paul’s conversion to Christ happened around 34 A.D. on a road to the city of Damascus.  As Saul the Pharisee, as he was known back then, left Jerusalem, heading toward the city of Damascus with a troop of soldiers, intending to arrest Christians for believing in Jesus Who had been crucified, he had an encounter with Jesus in a supernatural vision and his life was changed.  It would be another three years before he would return to Jerusalem. His visit there, however, was short lived – only about 15 days. Following that, he traveled back to his hometown of Antioch, Tarsus for a number of years.  He was then asked by Barnabas to help him minister over the believers in Antioch, which would then bring him to go on his first missionary journey.  We are looking at 14 years of history here, and now it was 48 A.D., shortly after his 1^st missionary journey to Galatia when he got the news of the Judaizers following after him, tearing down all of his teachings to these Gentile believers in Christ.  Because of that, the apostle took strong measures to go back to Jerusalem to the heads of the Church to set things straight.

The Apostle Paul begins writing this section, which we know of chapter 2 and verse 1...

 

Gal 2:1 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me.

For his journey to Jerusalem, Paul took with him Barnabas, his partner from his 1st missionary journey, and Titus, a Gentile convert whom Paul had placed in charge of the churches on the island of Crete [i] Together the three traveled on foot south the 150 miles to Jerusalem. 

Up to this time (48 A.D.), since Christ's death, most followers of Christ were Jewish by birth, and Christianity was simply considered a part of Judaism.  Because of the influx of Gentile converts to Christianity, especially through the Apostle Paul on his 1st missionary journey through Asia Minor, Gentiles did not want to be proselytized into Judaism, but wanted to keep their own identify outside of Judaism.  They did not want to follow Jewish laws and traditions, especially that of circumcision.  Because the grace of God did not require Gentiles to become Jewish, and that they were saved simply by faith in Jesus Christ, Paul ran into one problem after another with the Judaizers (certain rigid Jewish believers in Christ) who insisted that the Gentile believers had to become proselytized into Judaism in order for their Christianity to be valid.  So much so, to where the Judaizers were accusing the apostle of being a false teacher. 

The Jerusalem Council

This brought the Apostle Paul to travel to Jerusalem to call a private meeting with the Jerusalem apostles.  This meeting became known as the Jerusalem Council, set up to settle the issue of whether Gentile believers needed to convert to Judaism in order to be saved.

The two men Paul chose to accompany him were deliberately planned.  Barnabas, a well accepted apostle for Christ was Paul’s partner on his 1^st missionary trip to Asia Minor and could substantiate the proof of God’s sanctioning their preaching to the Gentiles to the Jerusalem Church leaders.  Titus was a Gentile convert and a devout follower of Christ who was not circumcised, nor did he live by the Jewish rites and customs.  In fact, he was a Christian leader - a preacher for the Gospel of Christ. [ii]  Titus was living proof that to be a Gentile follower of Christ, one did not have to become a Jew first. The three traveled to Jerusalem to settle this issue once and for all.

This Jerusalem Council meeting, led by the original Apostles James and Peter - pillars of the early Church who were both Jewish and ardent followers of the Law of Moses met with the Paul and those who traveled with him.  Paul contended with these original apostles, by the Word of God, that all men could come to God through Christ, but not all men needed to follow Judaism to be saved.  After much debate, the Council agreed to settle and follow what was then known as the ancient Noahide Laws for the Gentiles, which allowed Gentiles to follow God according to their tradition. 

The Decision of the Jerusalem Council

The ruling of the Council stated that Jews could still follow the Mosaic Law in their faith in Christ and the Gentile converts did not need to be circumcised; however, they still needed to follow the Law in that they were prohibited to eat meat containing blood or improperly slain. They also needed to follow the prohibition of fornication and idol worship as set up in the Law of Moses. This way, Jewish believers could still keep the Law, and yet still rely on Jesus as the “one true sacrifice” for mankind. The Gentile believers in Christ then could follow Christ outside of Judaism.

• In essence, the Jerusalem Church Council created a double standard – one for Jewish Christians and one for Gentile converts. This double standard became the division between Judaism and the Church, which is still evident even today.

