seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Galatians 2:11 When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For 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 Cephas 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?
15 “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles 16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
17 “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! 18 If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.
19 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20 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. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
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Here's a link to the commentary I read.
Now when Peter had come to Antioch: Peter approved of Paul’s gospel and ministry when Paul came to Jerusalem (Galatians 2:9), and God used Peter himself to welcome Gentiles into Christianity without the precondition of becoming Jews (Acts 11:1-18).
He withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision: Though Peter was previously in agreement with welcoming Gentiles into the church without bringing them under the Law of Moses, when Peter came to Antioch (Paul’s home church), it was another story. He refused to associate with Gentile Christians once certain Jewish believers from Jerusalem came.
These men were Christians of Jewish background. Paul called them certain men… from James and those who were of the circumcision. Knowing their background, Peter knew they would be offended at his fellowship with Gentiles who had not come under the Law of Moses. In their eyes, these uncircumcised Gentiles were not really Christians at all. Therefore, to please them and to avoid a conflict, Peter treated these Gentile Christians as if they were not Christians at all.
I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed: This shows how serious the matter was to Paul. He had a public confrontation with Peter over the issue (I said to Peter before them all, Galatians 2:14).
This was also serious because it involved the issue of eating together. Before the certain men came from James, Peter would eat with the Gentiles. Yet once they came, Peter withdrew and separated himself. This separation was probably at the church potluck dinner, which they called “the agape banquet” or the “love feast.” They would also remember the Lord’s death at this dinner and take communion together. Therefore, it is possible that Peter turned these Gentile Christians away from the communion table.
Fearing those who were of the circumcision: This explains why Peter did this, even when he knew that God welcomed Gentiles into the church without placing them under the Law of Moses. Out of fear, Peter acted against what he knew was right. “Peter perhaps felt that if the members of the embassy went back and told the Jerusalem church that he was eating with Gentiles it would compromise his position with the leading church.” (Morris)
Played the hypocrite… carried away with their hypocrisy: The word hypocrite, in the original language of the New Testament, means “one who puts on a mask,” referring to an actor. In this case Peter, Barnabas, and the rest of the Jewish Christians in Antioch knew that these Gentile believers were really Christians. Yet, because of the pressure from the certain men from James, they acted like they were not Christians at all.
I said to Peter before them all: What a scene this must have been! There they were, at the Antioch Christian potluck. The Gentile Christians had just been asked to leave, or were told to sit in their own section away from the real Christians. They also weren’t allowed to share the same food that the real Christians ate. Peter — the honored guest — went along with all this. Barnabas — the man who led many of the Gentiles to Jesus — went along with all this. The rest of the Jews in the church at Antioch went along with all this. But Paul would not stand for it. Because this was a public affront to the Gentile Christians and because it was a public denial of the truth of the gospel, Paul confronted Peter in a public way.
It must have been hard, knowing who Peter was. Peter was the most prominent of all the disciples of Jesus. Peter was the spokesman for the apostles, and probably the most prominent Christian in the whole world at the time.
If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews: Paul first reminded Peter that he himself did not live under strict obedience to the Law of Moses. “Peter, you eat bacon and ham and lobster. You don’t keep a kosher diet. Yet now, before these visitors, these certain men… from James, now you act as if you keep these laws all the time.”
But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Now Paul dealt with an objection that the certain men from James would raise. It’s important to remember that Paul made this statement publicly, with the concerned parties right in front of him. On one side of the room were the certain men from James, who believed that God would not accept the Gentiles unless they put themselves under the Law of Moses. Peter sat with these men and so did Barnabas, who was Paul’s best friend. In fact, all the Christians of Jewish background sat with these Christians from Jerusalem who didn’t believe that the Gentiles in the church at Antioch were really saved at all. In a real-life setting like this, Paul couldn’t just speak his mind without answering the objections — spoken or unspoken — of those who disagreed with him.
And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith: Paul can only manage the new life Jesus gave him by faith. You can’t live the new life Jesus gives on the foundation of law-keeping. You can only live it by faith.
If righteous comes through the law: If this proposition is true, then Jesus died in vain — because you can be righteous before God by law-keeping, and you don’t need the work of Jesus to make you righteous.
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We read about Peter and the sheet of unclean animals in Acts 10:9-16. God told Peter, in a vision, that He created all animals and birds and fish, so the Kosher Diet was now unnecessary. Peter ate bacon!!!!
Did you know that Lobster is also prohibited under the Dietary Law? Lobster is great!!! It's not up there with bacon, but Lobster Houses all over the world charge a very pretty penny for a lobster's sweet taste!
Peter only ate bacon and lobster when he was sitting with the Gentiles. But, in front of the Jews who claimed to be perfect as to the dietary restrictions, Peter wouldn't eat it.
Apparently, there was a huge potluck dinner. According to the commentary, this huge potluck was to celebrate "Agape Love". Ok then....
First the Gentiles were required to sit on one side of the room while the "circumcised, bacon [and lobster] haters" sat on the other side of the room.
Peter said the circumcised Jews could not eat with those nasty Gentiles. Paul [Saul] took offense and called Peter down in front of everyone.
Paul [Saul] called Peter a hypocrite!!!! Paul told the crowd that Peter sneaked bacon and lobster when he was with the Gentiles and then turns face when he gets around the circumcised Jews.
Paul [Saul] reminded Peter that Christians were "all new" and living a Christian Life... not a Mosaic Life. The Mosaic Life couldn't make them closer to God. Let's face it, they were molding a golden calf while God was dictating the Ten Commandments. Left on their own, humans couldn't get right with God.
Paul [Saul] and Peter had a public debate and I think Paul [Saul] won. Does that mean the people who go to "St. Paul's" church have bacon at their potluck and the people at "St. Peter's" church don't? No... it means Peter and Paul [Saul] were still fighting over rules.
Wouldn't it have been great if they all sat down to a nice lobster dinner and while dipping their lobster in warm butter, they discussed the grace of God?
Paul [Saul] called Peter a hypocrite because Peter ate bacon but sat with the bacon haters!!!!
Paul [Saul] called Peter a hypocrite over Bacon and Lobster!!!!
