Galatians 2:1-10
Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. 2 And I went up [a]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. 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.
6 But from those who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God [b]shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me. 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, [c]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. 10 They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.
Hey everyone,
Welcome back to PvBibleAlive, I’m Bruce Hays. Some of you have wondered what the PV in PvBibleAlive stands for. It stands for Parkview. This podcast is sponsored by Parkview Baptist Church in Wichita, Kansas and I am the pastor. If you want to know more about Parkview, or want to access all of our available podcasts, you can go to PvBibleAlive.com for more information.
I gave this message on May 24th, 2020 after we returned from Coronavirus lockdown.
Sermon Title; Find us Faithful
I appreciate something about our church. That is our church people’s faithfulness. A lot has happened in the last few months. The world has been rocked. We’ve gone through the heights of all the emotions. We’ve been through fear, and anger, and joy, and sorrow. We’ve gone through an unprecedented time in the history of the world. And we still don’t know what the future holds. And that’s enough to shake anyone’s faith.
But you all have remained faithful. As we mentioned last week, the giving has continued. We didn’t have to worry about getting the bills paid. Because you guys kept giving as you had before all of this, even though we weren’t having services. And then we had services last week and this week, and a good number have come. I know that many who have health conditions are staying home, and we understand that decision.
And I am more confident than ever that when this is behind us, most of our people will be back. That was a concern of mine, and many pastors during all of this; will the people return, especially if the online services continue to be broadcast.
And you’ve not only been faithful to the church, And in giving, but to the Word. You’ve been faithful to the study of the Word. First, I was pleasantly surprised at the numbers who were listening to the podcasts. Actually, I was kind of shocked, during Easter week, our podcast host site sent me a report saying that the total downloads for all the podcasts had reached 500. This was just 2 weeks after I started the podcast. And I know many of you are continuing with that, and listening to other pastors sermons as well. You’ve been faithful in sitting under the teaching of God’s Word.
And you’ve also been faithful in the discernment of God’s Word. There’s always a temptation before us, no matter what is happening around us, it is the temptation to alter our message, to latch on to the world’s message.
We are tempted to just repeat the world’s message. And the message of the world for the last few months has been fear, and doom, and crisis, and distancing. And although we have done our part to prevent the spread of a virus, our message has not changed from faith, promise, Christ and fellowship.
But praise the Lord, many of you have remained faithful to the message
Well before we open up the Scripture this morning to hear the Word again, let’s go to the Lord in prayer.
Heavenly Father, We are so grateful this morning for your faithfulness to us. We still have your Word, and we still have each other. Help us to appreciate those gifts today, and strengthen our resolve to remain faithful to your Word, and Your Church, in Jesus name we pray, amen.
Well today, in light of being faithful to the Word, we are returning to the study I started before the shutdown; the epistle of Paul to the Galatians. It has been months since I began from this pulpit.
I opened today by talking about faithfulness on purpose. Because the passage of Scripture today is about Paul’s faithfulness.
There’s one thing you can say about Paul, when he was knocked down, he got up again.
He was Faithful in hardship, in dissension, in hostility, and under peer pressure.
I. Paul’s faithfulness in hardship.
A. Reminder of the purpose of this letter
Paul was sent, with Barnabus, from Antioch, and had started these churches in Galatia. These people had become Christians under his teaching. He would enter a city, and the first place he would go would be the Jewish synagogue. He would preach Christ, and there would be some Jews, and some God-fearers (Gentiles who believed in the God of the Jews, and came to synagogue, who would come to Christ.) And the trend was that more Gentiles were believing than Jews.
And Paul and Barnabus taught them that salvation was by grace alone, through faith alone. That they didn’t have to be circumcised and take up Jewish practices and law in order to be saved.
Paul preached “Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins,” to deliver us.
But after they started each church, and went on to a new city, another group of people showed up at the churches Paul and Barnabus had started. We have been calling them “Judaizers.” They are people who claimed to be followers of Christ. But they came in with a “different gospel” than the one Paul had preached.