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. ³ Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.

Because Paul received his position by revelation of Jesus Christ, he wrote in his letter to the Galatians that he continued in his defense of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by telling them about the private council he had with the original apostles, meaning Peter and James, in that they supported Gentile converts into Christianity and that it was not necessary for them to be circumcised. In essence, he was trying to win them back to Christ, showing them that they were justified by their faith in Christ and not by works of the Law.  Details of the Jerusalem Council can be seen in the Book of Acts, chapter 15.

The Infiltration of the Judaizers

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.

Here, in this letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul is calling the Judaizers false brethren.  He acknowledged them as the ones who were attempting to nullify everything he had taught.  As such,  the Apostle Paul was re-establishing his authority as an apostle of Christ and the validity of his message to the Gentiles. He was confirming to them that what the Judaizers had stated, in that all Gentile believers had to be enslaved within Judaism to be saved was false.  He was also pointing out the Judaizers claim of Paul's lack of authority was false.  He was showing proof to them that the original apostles supported him as an apostle of Christ to the Gentiles and his messages came directly from God.

It must be noted that the Apostle Paul was not necessarily seeking the approval of the original apostles in setting up that meeting, because his calling came directly from Christ; however, he sought to work in harmony with them.  He wanted to show the Jerusalem apostles that the message of Christ was the same message as Jesus gave him through revelation while away in Arabia, only the customs of the Jews differed from that of the Gentiles. He wanted to show them that it was only through what Christ did for both Jew and Gentiles alike that a person becomes saved.  It wasn’t salvation plus works of any customs or laws.

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.

The Apostle Paul knew he was right in what he preached; however, he still used prudence and caution as he approached Peter who was one of the original apostle and James who was the earthly brother of Jesus.  He chose to talk to these Church leaders in a private meeting so he would not publicly damage anyone's reputation - his or theirs. The last thing he wanted to do was stir up opposition against himself and thereby have his ministry be called a fraud.

The same is true today - nothing hinders the Gospel more than for fellow believers arguing over doctrinal differences.  It is the Word of God that brings Truth.

The Apostle Paul did not come against the Jews for their desire to continue in the Law of Moses and its traditions as long as it was an accepted fact they trusted in Jesus as the eternal sacrifice for all sin.  It was the adherence of the Law being forced upon the Gentiles to which Paul objected.  He insisted, by the words of Jesus, that Titus did not need to be circumcised to be a convert to Christ.  Neither did he, nor any other Gentile convert have to follow the Jewish laws. Titus’ life gave them demonstration that he had made a genuine conversion to Christ. He was living proof.

Both the Apostles James and Peter were Jewish believers in Christ who still followed the Law of Moses. To them, Jesus was the fulfilled Messiah as prophesied throughout the Old Covenant. Their mission was to the Jews, so that was the message they preached.  Paul, on the other hand, was called by God to be a preacher to the Gentiles. The approach of his message of Jesus differed from what was preached to the Jews. While the words of salvation remained the same, the approach was different with each group.  Paul used the words of Jesus, claiming all men could come to God through Christ, but not all men needed to follow Judaism to be saved.

John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. NIV

As believers today, we must always preach the same Gospel; however, our approach to different groups of people can vary.  Insisting that all believers follow our Christian traditions is judgmental and not from God.   

• As I have traveled on various mission trips abroad teaching the Word, each culture worships and practices their faith that is conducive to their culture.  Who are we to say they have to love and serve God according to our traditions.
• Then, even within our own country, we too have our various traditions.  For instance:  Insisting that everyone must dress up to go to church, or even insisting the pastor wear a gown or suit, carrys judgment toward those who do not follow your preferred mode of dress.  That's simply religious and has nothing to do with our faith in God.  Today, the new generation of believers are primarily teens, college students, young married, and a variety of minority groups.  Most of them wear T-shirts and jeans.  To have a pastor relate to them in their mode of dress and style is not sacrilegious, but wisdom in reaching that partiular group of people. 
  
