The Heart of the Gospel
Galatians 2:15-21
The Heart of the Gospel
galatians 2:15-21
Main Idea: We walk in step with the gospel through a life of faith that embraces our union with Christ.
I. The Source of Grace: Justification (2:15-16)
Paul corrects and rebukes Peter’s sinful behavior (2:11-14) by reminding him of his justification. This is ‘legal’ language, where sinners are declared ‘right’ or ‘just’ rather than condemned. Justification is the “great exchange” as Christ receives our condemnation on the cross and we receive his perfect righteousness by faith, not by works (cf. Rom. 8:1, 2 Cor. 5:21).
2 Peter 1:8-9: “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.”
Here I must take counsel of the gospel, I must hearken to the gospel, which teaches me, not what I ought to do (for that is the proper office of the Law), but what Jesus Christ the Son of God has done for me: that he suffered and died to deliver me from sin and death. The Gospel wills me to receive this, and to believe it. This is the truth of the Gospel. It is also the principal article of all Christian doctrine, wherein the knowledge of all godliness consists Most necessary it is therefore, that we should know this article well, teach it unto others, and beat it into their heads continually.
~ Martin Luther, Commentary on Galatians
II. The Spirit of Growth: Sanctification (2:17-19, 21)
Though justification by faith is the source of grace, we have a tendency to resist this truth practically in our sanctification and growth in the gospel. Paul’s theological arguments in this section warn against two opposite errors:
1. Antinomianism (2:17) (lit. ‘against law’). While we are indeed free from the condemnation of the law in Christ and our sins have been forgiven, the grace we have been given now “trains us for godliness” (Titus 2:11-14). The gospel does not promote sinful behavior, and Christ is not a servant of sin.
Romans 6:1–4: What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
2. Legalism (2:18-19, 21): Paul has “died to the law” as a way of being saved or justified (cf. Gal. 3:10, Rom. 7:7-13), so that he could truly “live for God” (2:19). To practically live as if we can add to the finished work of Christ or earn our way into salvation is actually to live for yourself.
The commands of the Bible are ‘holy and righteous and good’ (Rom. 7:12). But the commands of the Bible are the steering wheel, not the engine, to your growth. They are vitally instructive, but they do not themselves give you the power you need to obey the instruction… To quietly confirm God's verdict of "not guilty" over us through our own contribution is to cause the entire doctrine of justification to fall to pieces and to become impotent in our daily lives. To do this is, in biblical terms, to "rebuild" what we "tore down" (Gal. 2:18). We "tore down" our own righteousness and all the futility of trying to establish it out of our own resources. Why "rebuild" it? This would be to "nullify the grace of God" (Gal. 2:21)... We lose entirely the comfort of justification if it is vulnerable to any self-strengthening. It must be all or nothing.
~Dane Ortlund, Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners
There are four ways that we can approach our growth and sanctification in the gospel (*from Dane Ortlund, Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners):
God then me
God not me
God plus me
God in me*
III. The Shape of the Gospel: Union with Christ (2:20)
Galatians 2:20 expounds the beautiful “umbrella doctrine” of our union with Christ, which is referred to over 200 times in the NT. Our union with Christ is both:
Positional (Macro): Christ is our ‘head’ and we are transferred into him as new creations and into the new realm of the ‘age to come’ (cf. Gal. 1:4)
Personal (Micro): We are intimately connected to Christ, like a vine and its branches (Jn. 15:5) a body and its parts (1 Cor. 12:12ff), and a bride and a groom (Eph. 5:32). Christ has not merely died for an undefined redeemed humanity as a whole, but he “loved me and gave himself for me.”
Our union with Christ means our past is redefined, our present is safe, and our future is secure, since our life is “hidden with Christ” (Col. 3:3). The ‘shape’ of the Christian life is one of crucifixion and resurrection, embracing the tension of “it is no longer I who live” and “the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith.”
A crucifixion of the natural self is the passport to everlasting life. Nothing that has not died will be resurrected… Die before you die. There is no chance after.
