GALATIANS Title: Galatians 2a: Paul's Gospel is the same as Peter's Gospel Text: Galatians 2:1-10 Galatians 2:6 (NIV84) 6 As for those who seemed to be important—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance—those men added nothing to my message. By: Pastor Micah Adamson October 8, 2017 Title

The Galatians share an advantage with us and with Martin Luther: The Galatians were able to apply a pre-existing response to a false gospel that was already addressed by the apostles. Legalism = law-ism Trusting in observing the law as a means to be declared righteous/just before God instead of trusting in Jesus’ righteousness alone given to us at the cross to save. The false gospel of works righteousness has come back in new forms lots of times in church history. 1st Century: Legalism/The Galatian heresy 4th – 5th Century: Pelagianism/Semi-Pelagianism 16th Century: Sacramentalism/The indulgence controversy

Review of Galatians: Galatians: Revelation (1-2), Justification (3-4), Sanctification (5-6) Previously, in Galatians 1: Paul started by arguing that both his Gospel and his Apostleship are from God, and that even if true apostles try to change the gospel, God will curse them for it. Today, in Galatians 2: Paul argues that the Gospel he preaches is the same Gospel that Peter and the other apostles preach, as evidenced by Titus’ round trip to Jerusalem without being circumcised. Next time, in Galatians 2: Paul will tell the story if how he called Peter to live in light of their shared Gospel in Antioch when they were troubled by the same false gospel now troubling Galatia. Coming up, in Galatians 3-4 and 5-6: Paul will show how the OT itself preached the gospel of justification before God by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone apart from works of the law, leading to lives transformed by the Holy Spirt as the result.

Galatians 1:16b-24 (NIV84) 16 …[After my conversion/calling by Jesus on the Damascus road] I did not consult any man, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem [in Judea] to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus [in Arabia]. 18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem [in Judea] to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. 21 Later I went to [Antioch in] Syria and [Tarsus in] Cilicia. 22 I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they praised God because of me. The Roman territories in Galatians are adjacent: South to North.

Reconstructing/Harmonizing Paul’s travels in Acts and Galatians

Galatians 2:1-5 (NIV84) 1 Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. 2 I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain. 3 Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4 This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. 5 We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you.

Galatians 2:6-10 (NIV84) 6 As for those who seemed to be important—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance—those men added nothing to my message. 7 On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews. 8 For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles. 9 James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews. 10 All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

Paul's Gospel is the same as Peter's Gospel Peter is known as “the apostle to the Jews”, but he was the one who ministered to gentiles first: Acts 1: Was told my Jesus to take the gospel to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Acts 2: Preached to converts to Judaism in their own languages at Pentecost. Acts 6: Appointed Greek speaking Jewish converts as deacons to serve in ministry. Acts 8: Confirmed that the Samaritans were Christians. Acts 10-11: Baptized the first gentile converts and defended this as the Holy Spirit’s choice.

Paul's Gospel is the same as Peter's Gospel three times in Galatians 2 Paul makes it clear that even their high position as apostles and authors of the Bible doesn’t impress God, but calls them: 2:2 = “those who seemed to be leaders”. 2:6 = “those who seemed to be important”. 2:9 = “those reputed to be pillars”. Galatians 1:8 (NIV84) 8 Even if we [the apostles] or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned.

Does Galatians 2 really apply to us today since no one is asking us to be circumcised? The argument about whether to be circumcised or not may seem insignificant since it seems like even Paul agreed that it didn’t ultimately matter one way or the other (Gal. 5:6). Why not just circumcise Titus to prevent a fight? That’s what Paul did with Timothy. But, Paul knew from personal experience that there are eternal consequences from getting the gospel wrong, which are connected to circumcision. Paul talks about circumcision not just as the way of keeping the ceremonial law, but as a promise to keep the whole law: moral and ceremonial (Gal. 5:3).

Application: The defense of the 5 “Solas” (“alones”) of the Reformation begin with the defense of sola scriptura. There is no conflict in the Bible about how we a justified before God! 2 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV84) 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Common Defense of Legalism #1: One of the most common defenses of new forms of works righteousness is to attack Paul one of these ways: Paul was wrong: But, the other more important apostles correct Paul in their books of the Bible. So, you should either throw Paul’s books out of the Bible or give them less weight than others. Paul didn’t mean that: If you understood Judaism better, you’d see that Paul wasn’t actually arguing against justification by works righteousness, but just ceremonialism. Paul didn’t say that: Most of the books of the Bible claiming to be written by Paul weren’t.

Common Defense of Legalism #2: One of the other common defenses of new forms of law keeping as a means of earning salvation is that the new form of legalism isn’t identical to the form of this heresy addressed in the Bible. The teaching of the medieval Roman Catholic church in Luther’s day wasn’t identical to either Pelagianism or the Galatian heresy. Different challenges to the gospel found in last year’s sermons: 1-3 John 1-2 Peter The solution to all false gospels is the same true gospel of justification before God, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone apart from works of the law, leading to lives transformed by the Holy Spirt as a result.