As we continue through this series on Galatians, we are going to continue to offer elements to help you and your groups dive deeper into the Scriptures. If you're group enjoys our current format of discussion around the Sunday message, don't fear because that element will remain. However, if you're group is interested in doing a more traditional "Bible Study" format, we have added that option at the bottom of the page. Please enjoy whichever (or both) option(s) your group is comfortable with.
And as always, please remember that this outline is just a tool for your group. Use the things that are useful and skip the rest.
Never feel like you have to "get through" all the material!
***There is no video for this week's lesson as we had some technical difficulties***
READ: Galatians 1:10, 5:11
Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant... Dear brothers and sisters, if I were still preaching that you must be circumcised—as some say I do—why am I still being persecuted? If I were no longer preaching salvation through the cross of Christ, no one would be offended.
- Do you find yourself to be an "approval junkie"?
- Whether you are or you aren't, what has been the consequences in your life?
Caring too much about what other people think can confine you to a life of mediocrity
READ: Galatians 2:11-16
But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.
When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?
“You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles. Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.
- Paul confronts Peter, a "pillar" of the church, about Peter's actions and how they are confusing people and aren't portraying the love of God (the Gospel) that Christ had called them to.
- Have you ever had a time in your life when you had to go against the grain, maybe even with someone "above you," to confront an issue that was detrimental?
- Jeff said that for humans, actions come first and then we make judgements about them. But with God it is the other way around, God judges us before we act. And God's judgement is that we are loved.
- Do you see your standing with God as dependent on your past actions
- Paul says that the impossibility of following the entire law was supposed to show us that we can never do
Resist living for the approval of others and you will be finally be able to live free
In-Depth Look at Galatians Chapter 2
Key Ideas
1. Fourteen years elapses before Paul, Barnabas, and Titus return to Judea – once again Paul uses this timeline to legitimize God as his source of receiving the Gospel message. Some suggest that this meeting in Jerusalem is the one mentioned in Acts 15:2f. A careful reading, suggests the Gal. 2 meeting was private (vs. 2), which seems to fit with the privacy of the Acts 15 meeting. A reasonable conclusion is that the letter to the Galatians was written soon after the Jerusalem "council" of Acts 15.
2. Paul wants to ensure that the gospel he preaches (without circumcision) is in unity with the rest of the church. His fear is that he has "run in vain," if the Global church does not receiving his message also.
3. Titus is not required to be circumcised - hence Paul's preaching has not been in vain.
4. Once again false brethren have tried to reinstate aspects of the old law - namely circumcision. Any return to the law for justification is a return to bondage.
5. There was no compromise, no yielding of the truth for the lies of the false brethren.
6-7. Paul says that those whom everyone regards as “authoritative” within the church had nothing to change in Paul’s message – again legitimizing his message as God-given. Instead, they saw that Paul had been entrusted with preaching to the Gentiles (uncircumcision) in much the same way Peter had been entrusted with preaching to the Jews (circumcision).
8. Paul and Peter were each given similar responsibilities by God.
9. The leaders of the Jerusalem church acknowledge Paul’s mission and agree that God’s message has been opened to even non-Jews.
10. Those in the Jerusalem church reemphasized the mission of Jesus which was not only to preach, but act out God’s love in this world, specifically by taking care of those who were outcasts in society – which was an original part of the covenant God made with Israel, though the Israelites are often chastised by their prophets for neglecting this charge.
11. After Peter's part in the conversion of Cornelius and his household (Acts 10) and his directive that the gospel should go also to the Gentiles (Acts 11: 15-18), we see him giving into the prejudices of the Jews. Paul boldly confronted Peter for his "respect of persons" (Rom 2:11).
12. In the Mosaic law, Jews would be unclean if they ate with non-Jews. Peter’s flip-flop here is an act of open hypocrisy.
13. Other Jewish Christians followed Peter's lead and distanced themselves for the non-Jewish Christians. Even Barnabas was influenced by Peter to avoid the Gentiles. This caused a great division in the church – a place where unity is the foundation.
14. Paul points out with compelling logic that if Peter had given up Judiasm for Christianity, why then did he require Gentiles to live as Jews?
15. Now comes the compelling argument of the dangers of relapsing into Judiasm. Paul begins by differentiating between the Jews and Gentiles.
16. Of all people, the Jews generally–and Peter specifically–should know the folly of trying to be justified by the works of the old law. Only faith in Christ leads to justification. Returning to the old law is a dead-end spiritually.
17. Paul is saying that by following Christ, the shortcomings of each individual are exposed. This doesn’t mean that following Christ caused sin, but rather that through Christ our mistakes are made plain.
18. If one (or in this case, Paul, himself) restores or rebuilds Judiasm, then he sins. Christ is not the source of that or any sin.
19. Through the agency of the law itself, death resulted. By putting aside the law of death, one might live in Christ.
20. The old life of sin (guilty under the law) dies. How? It is put away through faith. The result? Life in Christ. Note here that "loved" and "gave" are linked. The true expression of love is in giving.
21. Paul says that to return to the old method he would void God's grace. Because righteousness is not found there. If it were, then Christ died for nothing.
