Paul rebukes Cephas in Antioch

Paul rebukes Cephas in Antioch

Our working theme for Galatians: “Grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as taught in Scripture alone, to the glory of God alone”

CHARTING THE COURSE FOR THIS STUDY:

Paul Rebukes Cephas In Antioch (Galatians 2:11-21)

PAUL REBUKES CEPHAS IN ANTIOCH (Galatians 2:11-21)

Did the church at Antioch practice “mixed fellowship” between Jewish and Gentile Christians before Peter arrived? (Gal.2:12)

Did the church at Antioch practice “mixed fellowship” between Jewish and Gentile Christians when Peter arrived?

When did the church at Antioch stop practicing “mixed fellowship” between Jewish and Gentile Christians? (Gal.2:12-13)

Why did Peter begin withdrawing and holding himself aloof?(Gal.2:12)

Why would Peter have reason to fear? (see Acts 21:20-21)

Why did Peter stand condemned? (Gal.2:11,14,16)

A. Paul illustrates his Apostolic authority by recounting the time when Peter and others “were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel” (Galatians 2:11-14).

1. Cephas “stood condemned” (v.11).

2. men from James withdrew from Gentiles “fearing the party of the circumcision” (v.12).

3. The rest of the Jews joined in the hypocrisy, even Barnabas (v.14).

a. Many people look at Paul’s rebuke and condemn Paul!

Did Paul have to be so harsh in his rebuke of Peter? Why didn’t Paul confront Peter in private (Matt.18:15ff.)? Why didn’t Paul follow his own counsel to restore the erring brother with gentleness and humility (Gal.6:1).

“Before Peter came to Antioch the community had regularly practiced an unrestricted fellowship together (v.13), and therefore the problem had not yet arisen. As subsequent events were to prove, it lay just beneath the surface. Likewise during the first part of Peter’s visit this potential difficulty was suppressed in that he, who was the recognized leader of the Christian mission to the Jews, did not hesitate to freely join in fellowship with the Gentile Christians there (v.12). This attitude reflected his personal point of view concerning the relationship of Christian freedom to the Law; a position analogous to that maintained by Paul” (Nickle, The Collection, p.63).

b. We need to keep the following things in mind:

i. Peter’s hypocrisy contradicted the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God’s honor was at stake and so was the Gospel.

ii. The hypocrisy was not private but public and therefore called for a public rebuke.

iii. Paul’s rebuke is no sharper than Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees for their hypocrisy (Matthew 23:25-25).

4. Peter did at one time eat with Gentiles which is what Paul means in v.14, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews” (Gal.2:12; Acts 10:28).

5. Peter was now compelling Gentiles to live like Jews (v.14).

6. Since Paul mentions “you, being a Jew” in v.14, I understand Paul to be summarizing the Gospel he preached to Peter in verses 15-21, “We Jews…”

B. Paul preaches the Gospel to Peter (Galatians 2:15-21)!

1. “Jews by nature” is a reference to Abrahamic descent and circumcision in contrast to the “sinners from among the Gentiles” (v.15).

a. In the Old Covenant, were many advantages to being a Jew “by nature” as opposed to a Gentile.

b. Gentiles were “excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12).

c. But even in the Old Covenant, the Jews were justified by faith and not by works of the Law. “By the works of the Law no flesh [Jew or Gentile] will be justified” (v.16).

“In v. 16b, it is stated just this way: “even we have believed…” (literal translation). By identifying himself and his associates as thoroughly Jewish believers, Paul disavows that the people from James are the legitimate heirs of Israel’s hope. He would have us think very much in terms of “them and us.” One might paraphrase vv. 15-16: “As distinct from them, the Judaizers and their followers, we, notwithstanding our Jewish heritage, know that a person is not justified by works of Torah but by faith in Christ; even we, who share the same historic biblical values as our opponents, have trusted in Christ for justification.” (Don Garlington, “Even We Have Believed:” Galatians 2:15-16 Revisited)

2. Paul preached to Peter that the Gospel concerning our justification was never based upon “nature” nor “works of the Law” but “faith in Christ Jesus” (v.16; cf. Gal.3:6).

3. There seems to have been two Judaizing abuses of the law that Paul was addressing. Both were related: God’s acceptance of others and the church’s acceptance of others.

a. The Judaizers thought that by keeping the Law they were accepted/justified by God (Gal.3:10-12; cf. Acts 13:38-39; 15:1,5; Romans 3:19-20; Galatians 3:21).

b. The Judaizers used the Jewish law (i.e. the ceremonial law) as a means of accepting others into God’s household.

i. The Judaizers were still using particular Jewish laws as a means of distinguishing between Jew and Gentile (i.e. ceremonial laws such as circumcision and clean vs. unclean foods; see Col.3:10-11).

ii. The Judaizers were making the church a household of faith + works (Paul calls it “the household of faith” [Gal.6:10]).

iii. The Judaizers were saying that the Gentiles who received Christ but not circumcision were still “unclean.” The blood of Jesus wasn’t sufficient to cleanse them (Acts 15:1,5; cf. Romans 3:21-24; Eph.2:13) and therefore the Judaizers would not fellowship with them (Gal.2:11-13). The church was still treating other Christians like Gentile sinners if they had not submitted to circumcision.

