https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+2%3A11-14&version=NIV

‘The Great Leveler’ 

Things are not always what they seem.

There are a lot of misunderstandings about the gospel. One of them, which is highlighted in this passage, shows that some have difficulty grasping the fact that it places every believer on the same level.

The early church in Antioch was composed mainly of non-Jewish converts. When a group of Jewish believers came down from Jerusalem, however, the apostle Peter left the table fellowship of the non-Jewish believers in order to eat with the Jewish arrivals who had separated themselves. The apostle Paul, who was in Antioch at the time, opposed Peter to his face and said that his behavior was not in line with the truth of the gospel.

The seriousness of this incident cannot be overstated and, sadly, it has been repeated many times ever since in various forms. It is a weighty reminder to the fact that the gospel places every believer in every age on the same level … justified in Christ, alone. Jesus’ death on the cross was for our sins and we receive this forgiveness through faith … it’s not about what we do but what He did for us. Factions in the church are a contradiction of the gospel.

To the Reader,

In the light of God’s grace, whereby we have been justified by faith in Christ, denominations are seen as works of law and a contradiction of the gospel. Please be assured that the potential for disruption and unrest from the things being proposed here is recognized and appreciated. However, it is surely in accordance with God’s will that those things which are contrary to the gospel should be addressed and resolved in a way that glorifies Him. The following are edited extracts from a series of emails. These emails were also accompanied by prayer. There is some repetition from one extract to another for continuity and emphasis.                                                                            To God be the glory

“Further reformation of the church”

“We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles;  nevertheless, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. 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!”                                                   Galatians 2:15-17 (NASB)

*Please note that ‘works of the law’ is literally ‘works of law’ in the original. The absence of the article before the word ‘law’ implies that a principle is also in view.

We have two guiding principles for the church which come from an incident in Antioch recorded for us in Galatians 2. At Antioch the apostle Peter left the fellowship of the Gentile converts to go and eat with the Jewish believers who had arrived from Jerusalem. The apostle Paul saw the danger and publicly rebuked Peter for his behavior as not being in line with the truth of the gospel. The guiding principles are that our fellowship is based on the gospel alone and that works of law cause division in the church. These divisions need to be corrected because they are not in line with the truth of the gospel. Works of law cause division, unrest, violence and sometimes bloodshed, as in the first reformation, because they are based on what we do to justify ourselves.  The answer to this is for our fellowship to be based on the gospel alone.

“Further reformation of the church … works of law”

Works of law are those things that we do, or identify with, or promote in order to justify ourselves. The incident which occurred at Antioch in Galatians Ch2, where the apostle Peter left the fellowship of the Gentile converts, can be taken as an example and real-life illustration of what can happen when one or some of us, even an apostle, try to justify ourselves by works of law … it causes division in the church. The apostle Paul called it hypocrisy. The gospel provides us with a perfect righteousness before God because it is Christ’s righteousness. We don’t have to justify ourselves by anything we do … it is all of grace.

 Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words says the following on P314 under the section on the word ‘Law’ …. “in regard to the statement in Gal 2:16, that “a man is not justified by the works of the Law,” the absence of the article before nomos indicates the assertion of a principle, ‘by obedience to law,’ but evidently the Mosaic law is in view. Here the Apostle is maintaining that submission to circumcision entails the obligation to do the whole Law. Circumcision belongs to the ceremonial part of the Law, but, while the Mosaic Law is actually divisible into the ceremonial and the moral, no such distinction is made or even assumed in Scripture. The statement maintains the freedom from the law of Moses in its totality as a means of justification.”

The real danger of works of law is not just that they divide the church but they provide a way for people to justify themselves and in so doing nullify God’s grace in Christ. In other words, we can recognize when people are seeking justification in works of law because it causes division in the church.  We see this principle in the incident at Antioch (Gal 2:12) and we see it today in denominational works of law. Denominations make the faithful shepherding of the flock of God very difficult if not impossible. We must be diligent in safeguarding the gospel message as the apostle Paul says:

“I do not make void the grace of God, for if righteousness [be] through law — then Christ died in vain.”                    Galatians 2:21 (Youngs Literal Translation)

“Further reformation of the church … Abraham’s faith”

Please pray for an appreciation of the relevance of Abraham’s faith (see Galatians Ch3) for the reformation of the church today. It turns the focus back on what has been accomplished for us through the death and resurrection of Christ and away from all other affiliations.  Jesus said that Abraham saw His day and rejoiced.

“What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.”      Romans 4:1-3 (NASB)

Everything Abraham had by way of salvation was in and through Christ. This was magnified by the fact that the law had not been given until Moses, and, even then, it was never meant to be justifying.

