Galatians 2:1-10:  “Paul Tells The Story Of His Apostleship And Receiving The Gospel He Preached:  Part 2”

By

Jim Bomkamp

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1. In our last study, we looked at verses 13-24 of chapter 1.

1.1. We saw that this was the first part of two studies in which we looked at how Paul established his authority for the Galatians by telling them about his life before his conversion, as he was a Pharisee of Pharisees, and showed his zeal by persecuting the church. Then, he began to speak of his life afterward when he had met Christ upon the road to Damascus and been called by Him as the apostle to the Gentiles.

1.2. Paul likewise began to talk about how that after he met Christ where he went and what he did, specifically being clear that it was not through the apostles that he learned or was taught the gospel, but rather he received it by direct revelation from Christ as he was in the desert of Arabia for three years right after coming to salvation.

1.3. We saw that it is impossible to over-emphasize the importance and centrality of the apostle Paul in the establishment, theology, practice, and spread of Christianity. It might be said that he has been more influential in the direction and formation of the early church than not only any other apostle, but possibly all of the rest of the 12 apostles put together.

1.4. We saw that Paul’s birth name was “Saul,” and that this name means “desired or desired one.” And, the name given to him of “Paul” was more appropriate to use with a Gentile audience, and means “small or little one.”

1.5. We saw that Paul was born in Tarsus of Cilicia, in the south east of Asia Minor (now Turkey), of the tribe of Benjamin. His family had located in this area either through the dispersion of the Jews. His mother was a Jew and his father a Roman. His upbringing was perfect for one who would be called to be the apostle to the Gentiles in the preaching of the gospel. His Jewish upbringing enabled him to be educated with the best of teachers, Gamaliel of Jerusalem, and also be able to advance in Judaism along with the most elite of leaders. But, his Roman background and citizenship, plus being raised in a Roman province, helped him to be able to relate to the mentality and thinking of the Gentiles with their Roman and Greek influences.

1.6. We also looked at an overview of the events of the apostle Paul’s life:

Possible timeline for events of the apostle Paul’s life:

2BC – Paul was probably born in Tarsus of Cilicia around this date (same date as our Lord), and of the tribe of Benjamen. Mother was a Jew, father a Roman

AD 11 – Paul was sent to Jerusalem around the age of 13 to learn in the schools there, specifically under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), the most respected teacher.—Easton’s

AD 34 - Paul was in Jerusalem and voted for and participated in the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:54-8:1)

AD 34 - Paul began to persecute the church to the death going door to door (Acts 8:2-3).

AD 35-Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19).

AD 35-Paul initially went and began to preach the gospel in Damascus, but then had to flee the city for his life, going down the wall in a basket (Acts 9:20-25).

AD 35-Paul went to the deserts of Arabia where he is silent for 3 years and is taught the gospel message to preach by Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:17).

AD 38-Paul went back to Damascus (Gal. 1:17).

AD 38-Paul took a quick trip to Jerusalem (15 days) and met Peter and James, the Lord’s brother, (Acts 9:26; Gal. 1:18-19), but again he had to flee for his life (Acts 9:28, 29).

AD 38-Paul went back to his home town of Tarsus where he is silent for 6 years (Acts 9:30; Gal. 1:21).

AD 44-Barnabas went to Tarsus to find Paul and then brought him to Antioch (Acts 11:25).

AD 45-Paul sets out from Antioch on 1^st missionary journey (Acts 13:2-3).

AD 50-Paul and Barnabas go to Jerusalem to meet with the apostles to determine if the Gentiles need to keep the law (Acts 15:1).

AD 51-Paul takes Silas and goes on 2^nd missionary journey (Acts 16:6) to visit churches they had planted.

AD 51- While at Corinth Paul wrote the two letters to the Thessalonians.

AD 54- Paul began his 3^rd missionary journey.

AD 55- Before Paul’s exit from Ephesus, he wrote his first letter to the Corinthians.

