Paul opposes Peter’s Hypocrisy/Testifies of
Justification in Christ Only
Galatians
2:11-21 Now after they all (Jewish and Gentile converts to Christ) at the counsel coexisted in harmony and enjoyed fellowship with one another, they went down to Antioch. There Peter reverted backed to the very same weakness he showed when he denied our Lord Jesus Christ after Christ was arrested. Peter once again here denies our Lord Jesus by withdrawing himself from the Gentile converts when some Jews from Jerusalem came down to Antioch. Paul writes that Peter’s withdrawal was for fear of what the Jewish converts would think of him eating with Gentiles without requiring the Gentile converts to submit to the Jewish customs and ceremonial laws. Many of the Jewish converts (especially those from Jerusalem) were still not convinced that they should treat the Gentile converts to Christ as equals to them because they thought of themselves as God’s chosen people. Paul knew this to be the motivation, but he was not going to allow anyone (even the venerated Apostle Peter) to belittle the truth of the Gospel of Christ, even if it appeared to be subtle or insignificant what Peter did out of fear.
Paul made himself adamant to Peter, Barnabas, and all the other Jews who followed their lead in their hypocrisy because of the seriousness of making the truth of the Gospel clear cut to all the Gentiles that received the “faith of Jesus Christ” that their justification from sin is finished, final, and forever binding in Jesus Christ alone, apart from any of the moral law (the ten commandments) and the Jewish ceremonial law as well. Paul did not stand for anyone, even Peter bringing doubt or confusion to Gentile believers by what was taught through words or actions. Paul called what they did “dissimulation” or the Greek word hupokrisis which means to be not genuine or to pretend or showing lip service to the truth of the Gospel by expressing their agreement with it, but not supporting it by real conviction. Peter knew the truth by virtue of our Lord giving him a revelation in a trance in Acts 10 and allowing Peter to witness an entire Gentile family trust our Lord Jesus Christ and be born again of the Holy Spirit and even Peter witnessed the entire Gentile family speak in tongues just as he and the others in the upper room had done so through the power of God the Holy Spirit, yet despite this truth Peter allowed his weakness (fearing his Jewish brethren) to cloud the truth for a moment in his heart. Paul knew that this was weakness creeping up its ugly head in the heart of the Apostle Peter, but Paul still “withstood” him or the Greek word anthistemi which means he stood against what Peter did or opposed his actions to the point of resistance, so that their hypocrisy would be made clear and the truth of the Gospel would be evident to everyone Jew and Gentile.
Paul does not mean with these words “sinners of the Gentiles” that he, Peter, Barnabas, and the others born Jews were not sinners (when they were apart from Christ), but that the Jewish people always considered themselves as the people of God, receiving the oracles of God for hundreds of years and all the Gentile nations were categorized by Jews as dogs, heathen, and sinners apart from the oracles of God, even our Lord Jesus Christ referred to the Syrophoenician woman as such when he spoke to her in this manner, “And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.’ But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, ‘Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.’ But He answered and said, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’ And He answered and said, ‘It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.’ But she said, ‘Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus said to her, ‘O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed at once.” (Matthew 15:22-28).
Paul wants the Gentile believers everywhere (especially all those in the Churches of Galatia) to understand what they have by their justification in our Lord Jesus Christ that could never and can never be obtained through the observance of any law and that is the fact of becoming a new man or new woman or more clearly a “new creation” through faith in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). The law pronounces us guilty with no solution given, but Christ pronounces us not guilty and makes us an entire new race of humanity (Romans 6:6). This is why Paul is so opposed to anyone that would lead the Gentile converts (who have no knowledge of the Jewish religion) astray and away from simple union and abiding connection to our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul declared the freedom of the Gospel and faith in Christ on his first missionary journey in this same place Antioch in this manner, “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him (Jesus Christ) forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.” (Acts 13:38-39).
Paul declares to all listening to the sound of his voice there in Antioch on this occasion that if anyone brings back those things that were fulfilled “in Christ” then that person or persons immediately become transgressors or violators or breakers of the very laws they are trying to exalt, lift up, and add to the Gospel message. It is clear from the very words of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself that “in Him” everyone is complete and has the law’s requirements satisfied as He said in this manner, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17). Paul declares that if Christ has fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, why Peter, Barnabas, and the others are you still wanting to fulfill the law’s requirements apart from Him? Paul declares that when our Lord Jesus Christ and God the Holy Spirit convinced him and convicted him of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8), then all of his hopes of being pleasing to God by being a good and dutiful Jewish Pharisee were crushed and all of his hopes “in the Law” were grounded into powder and then and only then did he truly see the magnitude of his sinfulness, helplessness, and hopelessness apart from “faith in Jesus Christ” for salvation, freedom, and deliverance.
This is why Paul declares himself to be dead to the law because he found out that the law only showed him his problem, but never no never gave him a solution as he wrote in this manner to the Roman believers, “Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter. What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’” (Romans 7:4-7). Finally, Paul wanted to remind Peter of this and these Galatian believers that the entirety of his new life is based on this one true principle and that is “Christ in him” and not him trying to work his way to God or work his way into God’s approval of him, but it is God in Paul energizing or the Greek word energeo how he lives his “inner life” and his “outer life” (Philippians 2:13). Paul even said it in this manner to the Roman believers, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1-4).
My own Personal Note: Paul opposing Peter shows us one “holy truth” and that is there is no one above the truth of the Gospel or the Word of God and the smallest part/person of Christ Body has every right to stand against anyone (who appears outwardly to be of great renown) if they declare anything to be the truth that the Word of God denounces or does not declare to be true.
“By no means. For if I build again - By my sinful practice. The things which I destroyed - By my preaching, I only make myself - Or show myself, not Christ, to be a transgressor; the whole blame lies on me, not Him or His Gospel. As if he had said, The objection were just, if the gospel promised justification to men continuing in sin. But it does not. Therefore if any who profess the gospel do not live according to it, they are sinners, it is certain, but not justified, and so the gospel is clear. For I through the law - Applied by the Spirit to my heart, and deeply convincing me of my utter sinfulness and helplessness. Am dead to the law - To all hope of justification from it. That I may live to God - Not continue in sin. For this very end am I, in this sense, freed from the law, that I may be freed from sin.” John Wesley
“The death of Christ on the cross has showed me that there is no hope of salvation by the law; I am therefore as truly dead to all expectation of justification by the law, as Christ was dead when He gave up the ghost upon the cross. Through Him alone I live - enjoy a present life, and have a prospect of future glory.” Adam Clarke
“At this moment he is conscious of a union with the crucified and living Saviour, which lifts him above the curse of the law, above the power of sin. To revert to the Judaistic state, to dream, any more of earning righteousness by legal conformity, is a thing for him inconceivable. It would be to make void the cross of Christ!” Expositor’s Bible Commentary
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...
Sincerely in Christ,
Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…
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