  Here, we can learn from the Apostle Paul in his methodology of reaching various groups of people.  He tells us 1 Cor, chapter 9:

I Cor 9:20-23 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews…(though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. NIV

Paul Acclaimed as an Apostle of Jesus Christ

Let's continue on to Galatians 1:7

 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.

Right-hand of fellowship
Designation a pledge of friendship

As representatives of all the original apostles of Jesus, James and Peter saw that God’s grace was given to Paul and that he was designed by God to the honor and office of a true apostle. They knew that his presentation of the Gospel, given by Christ to him, was genuine. They concluded the meeting by the symbol of giving Paul the “right hand of fellowship,” which acknowledged true friendship and his equality with them.

In that handshake, their custom acknowledged Paul was also an apostle of Jesus Christ, just as they were. Paul was clear to point that out in his letter to the Galatians. James and Peter agreed that Paul should continue to preach to the Gentile world without the requirements of following the Law. The Jewish converts, on the other hand, were free to accept Christ as the True Messiah and continue to follow the Laws of Moses. Hence, they justly concluded that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed to Paul, as the gospel of the circumcision was given to Peter.

Four Concessions Given to the Gentile Believers

The Jerusalem Council did, however, have four concessions that needed to be followed by the Gentiles. In that, they followed what was then known as the ancient Noahide Laws for the Gentiles, which, in essence, still allowed the Jews to follow the Mosaic Law in their faith in Christ, while the Gentile converts did not need to be circumcised. They all agreed on the following concessions.

All Gentile converts must:
1. Abstain from all idol worship
2. Abstain from fornication
3. Abstain from eating meat that was not properly slain
4. Abstain from eating meat containing blood

Sadly, this necessary ruling of the Jerusalem Church Council created a double standard – one for Jewish Christians and one for Gentile converts. Although it seemed to solve an immediate problem, this double standard became the division between Judaism and the Church. This division can even be seen today.

The meeting ended in harmony and agreement, approving Paul's doctrine and conduct.  They were fully satisfied in him, heartily embraced him as an apostle of Christ, and had nothing further to add, only that they remember the poor, which Paul openly supported. [iii]

¹⁰ They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.

To maintain unity and love toward one another, keeping a bond between Jewish and Gentile believers, each needed to support one another.  Each were to be separated from the world of paganism, with avoiding at all cost alienation and unkind feelings toward one another.  The Church was to be “one” in Christ.  As believers in Christ, they should always bind together with a heart of love for one another. [iv] Paul fully agreed to all concessions.

Following that, James and Peter made a "public" affirmation regarding their decision with the local Gentile believers. Paul’s apostleship was announced and the four concessions of the Council were given. James and Peter then sent certain apostles and elders went back to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas to pass the information to the Gentile believers.

To be a faithful Jew, following the Law of Moses, whether one became a Messianic Jew or remained an orthodox Jew, there were strong separations from the Gentiles. The act of circumcision (meaning separation from Genteelism) was the dividing symbolism.  Once that issue was settled within Messianic Judiasm, the Jewish dietary laws then became the greatest dilemma; such as: It was against the Law of Moses to associate and eat with Gentiles, and it certainly was against the Law to eat meat that was not properly koshered or offered to pagan idols.

So then, what is Kosher meat?

Kosher meat 
Properly slaughtered according to Jewish Law. The meat was drained of
all blood, properly prepared and prayed over. No koshered meat could be mixed with milk, wine, or grape juice as was often done by the Gentiles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosher_foods

Oppositions With Peter and James

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.

Sometime after the Council of Jerusalem, Peter went to Antioch to check out the rumor regarding many Gentiles coming to Christ.  As seen in Acts 11, Peter had earlier been given a vision from God that eating other meat was fine.  God obviously had prepared Peter’s heart for the decision that he would be making at the Jerusalem Council. The Council had now met (Acts 15) and had made its decision, with Peter approval.

Again, as long as the Gentiles followed the four concessions given by the Council, they were approved by the Church at Jerusalem. As a result, Peter openly socialized with Gentile believers as long as no other Messianic leaders were present.  But...when Jewish Christian leaders were present, Peter avoided the Gentile believers, not treating them as brothers in Christ.  James was often guilty of the same thing. This created quite a dilemma. 