In a nutshell, they said, “It’s good that you Gentiles have put your faith in Christ. But it is not enough. The Scripture says that you must be circumcised and follow all the Jewish laws, or you can’t be saved.”
Now, some of them might have responded, “That’s not what Paul said.” To which the Judaizers would reply, “Well Paul is leaving out that, because he is a man-pleaser. He just wants to stay on your good side. All he’s doing is trying to ratchet up his convert numbers. He’s lying to you. He calls himself an apostle. He’s not an apostle. He wasn’t one of the original 12. He’s not a witness to the resurrected Christ. His message didn’t come from Christ, he got it from men.”
So, later when Paul and Barnabus go back to encourage these congregations, he finds that they are beginning to follow Jewish practices, dress codes, diet restrictions, etc, and some are even getting circumcised.
Later he writes the in the letter to the Galatians.
6 I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different “good news”, 7 but there isn’t another “good news.” Only there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the Good News of Christ. 8 But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any “good news” other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed. 9 As we have said before, so I now say again: if any man preaches to you any “good news” other than that which you received, let him be cursed.
And so Paul is forced in this letter to defend the gospel that he had preached. But first he has to defend himself against their accusations. He does so in chapters 1 and 2. We looked at chapter 1 last time, where he defends his apostleship and motives.
10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn’t be a servant of Christ.
11 But I make known to you, brothers, concerning the Good News which was preached by me, that it is not according to man. 12 For I didn’t receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me through revelation of Jesus Christ.
And he sets out to demonstrate by his testimony, and the events of his life, that he got his message directly from Christ, that he had seen the resurrected Christ, and that he was made an apostle by Christ. He was sent to preach Christ’s message, by Christ Himself.
Paul was faithful to his calling, and to the message he had been given by the Lord. He stayed the course…
And in that, he is a great example for us to follow. He got his message directly from the Lord. We are to get our message from the Lord. Now, we have all kinds of books, magazines, and commentaries about the Word of the Lord. We have doctrinal statements that help guide our understanding of the Scripture. But ultimately, our message comes from Christ, not the Baptist Faith and Message, not the Parkview bylaws, not “Momma always said…” but from our personal relationship with Christ, and the guiding of the Holy Spirit.
So Paul’s message came from Christ. And now we come to the Scripture passage for today.
He is faithful. And he is an example for us. After this lockdown, I’ve already heard some Christians I know saying “I’m considering not going back to church.” But if you are going to be obedient to the Word, you must not forsake the gathering of yourselves together.
II. Faithfulness in dissension.
How does Paul handle dissension? Keeps on preaching, keeps on discipling, keeps on reaching out
2 Then after a period of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus also with me. 2 I went up by revelation, and I laid before them the Good News which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately before those who were respected, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain. 3 But not even Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.
6 But from those who were reputed to be important—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God doesn’t show partiality to man—they, I say, who were respected imparted nothing to me, 7 but to the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Good News for the uncircumcised, even as Peter with the Good News for the circumcised— 8 for he who worked through Peter in the apostleship with the circumcised also worked through me with the Gentiles— 9 and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, those who were reputed to be pillars, gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision. 10 They only asked us to remember the poor—which very thing I was also zealous to do.
A. Remember that Paul is defending his apostleship. Men didn’t send me out with the gospel, Jesus did. I didn’t spend 3 years in Arabia studying the Apostles Creed.
Now let’s break down this section of Scripture. Paul says 3 things to demonstrate that his gospel didn’t come from men, and in particular, it didn’t come from the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. First, they went to Jerusalem by revelation, they took Titus with them, and the apostles and elders gave them the right hand of fellowship.
First, he and Barnabus went to Jerusalem by revelation.
Galatians 2 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. 2 And I went up [a]by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles,
When was this?