4. Paul taught that the cross alone distinguishes between those who are justified before God and accepted into the household of faith (grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone). The blood of Jesus alone makes a person clean before God and not our adherence to the law.

a. You can’t work your way into the household of faith otherwise it wouldn’t be “of faith” (cf. Gal.6:10).

b. “you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Gal.3:26).

c. “if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace” (Romans 11:6).

works of the law (3x in Galatians 2:16; also Gal.3:2,5,10) –The works of the law are in antithesis to “faith in Christ”:

Ø a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus (Gal.2:16)

Ø we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law (Gal.2:16)

Ø did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? (Gal.3:2)

Ø does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? (Gal.3:5)

Ø Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.” (Gal.3:11; cf. Galatians 3:12,24; 5:4; Phil.3:9; Eph.2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7; 2 Tim.1:9).

Works of the law refer to the sinner’s use (misuse) of the Mosaic law (whether ceremonial or moral) as a means of right standing before God (see Acts 15:1,5; Romans 9:30-10:4). Contrary to the Judaizers, the law was never a means of righteousness for sinners,

For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.”
Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.”
However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “He who practices them shall live by them.” (Galatians 3:10-12)

Jesus also explained that it is by faith and not by law that we attain righteousness,

Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him.” (John 6:28-29)

“to say that the focus in “works of Law” is on certain ritual laws (i.e., circumcision, food laws and Sabbath) collapses upon further reading of Galatians. Paul does not exclude righteousness based only on “works of Law,” he also excludes righteousness by Law in a general sense (Gal 2:21; 3:11–12; 5:4). And since much of Galatians centers on the temporally limited nature of the Mosaic covenant (Gal 3:15–4:7), it is strained to argue that only part of the Law is in focus when Paul speaks of “works of Law.” Moreover, to say that Paul’s emphasis when he refers to “works of Law” is on the ceremonial law is even harder to sustain in Romans, for the failure to be justified by “works of Law” in Romans 3:20 is due to the Jewish failure to obey the moral claims of the Law, not adherence to the ritual Law for nationalistic reasons. This last point is clearly supported by Romans 2:17–29 where the Jews are rebuked for failure to obey the Law, even though they are circumcised” (Thomas Schreiner, “Works of the Law” in Dictionary of Paul and his Letters, 977).

The works of the law do not refer to the requirements of the law for sinners. For Paul, the law has no requirement as to what sinners must do to become righteous. The law reveals our condemnation.

In Galatians 5:16-21, Paul will identify the works of the Law with the works of the flesh.[1] Paul’s emphasis in Galatians 5 is that the religion of circumcision (a sinners attempt to keep the law for righteousness) is a religion of the flesh in the worst sense of the term: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing and the like.

justified (verb: dikaioo)[2] (3x in Galatians 2:16) – a right relationship before God which comes through faith in Christ. To be justified is to be declared righteous by the righteous Judge and to be pardoned of all our sins.

When in Pisidian Antioich (southern Galatia) Paul preached,

“Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,
39 and through Him everyone who believes is freed/justified from all things, from which you could not be freed/justified through the Law of Moses. (Acts 13:38-39)

Q.33 of the Shorter Catechism

What is justification?

Justification is an act of God’ s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, (Rom. 3:24–25, Rom. 4:6–8) and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, (2 Cor. 5:19,21) only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, (Rom. 5:17–19) and received by faith alone. (Gal. 2:16, Phil. 3:9)

One of the things the unbelieving Jews of Pisidian Antioch found so offensive about Paul’s Gospel was his declaration that according to the Law they stood condemned (Acts 13:38-39). The Jews thought that according to the Law they stood righteous and acquitted!

The proclamation that people are justified by grace aroused the religious wrath of Judaism. To declare that God justified sinners seemed to make God a party to unrighteousness. For only just people may rightly be declared just; and just people are those who fulfil the law. Paul did not respond to this moral appeal to justice by setting NT grace in opposition to OT justice. Rather, he declared that God demonstrated His justice precisely in graciously declaring sinners just in Christ Jesus. “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law …” (Rom. 3:21). Grace is a manifestation of evangelical righteousness or justice; in the act of grace God proves that He is indeed righteous (Rom. 3:26). Hence, the biblical ideal of the justice of God must be interpreted in the light of the grace of God; God’s justice was satisfied in the judgment of the cross, but in His grace He freely apportions to sinners the liberating effect of that judgment” (The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised [2:549-550]).

The antithesis of justified in the context of Galatians is condemned which gives the term a forensic [3] sense (Deut.25:1; Prov.17:15; Isa.5:22,23; 2 Chron.18:6,7; Matt.12:37; Rom.5:16; 8:33,34).[4] The antithesis between justified and condemned is also found in Paul’s contrasts between blessing/curse; justified/condemned,

Galatians 1:8-9
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!
As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!

Galatians 2:11
But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.

Galatians 3:10-11
For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.”
Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.”

