After recounting his confrontation with Peter, Paul continues to establish his defense of his gospel. In this section, Paul lays the logical and theological groundwork for his message, perhaps summarizing what he spoke to Peter during their confrontation. His message is clear: salvation is not based on what we have done but solely on what Christ has accomplished for us. Our sins have been nailed to the cross with Christ, and we have died with Him. This changes everything!

Can’t we all just get along? Let’s be honest: not many of us like confrontation. However, the gospel demands that we graciously confront other believers who are not walking in alignment with its message. Overcome by the fear of man, the Apostle Peter had to be confronted by Paul himself because of his behavior, which had severe implications for others and was incongruent with the gospel message. It’s not that Peter’s teaching of the gospel had erred, but his conduct contradicted what he knew to be true, and so he stood “condemned”

(Galatians 2:11). This passage records for us one of the great conflicts in the New Testament. Here, two leading

apostles square off in open conflict. This conflict was necessary to teach us not only about biblical confrontation but also about biblical justification.

False brothers exist (Galatians 2:4). Just because someone calls themselves a Christian does not necessarily mean they are. The Bible is full of false people. Almost every book of the New Testament has warnings against individuals who teach what is false. Jesus informs His followers about them (Matthew 7:14), Paul suffers because of them (1 Timothy 1:19-20; 2 Timothy 2:17; 4:14-26), John encourages those who were afflicted by them (1 John 1:26; 2 John 1:9-11), and Peter brings false teachers to the attention of the church (2 Peter 2:1-3). Part 2 of 2

False brothers exist (Galatians 2:4). Just because someone calls themselves a Christian does not necessarily mean they are. The Bible is full of false people. Almost every book of the New Testament has warnings against individuals who teach what is false. Jesus informs His followers about them (Matthew 7:14), Paul suffers because of them (1 Timothy 1:19-20; 2 Timothy 2:17; 4:14-26), John encourages those who were afflicted by them (1 John 1:26; 2 John 1:9-11), and Peter brings false teachers to the attention of the church (2 Peter 2:1-3). Part 1 of 2

Men believe they know everything. God knows better. Jeremiah 10:14 reminds us that “Every man is stupid and without knowledge.” Paul, an incredibly learned man, would be seen as a sage among most of the Jewish population in the first century (Philippians 3:4-6; Acts 22:3), yet he denounces his own knowledge and ability when it comes to the gospel. The gospel is something far superior to anything man has ever produced. It takes a wise man to understand that truth.

Most of the time, if you want to confront someone, you start with some good news first. A compliment or an affirmation of your relationship to them might precede the hard conversation. Paul often commends the churches he writes to for things he knows they are doing well. In Galatians, Paul moves directly from the brief reminder of the gospel message to the bad news: in listening to the message of the Judaizers, the Galatians have turned away from the gospel entirely! Paul responds with alarm to the spiritual threat that the Galatians don’t see, in the same way that we would if we saw a friend stepping out into oncoming traffic. No time for pleasantries!

We are fascinated with the origins of things we love. Documentaries cover the history of a particular style of music. Or they tell us about the younger years of our heroes and how their formative experiences shaped their great accomplishments. Shows for “foodies” visit the restaurant that is the “original,” the first to serve a

particular dish. In the first few verses of Galatians, Paul introduces one of the important themes of the letter: the origin of the gospel message. Paul contends that both the origin of the gospel and the origin of his apostleship are found in God alone.