AD 57- While in Macedonia, Paul wrote his second letter to the Corinthians.

AD 57 - While in Corinth, Paul wrote his epistle to the Galatians.

AD 58 - While still in Corinth, Paul wrote his epistle to the Romans.

AD 58 – Paul goes to Jerusalem and is almost murdered.

AD 58 – Paul is taken to Caesarea and incarcerated when a plot to murder him was discovered.

AD 58 – Paul wrote the epistle to the Colossians (or AD 62 when incarcerated in Rome).

AD 58 – Paul wrote the epistle to the Philippians (or AD 62 when incarcerated in Rome).

AD 58 – Paul wrote the epistle to Philemon (or AD 62) when incarcerated in Rome).

AD 60 – When Paul was tried before Porcius Festus, he appealed to Ceasar and was sent off to Rome (Acts 25:11).

AD 61 – After a perilous journey at sea that included shipwreck, Paul made it to Rome.

AD 62 – Paul wrote the epistle to the Ephesians.

AD 63 - Paul wrote the epistle to the Hebrews.

AD 63 - Paul was released and probably visited western and eastern Europe and Asia Minor.

AD 63- Paul wrote his First Epistle to Timothy.

AD 63 - Paul wrote his Epistle to Titus.

AD 64 - Rome burned with fire and Nero blamed it on the Christians, and as a result Paul was again incarcerated in Rome.

AD 65 - Paul wrote his second epistle to Timothy.

AD 66 - Paul was martyred by Nero (tradition has it that he was beheaded).

2. In our study today, we are going to look at verses 1-10 of chapter 2, and conclude our discussion about what we learn about the background and calling of the apostle Paul.

2.1. We will finish up Paul’s defense of his apostleship and calling, this time by talking about his trip to Jerusalem to meet with the leaders of the Jerusalem church so that he could present to them the gospel that he preached, that which he had gotten by revelation of Jesus Christ. We will see how his gospel message was approved by all of the leaders of the church in Jerusalem as they recognized God’s hand in giving this revelation to Paul and calling him as the apostle to the Gentiles.

2.2. We will look closely at that Jerusalem Council that is referenced in our study, and also written about in Acts chapter 15.

2.3. We will also look at Peter’s calling to preach the gospel to the family of Cornelius, the first Gentile to come to salvation after Jesus was raised from the dead. This is found in Acts chapter 10. We will see that Peter’s vision that he had to go to the house of Cornelius revealed the same truth that Paul received from Jesus Christ in the deserts of Arabia, i.e. the gospel that he was to preach. We will see in our study, that Peter referred to that vision in Acts 15 when the Jerusalem Council met.

3. VS 2:1 - “¹ Then after an interval of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also.” – Paul writes here that after an interval of fourteen years he went to Jerusalem along with Barnabas and Titus

3.1. The trip referred to here is that which resulted in the Jerusalem Council of Acts chapter 15. What we don’t know at this point is where the fourteen year period referenced here begins. I would say that most would indicate that it was fourteen years from Paul’s conversion in which he went with this group up to Jerusalem. However, some say that it was fourteen years after his three initial years he spent in the deserts of Arabia.

3.2. Titus was brought along on this trip as a test case, I believe. The issue raised in Acts chapter 15 was whether or not the Gentiles needed to keep the Law of Moses in order to be saved, especially the rite of circumcision. According to Acts 15:1, some men had come to Antioch from Judea and were teaching that if a person wanted to be saved he had to be circumcised in addition to believing in Christ. Pastor Titus (Paul wrote the epistle of Titus to him) was completely from a Gentile background. Now, the question was whether or not the church in Jerusalem would require Titus to be circumcised?