Scripture
1 After fourteen years I went to Jerusalem again, this time with Barnabas. I also took Titus with me. 2 I went because God showed me I should go. I met with the believers there, and in private I told their leaders the Good News that I preach to the non-Jewish people. I did not want my past work and the work I am now doing to be wasted. 3 Titus was with me, but he was not forced to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4 We talked about this problem because some false believers had come into our group secretly. They came in like spies to overturn the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. They wanted to make us slaves. 5 But we did not give in to those false believers for a minute. We wanted the truth of the Good News to continue for you.
6 Those leaders who seemed to be important did not change the Good News that I preach. (It doesn’t matter to me if they were “important” or not. To God everyone is the same.) 7 But these leaders saw that I had been given the work of telling the Good News to those who are not Jewish, just as Peter had the work of telling the Jews. 8 God gave Peter the power to work as an apostle for the Jewish people. But he also gave me the power to work as an apostle for those who are not Jews.
9 James, Peter, and John, who seemed to be the leaders, understood that God had given me this special grace, so they accepted Barnabas and me. They agreed that they would go to the Jewish people and that we should go to those who are not Jewish. 10 The only thing they asked us was to remember to help the poor—something I really wanted to do.
11 When Peter came to Antioch, I challenged him to his face, because he was wrong. 12 Peter ate with the non-Jewish people until some Jewish people sent from James came to Antioch. When they arrived, Peter stopped eating with those who weren’t Jewish, and he separated himself from them. He was afraid of the Jews. 13 So Peter was a hypocrite, as were the other Jewish believers who joined with him. Even Barnabas was influenced by what these Jewish believers did. 14 When I saw they were not following the truth of the Good News, I spoke to Peter in front of them all. I said, “Peter, you are a Jew, but you are not living like a Jew. You are living like those who are not Jewish. So why do you now try to force those who are not Jewish to live like Jews?”
15 We were not born as non-Jewish “sinners,” but as Jews. 16 Yet we know that a person is made right with God not by following the law, but by trusting in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus, that we might be made right with God because we trusted in Christ. It is not because we followed the law, because no one can be made right with God by following the law.
17 We Jews came to Christ, trying to be made right with God, and it became clear that we are sinners, too. Does this mean that Christ encourages sin? No! 18 But I would really be wrong to begin teaching again those things that I gave up. 19 It was the law that put me to death, and I died to the law so that I can now live for God. 20 I was put to death on the cross with Christ, and I do not live anymore—it is Christ who lives in me. I still live in my body, but I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself to save me. 21 By saying these things I am not going against God’s grace. Just the opposite, if the law could make us right with God, then Christ’s death would be useless.
Word Study
Showed (apokálypsis), disclosure:—appearing, coming, lighten, manifestation, be revealed, revelation.
Wasted (kenos) of endeavors, labors, acts, which result in nothing, vain, fruitless, without effect
Forced (anagkazo) to necessitate—compel, constrain.
False Believers (pseudadelphos) one who ostentatiously professes to be a Christian, but is destitute of Christian knowledge and piety
Secretly (pareiserchomai) to come in alongside, i.e. supervene additionally or stealthily.
Spies (kataskopeo) to be a sentinel, i.e. inspect insidiously.
Freedom (eleutheria) freedom (legitimate or licentious, chiefly moral or ceremonial):—liberty.
Slaves (katadouloo) to enslave utterly—bring into bondage..
Truth (aletheia) of a truth, in reality, in fact, certainly
Work (pisteúō) to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e. credit; by implication, to entrust (especially one's spiritual well-being to Christ):—believe(-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with.
Power (energéō) to be active, efficient:—do, (be) effectual (fervent), be mighty in, shew forth self, work (effectually in).
Leaders (stulos) a column supporting the weight of a building, used metaphorically of those who bear responsibility in the churches.
Special Grace (cháris) the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude
Accepted (koinonia) communion, sharing in common.
Remember (mnemoneuo) to think of and feel for a person or thing
Poor (ptochos) reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms
Challenged (anthistemi) to stand against, i.e. oppose:—resist, withstand.
Wrong (kataginosko) to note against, i.e. find fault with:—blame, condemn.
Spearated (aphorizo) to set off by boundary, limit, exclude.
Hypocrite (synypokrínomai) to act hypocritically in concert with:—dissemble with.
Influenced (sunapago) seduce, yield.
Sinners (hamartōlós) devoted to sin, a sinner
Made right (dikaioo) to render, show or regard as just or innocent.
Works (ergon) toil (as an effort, or occupation); an act.
Trusting (pisteúō) to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing); by implication, to entrust (especially one's spiritual well-being to Christ):—believe(-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with.
Faith (pistis) persuasion, moral conviction, assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.
No (me ginomai) let it not become, let it not be.
Teaching (oikodoméō) to be a house-builder, construct or build, edify, embolden.
Loved (agapao). A love characterized by the exercise of the Divine will in deliberate choice. A love independent of the character of the person being loved.
Gave (paradidomi) to surrender, i.e yield up, entrust, transmit.
Useless (dorean) uselessly, for naught, needlessly.