Walking Through The Epistles — Book Of Galatians 2:1-11 by Pastor Dolapo Lawal: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Recap of Galatians 1

Paul asserts his apostleship in Galatians 1:1 — his authority is not from men, nor through men, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father. This is important because he is about to correct Peter, and needs to establish the legitimacy of his office.

From Galatians 1:6-7: "I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel — which is not another, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ."

The gospel is the gospel of the grace of Jesus. That grace means the unmerited favour we enjoy from God because of Jesus. Grace is free to us but paid for by Jesus. God is faithful to Jesus and gracious to us. If we do not enjoy the grace of Jesus, God is not being faithful to Jesus.

This is not just mercy — it is justice. God did not simply decide one day to have mercy. Our sins were punished in His Son. Imagine a judge who comes down from the bench, gives the offender the required fine, returns to his seat, and says: "Pay the fine." He is just — and merciful. He gave the means to meet the demands of justice. Our sins were punished in Christ. That is why the Christian worldview is trustworthy.

Salvation involves two realities:

1. Justification — a change of status
2. The premise of justice — God did not set us free arbitrarily; He paid the price

From Galatians 1:9: "If anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what I have received, let him be accursed." There is only one gospel. Any variation is a departure.

Who Were the Judaizers?

They were Jewish Christians who accepted Jesus as the Messiah but maintained that faith alone in Christ was not enough — you also had to keep the ceremonial law of Moses. Paul calls this another gospel, which is not another (Galatians 1:7). It is a perversion.

Galatians 4:9-11 — Paul describes the law as weak and beggarly elements. He says: "You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid for you lest I have laboured for you in vain." These are Sabbaths, festivals, and ceremonial observances.

The message that pleases people is the message of the law — because legalism is classism. "I have done this; you have not. I am deeper than you." But the gospel levels everyone: all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Someone who has been in Christ thirty years has the same righteousness as someone who gave their life to Christ today.

Galatians 2:1 — The Visit to Jerusalem

Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me.

This is the Council of Jerusalem recorded in Acts 15:6-31, which happened around AD 49-50. The council met to discuss whether Gentiles must be circumcised — which was really a discussion of whether circumcision was a criterion for salvation.

Titus was Greek — deliberately brought along as living proof that an uncircumcised Gentile could be recognised as saved. Titus was not just an escort; he was evidence. He was later made an overseer — a pastor — while uncircumcised.

Galatians 2:2 — "I went up by revelation." This means the Holy Spirit moved him to go. He was not summoned or queried. He chose to go, which preserves the authority of his message. He presented his gospel to the key leaders — not to seek approval, but to ensure alignment, so that those sent from Jerusalem would not go behind him and preach something different to the Gentile churches, thus making his labour vain.

Verse 3 — The Test Case of Titus

Titus was not compelled to be circumcised. The Jerusalem leaders confirmed that faith in Christ was sufficient — circumcision was not a requirement for salvation.

Acts 15:11 — "We believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they."

Verses 4-5 — False Brethren and How to Handle Them

"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 — to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you."

People enter bondage through message. You can be bewitched by a sermon.

Characteristics of false brethren:

• They spy liberty — they are legalistic and judgmental. They see favour on others and can logically construct reasons why those others do not deserve it.
• They bring into bondage — they do not come to church to learn; they come to force what they already believe onto others. They do not want pastors to confirm their theology — they want pastors to approve it. Such people find it very difficult to remain in any church for long.
• They change the message — adding works to faith, presenting the ceremonial law as a supplement to the gospel (Galatians 1:7).

Paul did not yield to them even for an hour. In Proverbs 26:4-5 — there are levels of foolishness. Some foolishness you answer; some you do not, lest you become like them. The principle is discernment.

Verses 6-9 — The Pillars Add Nothing

"Those who seemed to be something added nothing to me."

This is not dismissiveness — it means his message, when presented to James, Peter, and John, was so complete that they had nothing to add. Their response was confirmation, not correction.

"When they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter — they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship."

The right hand of fellowship is an attestation of administrative authority — the same meaning as when the Lord says to Christ, "Sit at My right hand." It means full authority was extended. They divided the mission: Paul to the Gentiles, Peter to the Jews — the same gospel, different audience. Their only request was to remember the poor, which Paul was already doing (Acts 11:27-30).

Verse 11 — Paul Withstands Peter

"When Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed. For before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles. But when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision."

Paul shows two important truths:

1. The office does not immunise against error — Peter was a pillar, yet he was wrong.
2. There is no immunity from correction — an apostle was corrected by another apostle, not by a church member. There is order.

Peter's withdrawal was not a social preference. For a Jew to separate from a Gentile implied the Gentile was unclean — which directly undermined the message Peter himself had preached after the vision of the sheet in Acts 10. His action was a theological statement that empowered the Judaizers' position.

Paul was not attacking Peter's person — he addressed the act. Notice he still called them pillars earlier. Separating the speaker from the speech is necessary for godly correction.

Paul's motivation: "That the truth of the gospel might continue with you." People-pleasing corrupted Peter's public witness. Even Barnabas was swept along by the hypocrisy.

No one is infallible. Even Paul, who had just condemned doing the works of the law, later performed purification rites under pressure (Acts 21:23-26). Men are men. What the message says, however, does not change.

Key Theological Foundations

God relates to us as though He is relating to Jesus — because of what Jesus did. You are in Christ. What God sees is not you — He sees where you are: in Christ.

The acceptance of Jesus is the theological rationale for our acceptance. As David was the representative of Israel against Goliath — if David wins, Israel wins — so Christ, acting as representative, died for all. Those who rose with Him rose as righteousness.

Romans 5:17 — By one man's sin, death reigned. By one Man's righteousness, life — eternal life — reigns.

1 John 4:19 — We love Him because He first loved us. God loved the world. What distinguishes the believer from the unbeliever is not that God loves one and not the other — it is that God is pleased with the one who is in Christ. The prodigal son remained a son even in the far country.