Galatians 2
1Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. 2 And I went up 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 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, 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.
After his conversion on the Damascus Road, Paul had spent fifteen days only in Jerusalem. “Fourteen years passed by before he ever saw Jerusalem again. What wonderful years of service these years were! The great servant of Christ had preached the divine message in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. The day of Christ will reveal the blessed results of these years. Acts 15:1-41 must be read to see why Paul and Barnabas went up to Jerusalem…" (Arno Gaebelein) a second time.
“And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’” (Acts 15:1) Thus here we read: “Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me.” (Galatians 2:1) “Luke adds, ‘and others also.’ Acts 15:2. We may gather from this, that Luke was of the company.” (Joseph Sutcliffe)
“‘And I went up by revelation’ says the apostle, or by a special direction from heaven.” (Joseph Sutcliffe)—“Not for the purpose of receiving instruction from the apostles there in regard to the nature of the Christian religion..:—’and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, ’—Made them acquainted with my doctrine, yea, the doctrine of Christ which I had been preaching— “But privately to those who were of reputation,” that is the apostles and other leaders, “‘lest I should run, or should have run, in vain’— lose the fruit either of my present or past labours. For they might have greatly hindered this, had they not been fully satisfied both of his mission and doctrine.” (Wesley)
And they reported that “some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, ‘It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses,’” that is, the ceremonial law of Moses. The issue was clearly not the Commandments of God.
Paul “stated fully the principles on which he acted; the nature of the gospel which he taught; and his doctrine about the exemption of the Gentiles from the obligations of circumcison.” (Albert Barnes) “'Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised, etc…'— This, in itself, was sufficient evidence that the apostles in Jerusalem did not sanction the teaching that circumcision is necessary for salvation.” (Arno Gaebelein) The Jerusalem counsel gladly received Paul and Barnabas, as well as Titus— who was not circumcised, as a brothers in Christ. They extended the right hand of fellowship to all of them, confirming their teachings as consistent with the faith.
And they sent Paul and the others away with a letter touching the ceremonial law. Here is crux of the matter: “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality [when coming to worship]. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.”( Acts 15:28-29) None of these were of themselves salvation issues, but they were to keep themselves “from sacrifices, or from feasts which were kept in idol's temples." (Geneva Study Bible) Note that sexual immorality while serving at the sanctuary is a big issue that affects fitness to serve. It is a separate issue from the salvational issue of the Seventh Commandment— You shall not commit adultery.
“They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do,” “that pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father, “to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27) “It is written, not ‘blessed is he that feedeth the poor,’ but ‘blessed is he that considereth the poor.’ A little thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a deal of money.” (Ruskin) “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” (Galatians 5:6)
The Commandments of God are “holy and right and good.” (Rom 7:12) Jesus said “Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 5:19) Paul testified again, “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.” (1 Cor 7:18-19)
Galatians 2
11 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? 15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
“Coming to Antioch, where Peter found a large Gentile church he there enjoyed his liberty in Christ; he ate with the Gentiles, realizing that the middle wall of partition was broken down (Eph 2:14) and that believing Jews and Gentiles were one in Christ. All went well till some from James in Jerusalem showed themselves in Antioch. Then Peter, afraid of opposition, not because he thought in the least that he was wrong, separated himself, leaving them which were of the circumcision. His example led the other Jewish believers to dissemble likewise with him and even Barnabas joined in and, as a result, the unity of the Spirit was given up and the truth of the gospel marred. And Paul when he saw that they walked not uprightly, according to the truth of the Gospel, rebuked Peter before them all. The leaven of the Pharisee, hypocrisy, is manifest in Peter’s action. He wanted to appear before those who were still Jewish in their customs and sentiments as being in sympathy with them, and therefore he gave up his liberty in Christ, which he knew was according to the truth of the gospel. Paul rebuking Peter in public shows that Peter had not the least authority over Paul.” (Arno Gaebelein)
“But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel,”— Peter nor his successors are infallible. Peter was not the head of the church, but an equal with Paul.— “I said to Peter before them all, ‘If you, being a Jew’— as Peter was, born of Jewish parents, brought up in the Jews' religion, and was obliged to observe the laws that were given to that people: ‘live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews,’—that is, he had done so, he had ate with the Gentiles, and as the Gentiles did, without regarding the laws and ceremonies of the Jews relating to meats and drinks; being better informed by the Spirit of God, that these things were not now obligatory upon him, even though he was a Jew, to whom these laws were formerly made.” (John Gill) —“why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?” by shunning them and thus compelling to the be circumcised for full entry into the fellowship of the saints.
“‘We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles.’