So here in Galatians 2, Paul describes going up to Jerusalem with Barnabus. There is some debate about what occasion this describes, (offering for the Jerusalem) but I think it is best to place this trip in 49 AD, at the Jerusalem Council. We read about this occasion in Acts chapter 15. This was a gathering of the disciples and elders that took place because these same Judaizers were following Paul and Barnabus to the churches in Galatia, were teaching Gentiles everywhere that they had to be circumcised and follow the Mosaic law in order to be saved. And the argument became so intense that they had to call a meetings of all the church apostles and leaders to answer this question. So Paul and Barnabus also return to Jerusalem to discuss that issue with the apostles and elders of the church.
2 And I went up [a]by revelation, (remember, he’s defending his apostleship)
In other words, I wasn’t summoned by the apostles. I went because the Lord directed me to go.
Now he is setting the stage for the gathering of the Jerusalem Council. And right off the bat he addresses the purpose for his going. He wasn’t required to go to Jerusalem, he wasn’t going to get further training or a more complete doctrine. He went by revelation. The Lord revealed the plan to him. The Lord directed him to go. You see, we get the sense from Paul’s life that he was in constant communion with God about what he would do next. The Lord directed his steps. So he and Barnabus hear what the Judaizers are teaching, they consult with the Antioch church, and more importantly with the Lord, and determine that they should go down to the apostles and elders at Jerusalem and settle this issue.
So what happened when they got to Jerusalem?
Paul simply says here, that he communicated to them the gospel that he preached to the Gentiles. He stands before the apostles and elders and tells them precisely what he is preaching to the Gentiles. Well, what was he preaching? Here’s an example,
Galatians 3
13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
He simply lays out for them what he has been preaching. Now it tells us in Acts that Paul and Barnabus not only described what they were teaching, but also described “what signs and wonders God had done among the nations (Gentiles) through them.”
In other words, they said, “We taught the Gentiles that they can be saved through faith alone in Jesus Christ.” No circumcision, no rituals, no hand washings, or dietary rules. “And after we taught them that, God blessed our message, by healing people by our hands.”
This is what we’ve been teaching.
God confirmed the message with miracles.
Now Paul goes on at the Jerusalem council, saying, we gave our public testimony to these things, and also privately to those who were of reputation,
“the apostles and elders” came together. This would be representatives of the 12 apostles; including Peter, and church elders; including James, the brother of Jesus.
Now two more very important things happen that indicate that the apostles and elders didn’t change, agreed with Paul’s message.
The first has to do with Titus, the second has to do with a handshake.
So, we got together with all the bigwigs of the church. Took Titus with us.
3 Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.
He says, by the way, when we went to this meeting of the minds, we took Titus with us. And they didn’t require that Titus be circumcised. Who is Titus? Titus was a Greek. He wasn’t Jewish. He was a Gentile convert to Christianity. By the way, Titus becomes a key figure in the early church. He is a companion with Paul in his mission work, and in the epistle from Paul that bears his name, he is instructed by Paul to appoint elders or pastors over all the churches on the island of Crete.
So they bring Titus with them to the Jerusalem council. Why is this important? Because Titus is not a Jew. He is a Gentile and is not circumcised. And the whole question of the Jerusalem council is whether Gentiles need to be circumcised and follow Mosaic law to be saved.
And Paul says, we went to discuss that question, we took Titus, our own little show and tell, and no one told Titus that he needed to be circumcised. Neither James, the Lord’s brother, or Peter the first apostle, or any of the others required that Titus be circumcised.
Paul is using logic here. Here a logical statement. “We only allow red-headed people to be in our club.” Now add this. “My friend Jose has brown hair, and he was made a member of the club.”
Now anyone with a brain knows that both of those statements can’t be true. If Jose, with brown hair is made a member, then your club is not for red-heads only.
And this is important, because what’s implied here in Galatians is that not only did they accept Titus’ faith, even though he was uncircumcised, but also his presence. They let Titus in the salvation club, so obviously the salvation club is not for circumcised only.
The fact that they even met together with Titus made a statement. If you look at Orthodox Jewish practice at that time, Orthodox Jewish people would have avoided even being around Gentiles. They would have avoided sitting at the table with them, eating with them, doing anything with them. And the very fact that they accepted Titus’ presence implies that they accepted him and his faith.
