Culver Community Church

Pastor Chris Sweeney

Sermon Notes

August 11, 2019

Galatians 2:11-21 – For Freedom! (Part 2)

{vs. 11-13} Sometime after the Jerusalem council meeting (Paul gives his testimony in chronological order), Peter (or Cephas in the Aramaic) made a trip to see the believers at Antioch in person.  I would think that after hearing Paul’s account of the wonderful fellowships and what God had been doing among them – it would be hard not to put Antioch on the must visit list!  By Paul’s own description, Peter was having a great time fellowshipping with them, eating side by side with them – something a ‘good Jew’ would never do!  Remember, that in their day, to sit down and eat a meal with someone was a sign of intimacy.  You were being nourished by the same food, at the same table - - - that food became the building blocks of who you are (so in their mind, you were the same – at least in some small part).  This sharing of the breaking of bread declared that you were in agreement, were friendly and even had a brotherly bond.  All through the scriptures we see the way the Rabbis had interpreted this – don’t eat with sinners (they never looked in the mirror!)  They kept strict kosher laws and beyond that … even if a gentile had offered an acceptable meal – they would not eat it!  They would not even eat off an empty plate offered by a gentile.  Gentiles were unclean, their houses were unclean (remember the rabbis would not enter into Pilate’s house?) – we just don’t mix with them because that ‘unclean’ is contagious (like the cooties!)  This is in part, the reason that ceremonial laws and washings were so very important to religious Jews.

However, Peter fit in just fine until “certain men came from James.”  Peter was raised in this same environment, under the same rules and Law but God had revealed to him that this was not what He wanted – he understood this freedom in Christ!  The Great Commission declares it ‘go and make disciples of all nations’.  The gospel that Peter preached on the day of Pentecost alluded to this (although they probably overlooked it): “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord [not just good, Law abiding Jews] will be saved.' ... {39} The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:21, 39 NIV)  In fact, the first half of the book of Acts is God showing Peter and the church what He means by – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth." (Acts 1:8 NIV)

In Acts chapter 10, we see Peter having a vision to rise, kill and eat the unclean animals (reinforcing that they were no longer bound by ceremonial law).  God was preparing him to go into the Centurion Cornelius’ house and deliver the gospel to the first Jews.  However, when they sent for peter…he was staying in the house of a tanner!  In case you missed that detail, a tanner deals with leather, dead animal flesh – working with sea salt and manure (you can’t get any more unclean than that!)  Peter did go to Cornelius (a gentile) and he witnessed the Holy Spirit being given to those in that house – just as it was to the Jews on the day of Pentecost!  This evidence helped him explain himself to other believers when they questioned him and allowed him to defend Paul’s gospel at that council meeting.  So it is clear that Peter has let go of these rites, but ... When these men came down (I don’t believe sent by James, but from that same line of strictly observant believers) everything changed!  The Peter who was sitting at the same table, eating and worshipping suddenly pulled back, giving the gentiles the ‘cold shoulder’ instead of the ‘right hand of fellowship’ that Paul received at the Jerusalem council.  In this half of the chapter, Paul (the Holy Spirit) does not clarify if these are ‘false believers’ or just ‘confused believers’ or even if they said anything to Peter or others.  What we do know is that it was obvious to Peter how they were living, and their presence caused him to do an about-face going right back to the old ways and leaving freedom behind him.  Something about them allowed the enemy to instill fear in Peter.  What was he afraid of?  Unknown, but fear counters faith!  Fear (which God constantly tells us not to do in scripture) allows the Devil to get a foothold in our lives, causing those fiery darts to hit their target and sink in.  We must hold up the Shield of Faith so that we can continue to extinguish all the ‘flaming arrows of the evil one’ (Ephesians 6:16).  Not only did Peter withdraw, but he caused the other Jewish believers to do the same – right up to the their leadership - to Barnabas himself! 

The gentile believers were also affected (more than feeling the lack of love) because this behavior sends clear messages – ‘these rites are important (more important than the love of brothers and their fellowship in Christ)’, that ‘we believers are under the law’ and worst of all ‘you too should submit to these works!’  If unchecked, it would have created a split in the church and damaged the message and appeal of the gospel!  Again, this is not about where they sat at the potluck (communion celebration) – but about what it says about the gospel!

