EXPLORE IT - Galatians 2:11-14

Galatians 2:11-14  When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong.  ¹² Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group.  ¹³ The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.  ¹⁴ When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?

Dissention within “The Church” today can be rampant at times.  Different denominations and even different congregations within a denomination may hold to certain beliefs or traditions that contrast with one another.  Some churches baptize infants while others only baptize older, professing believers.  Some congregations participate in Communion every week, while others rarely do so.  Some worship services include bands with guitars and drums, while others choose to sing without any instruments.  These differences by themselves are not a concern.  The challenges come when those who come from different backgrounds come together and disagree and create conflict.  Sometimes, because of this conflict, believers taint the message of the Gospel, inhibiting those outside the church to come to Christ.

In our passage this week, Paul confronts Peter about the dissention he is creating within the church.  The early church had recognized a difference between ministry to the Jews and to the Gentiles.  They allowed the Jews to continue their traditional Jewish practices while believing in Jesus as Lord.  Ministry to the Gentiles did not force them to following Jewish practices as they came to believe in Jesus for their salvation.  The challenge came when these two principles came into conflict.

Table fellowship brought this conflict into play.  If a Jewish Christian sat down for a meal with a Gentile Christian, he would be vulnerable to violation of the ceremonial food laws, but if he refused to eat with them, it would conflict with the principle of not requiring Gentile Christians to follow Jewish practices.  It seems the solution to this challenge was left up to the individual’s conscience.  Initially, Peter had no problem eating with the Gentiles, but then when a new group of Jewish Christians arrived, instead of educating them to the situation at hand, Peter folded under pressure and stopped eating with the Gentile Christians. 

Paul admonished Peter because he had forgotten what our salvation is founded upon.  Our foundation is not the law or tradition, our foundation is Jesus.  We, like Peter, have to remember it’s all about Jesus.  When we find ourselves disagreeing about the color of carpet to put in the sanctuary or how we should decorate for the Christmas Season, we must remember it’s all about Jesus.  I am a big believer in inter-denominational and cross-denominational ministry because it’s all about Jesus.  If we as a world-wide community of believers could put our differences aside and focuse on the Gospel message of Jesus, we could make an impact beyond our imaginations.

Blessings,
Pastor Amy