Monthly Archive for December, 1999

Galatians 2:8

Published on December 31, 1999 in Galatians. 0 Comments
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“…(for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles)…”

Note that this verse is a parenthesis that explains the nature of how God worked in both Peter’s and Paul’s ministries.

for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised

The words “worked effectively” are one word in the Greek that carries the idea of producing supernatural results. The New Testament always uses this word of supernatural working. God does the working. He not only works but He works “in” people. He energizes people. Paul affirmed God’s supernatural work in Peter’s ministry.

“Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:20-21).

also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles

Paul does not attack Peter but says that the same Holy Spirit who worked in Peter’s ministry “also” worked in his own ministry. God tailors the method of how He delivers the gospel to every group. Whether it is Peter’s or Paul’s ministry, it is God that does the work.

“…for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).


Principle:

If God gives us a ministry, He will also give us the necessary power.


Application:

Our experience in ministry verifies our call. If God gives us a ministry, He will do something with it.

Instead of competing with other churches and ministries, we should follow the model of Paul who affirmed Peter’s ministry. Have you affirmed the church down the street lately? Why attack a ministry of Christ if it truly preaches the Word?

Galatians 2:7

Published on December 30, 1999 in Galatians. 2 Comments
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“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…”

But on the contrary,

In contrast to the idea that the apostles in Jerusalem “added” anything to Paul’s message, they recognized his apostleship was at the same level as Peter’s apostleship.

when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me,

When the Jerusalem Council recognized that God had committed the gospel for the Gentiles (the uncircumcised) to Paul, this dropped like a bombshell on the Judaizers.

The word “committed” means entrusted with, to make a deposit. The Council entrusted the ministry to the Gentiles to Paul. Paul did not invent the gospel of grace; God entrusted him with it.

as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter

The word “as” indicates that Paul was on the same plane of authority as Peter. Not only did the apostles in Jerusalem vindicate his message but also they affirmed his ministry.

The gospel to the uncircumcised and the gospel to the circumcised are not two different gospels. It is one gospel to two different groups. There is only a difference in the recipients, not in the gospel.


Principle:

God makes a different kind of deposit for ministry in each believer.


Application:

It is important to realize that God uses different people in different ways. Many people try to pour others into their own mold of ministry. God is the God of diversity, not similarity (1 Corinthians 12). Christians ought to recognize the differences God designed for different people.

God has made a deposit of ministry in you. Can He trust you with His investment?

“For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship” (1 Corinthians 9:16-17).

“But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts” (1 Thessalonians 2:4).

Galatians 2:6

Published on December 29, 1999 in Galatians. 0 Comments
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“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”

Paul now evaluates the debate of the Jerusalem Council beginning in verse 6.

But from those who seemed to be something—

The word “seemed” signifies to be of opinion, to suppose. The reputed leaders of the Jerusalem Council did not intimidate Paul. Paul recognized that James, Peter and John held high esteem in the church in Jerusalem (2:9) and that was also the general accepted opinion of Christians. This did not daunt Paul from setting forth his message at the Council.

whatever they were, it makes no difference to me;

“Difference” here means to excel. When it came to standing up for “the truth of the gospel,” Paul does not recognize reputation or even excellence. The word “difference” comes from two words: to carry and through. The leadership in Jerusalem carried considerable estimation in the eyes of Christians there. This, however, did not impress Paul. He respected their position in the church but he did not put them in an exaggeratedly high place either.

God shows personal favoritism to no man—

The status of the Jerusalem apostles does not diminish Paul’s status as an apostle. The Judaizers possibly claimed that Paul did not have as much status as the Jerusalem apostles because he came from the Gentile city of Antioch. They said, “Go to mother church in ancient Jerusalem. That is where you can find truth.” God is not impressed with status or position so He does not show favouritism to the apostles in Jerusalem over the apostle Paul.

“I have become a fool in boasting; you have compelled me. For I ought to have been commended by you; for in nothing was I behind the most eminent apostles, though I am nothing. Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds” (2 Corinthians 12: 11-12).

for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me.