It appears that only Paul himself (who had been an ultra-observant, legalist) was unaffected.  Perhaps, his past allowed him to see more clearly how worthless these rites are before God.  Indeed, Paul considered everything from his old life, the works, the attempts at self-righteousness – all of it, total a loss or rubbish.  I believe that this behavior, so closely tied to ritual would have repulsed Paul.  So, Paul boldly ‘opposed him [Peter] to his face, because he stood condemned.’  First, we see that because this was a public (out in front of everyone, effecting everyone) sin – Paul addressed Peter in public.  This was not to embarrass or bring shame but to correct the problem not just at the source but with all who were affected.  Jesus clearly laid out a roadmap for addressing the sin of a brother – “go and point out their fault, just between the two of you” (Matthew 18) but this is the sin of a community, so it is addressed before the community!  Next, we see an odd translation in the NIV (and others) “he stood condemned.”  The verb here should translate – to be, to exist or to happen (sometimes to be present).  This usually takes the form of “I am, it is, have been or in the emphatic, I exist!” – nothing having to do with stand or standing.  We would say “he was blameworthy” or perhaps “he was to be condemned”.  Which leads us to the bottom line – he was wrong, and I got up in his face!

{vs. 14} As he goes on to say – it was about living the truth of the gospel.  Faith is not just a thing of the head and heart – it must also be a thing that we act on!  If you believe a car will crash – you don’t get in it!  If you and I believe that Jesus saves and not works – we cling to Him and not our diet and the washing of our hands!  Paul first tells Peter the truth (the one he was trying to hide) – ‘you don’t live like a Jew, you’re not keeping kosher or the Law!’ (Oh, no he didn’t! – you could probably hear a pin drop in that dinning hall).  Secondly, Paul asks the important question – ‘Since you are not, why are you being a hypocrite and trying to lead these gentiles into doing it?’  We don’t know if Peter had an answer to that question.  We also don’t know where Paul’s recall of that confrontation stops, and his argument (this letter) picks back up.  Not that it matters because this is the topic the epistle addresses!

{vs. 15-16} Paul speaks for the Jewish believers from what he has learned, we know (from personal experience) that the Law does not save!  The Law is simply the codification of what is good, what is right – it is a measuring stick to show who has done wrong (sinned).  We know this too – think of any courtroom, when the trial begins it is not the reading of the statutes that declare the accused innocent but the evidence (witnesses, etc.) testifying that they did not break those statutes which causes the jury to acquit.  Spiritually, it is different – we are sinners, the evidence is clear the Judge can see right into our hearts and thoughts – we are guilty, caught dead to rights!  So trying to follow some laws in order to get out of our obvious guilt of others is silly!  It would be like us making sure to stay in the crosswalk, to get out of being punished for robbing a bank!  No amount of keeping the Law or doing good service can undo our sins.  We are not without hope however, God has justified (declared free of quilt) all who have faith in Christ, because He paid the price (took the punishment for us!) for our sins.  Paul says ‘so we, the saved or believing Jews have left the Law behind and hold to Jesus.’

{vs. 17} Here, Paul answers the common argument raised by such legalists ‘if I am still struggling with sin (in spite of the fact that Jesus justified me) it must not have been enough or did Christ put His stamp of approval on my sinful life?  Does Jesus approve (look the other way regarding) my sin?  (Today, a similar argument says ‘if I am forgiven, then I can just keep on sinning’)  No way!  God’s grace is not approval of sin – it is forgiveness.  Grace does not mean that God is allowing or encouraging us to continue sinning – it simply means He no longer holds us accountable because all of our sins (past, present and future) have been removed (taken from us and put upon Christ at the cross).

{vs. 18} If Paul or these legalists, try to rebuild the religion (not relationship) – the old bridge or old way to God - - - that would be truly (exceptionally) sinful.  A person in this situation – forgiven, but abandoning grace to go back and stack up their own works would be in effect saying ‘I see Jesus, I know God’s gift but it’s not enough!’  This is the great tragedy of legalism - in trying to be more right with God, they end up being less right with God.  The Pharisees that opposed Jesus so much during His earthly ministry fell into this trap.  The tighter they observed the law the more they pushed Jesus and grace away!  Paul knew this thinking all too well, having been a Pharisee himself.

{vs. 19-21} How did Paul die to the law?  The law itself "killed" Paul (it is not the law that is dead to him but the opposite).  If there had not been a law given . . . we would not be guilty, but even so we were born in sin.  The law serves as a teacher.  It teaches us that we can never live up to God’s standards.  Before Paul knew Jesus, he thought God would accept him because of his law-keeping.  But on that Damascus Road, he came to understand the law - the way Jesus explained it in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).  Paul realized that the law made him guilty before God, not justified before God – it signed his death warrant, killing him!  If salvation could be done by works – then the gospel of grace is cruel, unnecessary and God is a villain – sending Jesus to the cross for no good reason!  However, in dying to the law – renouncing it, no longer living in its shadow trying to please God – that is when we can admit our law-breaking and seek God’s forgiveness (Repent).  Every believer dies with Christ at the cross – His death pays for our sins.  We can truly say “He died for me and I can now live for Him!”  I may look alive by earthly standards – but it is really Christ!  Do we live that way? – we must more so!  He must increase, I must decrease as John the Baptist said.