4. VS 2:2 - “² It was because of a revelation that I went up; and I submitted to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but I did so in private to those who were of reputation, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain.” – Paul tells the Galatians that it was because he had had a revelation that he went up to the apostles and submitted to them the gospel that he preached among the Gentiles, and he did this in private for fear that he might have run in vain

4.1. Let’s take a look at what is referenced here in this verse, this conference that was held in Jerusalem after Paul, Barnabas, and Titus had arrived:

Acts 15:1-21: “¹ Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” ² And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. ³ Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren. ⁴ When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. ⁵ But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.” ⁶ The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter. ⁷ After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. ⁸ “And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; ⁹ and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ “Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? ¹¹ “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.” ¹² All the people kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. ¹³ After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, “Brethren, listen to me. ¹⁴ “Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. ¹⁵ “With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, ¹⁶ ‘After these things I will return, And I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen, And I will rebuild its ruins, And I will restore it, ¹⁷ So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,’ ¹⁸ Says the Lord, who makes these things known from long ago. ¹⁹ “Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, ²⁰ but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. ²¹ “For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.””

4.1.1. Note that it doesn’t say specifically that these Judaisers who came to Antioch were from Jerusalem nor from the church in Jerusalem. They came from the region of Judea. Surely, upon their arrival in Antioch these ones asserted that their teachings were authorized and certified by the apostles of the church in Jerusalem, but this was a lie on their part.

4.1.2. Notice that it was “the brethren” at the church in Antioch that determined that after Paul and Barnabas had greatly contested the false teachings of these Judaisers from Judea, that they should go and have a conference with the apostles in Jerusalem. It was some sort of a plural decision, perhaps as a result of a church-wide meeting of the church in Antioch. These who made the decision even specified who should go up: “Paul and Barnabas and some others.”

4.1.3. Initially, Paul, Barnabas, Titus, and some others met with the church at large, and they were telling them about all of the great things that the Lord was doing in reaching the lost with the gospel. But, then some of the Judaisers in the church stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.” After this question was asked, a private meeting was convened in order for the apostles and elders in the church at Jerusalem to meet with Paul and these men and determine God’s will in this matter.

4.1.4. Beginning in verse 6, Peter refers to the events recorded in Acts 10 when the Lord gave him the vision of the unclean animals and then told him to kill and eat, and he argued with the Lord, and then the Lord led him to the house of Cornelius, and Cornelius and his household believed on Christ for salvation, were filled with the Holy Spirit and were baptized: “Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. ⁸ “And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; ⁹ and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ “Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? ¹¹ “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

4.1.4.1.Here is the full text of the story to which Peter refers in Acts 15:

Acts 10: “¹ Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort, ² a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually. ³ About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, “Cornelius!” ⁴ And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God. ⁵ “Now dispatch some men to Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter; ⁶ he is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea.” ⁷ When the angel who was speaking to him had left, he summoned two of his servants and a devout soldier of those who were his personal attendants, ⁸ and after he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa. ⁹ On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. ¹⁰ But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance; ¹¹ and he saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, ¹² and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. ¹³ A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!” ¹⁴ But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.” ¹⁵ Again a voice came to him a second time, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” ¹⁶ This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into the sky. ¹⁷ Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon’s house, appeared at the gate; ¹⁸ and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there. ¹⁹ While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. ²⁰ “But get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself.” ²¹ Peter went down to the men and said, “Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?” ²² They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was divinely directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear a message from you.” ²³ So he invited them in and gave them lodging. ²⁴ On the following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵ When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him. ²⁶ But Peter raised him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am just a man.” ²⁷ As he talked with him, he entered and found many people assembled. ²⁸ And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean. ²⁹ “That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for. So I ask for what reason you have sent for me.” ³⁰ Cornelius said, “Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during the ninth hour; and behold, a man stood before me in shining garments, ³¹ and he said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. ³² ‘Therefore send to Joppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to come to you; he is staying at the house of Simon the tanner by the sea.’ ³³ “So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.” ³⁴ Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, ³⁵ but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him. ³⁶ “The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)— ³⁷ you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. ³⁸ “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. ³⁹ “We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. ⁴⁰ “God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, ⁴¹ not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. ⁴² “And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” ⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. ⁴⁵ All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. ⁴⁶ For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, ⁴⁷ “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” ⁴⁸ And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.”