“Further reformation of the church … the gospel alone”

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”                                                          Romans 5:8 (NASB)

As one of our ministers said in a sermon ‘the gospel is Jesus died for our sins, period’. There is much wisdom in such a succinct presentation of the gospel. Yes, we need to consider the implications of Jesus’ resurrection as well and, at the same time, make sure that we are not putting any stumbling blocks in the way of people coming to Christ for salvation.

Especially, we need to remember that adding things to the gospel nullifies God’s grace because justification then becomes about what we do and not solely what has been done for us at the cross. The most common of these stumbling blocks is the subtle requirement to identify with theological systems in addition to the gospel such as Puritan teaching and various membership affiliations. Such identifications are a contradiction of the gospel.

So, there we have it … do we, either individually or corporately, embrace Christ and the gospel and walk the narrow way that leads to heaven or do we embrace the ‘system’ and become lost in it?

“Further reformation of the church … denominations are works of law”

“What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness that is by faith; but Israel pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. Just as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”                                                                    Romans 9:30-33 (NASB)

Works of law cause division. The answer to this is fellowship based on the gospel alone. Denominations are a sign that the church has moved away from the gospel.A sign of gospel recovery is the removal of denominations.

“Further reformation of the church … unified gospel understanding”

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written: “But the righteous one will live by faith.”                                      Romans 1:16-17 (NASB)

The passage above shows that in the gospel (good news) the righteousness by which we are saved is not our own, but God’s. This righteousness is received by faith alone and therefore it is not by our own works.

“Further reformation of the church … gospel fellowship not works of law”

Progress in understanding the gospel will be reflected in the extent of our rejection of works of law. Notice here that we are not rejecting the law or laws in and of themselves, the rejection is in relation to ‘works of law’, being justified by them instead of being justified by faith in Christ alone. When we rely on works of law to justify us it causes division in the church.

“You foolish Galatians who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you; did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?”                                                                                 Galatians 3:1-2 (NASB)

The problem of denominations being a contradiction of the gospel leads to the question of alternatives. There can be a bias towards inactivity even after having acknowledged the existence of matters which undermine the beauty and grace of such a wonderful salvation. The most obvious matter arising is the arrangement of the church. Thankfully the Lord has not left us to flounder in considering this but has given ample guidance in His Word the Holy Bible.

This concludes the series on ‘Further reformation of the church’. It is hoped that attention will be drawn to the danger posed by the fragmented witness of the church, both to unbelievers and believers. The two principles which have been presented identify the problem and point to the solution. Denominations are an obvious example of works of law. They are a contradiction of the gospel and a stumbling block to those outside the church. Their removal is a matter of ‘willingness to confront’ and we need to support one another, particularly our ministers, in this, by way of encouragement and understanding.

The Nicene Creed puts it well with the following words which are also the conclusion of this document … “We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church” … Amen.

In this battle there is never a need to justify ourselves.

The apostle Paul sends a reminder. He tells the people that their struggle ‘is not against flesh and blood’. Too often we think in terms of what other people are doing to us personally and  respond  in a direct way against them  in order to justify ourselves. Here we are told that the battle is actually against forces which we cannot see ….. ‘spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms’.

This raises a question. How is this different kind of battle to be fought? Paul tells us this also. The weapon of this warfare is prayer which is connected also to the word of God. Prayer focusses our attention on God and His power which is the gospel message. It is this alone which can truly reconcile enemies because it brings people into a right relationship with God and therefore one another. In the gospel there is no need to justify ourselves because everything is done for us in Jesus Christ.

There is often a lot of debate about who is wrong and who is right. It can lead to legal battles and sometimes even violence. It even goes to the question of our identity. We like to think of ourselves as always being in the right.

This passage, however, tells a completely different story. It begins by showing that no-one, in and of themselves, is right in God’s sight. The Jews thought that they were in a secure position because of being Abraham’s descendants and also because of their relationship to God’s law. The passage though goes on to say that ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

When it comes to our standing before God, there is only one way that anyone can be declared to have right-ness and that is not because of who they are or what they have done. It can only ever be because of what Jesus has done on the cross. By this atonement God can declare sinners, who trust in Jesus, righteous and in doing this also remain just himself.

To the Reader,

In the light of God’s grace, whereby believers have been justified by faith in Christ, denominations are seen as works of law and a contradiction of the gospel. Please be assured that the potential for disruption and unrest from the things being proposed here is recognized and appreciated. However, it is surely in accordance with God’s will that those things which are contrary to the gospel should be addressed and resolved in a way that glorifies Him.

Letter to the Galatian Church

“We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles; nevertheless, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. 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!”                                                   Galatians 2:15-17 (NASB)

*Please note that ‘works of the law’ is literally ‘works of law’ in the original. The absence of the article before the word ‘law’ implies that a principle is also in view.

We have two guiding principles for the church which come from an incident in Antioch recorded for us in Galatians 2. At Antioch the apostle Peter left the fellowship of the Gentile converts to go and eat with the Jewish believers who had arrived from Jerusalem. The apostle Paul saw the danger and publicly rebuked Peter for his behavior as not being in line with the truth of the gospel. The guiding principles are that our fellowship is based on the gospel alone and that works of law cause division in the church. These divisions need to be corrected because they are not in line with the truth of the gospel. Works of law cause division, unrest, violence and sometimes bloodshed, as in the first reformation, because they are based on what we do to justify ourselves.  The answer to this is for our fellowship to be based on the gospel alone.

The Danger of ‘Works of Law’

Works of law are those things that we do, or identify with, or promote in order to justify ourselves. The incident which occurred at Antioch in Galatians Ch2, where the apostle Peter left the fellowship of the Gentile converts, can be taken as an example and real-life illustration of what can happen when one or some of us, even an apostle, try to justify ourselves by works of law … it causes division in the church. The apostle Paul called it hypocrisy. The gospel provides us with a perfect righteousness before God because it is Christ’s righteousness. We don’t have to justify ourselves by anything we do … it is all of grace.

 Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words says the following on P314 under the section on the word ‘Law’ …. “in regard to the statement in Gal 2:16, that “a man is not justified by the works of the Law,” the absence of the article before nomos indicates the assertion of a principle, ‘by obedience to law,’ but evidently the Mosaic law is in view. Here the Apostle is maintaining that submission to circumcision entails the obligation to do the whole Law. Circumcision belongs to the ceremonial part of the Law, but, while the Mosaic Law is actually divisible into the ceremonial and the moral, no such distinction is made or even assumed in Scripture. The statement maintains the freedom from the law of Moses in its totality as a means of justification.”

The real danger of works of law is not just that they divide the church but they provide a way for people to justify themselves and in so doing nullify God’s grace in Christ. In other words, we can recognize when people are seeking justification in works of law because it causes division in the church.  We see this principle in the incident at Antioch (Gal 2:12) and we see it today in denominational works of law. Denominations make the faithful shepherding of the flock of God very difficult if not impossible. We must be diligent in safeguarding the gospel message as the apostle Paul says:

“I do not make void the grace of God, for if righteousness [be] through law — then Christ died in vain.”                    Galatians 2:21 (Youngs Literal Translation)

Abraham’s faith

It is important to understand the relevance of Abraham’s faith (see Galatians Ch3) for the reformation of the church today. It turns the focus back on what has been accomplished for us through the death and resurrection of Christ and away from all other affiliations.  Jesus said that Abraham saw His day and rejoiced.

“What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.”      Romans 4:1-3 (NASB)

Everything Abraham had by way of salvation was in and through Christ. This was magnified by the fact that the law had not been given until Moses, and, even then, it was never meant to be justifying.

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”                                                          Romans 5:8 (NASB)

As one of our ministers said in a sermon ‘the gospel is Jesus died for our sins, period’. There is much wisdom in such a succinct presentation of the gospel. Yes, we need to consider the implications of Jesus’ resurrection as well and, at the same time, make sure that we are not putting any stumbling blocks in the way of people coming to Christ for salvation.

Especially, we need to remember that adding things to the gospel nullifies God’s grace because justification then becomes about what we do and not solely what has been done for us at the cross. The most common of these stumbling blocks is the subtle requirement to identify with theological systems in addition to the gospel such as Puritan teaching and various membership affiliations. Such identifications are a contradiction of the gospel.

Denominations are works of law

“What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness that is by faith; but Israel pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. Just as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”                                                                    Romans 9:30-33 (NASB)

Works of law cause division. The answer to this is fellowship based on the gospel alone. Denominations are a sign that the church has moved away from the gospel.A sign of gospel recovery is the removal of denominations.

A unified gospel understanding

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written: “But the righteous one will live by faith.”                                      Romans 1:16-17 (NASB)

The passage above shows that in the gospel (good news) the righteousness by which we are saved is not our own, but God’s. This righteousness is received by faith alone and therefore it is not by our own works.