The leaders in Jerusalem did not contribute to Paul’s doctrine of grace. He did not consult them because God gave the gospel to him by direct revelation. The apostles did not lay their case before him. The word “added” comes from two words: to lay and before. The apostles did not give out of their tank of truth to the apostle Paul. They did not communicate or impart anything to Paul. They did not correct his message in any way. They did not add to the truth of his message.

This is not arrogance on Paul’s part; he just states the truth of the validity of his apostleship. This is not pride for Paul simply states a matter of fact. He has great confidence in the authenticity of his apostleship. If he had submitted to legalism, he would have undermined his message. Paul does not undermine the apostles in Jerusalem by saying “they added nothing to me” but countervails the attacks of the Judaizers upon the authority of his apostleship. In another passage, he diminishes himself as the person who holds the gift of apostleship.

“For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed” (1 Corinthians 15:9-11).

Yet, Paul had more training and more understanding of truth than all the other apostles put together. As the most astute student of God’s Word in the first century, he made a clean-cut break with Judaism. The Judaizers did not make a clean break. This is a lack of discernment of the principle of grace on their part. They followed him around the Roman Empire trying to undermine his message. They did everything they could to destroy him. Peter, however, held Paul in high esteem.

“…as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures” (2 Peter 3:15-16).


Principle:

Status or position does not alter truth.


Application:

Are you overly impressed with the “big names” in Christianity? They have feet of clay just as you do. Over idealization of our leaders will ultimately lead to disillusionment. Ultimately, status and fame mean little, especially in God’s eyes.

Galatians 2:5

Published on December 28, 1999 in Galatians. 0 Comments
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“…to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you”

to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour,

Paul did not yield in submission to the doctrine of the legalists even for an hour. He did not cave in to legalism. “Yield” means to yield, give way, draw back, retire. When it came to defending the gospel, Paul did not shrink back from a fight. Peter did not yield to this crowd either (Acts 15:7). Paul would not yield to legalism and allow the trampling of the liberty of grace.

that the truth of the gospel might continue with you

The reason Paul did not yield an inch to the legalists is that “the gospel might continue with you.” The word “continue” means to continue throughout, i.e., without interruption. Paul wanted the gospel of grace to be a permanent fixture in the church. Paul took a stand for the truth of the gospel of grace so that liberty in Christ might be there for the Galatians.

“Truth” implies genuineness and integrity. The issue of the integrity of the gospel was at stake. The false teachers did not totally deny the gospel; they mixed truth with false doctrine.

“But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!” (2 Corinthians 11:3-4).


Principle:

Christians need to take a stand on “the truth of the gospel.”


Application:

Christians today should have great concern for the unadulterated gospel of grace. We live in a day when very few care about the truth of the gospel. Take a stand for truth. There are some things worth fighting for. Have you moved from your initial belief in salvation by grace through faith alone? Many evangelicals are defecting from this truth. Those who hold to truth do so because they commit themselves to what the Bible says and not to the current evangelical trend.

It is one thing to be flexible in method (1 Corinthians 9:22) but it is another thing to be flexible in message. We must be inflexible in message if we are going to maintain the integrity of Christianity in our day.

Does a person who fights for truth lack love? It is not love to allow your children to get away with bloody murder. We would not do our duty as a parent if we allowed our children to develop bad character traits. There are absolutes and principles where a parent should take a stand. Love does the best for our children even though the process may be painful. When it comes to “the truth of the gospel,” we can accommodate method but we cannot compromise the truth.

It is not enough for us to simply retain the gross idea of some general gospel. We serve the specific gospel of the New Testament, a gospel of grace. There is a true gospel and there is a false gospel. When it comes to the essence of the gospel, Christians should take an inflexible stand on “the truth of the gospel.” There is latitude in method but not in message. In the message, “we do not yield, no, not for an hour.”