4.1.4.2.This story from Acts 10 reveals the fact that Peter and Paul had been preaching the same gospel. Peter did not require the household of Cornelius to be circumcised or follow the ceremonial laws of Moses. It was the Judaisers who had gone astray from the truth, the gospel as delivered to the apostles.

4.1.4.3.In this story recalled by Peter and recorded in Acts chapter 10, Peter is making reference to the fact that God had once given him a very similar revelation as he gave to Paul about the gospel message to be preached. Peter is saying that God reveals His truth through the type of revelations that both he and Paul had had.

4.1.4.4.Peter hadn’t been instructed to circumcise Cornelius, nor those of Cornelius’ household, and Cornelius and his household had come to salvation and baptism of the Spirit, by simply believing upon Christ for salvation. They were not required to first become a Jew, be circumcised, or keep the Ceremonial Laws as given to Moses.

4.1.4.5.Note that Peter tells the apostles and elders there in Jerusalem that they should not require the Gentiles to keep the Law because this would be to put God to the test (since God had made it clear He hadn’t required circumcision or law-keeping of Cornelius), and he says that living under the requirements of the Law as a Jew is to have on your neck “a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear.”

4.1.4.6.Then, Peter said to them that even they were saved in exactly the same way as the Gentiles whom Paul had been preaching to were saved, it was “through the grace of the Lord Jesus.” They could do nothing to merit salvation and be accepted by God based upon their works and deeds, and rule and law keeping.

4.1.4.7.Remember that Peter in his epistles referred to the apostle Paul’s writings as scripture: 2 Peter 3:15-16, “¹⁵ and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, ¹⁶ as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.”

4.1.5. In verses 19 and 20, we read the results of the Jerusalem Conference as determined by James, the Lord’s brother and the pastor of the Jerusalem church: ““Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, ²⁰ but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.” The Gentiles were not required to keep the Law of Moses or be circumcised if they wanted to be saved. This determination was accepted by all of the apostles in Jerusalem, and by Paul and those with him, for by the Holy Spirit all those in leadership in the early church had come to “unanimity” on the issue. James as the head pastor simply declared what everyone had decided. And, this decision with which all were in agreement has set the course of church doctrine and history ever since that time.

4.1.6. The unanimous decision of the Jerusalem Council was that the Gentile Christians were admonished to merely abstain from ‘things contaminated by idols’, ‘fornication’, and from things ‘strangled and from blood’, and, they were to ‘help the poor’ (and this was their hearts desire anyway).

4.1.7. Later on in Acts chapter 15 we read that when the letter was drafted up and sent back to the Antioch church with Paul, Barnabas, and Titus, there are several other things that also happened, including:

4.1.7.1.The letter was sent to the churches in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia, who were from the Gentiles.

4.1.7.2.The brethren distanced themselves from the Judaisers who had caused the problem in the first place, for ‘they gave no instruction’ to them.

4.1.7.3.They say that they all had ‘become of one mind’.

4.1.7.4.They show their support of Paul and Barnabas, calling them ‘our beloved’, and saying of them that they were ‘men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ’.

4.1.7.5.They say they are sending Judas and Silas who will report the same things as the letter says, only ‘by word of mouth’.

4.1.7.6.The decision was not the decision of men, we read that it was arrived as ‘it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us’.

4.1.7.7.They list the decision spoken by James:

4.1.7.7.1.Nothing is necessary for salvation except to believe in Jesus Christ.

4.1.7.7.2.They ask, or command, the brethren to abstain from ‘things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication’.

4.1.7.7.3.They are told that if they abstain from the four things, they will ‘do well’.

4.1.7.8.The church in Jerusalem sent some men to return to Antioch with Paul (Judas called Barsabas and Silas) so that they verify that the church in Jerusalem had ratified Paul’s ministry and made this decree about what was required for a person to do in order to be saved.