~ C.S. Lewis
Walking in Step with the Gospel
Galatians 2:11-16
Walking in Step with the Gospel
galatians 2:11-16
Main Idea: We must strive to uphold the truth of the gospel both in doctrine and in conduct.
I. Eating & Drinking
This apostolic confrontation was a monumental moment in the early church because of both the people and the place involved:
People: The Apostle Peter received a direct revelation from the Lord (Acts 10:9-16), indicating that God has made all foods clean, the ceremonial distinctions between Jews and Gentiles have been broken down (10:28; Mk. 7:18-19; Eph. 2:14-17), and that God “shows no partiality” (10:34). He preaches the gospel to the Gentiles who then receive the Holy Spirit and are baptized.
Place: The church in Antioch began when Gentiles heard the gospel, turned in faith to Christ, and then were taught by Barnabas and Paul (Acts 11). Antioch is the first place where followers of Jesus were called “Christians” (11:26) and later became the home-base for Paul’s missionary journeys to the “ends of the earth.”
In Antioch, Peter freely shared “table fellowship” with the Gentiles, despite criticism (Acts 11:2), knowing that the gospel of God’s grace overcame deep cultural division and animosity between Jews and Gentiles.
We used to hate and destroy one another and refused to associate with people of another race or country. Now, because of Christ, we live together with such people and pray for our enemies.
~ Justin Martyr
II. Hypocrisy & Fear
When “certain men from James” came to Antioch from Jerusalem (presumably Jewish Chrsitians), Peter “drew back and separated himself” from the Gentiles, acting in hypocrisy.
There was nothing intrinsically wrong with Peter's Jewish customs. But there was something very wrong with requiring adherence to them after Christ had fulfilled them, which Peter did by distancing himself from the unkosher Gentile believers. In effect, Peter was saying that Gentiles had to believe the gospel and adapt to Jewish culture for them to be good enough for Christ - and good enough for Peter! They were not his equals, because they weren't like him. In doing this, Peter obscured the all-sufficiency of Jesus and exalted something of himself in the Lord's place. What an insult to the finished work of Christ on the cross! How demeaning to those blood-bought Gentiles!... What a violation of justification by faith alone!
~ Ray Ortlund, The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ
‘Hypocrisy’ is not simply failing to live up to what you believe; it is to be a “play-actor” and wear a “mask,” hiding your true self. Peter’s hypocrisy led him to live out his gospel convictions in one situation, but then cover them up in another.
Peter’s hypocrisy in Antioch is driven by his “fear” of the circumcision party. His desire for the approval of this group allowed cultural differences to become more important than gospel unity, and risked creating a church in which there was “one Lord, but two Lord’s tables” (~ Stephen Neill).
Like all of us, Peter had a history of fear. When he denied Jesus on the night of his Lord’s arrest, he feared physical harm. In Antioch, he effectively denied Jesus because he feared social harm. Driven by the primitive fear, he falsified the gospel. In other words, the problem entered in not at the level of doctrine but at the level of culture. It started with personal fear, not with reading a book of bad theology.
~ Ray Ortlund, The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ
Peter’s fear of the “circumcision party” caused his conduct to be “not in step with the truth of the gospel.” This had serious consequences: he “stood condemned” before the Lord and he also led the other Jewish Christians - “even Barnabas” - astray.
III. The Equalizer of Grace
Paul, knowing what was at stake by Peter’s actions, courageously confronted Peter “to his face” and “before them all.” His confrontation highlights two theological realities that were inconsistent in their hypocritical behavior.
There is no distinction between Jews and Gentiles in their sin, since no one will be justified by “works of the law” (cf. Rom. 10:3; Ps. 143:2)
There is no distinction between Jews and Gentiles in their salvation, since we are only justified by faith in Christ alone
Romans 3:21–24: But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Romans 15:7: Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
A Little Steel for Your Spine
Galatians 2:1-10
A Little Steel for Your Spine
galatians 2:1-10
Main Idea: We must resist false gospels because of our submission to Christ and love of our neighbor.
