Cruicified With Christ

"But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be! For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor.  For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and 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 loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Galatians 2:17-20 - New American Standard)

The question in verse seventeen is one that Paul was often asked by his legalistic opponents. Their argument is that if we are no longer under the law then we are free to sin. We will live wickedly and immorally. Therefore, Christ becomes a promoter of sin.

Paul, in meeting this question, rarely goes beyond dismissing it. Is Christ a minister of sin? Certainly not. No way. Not a chance. Those who believe in justification by faith follow a different principle than the law. This principle should keep us from a sinful life style. The principle is love. We are to love God. We are to love Jesus. We are to love other Christians. We are to love our families. We are to love our enemies. Love will keep us from sin.

If a person accepts the truth that the law can not justify them and trusts in Jesus to make them right with God, then they have destroyed the entire motivation for keeping the law. Paul says if after this, they return to keeping the law, this is a sin. In this case they are trying to rebuild what faith destroyed. Christ freed them from the law, yet they would be still living like slaves to the law.

Through the law, Paul found himself to be a sinner. Through Christ, he died to the law, that is, he was separated from its cruel mastery. Through Christ, he became alive to God that he might serve God in love.

In a mystical sense, when Christ died on the cross, every Christian was crucified with him. Our old sinful nature was put to death in Christ. We died to sin.
Christ, through His Holy Spirit, came to live in us and through us when we trusted in Him. Now we walk, not by sight, through keeping the law, but by faith in Christ. Our motive for living a pure life is simple: Jesus loved me and died for me. Our ability to live a pure life comes from the power of God’s Spirit within us.

Peter’s behavior gave the impression that Christians are still under the law. This went against the doctrine of freedom from the law in Christ. He did not believe it, but his actions gave the wrong message.

Justified By Faith

"We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." (Galatians 2:15,16 - King James Version)

Peter’s behavior gave the impression that faith was not enough. Those observing Peter might think that works of the law were required to be completely right before God.

Paul argues that if the law could justify a person with God then faith in Christ was not required. However, if Peter and Paul who were Jewish had believed in Jesus, this demonstrated that works of the law were not required. Either the law justifies or faith, the two cannot be mixed. Peter believed this, but his actions were giving the wrong message.

Paul Rebukes Peter

"But I saw that they were not properly following the truth of the Good News. So I told Cephas in front of everyone, 'You’re Jewish, but you live like a person who is not Jewish. So how can you insist that people who are not Jewish must live like Jews?' ” (Galatians 2:14 - GOD’S WORD Translation)

Paul saw Peter’s actions as a denial of the truth of the Gospel. The Gospel message puts all men on equal footing. Peter by his actions was making a distinction between Gentile Christians and Jewish Christians. The impression would be that being a Jewish Christian was some how better than being a Gentile Christian. He was encouraging the Gentile believers to come under the law.

The first negative impact of Peter’s action would be upon the unity of the Church. All of sudden, there was a division in the Church body. Peter’s actions exalted Jewish Christians to a level above the Gentile believers. It also encouraged Jewish believers to avoid fellowship with their Gentile brothers. The unity of the Church at Antioch would be destroyed.

Peter in the Wrong

"But when Cephas (Peter) came to Antioch, I protested and opposed him to his face [concerning his conduct there], for he was blameable and stood condemned. For up to the time that certain persons came from James, he ate his meals with the Gentile [converts]; but when the men [from Jerusalem] arrived, he withdrew and held himself aloof from the Gentiles and [ate] separately for fear of those of the circumcision [party]. And the rest of the Jews along with him also concealed their true convictions and acted insincerely, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy (their example of insincerity and pretense)." (Galatians 2:11-13 - Amplified Bible)

Since the book of Acts does not record this event, it is difficult to pinpoint when this occurred. Ancient Jewish writing did not always follow a strict chronological order. This is one reason why making a harmony of the Gospels is difficult. Some commentators believe that this event occurred before the Jerusalem council. They argue that Paul puts the events in this order because it fits the flow of his argument not because of when they occurred. This is possible and a strong argument can be made for this position.

On the other hand, it is also possible that events occurred in the order that Paul gives in Galatians. It is true, that this would mean that Peter’s sin in this matter occurred within a few months of the Jerusalem council, and at first this does seem strange. However, when we consider our own spiritual lives, we should quickly realize that a fall into sin does not always take a long time to occur. When this event occurred is not that important.

The circumstances were like this. Peter had come from Jerusalem to visit Antioch. While there, he had freely interacted with the Gentiles. Ignoring Jewish custom and law, he had eaten with the Gentile Christians. Sometime after Peter arrived in Antioch, a group of Jewish Christians arrived from Jerusalem. These men were legalists. They were seeking to make Gentile Christians Jewish.

For some unknown reason, Peter was afraid of the influence of these men. To keep their favor, he withdrew from the Gentiles and stopped eating with the Gentiles. The other Jewish Christians at Antioch, including Barnabas, followed his example. Paul, seeing what was happening, publicly rebuked Peter to his face. Paul was ready and willing to reprove even another Apostle publicly.

Remember the Poor

"They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was eager to do." (Galatians 2:10 - New Revised Standard Version)

Throughout his ministry, Paul was active in helping the poor saints at Jerusalem. He did this when in Antioch. He did this later in his ministry in Macedonia. This attitude of charity helped keep the Jewish and Gentile communities within Christianity united during the first century.

In summary, the first half of chapter 2 has some important lessons.

The other Apostles accepted Paul and his message. They did not try to change his message. They did not try to change his ministry. They rejoiced in both.

Titus, an uncircumcised Gentile believer, was openly welcomed and accepted by the Apostles as a brother in Christ. They did not seek to enslave him to the Old Testament law. This was an important precedent in support of Paul’s argument that Gentile Christians did not have to become Jewish.

We, like Titus, are free in Christ from the obligation of keeping the law. We are not bound by any form of legalism. We have liberty.

We also should learn from this passage not to be jealous when God blesses the ministry of others. The Apostles were not jealous of one another but supportive. This is our example.