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Read Introduction to Galatians

 

“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 of grace. The gospel does not involve the need for circumcision as a qualification for salvation. The gospel “for the circumcised” means Peter’s ministry was primarily to Jews, not Gentiles. 

Principle:

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

Application:

It is essential to realize that God uses different people in different ways. Many people try to pour others into their 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).

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