I. Submit to the Revelation (2:1-2)
t was not, we may be sure, that he had any personal doubts or misgivings about his gospel and needed the reassurance of the other Jerusalem apostles, for he had been preaching it for fourteen years; but rather lest his ministry, past and present, should be rendered fruitless by the Judaizers. It was to overthrow their influence, not to strengthen his own conviction, that he laud his gospel before the Jerusalem apostles.”
~ John Stott The Message of Galatians
His fear is not that his gospel will be voided of its power if the decision in Jerusalem should go against him; what he fears, rather, is that a negative verdict will create a fissure in the church between its Jewish and Gentile wings.
~ Douglas Moo
II. Unyielding in the Confrontation (2:3-5)
Such people were no doubt genuinely shocked by the carefree attitude of Gentile Christians to the law of Moses, their own most treasured possession. It is highly likely that they thought themselves to be enriching the spiritual lives of Gentile converts immeasurably. But from his own experience Paul knew that this action was but a return to slavery. True, the Galatians had not been slaves to this particular Jewish system before: as pagans, they had had their own system of religion and morals. But a change of masters is not an escape from slavery: that is Paul’s whole point.
~ Alan Cole
Let this be then the conclusion of all together, that we will suffer our goods to be taken away, our name, our life, and all that we have; but the Gospel, our faith, Jesus Christ, we will never suffer to be wrested from us. And cursed be that humility which here abaseth and submitteth itself.
~ Martin Luther
Three Reasons Why We Are Vulnerable to False Teaching
Ignorance
Idolatry
Indifference
III. Impartial to the Confirmation (2:6-10)
Gospel Transformation
Galatians 1:10-24
Gospel Transformation
galatians 1:10-24
Main Idea: The gospel completely transforms us so that we now live for God’s glory and approval alone.
I. The Necessity of Grace (1:11-14)
His gospel, which was being called in question by the Judaizers and deserted by the Galatians, was neither an invention (as if his own brain had fabricated it), nor a tradition (as if the church had handed it down to him), but a revelation (for God had made it known to him)... The magnitude of his claim is remarkable. He is affirming that his message is not his message but God’s message, that his gospel is not his gospel but God’s gospel, that his words are not his words but God’s words.
~ John Stott, The Message of Galatians
In order to back up this claim, Paul reminds the Galatians of his unlikely conversion story. His former life looked like a fanatical commitment to:
Persecuting the church of God “violently” trying to “destroy” it (cf. Acts 8:1-3, 22:4-5, 26:9-11)
Advancing quickly in Judaism as a Pharisee, “zealous” for the tradition of his fathers (cf. Phil. 3:3-6; Acts 22:3, 26:5)
II. The Experience of the Gospel (1:15-16a)
As Paul recounts his incredible conversion experience (cf. Acts 9:1-6), he emphasizes the Lord’s work of:
Setting him apart before he was born (Jer. 1:5; Isa. 49:1; Lk. 1:13-17; Eph. 1:3ff)
Calling him by his grace (2 Tim. 1:9; 1 Thess. 5:23-24)
Revealing Christ to him externally (Acts 9:4-5) and internally (2 Cor. 4:6)
In the story of freedom, God is always the subject; humans, always the object. If we’re to live free, it will be because of God’s actions, not because of our own will or disposition or politics or intelligence…. Something is done to us or for us before we do anything. We are acted on before we act. Life isn’t naturally produced by us; it’s supernaturally provided for us.
~ Eugene Peterson, Traveling Light: Galatians and the Free Life in Christ
Christianity is not something you take up. Christianity is something that takes you up. Christianity is not so much something you decide on. Christianity is something that happens to you.