But as Paul says specifically, they didn’t compel him to be circumcised, so they agree by silence that salvation is not because of circumcision or following the law, but by grace.
So, Paul says, We went to Jerusalem at the Lord’s direction, we took Titus who was an uncircumcised Gentile with us, and the apostles and elders did not require him to be circumcised and finally, they gave us the right hand of fellowship. Now this is important.
6 But from those who were reputed to be important—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God doesn’t show partiality to man—they, I say, who were respected imparted nothing to me, 7 but to the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Good News for the uncircumcised, even as Peter with the Good News for the circumcised— 8 for he who worked through Peter in the apostleship with the circumcised also worked through me with the Gentiles— 9 and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, those who were reputed to be pillars, gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision. 10 They only asked us to remember the poor—which very thing I was also zealous to do.
6 But from those who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me;
Paul says, “I don’t take my doctrine from men anyway. I don’t care about titles, or positions, or prestige because…”
God [b]shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me. (They didn’t change my doctrine.)
Now let’s break that out a little.
7 But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me,
God had called Paul to go to the Gentiles, and had brought success in that calling. Great numbers of Gentiles had come to the faith.
as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter
God had called Peter to go to the Jews, and had brought success in that calling. Great numbers of Jews had come to the faith. And I want you to note something. This is not two different gospels. He is not saying that there is a “gospel for the Gentiles” and a different “gospel for the Jews.” In fact, in the Greek text it only uses the word for gospel once, which makes it clearer. So the verse is translated best as the Holman Christian Standard version puts it.
Galatians 2:7 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
7 On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter was for the circumcised, (emphasis added)
It is the gospel of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone for both Jew and Gentile. Nobody is saved by circumcision or following the Mosaic law.
9 and when James, [c]Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me,
They saw and heard the message and work of the Spirit in Paul.
they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship,
Now here’s what I wanted to point out,
This is not just a friendly handshake. This is James, Peter, and John, saying “Go with God’s blessing to the Gentiles with the message you have been preaching.” They are saying “Godspeed” to them.
And it is a serious matter to bid someone Godspeed.” John would later write,
2 John 9-11 King James Version (KJV)
9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
John was saying that if you meet somebody who is teaching a lie, and you pat them on the back, shake their hand, and say “God Bless You,” you are agreeing with their work, and thus share in the guilt for the lies they spread.
So when James, Peter, and John give Paul and Barnabus the “right hand of fellowship,” it means they are in agreement with their message and in their
Going… to the Gentiles
Then Paul summarizes the conversation he had with them by saying, they gave us the right hand of fellowship.
10 They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.
Paul wants to be thorough in his summary. He is saying, I didn’t get my message from anybody but Jesus Christ. Even when I went back to Jerusalem to defend the gospel of grace, the apostles and elders in Jerusalem did not disagree with or change my message. They didn’t give me any additional doctrine to teach. In fact they shook our hands and asked for God to bless our work. The only thing they told us was “please remember the poor.” Please remember to give to the poor. And Paul says, “which I also was eager to do.” We were in agreement regarding that as well.
Paul wants to be sure that the Galatians understand that he received his message and calling, not from some council or creed, but directly from Christ. And even when he participated in a council meeting, the message he received from Christ was not changed.
And we don’t get our message from creeds or councils. A lot of churches recite creeds in their services.
Catholic recite the Nicene Creed.
Not a lot wrong with the Nicene Creed.
There are a couple of things we could quibble over. But I don’t like making creeds a part of worship, because regularly reciting them in worship, tends to elevate them to the same level as Scripture in the minds of worshippers. And they are not Scripture. And part of our faithfulness to Scripture is that we always compare what we hear to the Word of God. No word of man will ever replace the Word of God. No word of man will ever get to the place where we shouldn’t question it. How does it stand up to the Scripture.
NICENE CREED (Professed at Sunday Mass) We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father; God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God; begotten not made, one in being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation He came down from heaven. By the power of the Holy Spirit He was born of the Virgin Mary and became man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day He rose again, in fulfillment of the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son He is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.