Galatians 2:4

Published on December 27, 1999 in Galatians. 0 Comments
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“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)…”

And this occurred because of false brethren

The words “and this” refer to Paul’s bringing Titus as a test case to the Jerusalem Council (2:3). The “false brethren” were fakers who claimed to be in the Christian family as “brothers.” They came to the Council to persuade them to circumcise Titus (2:3; Acts 15:1).

secretly brought in

Some of the representatives of the Jerusalem Council surreptitiously brought false teachers into the Council. They came to the Council under false pretense. They came in as traitors to grace. The Greek historian Strabo used “secretly brought in” for enemies secretly introduced into a city by traitors within the city. False teachers are like stealth bombers that silently destroy the gospel of grace; they are underhanded in their methods. This created a full-scale dispute at the Jerusalem Council.

(who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus,

Christians are free from the law when it comes to salvation [as were the Jews by the way]. Our position in Christ gives us liberty from the law and all its requirements to attain salvation. Christ bore the penalty of the law (3:13). No one else needs to bear that penalty because the cross paid for sin completely. Christians should look for those who do reconnaissance for the law because they will destroy the grace of our freedom in Christ Jesus.

that they might bring us into bondage)

The purpose of the infiltration of false teachers into the Jerusalem Council was to make slaves of Christians. They wanted Christians to revert to the Mosaic Law. They wanted to impose circumcision on Titus. The words “bring us into bondage” are a very strong phrase for bringing people into slavery.


Principle:

Christ plus something else for salvation or sanctification is heresy.


Application:

If we add a single work to salvation we undercut grace. We destabilize the very essence of what it means to become a Christian. We should not be surprised that people in the 20th century try to impose legalism on the church because it is a battle that goes back to the first century. If “false brethren” could get into the apostolic church, they certainly can get into the 20th century church.

The Christian life by definition is a life of liberty (John 8:36; Romans 7:6). Christian liberty is not license but freedom from sin and the penalty of sin (Galatians 5:13). Liberty frees the Christian soul from conditions to fellowship with God or acceptance by God. Any time a doctrine presents the idea of Christ and His cross plus something, it is heresy. Christ plus works or Christ plus religion is heresy.

Galatians 2:3

Published on December 26, 1999 in Galatians. 0 Comments
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“Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised”

Yet not even Titus who was with me,

The reason Paul brought Titus to Jerusalem was to present him to the Council as a test case. This was a bold step on Paul’s part, an open confrontation to the legalists. The heart of the Judaizer’s position was circumcision because that was the true sign of being a Jew. Titus was a living example of someone who became a Christian without circumcision. All the legalists had to do to win their case was to convince the Council to circumcise Titus. This they failed to do.

being a Greek,

The word “Greek” does not mean native people from Greece but a Gentile who participates in the Greek culture and speaks Greek, the common language of the Roman Empire. Greek and Gentile became interchangeable terms. A Gentile is anyone not a Jew.

was compelled to be circumcised

Certain people put pressure on Titus to become circumcised as a part of becoming a Christian but the Council concluded that it was not necessary for him to be circumcised. They affirmed Paul’s position on the gospel of grace. This decision was a crucial watershed of the Christian faith because the Council affirmed Gentile converts as truly Christian. This was also important for the church at Antioch for it was the centre for Gentile ministry throughout the world. Paul’s success at the Jerusalem Council opened the gospel to the Gentiles.


Principle:

A core value of Christianity is to stand for truth.


Application:

It seems that very few people are willing to take a stand on the truth of the gospel these days. Christians have almost concluded that it is wrong to confront false teaching. Both Jesus and the apostles constantly confronted false teaching. Tolerance was not the norm for first-century Christianity.

Galatians 2:2

Published on December 25, 1999 in Galatians. 0 Comments
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“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”

And I went up by revelation,

Paul did not go to the Jerusalem Council because of pressure from the apostles in Jerusalem. He went there because God told him to go. Paul did not go to Jerusalem because the leaders had called him on the carpet. The church at Antioch had sent his delegation there.

