Paul is continuing with his apologetic apostolic autobiography—to defend the gospel against the Judaizers. What happened when Paul went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas? What should we, with the Galatians, learn from Paul’s story? Thanks be to God, first, the truth of the gospel is confirmed, and second, the freedom of the gospel is defended. Paul begins his defense in verses 3–5:
But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery—to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.
Paul’s position against the Judaizers is not novel among the apostles. Peter had already learned this lesson, even though he will forget it for a time (more on that later in chapter 2). Peter learns this lesson in Acts 10, when God gives him a vision in Joppa at lunchtime. Peter is hungry. He is up on the roof, waiting for lunch to be prepared. And then he falls into a trance and sees a strange vision. A sheet is lowered from heaven with all kinds of unclean animals on it. As a faithful Jew, Peter could never eat anything on it, no matter how hungry he might be. But then he hears a voice from heaven that says, “Rise, Peter. Kill and eat” (v. 13). Peter, true to character, talks back to the heavenly voice: “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean” (v. 14). The heavenly voice responds, “What God has made clean, do not call common” (v. 15). And in case Peter is slow to learn, this exchange happens three times.
Next, some men arrive at the house where Peter is staying. They have been sent by a Gentile, a Roman centurion named Cornelius, a God-fearer in Caesarea. God gave him a vision to send for Peter to hear the gospel of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. So Peter goes and proclaims to this Gentile and his household the good news: Everyone who believes in this crucified and risen Jesus, this Christ, this judge of the living and the dead receives forgiveness of sins through his name. The Holy Spirit falls on this Gentile and his household to the wonder of Peter and his Jewish Christian companions. Peter has learned the lesson of the vision: God shows no partiality. The gospel is for Gentiles too.
So Peter knows that God is saving Gentiles. And here comes Titus with Paul and Barnabas. This Greek man converted to Jesus but was still uncircumcised. