Even an apostle can sometimes send the wrong message

The early Galatian church in Antioch was composed of believers from both Jewish and Gentile backgrounds but a problem occurred there which denied the very message of grace which united them. A group of Jewish believers from Jerusalem visited Antioch but decided to eat separately because of Jewish law. In this passage we find that a serious problem occurred when the apostle Peter left the fellowship of the Galatian believers to eat with the separated Jewish believers.

The apostle Paul strongly rebuked the apostle Peter for his behavior because it was not in line with the truth of the gospel. By his actions Peter had denied the fundamental truth that faith in Christ places every believer on the same level before God … justified in Jesus Christ. This is irrespective of their religious or cultural background. Peter’s actions had denied this fundamental gospel unity and sadly we find it even in the church today … segregated by denominations.