• Both Peter and James were now operating in hypocrisy of the ruling they had earlier approved, and as such were leading others believers astray. So when Peter came to Antioch, Paul felt it necessary to confront him to his face. Since Peter’s public behavior was leading other believers astray, shunning the Gentile believers when Jewish believers were present, it was essential for Paul to correct him publicly.  Even Barnabas, who was a Jew, was almost smitten by Peter’s behavior as well.  Living as a Jewish believer, he was not obliged to live after the manner of the Gentiles, but he was obliged to treat them as brothers in Christ.  He, also, was showing hypocritical thinking in his behavior in the presence of other Jewish believers. Thus, the division continued.

The Apostle Paul was a master at cultural adapting the Gospel to the Gentiles. Not everyone, however, was! The question then arose – if, and only if the Jewish and Gentile believers ate together, would the Jewish believers have separate kosher food? How can Messianic believers follow the Torah, keeping its purity, and still eat with Gentile believers? Again, the Jewish believers were not required to follow Gentile dietary laws, and it was agreed at the Council, it was Gentile believers who had to concede to the four laws as set down by the Jerusalem Council. With this perplexed situation, could the two sects remain in unity together?

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 a manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentile 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.

Again, the whole principle of grace was at stake. The Word of God explicitly states that only through Christ can salvation be attained. It is not of works at all. Could then Jewish and Gentile believers work together? Can a Gentile church work alongside a Jewish church? Would any bond of unity remain, or would it continue to be broken? [v]

Can Gentile believers and Messianic believers work together today?  Then, what about recognizing and accepting other Christians of different denominations?  Our particular denomination (or non-denomination) is not the only one.  Again, we must always remember the  whole principle of grace.  While we may have differing customs and traditions that we may or may not be in agreement with, we are still all the Body of Christ.  Whether we are Messianic Jew, Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran, Charismatic, Pentecostal, or whatever denominational persuasion we lean toward, we must all work together to win the lost world to Christ.  When we all get to heaven, do you think there will be a section for the Catholics, another for Charismatics?  Come on now!  We are all the Body of Christ.  Let's all work together in unity for the common good of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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. 

While the Pharisees and the Saducees taught that to be holy in the sight of God, one must rigidly follow the Law, meaning the Mosaic and the Oral Law that was passed down through the centuries, Paul was careful to point out that the written Word of God teaches that justification does not come by works of the Law, but justification in Christ.  Everyone is a sinner and needs to be justified (Psm 143:2). 

Justification
To be declared and considered righteous in God's eyes - to be vindicated of any charges of sin and failure to keep God's holy law.

It seems here that the Jews considered it a lowering of character for the Gentiles to claim simple faith in Christ for justification before God.  Christ through His death on the cross released and freed man from the bondage to the Law, meaning the traditional Oral Law that had been passed down through the generations.  Paul was quick to point out that Christ could not and was NOT a minister of sin.  He was the one to whom all men must come to to receive salvation in God.  He was claiming that faith in Christ is for both Jew and Gentile on equal terms.  Jews were not a superior breed over the Gentiles. 

Salvation in God did not come by being a Jew or practicing Jewish traditional laws - it came by simple faith in Christ Jesus and what He did to free man from sin.  For Paul to go back to what he believed and taught as a Pharisee, he would be rebuilding what he tried to tear down in claiming that through Christ one must be saved.  He would then be a law breaker, because he would be violating the Word of God.  He died to that old law so he could live for God through Christ. 

¹⁹ For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.

When the Pharisee Saul had his Damascus Road experience of coming to Christ, his life changed.  He came to believe in his heart that Jesus is the Son of God, as well as God, and that He died on the cross for the sins of the world.  God then rose Jesus from the dead, and those who truly believe that in their heart, they become a true believer in Jesus, and able to go to heaven upon death to spend eternity with Him.  From that moment on, Saul became a new creation in Christ.  The old life was gone and the new new had begun (II Cor 5:17).  Saul was now a born-again Jewish believer in Jesus Christ. 