4.1.8. Another note here is that when the letter was finally delivered and read to the church in Antioch, Acts 15 records for us that they “rejoiced because of its encouragement.” To be free from the bondage of the law was liberating!!!

4.1.9. Note that at the Jerusalem Council, as recorded in Acts 10 and commented on above, that Peter tells the brethren of his revelation from God (the sheet that came down and the command to kill and eat the unclean animals, and the Lord telling him not to call unclean that which the Lord did not call unclean). In other words, Peter is explaining that for the apostles who were called by God that this means that God led them was by way of a ‘revelation’ and therefore it was correct for them to listen to and follow Paul and his calling and gospel preaching. Plus, Peter’s ‘revelation’ had essentially taught the same thing as Paul’s ‘revelation’ of the gospel message.

4.2. In our world today, almost 2,000 years since the writing of the book of Acts, there are many church groups and cults who are teaching that in order for us to truly be God’s people and be saved, that there is something else that we have to do besides trust in Christ for our salvation. Doing a similar thing that the Judaisers were doing , some groups say you have to do things such as these in order to be saved:

4.2.1. Be baptized.

4.2.2. Join their church.

4.2.3. You must keep some or all of the Old Testament Laws in addition to believing in Christ.

4.2.4. You have to have hands laid on you by their church leaders.

4.2.5. You have to manifest some spiritual gift (in particular “tongues”) in order to be sure that you are saved.

4.2.6. There are certain sacraments or rites that must be observed.

4.2.7. Your church has to have the correct “church name,” or that their church is the only one that can be traced back to the early church, and thus in order to be saved you have to join their church, and their’s alone.

4.2.8. There are all kinds of rules you have to keep.

4.3. Plus, there are many in churches today who teach that if you want to be really spiritual then you need to do this and that rule, all of which are added to what the scripture tells us. Legalism kills though, it does not bring spiritual life as it does not change the unrepentant heart.

4.4. Notice that Paul states that it was ‘by revelation’ that he had gone up to Jerusalem at this juncture. In going up to that city he was responding to the leading of God and the revelations by the Holy Spirit of the gospel message. He didn’t go up to find out what message he should preach, and then he received that from the apostles. He had already received that revelation and he was merely going up there to communicate to the apostles what God had done in his life and shown him to preach, and he had since those initial three years in the deserts of Arabia been preaching that message.

5. VS 2:3-4 - “³ But not even Titus, who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. ⁴ But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage.” – Paul tells the Galatians that not even Titus, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised, but that this whole thing had come about because some false brethren had been secretly brought in in order to spy out their liberty they have in Christ and bring them again into bondage

5.1. Paul tells the Galatians here that not only did Titus, the fully Gentile Greek man, not get circumcised when he was there at Jerusalem and meeting with the church in Jerusalem, but that it was Titus himself who determined that he would not be circumcised. He was not ‘compelled to be circumcised’, and as I mentioned earlier I believe he was brought along in order to be a test case for whether or not a person had to be circumcised and obey the Law of Moses in order to be saved.

5.2. Note too that these spies that were ‘secretly brought in’ to Jerusalem to spy on them were really ‘false brethren’ and not true believers themselves. Neither Peter, nor any of the other apostles, had sanctioned any such spying on Paul and those with him. These spies were mostly like paid by some of the Judaisers to find out if the men with Paul were circumcised (I wonder if the spied on them bathing) and keeping the Law of Moses.

5.3. Because so many of the leadership of the early church were fairly young in the faith brethren previously from a Jewish background, the Judaisers had made significant inroads into the church, but they had never been sanctioned by Peter or the other 11 apostles.

6. VS 2:5 - “⁵ But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.” – Paul tells the Galatians that he and those with him did not give in to the demands of the Judaisers for even one hour, and this was so that the truth of the gospel would not be corrupted, but would remain with them

6.1. Giving in to the demands of the legalists is not a good idea, even if you think you are doing it in order to promote unity and keep any friction from happening. If you give in you set a precedence and communicate a message that some will interpret to mean that you agree with those rules and regulations.