Galatians 3:13
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”—

righteousness (noun: dikaiosune)[5] (Galatians 2:21; 3:21) – as used in this context, righteousness is the antithesis to “sinners” (2:15,17). For Paul, righteousness does not come from nature and it is for this reason he can say that no one (Jew and Gentile) is righteous. Nor does righteousness come through our works but through faith in God’s promises culminating with the work of Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:21; 3:6-9; cf. Romans 4:3,5,6,9,11,13,22; 5:17,21; 10:4,10; 1 Cor.1:30).

In English the terms justified and righteousness are from two different word families. However, in the Greek they are from the same word family— the noun dikaiosune, the adjective dikaios and the verb dikaioo.

the Law (v.21) – while the focus in Galatians is upon the ceremonial Law [6] (e.g. circumcision and food laws), Paul has in mind the entire Mosaic Law. To place oneself or others under the obligation of circumcision for justification was to be placed under the entire law for justification, “And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law” (Galatians 5:3).

It is important to keep in mind that Paul never argues against the Law, but rather the Judaizing heresy that tried to keep the Law as a means of righteousness. In a similar manner, the prophet Jeremiah makes scathing remarks not about the Temple but misplaced trust in the Temple. Likewise, Isaiah spoke negatively about the assemblies of Israel not because the assemblies were bad but because of their misuse. Paul does the same kind of thing with the Judaizer’s misappropriation of the law.

5. The meaning of verse 17 is difficult probably because Paul is arguing against the Judaizers’ false teaching that his Gospel made Jesus a minister of sin.

a. Paul taught that we need to abandon any idea that our law keeping (“seeking to be justified”) is a means of righteousness/justification (i.e. God’s acceptance of us into His household).

b. The Judaizers probably taught that adherence to the law is righteousness and abandonment of the law is sin. Therefore, Paul’s Gospel of abandoning the law (for justification) would make Jesus a minister of sin.

“Paul always understood by nomos [law] (except where further qualification pointed elsewhere, e.g., Rom.3:27; Gal.6:2) the Mosaic law, the entire Torah, including the ceremonial commandments (Rom.9:4; Gal.2:12; 4:10; 5:3; Phil.3:5-6). And he described this law not as the letter to the Hebrews does — as imperfect, preparatory, Old Testamental dispensation of the covenant of grace, which then disappeared when the high priest and surety of the better covenant arrived — but as the revelation of God's will, as a religious-ethical demand and obligation, as a God-willed regulation of the relationship between Himself and man. And concerning this law, so understood, Paul taught that it is holy and good, and bestowed by God (Rom.2:18; 7:22,25; 9:4; 2 Cor.3:3,7); but instead of being able, as the Pharisees argued, to grant righteousness, the law is powerless through the flesh (Rom.8:3); stimulates desire (Rom.7:7-8); increases the trespass (Rom.5:20; Gal.3:19); arouses wrath, curse and death (Rom.4:15; 2 Cor.3:6; Gal.3:10); and was merely a temporary insertion, for pedagogical reasons (Rom.5:20; Gal.3:19,24; 4:2-3).” (Herman Bavinck, The Law-Gospel Distinction)

c. Paul emphatically denies that Jesus is a minister of sin “May it never be!”

i. Elsewhere, Paul argued that the Law is good (Romans 7:12,16; Galatians 3:21; 1 Timothy 1:8-11).

ii. However, the law is impotent to save sinners (Acts 13:38-39; Romans 3:19-20; Galatians 3:21). Sinners must therefore abandon their trust in the law to save them.

d. The Law doesn’t reveal that Jews are better than Gentiles. The Law reveals that both are sinners and stand condemned (Romans 3:9). Both Jews and Gentiles are helpless and hopeless apart from grace! (Romans 3:21-24)

e. Since Jews and Gentiles are made righteous by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone we are not to go back to those laws that made distinction between Jew and Gentile. Jesus has done away with these laws at the cross (v.18; Gal.3:26-29).

f. The cross is the only foundation for God’s acceptance of us and should therefore be the only foundation of the church’s acceptance of others. Reception into the church is not based upon works such as circumcision or adherence to Jewish food laws (see Gal.3:26-29).

6. Paul argues in verse 18 that laws that were particular to the Jews and made distinction between Jews and Gentiles were crucified with Christ and not resurrected with Him (see Eph.2:11-22).

C. Paul’s rebuke of Peter caused problems for early commentators:

1. Origen, Jerome and Chrysostom argued that Peter and Paul were playacting (Homilies on Galatians). Several of the Eastern Church Fathers held to a kind of pragmatism and the “ends justify the means.” The historian Philip Schaff wrote, “Origen, Jerome and Chrysostom explain the offense of this collision away by turning it into a theatrical and hypocritical farce, shrewdly arranged by the Apostle for a purpose. In this respect the modern standard of ethics is far superior to that of the Fathers and more fully accords with the spirit of the New Testament.”

2. Tertullian, Cyprian, Cyril of Alexandria and Augustine held that Peter sinned.

D. Galatians 2:15-21 is a bridge/Janus.[7] Paul highlights the Gospel he preached to Peter and now will develop the Gospel he preached to the Galatians in 3:1ff.