In Christ, there is No Difference Between Jew or Gentile Part II
Galatians 2:14-15 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?
Paul was not so much rebuking Peter here as he was rebuking the false teachings. This idea of works salvation that Peter was advocating was not limited to Peter only. It was a significant problem throughout the church, but Peter's influence made it all the more damaging.
However, to his credit, Peter knew his failure in this case, accepted it, repented, and corrected his behavior. Much like David when the Prophet Nathan confronted him concerning his adulterous affair with the Bathsheba. The foundation of Peter's failure here finds its basis in the false teachings that had come into the church through the Judaizers. We must be cautious today and on the lookout for these legalists and the false teachings that might be creeping into our churches.
There are times that these false teachings are put forth by someone very influential, like in the case of Peter, someone we trust. In Peter's case, being one of the original apostles, people tended to listen to what he said and trusted him. There are times that these false teachings are brought into the church by people unaware that what they are saying is not in line with the Gospel.
No matter how these false teachings come into our church, we must be prepared and willing to rebuke the teachings. We do this through an in-depth study and understanding of the Word of God, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and Prayer. It is critically important that we do not rebuke the teacher when we do rebuke these false teachings. We must do this in the love of Christ Jesus and the spirit of restoration.
Though unintentional in this case, Peter's action caused him to openly deny the truth of the Gospel. Which is whether we are Jew or Gentile, we are all equal in the eyes of God, because of our faith in Jesus, by what He did for us at the Cross of Calvary. In this case, especially dangerous for Peter, his actions were contrary to his convictions. And because of that, his actions caused him to betray the faith he had in the Lord. Had Paul not corrected Peter at that time and in that place, it could have significantly affected Peter's character and reputation.
Moreover, it could have opened Peter up to further discipline from the Lord. Therefore, by correcting Peter in the way Paul had done, he maintained the integrity of the church and the character and integrity of Peter. Because by publicly calling Peter out, Paul gave Peter the chance to repent openly and immediately stop any displays of hypocrisy.
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