6.2. I remember once a discussion that my pastor (before I began planting churches) had with us on the elder board. When we would serve the bread and the communion cups to the people in our congregation, we would typically ask the elders to distribute these. The same with passing the collection hoppers. But, sometimes the elders would come to church dressed very casually (t-shirt and cutoff levis for instance), and when they were passing these elements around our pastor was concerned that we might give a bad impression to visitors about our church. My pastor was trying to determine if he should impose a Sunday morning dress code for the elders. After some discussion, my pastor determined that if he required us to dress a certain way that this might communicate a legalistic message to our people, that God is concerned with how we look on the outside not strictly with the state of our hearts. He decided to not require any kind of dress code because once you start adding requirements for those who are saved, there is no end to where you will go.

7. VS 2:6-10 - “⁶ But from those who were of high reputation (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—well, those who were of reputation contributed nothing to me. ⁷ But on the contrary, seeing that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised ⁸ (for He who effectually worked for Peter in his apostleship to the circumcised effectually worked for me also to the Gentiles), ⁹ and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. ¹⁰ They only asked us to remember the poor—the very thing I also was eager to do.” – Paul reiterates the fact that his gospel message was from God and that at the Jerusalem Council the apostles didn’t determine this to be true but simply recognized that God had led him to preach this message, and that the church gave Paul and all those with him the right hand of fellowship showing their acceptance of them and their ministry and calling by God

7.1. As was mentioned in a previous message, man cannot confer calling or leadership upon others. It is God who calls and raises up the leaders He chooses for ministry. Paul’s message was from God, and the apostles and elders in Jerusalem at the Jerusalem Council simply recognized what God had done and was doing through Paul, and that Paul’s message was THE gospel message to be preached in the church.

7.2. Paul says that he and those with him went up to Jerusalem and that they went to those who were ‘of high reputation’. Then, he shows how he was a man who was not a man pleaser, but a God pleaser by saying that whatever their position or status that it, ‘makes no difference to me’ and this was because ‘God shows no partiality’. Even though we often put men up on pedestals, God looks at mankind on one big horizontal level. One man once said that “the ground at the foot of the cross is level.” There are many passages that tell us that we as God’s people are not to be a “respecter of persons,” or “not show partiality,” for instance:

7.2.1. Proverbs 24:23: “²³ These also are sayings of the wise. To show partiality in judgment is not good.”

7.2.2. Ephesians 6:9: “⁹ And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.”

7.2.3. James 2:1: “¹ My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.”

7.2.4. James 2:9: “⁹ But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”

7.3. Paul didn’t put anyone with the title of apostle on such a pedestal that he did not question anything they might teach him or tell him that he ought to do. He took everything to the Lord in prayer, and he would pray about someone’s else’s input to him, but, he did not just follow it blindly.

7.3.1. We as God’s people need to respect those who are put in authority over us, and respect them for their God given office if we can’t respect them for who they are. But, we must not do so if to do so means that we are disobeying the Lord or not following Him and His leading of us.

7.4. Paul tells the Galatians that those reputed apostles and elders of the church in Jerusalem recognized that God had raised up Paul just as He had raised up Peter. Both had received revelations and the confirmation from God through others and the events that followed, that they had a special calling. Peter had been called to THE apostle to the Jews, and Paul had been called to be THE apostle to the Gentiles.

7.5. Later on, Peter and John appear to have gone to the Gentile churches, and this was merely to show evidence that the apostles did in fact fully back the apostle Paul’s ministry, and that they agreed fully with the doctrine that he preached.

8. CONCLUSIONS:

8.1. In this study, we are again reminded of the fact of God’s choosing and calling of the apostle Paul for his special ministry as the architect of Christian doctrine and practice. Trust in God’s word as being what scripture says that it is, inspired of God: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “¹⁶ All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; ¹⁷ so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

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