Gospel fellowship Vs works of law

Progress in understanding the gospel will be reflected in the extent of our rejection of works of law. Notice here that we are not rejecting the law or laws in and of themselves, the rejection is in relation to ‘works of law’, being justified by them instead of being justified by faith in Christ alone. When we rely on works of law to justify us it causes division in the church.

“You foolish Galatians who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you; did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?”                                                                                 Galatians 3:1-2 (NASB)

It is hoped that attention will be drawn to the danger posed by the fragmented witness of the church, both to unbelievers and believers. The two principles which have been presented identify the problem and point to the solution. Denominations are an obvious example of works of law. They are a contradiction of the gospel and a stumbling block to those outside the church. Their removal is a matter of ‘willingness to confront’ and we need to support one another, particularly our ministers, in this, by way of encouragement and understanding.

The Nicene Creed puts it well with the following words which are also the conclusion of this document … “We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church” … Amen.

  Jesus reveals what had been previously overlooked

Have you ever looked for something so intently that you completely missed it? That is similar to what happened to the Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day. They were familiar with the Law of Moses which had a vast number of rules and regulations but completely misunderstood the one to whom it all pointed … Jesus Christ.

In this passage we find Jesus teaching them about himself from an illustration about old and new wineskins. The Old Testament Jewish laws were like the old wineskins. Jesus himself is like the new wine. What he was coming to accomplish could only be fully understood in the light of his death on the cross as THE sacrifice. This was the new teaching of God’s grace which changed everything.

Many people know about the gospel, that the word means ‘good news’ and that it is something which Christians believe and want to tell others about. Very few people, however, really grasp the wonder of the message. This passage, which is the final part of the first section of Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, shows more of the ‘how’ of the gospel …… how this free gift was achieved by Jesus ….. how people were saved before He came …. how to respond to this ‘good news’ by trusting, by not boasting, and by living right.

There are many ways in which people try to justify themselves. It can be the things a person has accomplished ….. work success, important positions, athletic achievements. It can be possessions or relationships. But the gospel is entirely different. It does not require anyone to try to justify themselves. It ‘justifies the one who has faith in Jesus’. It’s all about what HE accomplished at the cross as a substitute. In this way it can be offered to people who are poor or rich, people who are from all nationalities and all ages. It sets a person free and is truly ‘good news’.

Have you ever wondered about why there is so much trouble in the world … between nations, between individuals? The simple answer is that trouble occurs when people try to justify themselves. This is called ‘egocentric’ and it focusses inwardly. The solution is in the gospel … when we receive, by faith, what Jesus has done for us on the cross. This is called ‘Christocentric’ and it focusses on Jesus Christ.

In this passage we see the apostle Paul addressing a problem which occurred in the early church in Antioch. The gospel had been preached to Jews first and many believed in Jesus. The message had then gone out to the Gentiles (i.e. non-Jews) many of whom also believed. What happened, however, was that the Jewish background believers slipped back into trying to justify themselves. They were insisting that the Gentile converts had to follow Jewish customs.

Even the apostle Peter had been ‘sucked in’. The apostle Paul strongly opposed him because it nullified the gospel. He insisted on justification by faith alone and says at the end of this passage: ‘I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me’.

   A very special case of how priorities condition lifestyle.

There are many things which clamour for our time and attention these days but, for Christians the options are limited. This is because we are entrusted with the stewardship of the gospel message … sharing Christ is a lifestyle. Because of Christ’s love for us, to death on the cross, we are to live out and, in various ways, share the message of eternal life with others.

In this passage the apostle Paul says of himself …’I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some’. In saying this he still sees himself as God’s instrument because he knows that the ‘saving’ is really only ever God’s work. It is very humbling that God would use sinners whom he has forgiven in Christ as stewards of the gospel ‘treasure’.

The message is really very simple ‘believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved’. For the messengers, every believer, it is not about a rigid program or method but a lifestyle lived out in words and actions because of a new relationship with Jesus Christ. It is not about forcing people but sharing with them ‘what great things he has done for us’ with gentleness and respect.

The victory of an ancient king points forward to the greatest victory of all time

The Israelites were weeping because they feared having to surrender to the Ammonites who had besieged their city. King Saul hears about their situation. He comes to fight against the Ammonites and wins a great victory over them which frees the city.

The key to understanding this story is in the last 2 verses. The prophet Samuel takes the people to the city of Gilgal to ‘renew the kingdom’. We are then told that they offered sacrifices to the Lord and rejoiced. This is a reminder of the victory that Jesus has won for His people over the enemy called ‘sin’ ……  the wrong things that we think, say and do. He won this victory through the sacrifice of Himself on the cross.