When we Jews compare ourselves with the Gentiles, we look pretty good. We have the [ceremonial] law [of Moses], we have good works [,even the Mitzvah or Commandments of God, including kind deeds toward our fellow humans]. Our rectitude dates from our birth, because the Jewish religion is natural to us.” (Martin Luther)
Even Jews, such as these, were saved by faith in Christ—not by obedience to the laws concerning food, circumcision and other matters. "Paul’s doctrine of justification in a nutshell" ..." (W. Schmithals)... Jews regarded Gentiles as ‘sinners.’ Paul ironically referred to them [saved ones] as that since Peter was discriminating against them by behaving as he had… Paul went on to remind Peter that both of them knew that God does not justify people (declare them righteous) because they keep the Mosaic Law, part of which involved dietary regulations… Justification comes by believing in Christ,.. (cf. Acts 16:31) [and thus obedience to His unctions, even His Commandments]. Paul, Peter, and the other believers assembled had simply believed in Christ.” (Dr. Thomas B. Constable)
"'knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ—“JUSTIFICATION*, JUSTIFIED— The act of God in bringing sinners into a new covenant relationship with Himself through the forgiveness of sins. It is a declarative act of God by which he establishes persons as righteous--that is, in right and true relationship to Himself... In the OT righteousness has to do with relationship and the obligations of that relationship. At times one is referred to as righteous because he or she stands in right relationship to another. At other times one is righteous because he or she fulfills certain obligations in a relationship (Gn 38:26).” (Tyndale Bible Dictionary)
“'for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.'
The occasion of this declaration doubtless arose from the ceremonial law; but the argument is quite as strong against all dependence upon the works of the moral law, as respects justification.” (Matthew Henry) Yes, we strive to keep the moral code but we are justified and we remain justified before God though faith in Jesus, even the efficiency of the cleaning flow of His blood to cleanse from sin as beleivers.
No man or woman can keep the law, even the Commandments or moral code. “No mere man has ever done so. We have all sinned, and come short of the glory of God; and as an absolutely perfect obedience is demanded by the law, which knows nothing of mercy we fly from the law to obtain salvation by the grace of God in Christ Jesus.” (C. H. Spurgeon)
Galatians 2: The Substance Not the Shadows
17 “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; 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 for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.
The ceremonial law of Moses was a shadow of things to come. It did not produce obedience to the Ten Commandments. “The life of Christ [alone] infused into the soul of Paul, superseded the state of darkness, bondage, and sin, in which he had formerly lived; or the law of concupiscence [particularly known is his former desire for the approval of man] which slumbers in the unregenerate heart.” (Joseph Sutcliffe)
“‘But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? That would not be caused by the gospel, but by our disregard of it.” (C. H. Spurgeon) Has Jesus “introduced a gospel which leaves those who trust in it still sinners under the condemnation of the law, so that they must turn again from Christ to the law for justification?… ‘God forbid'; let it not be; Christ is not the minister of sin; but in turning away from Him, I make myself a sinner, as he proceeds to show. ‘For if I build again the things which I destroyed’; the system of Jewish ceremonies, which, upon believing in Christ, I had destroyed, that is, given up as worthless. ‘I make myself a transgressor’; in going back from faith in Christ to the law.” (Justin Edwards)
“For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.” Living under the ceremonial laws of Moses was acceptable and even conducive to righteousness until God sent His Son into the world. Light has been shed abroad and it is no longer expedient in making sons and daughters of God. “For God the Father having put His kingdom in this world wholly under his Son, in a peculiar sense, when He raised Him from the dead, all who, after that, would be His people in His kingdom, were to live by no other law but the gospel, which was now the law of His kingdom.” (Thomas Coke) Peter and Paul had died unto that law that they might live unto Christ. He is both Just and the Justifier of those who trust in Him, even their Sanctifier, helping them to keep His Commandments.
“‘For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.’ The particular application here, as it seems to me, is to the subject of circumcision and the other rites of the Mosaic law. They had been virtually abolished by the coming of the Redeemer, and by the doctrine of justification by faith. It had been seen that there was no necessity for their observance, and of that Peter and the others had been fully aware [and even testified]. Yet they were lending their influence again to establish them or to build them up again. They complied with them, and they [in effect were endorsing those who] insisted on the necessity of their observance [as part of salvation]. Their conduct, therefore, was that of building up again that which had once been destroyed, destroyed by the ministry, and toils, and death of the Lord Jesus, and by the fair influence of his gospel. To rebuild that again; to re-establish those customs, was wrong…” (Albert Barnes), even sinful- contrary to the Spirit of the Commandments of God or love.
“I have been crucified with Christ.” “Here, in his own person, the apostle describes the spiritual or hidden life of a believer. The old man is crucified, Romans 6:6, but the new man is living; sin is mortified, and grace is quickened. He has the comforts and the triumphs of grace; yet that grace is not from himself, but from Another. Believers see themselves living in a state of dependence on Christ...” (Matthew Henry) for any right thought or action. Likewise, when I trusted in Jesus for salvation and obeyed the gospel, by submitting to the ordinance of baptism in His name, I died with Him in those waters and according to the promise of God, in Acts 2:38 and other places, I have received the surety of His Spirit. “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 for me.” “‘I do not set aside the grace of God [by returning to those elementary building blocks]; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.’ That is to say, there was no need for Christ to die, the crucifixion was a superfluity.” (C. H. Spurgeon)—if the ceremonial law adds to His work of atonement.