~ Tim Keller, “Why They Glorified God”
1 Timothy 1:15–16: The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
III. The Approval of God (1:16b-24, 10)
The next season of Paul’s life confirmed God’s divine calling and commissioning “in order that he might preach [Christ] among the Gentiles.” This is seen as Paul traveled to:
Arabia for 3 years (Acts 9:23-25; 2 Cor. 11:32-33)
Jerusalem for 15 days, meeting with Peter & James (Acts 9:26)
Syria and Cilicia, remaining “unknown” to the churches in Judea (Acts 9:30)
Paul is contending that his gospel ministry was independent from but not in contradiction to the Jerusalem Apostles. Jesus was building his church and communicating his gospel of grace through both Paul and the other Apostles.
Paul’s testimony and our testimony ought to produce the same response:
Within us: “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (1:10)
In others: “They glorified God because of me.” (1:24)
The primary reality of which we have to take account in seeking for a Christian impact on public life is the Christian congregation. How is it possible that the gospel should be credible that people should come to believe that the power which has the last word in human affairs is represented by a man hanging on a cross? . . . The only answer, the only hermeneutic of the gospel, is a congregation of men and women who believe it and live by it.
~ Lesslie Newbigin, The Gospel in a Pluralistic Society
No Other Gospel
Galatians 1:1-9
No Other Gospel
galatians 1:1-9
Paul is not tolerant when people he loves are being told lies about God, because he knows that such lies will reduce their lives, impair the vitality of their spirits, imprison them in old guilts, and cripple them with anxieties and fears.
~ Eugene Peterson, Traveling Light: Galatians and the Free Life in Christ
Main Idea: We must hold fast to the gospel of Christ, who alone secures grace and peace for us.
I. The Messenger of the Gospel (1:1-2)
Paul begins his letter to the churches in Galatia by asserting his apostleship; the “apostles” were a special group (including the Twelve plus a few others) commissioned personally by the risen Lord Jesus to serve a foundational role in the church.
Eph. 2:20: [the church is] “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.”
Why did Paul thus assert and defend his apostleship?... It was because the gospel that he preached was at stake. If Paul were not an apostle of Jesus Christ, then men could, and no doubt would, reject his gospel. This he could not bear. For what Paul spoke was Christ’s message on Christ’s authority.
~ John Stott, The Message of Galatians: Only One Way
II. The Message of the Gospel (1:3-5)
Paul “bookends” his letter (1:3, 6:18) to the Galatians with a reminder of grace. God’s grace toward the undeserving is at the heart of the message of the gospel (John 1:14, 16), and is the only basis for ‘peace’ with God.
The bridge from grace (1:3) to glory (1:5) is the finished work of Jesus Christ through the cross and resurrection (1:1), who “gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age.” All of this was “according to the will of our God and Father,” foretold in the OT Scriptures.
III. The Matchlessness of the Gospel (1:6-9)
Paul is astonished that the Galatians were so quickly at risk of ‘deserting:’
What Paul had taught them (the gospel)
Who had saved them (God himself)
How he had saved them (in the grace of Christ)
The rest of Galatians indicates that these false teachers were “distorting [lit. ‘reversing’] the gospel of Christ” by contending that Gentile Christians must accept circumcision (5:11-12, 6:12-13; cf. Acts 15:1), become culturally Jewish (4:9-10), and observe the Mosaic Law (3:10-11) in order to truly be a part of the people of God.
If the Galatians accepted this teaching, they would actually be “reversing” the gospel, because ‘another gospel’ is not another gospel; to “add” to the gospel is actually to subtract, and an ‘almost gospel’ is no gospel at all.
There is a clear and present danger that the devil may take away from us the pure doctrine of faith and may substitute for it the doctrines of works and of human traditions. It is very necessary, therefore, that this doctrine of faith be continually read and heard in public… There is no middle ground between Christian righteousness and works-righteousness. There is no other alternative to Christian righteousness but works righteousness; if you do not build your confidence on the work of Christ you must build your confidence on your own work.
~ Martin Luther, Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians
Cling tightly [to the gospel] with both your hands; when they fail, catch hold with your teeth; and if they give way, hang on by your eyelashes!
~ Charles Spurgeon