Antioch was the third largest city in the Roman Empire and 500 kilometers from Jerusalem. Going up [even though Jerusalem was south, the New Testament refers to it as "up"] to Jerusalem by revelation does not contradict the Antioch church sending his delegation to Jerusalem for both can be true.

and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles,

The word “communicated” means to set forth, to lay before. Paul laid his case of the gospel of grace before the leaders in Jerusalem (15:2; Galatians 2:9).

but privately to those who were of reputation,

Paul took the precaution to deal with the issue privately because he did not want to surprise those in leadership in Jerusalem such as Peter, James and John by dealing with the issue in public first. If he came in like a bolt from the blue then his mission to the Jerusalem Council would have been in vain.

lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain

Paul used discernment in the way he handled the doctrinal crisis at the Jerusalem Council. He took the precaution to present the facts to the apostles privately before the issue came to public debate. He did not want to offend the leaders there unnecessarily and stir up opposition against his position before he could objectively present it to the Council.

The word “run” stresses strenuous running. Paul ran strenuously in his cause at the Jerusalem Council. He viewed his presentation as a footrace in a stadium. If the Judaizers won, he would have lost a lot of territory in advancing the gospel.

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it” (1 Corinthians 9:24).


Principle:

Discernment is important in successfully advancing the gospel.


Application:

As Christians, we should use discernment in the way we fight for doctrinal position. If it requires going through private meetings, then so be it. It is not wise to embarrass publicly those we attempt to persuade.

A priority of Christian living is to keep our eye on what we want to accomplish. By using unwise approaches, we can undermine what we try to accomplish.

“…holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain” (Philippians 2:16).

Galatians 2:1b

Published on December 24, 1999 in Galatians. 0 Comments
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“Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me“

Galatians 2 refers to a visit by a delegation from the Antioch church to the leaders in Jerusalem to resolve the issue of salvation by faith. The first half of Galatians 2 deals with salvation by faith (2:1-10), and the second half deals with sanctification by faith (2:11-21).

with Barnabas,

Luke mentions that Barnabas and “certain others” went to Jerusalem with Paul from Antioch. Barnabas was also with Paul when they founded the Galatian church on their first missionary expedition. The word “with” indicates Barnabas was a partner and colleague of Paul in the wonderful fellowship of ministry.

and also took Titus with me

“Took” comes from three Greek words: to take, with, alongside. Paul took Titus, a new convert, alongside with him in his travel to Jerusalem. The idea is that Paul made him an assistant to accompany him in ministry. Luke uses this same word of John Mark in the book of Acts (12:25; 15:37,38).

The reason Paul took Titus to the Jerusalem Council is that he was an uncircumcised Gentile Christian. He was living proof that a Gentile can be a child of God. Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles, so the issue of Gentiles coming to Christ was of utmost importance to him. The Jerusalem Council resolved the issue that Gentiles can enter the family of God by faith and that they do not have to be circumcised (the symbol of becoming a Jew) to become a Christian.

Titus later became a mature leader. He helped settle a dispute between Paul and the Corinthian church (2 Corinthians 3:13; 7:6, 13-14; 8:6, 16, 23; 12:18). At another time, Paul left Titus in Crete to organize the church there (Titus 1:4-5). He evidently was an outstanding mediator.

Titus’ name occurs 13 times in four different books of the Bible two times in Galatians; nine times in 2 Corinthians; once in 2 Timothy; once in Titus. Dr. Luke does not mention Titus in the book of Acts, yet he obviously took part in many of the activities in Acts. Do you think he was miffed because of this? This would hurt the feelings of many people today, but not Titus’.


Principle:

Mature Christians do not allow their feelings to get in the way of ministry.


Application:

If we neglect to give people what they deem to be proper recognition for work they do in ministry, they feel rejected and neglected. They say, “The pastor didn’t put my name in the bulletin after all the work I did for that church.” Mature Christians can transcend hurt feelings. They will not allow their feelings to get in the way of ministry. The issues are too great and the need is too massive to blunt the ministry of Christ with feelings of rejection.

