Galatians 2:1 - Meaning and Application

From Paul’s account in this chapter, it seems that from the earliest days of Christianity there was a difference in understanding between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians. Many who had first been Jews still respected the ceremonial law, the outward rules of worship and purity given to Israel, and tried to keep it honored. But those who had first been Gentiles did not look to Moses’ law. They accepted pure Christianity as the fulfillment of natural religion, and they meant to hold to that.

Peter was the apostle to the Jews, and since the ceremonial law had died with Christ, though it had not yet been fully laid aside, he allowed some continuing respect for it. Paul, however, was the apostle to the Gentiles. Though he was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, he stayed with pure Christianity. In this chapter he tells what happened between him and the other apostles, especially Peter, about this matter.

Paul first gives some details about this journey to Jerusalem. It was not until fourteen years after the earlier visit he mentioned in Galatians 1:18, though some take the count from his conversion or from Christ’s death. God had shown great kindness in keeping such a useful worker active for so many years. It also showed that Paul did not depend on the other apostles, but had equal authority with them, since he had been away so long and had all that time preached and spread pure Christianity without being questioned by them.

He went up with Barnabas, and he also took Titus with him. If this was the same journey described in Acts 15, then Barnabas went because the Christians in Antioch had chosen him to go with Paul in that matter. Titus was probably taken along for another reason. Paul wanted the believers in Jerusalem to see that he was neither ashamed nor afraid to stand by the teaching he had always preached.

Titus was now a believer and also a worker for Christ, but he was a Gentile by birth and had not been circumcised. By bringing him, Paul showed that his teaching and his practice matched. He had preached that circumcision and the law of Moses were not required, and he was willing to associate openly with an uncircumcised believer.

The reason for the journey was also important. Paul went up by revelation, by special direction from God, not on his own idea and not because he had been summoned there. He often enjoyed this kind of divine guidance in his work. We may not expect such direct revelations, but we should still seek to see our way clearly in important matters and place ourselves under God’s providence.

Paul then describes how he behaved in Jerusalem, and his conduct showed that he was not in any way below the other apostles. His authority and gifts were equal to theirs. He says that he shared with them the gospel he preached among the Gentiles, but he did it privately. Here we see both his faithfulness and his prudence. He faithfully gave them a full and honest account of the doctrine he had been preaching, pure Christianity without any mixture of Judaism. He knew many there would dislike it, yet he was not afraid to own it. He set it before them in a free and friendly way and left them to judge whether it was truly the gospel of Christ.

At the same time, he acted with caution so as not to give unnecessary offense. He chose to speak privately to those of reputation, meaning the apostles or the leading Jewish believers, rather than to everyone openly. Many believers in Jerusalem were still very zealous for the law (Acts 21:20). Paul was careful because he did not want to run, or to have run, in vain. He did not want to stir up opposition that would weaken the fruit of his past work or block his future usefulness. Nothing slows the gospel more than disputes about its teaching, especially when believers turn those disputes into quarrels. It was enough for Paul that the leading men owned his teaching, whether everyone else approved or not.

This should teach all of us, especially ministers, how much we need wisdom and how carefully we should use it, as far as faithfulness allows.

Paul also shows that his practice matched his teaching. He was a man of firm resolve, and he stood by his principles. Even though Titus was with him, and Titus was a Greek, Paul did not allow him to be circumcised. He would not weaken the message of Christ by giving in on a point that would seem to make the law of Moses necessary for Gentiles. The apostles did not seem to press this matter at all. They may have tolerated circumcision among Jewish converts, but they did not mean to force it on Gentiles.

Some others did press it, however. Paul calls them false brothers. He says they had slipped in unnoticed, either into the church or into the company of believers. They came to spy out the freedom believers had in Christ Jesus, or to see whether Paul would defend the liberty from the ceremonial law that he had taught as part of the gospel and as the privilege of those who embraced the Christian faith.

Their purpose in this was to bring believers back into slavery. They would have done it if they had succeeded in forcing Titus to be circumcised. Once they had that point, they could easily have pressed circumcision on other Gentiles too, and so placed them under the law of Moses again.

But Paul saw what they were aiming at, and he would not give in at all. He would not yield to them for even an hour in this one case, because he wanted the truth of the gospel to remain with them. He wanted Gentile Christians, especially the Galatians, to keep the gospel pure and complete, without being mixed with Jewish customs. That would have happened if he had agreed in this matter.

Circumcision at that time was a matter of no real importance, and in some cases it could be accepted without sin. Paul himself sometimes allowed it, as with Timothy (Acts 16:3). But when people began to treat it as necessary, and when agreeing to it, even once, might seem to support that demand, Paul refused. He cared too much about the purity and freedom of the gospel to submit. He would not give way to those who pushed Moses' rites and ceremonies, but would stand firm in the freedom Christ has given us.

This teaches us that something may be lawful in some settings and still need to be refused in others. If agreeing to it would betray the truth or give up the gospel's freedom, it must be turned away.

Though Paul spoke with the other apostles, he did not receive any new knowledge or authority from them (Galatians 2:6). By "those who seemed to be somewhat," he means the other apostles, especially James, Peter, and John, whom he names later (Galatians 2:9). He freely admits that they were rightly honored by everyone, and that they were seen as pillars of the church, men who supported the church as well as adorned it.

In some ways, they might seem to have had an advantage over him. They had seen Christ in the flesh, which Paul had not. They had become apostles before him, while he had still been a persecutor. Yet none of that made any difference to Paul. It did not lessen his standing as an apostle, because God does not judge people by outward advantages.

The same God who called them to the office was free to qualify others for it and use them too. And in this case, that was clear. In their discussion, they added nothing to Paul. They told him nothing he had not already learned by revelation. They also could not object to the doctrine he shared with them. So it became plain that he was no less an apostle than they were, but was just as truly called and equipped by God.

The result of this meeting was that the other apostles were fully persuaded of Paul’s divine call and authority, and so they recognized him as their fellow apostle (Galatians 2:7-10). They were satisfied with his teaching, and they also saw God's power at work in him, both in preaching and in miracles that confirmed the message. The same God who worked powerfully in Peter in his apostolic work among the circumcised also worked powerfully in Paul among the Gentiles.

From this they rightly concluded that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been entrusted to Paul, just as the gospel for the circumcised had been entrusted to Peter. So, seeing the grace given to Paul, meaning that he was appointed to the honor and work of an apostle as they were, they gave Paul and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship. That act showed they recognized them as equals, and they agreed that Paul and Barnabas should go to the Gentiles while they continued preaching to the circumcised. They judged this division of labor to fit Christ's will and to serve the good of Christianity.

So this meeting ended in full agreement. They approved both Paul’s teaching and his conduct. They were completely satisfied with him and warmly received him as an apostle of Christ. They had nothing more to add, except that they wanted him to remember the poor, a task he was already very eager to do on his own.

The Christians in Judea were suffering serious need and hardship at that time. Out of compassion and concern, the apostles asked Paul to use his influence with the Gentile churches to gather help for them. This was a fair request, because if the Gentiles had shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings, then it was only right that they should share their material help (Romans 15:27).

Paul gladly agreed, and this showed his generous and broad Christian spirit. He was ready to accept Jewish believers as brothers, even though many of them could hardly show the same kindness toward converted Gentiles. He did not let differences in opinion stop him from helping them. In this, he gives us a fine model of Christian love. We should not limit our charity to those who agree with us, but be ready to help all who have reason to be called disciples of Christ.