Being a pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin now left him with many challenges that would be faced.  To begin with, he was no longer under the law.  His faith no longer was one of works, such as the need for circumcision, sacrifices, rituals, or any works of the flesh. As such, Saul died to the law so he could live for God through His Son Jesus Christ.  The Pharisee Saul left his past life and became the Apostle Paul - missionary to the Gentile world.  His three years away in Arabia spent with Jesus gave him a new prospective on what the grace of God really means when Jesus fulfilled the Law, and set men free.

 Yet...

The death of Christ on the cross shows us there is no salvation without the Law because the Law was our teacher to show us sin and to bring mankind to Christ.  Christ came to fulfill the law (Gal 3:24).  In other words, no longer was the blood of an animal required for the covering of mans' sins, as the Law claims, Jesus fulfilled the Law by shedding His blood to complete the Law forever.  In Him we not only have a covering for our sins, but Christ atoned our sins as a permanent sacrifice for sin.  We are redeemed from the curse of the Law.  We can now stand before our Father God having forgiveness of our sins.

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 loves me and gave Himself for me.

The Apostle Paul saw himself being crucified with Christ on the cross.  In other words, his life is no longer his own.  He died to his former life,  and while he was alive upon the  earth, his life became a life dedicated to Christ.  His life became a life of faith in Christ who loved him and gave Himself for him.  As such, Paul gave his life totally over to Christ. 

If I had to pick one scripture in all of the Bible that means the most to me, it would be this verse.  I put it to memory many years ago, and speak it out over myself regularly.

The Lord is asking of us to lay aside our former life that was without Christ.  Can we see it dead on the backside of the cross with Christ on the frontside shedding His blood for you.  As Jesus lay dying, God laid upon His Son all the sins of the world.  He died carrying your sins.  He died carrying my sins.  Because He gave up His life for you and me, Jesus is asking that we give our lives back to Him.  This is a life committed to Christ.  As such, we are now dead to our sins.  We have dedicated ourselves to Christ. As such, the life that we now live in this flesh upon the earth, we live by faith in Jesus Christ.  In other words, we develop a loving close relationship with Him through prayer and meditating on His Word.  We trust that His Word (the Bible) is God's Word for us, being obedient to His ways, we live our lives according to God's will.  My question for you:  Knowing that Jesus loves you, can you give your life back to Him?  That is my prayer for you.

²¹ I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

While we are saved through grace by faith, meaning a heartfelt belief in Who Jesus is and what He has done for us, God wants us to live a righteous life - not as under the Law, but as a love offering given back to Christ for what He has done for us. 

• God saved you and me with a plan and purpose.  To believe in Christ and live a life according to fleshly desire has never been God's plan for anyone.  When a person truly believes in Jesus, there is an automatic response to give back to God what He has done for us.  You see, faith and righteousness go hand in hand. 
• Just because we are saved by our faith in Jesus, that does not give us a license to sin - live our life as we please.  Granted, because we still have a sin nature - born into sin, we will slip from time to time.  That's why the scriptures tells us to sincerely confess our sins to God to regain forgiveness of sins again.  

I John 1:8-9  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 On the flip side, the Apostle Paul is also telling us that IF righteousness, justification, or salvation came by observing the law - by working to please God by deeds of the flesh, then the death of Christ was useless. 

Good works will not get us to heaven.  Christ's death was absolute necessary to rid oneself of thinking he or she can work their way to heaven.  We are saved by grace through faith - by what Christ did for us.  There is NOTHING we can do to earn our way to God.  Salvation is God's gift to us through our faith in Jesus Christ.  Then, and only then, after coming to Christ, does God want us to do good works - out of our love for Christ (Eph 2:8-10). 

We are saved by grace through faith
and created for good works

Click here for Galatians, Chapter 3
Galatians (Epistle) - Chapter 3 / Galatians (Epistle) / Bible (NT) / Believers Bible School

God bless!

Pastor Joyce Erickson
Believersbibleschool.com

End Notes

[i] http://www.studylight.org/com/mlg/view.cgi?book=ga&chapter=002
[ii] Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. (c) 1991 Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.
[iii] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Jerusalem
[iv] Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft
[v] The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Electronic Database. (c) 1962 by Moody Press