Galatians 2:1

Published on December 23, 1999 in Galatians. 0 Comments
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“Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me“

Then

The word “then” is a sequential word meaning thereupon, thereafter, then. In chapter one, Paul defends his apostolic authority by recounting a sequence of events showing that he stands independently from other apostles. In chapter two, he turns to another historical situation called the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15). In this chapter, he changes his focus from the source of his gospel to its content. He shows the unity existing between himself and the other apostles concerning the doctrines of salvation and sanctification by grace.

after fourteen years

It has been 14 years between Paul’s first visit to Jerusalem (Galatians 1:18) and the Jerusalem Council meeting. God so employed Paul in preaching the gospel to the Gentiles that he did not have time to extensively confer with the apostles in Jerusalem about the nature of the gospel of grace.

I went up again to Jerusalem

The book of Acts declares that Paul made five visits to Jerusalem:

1. The visit from Damascus (Acts 9:26-30; Galatians 1:18-20)
2. The famine visit (Acts 11:27-30; 12:24–25)
3. The Jerusalem Council visit (Acts 15:1-30)
4. The visit at the end of the second missionary expedition (Acts 18:22)
5. Paul’s final visit (Acts 21:15-23:35)

There is a debate as to whether Galatians 2 refers to the famine visit or to the Jerusalem Council visit. The word “again” does not necessarily imply that this trip to Jerusalem was the very next visit; it is simply a term of sequence without specificity. We can surmise that Paul did not refer to the famine visit because it did not affect his authority as an apostle.

The Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 resolves the church’s first great doctrinal conflict–the issue of whether God justifies or sanctifies anyone by works. The Council concluded that the death of Christ suffices for salvation. They settled that issue once and for all.

“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).

The issue at the Jerusalem Council was legalism. “Certain men” came to Antioch teaching that to trust the cross of Christ for salvation was not enough. The first great doctrinal struggle of the church originated with a problem in the church at Antioch.

“Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question” (Acts 15:2 ).

Circumcision added to the doctrine of the cross landed like a bombshell on those who believed in grace, so a full-scale “dissension” and “dispute” broke out between the two groups in Antioch. According to Galatians, the church at Antioch sent Paul, Barnabas and Titus to Jerusalem to formalize the doctrine of salvation by grace.

“And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them. But 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’” (Acts 15:4-5).

The source behind adding circumcision to the cross was the Pharisees of Judea. They dragged their pre-conversion doctrine into their Christianity.

“Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: ‘Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. ‘So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, ‘and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. ‘Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? ‘But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they” (Acts 15:6-11).

The Council clearly concluded that salvation is by faith through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Even the Pharisees themselves could not obtain salvation by keeping the law.


Principle:

Faith in the death of Christ on the cross is sufficient for salvation.


Application:

Christ’s death on the cross with nothing added is God’s way of salvation. We cannot become Christians by the cross plus good works, baptism, the Lord’s Supper or repentance. Salvation is exclusively through the cross with nothing added. Biblical repentance is part and parcel of believing. When we change our minds to trusting the cross of Christ exclusively to forgive us, we receive eternal life. We cannot help Jesus save us for He does a complete job by His work on the cross.

We cannot earn or deserve anything from God. All we can do is lean upon His provision for salvation and for sanctification.

Galatians 1:23-24

Published on December 22, 1999 in Galatians. 0 Comments
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“But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” And they glorified God in me”

But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.”

Churches in Judea kept hearing about Paul, but never met him personally. There is one thing they knew about him – his conversion to Christ. God radically transformed Paul’s thinking from salvation by works to salvation by faith.

And they glorified God in me.

The Judean churches kept on giving God the glory, as the Greek word puts it, for the transformation that took place in Paul’s life. Paul’s testimony was an occasion for glorifying God. The persecutor became the preacher. These well-established churches approved of Paul’s testimony. This was a powerful blow to the legalists’ accusations against Paul.


Principle:

We must remember that God does the transforming, not human beings.


Application:

It is proper to glorify God for a person’s testimony; however, we should not mix the praise of God with praises for our fellow humans. It is God who does the transforming, not us.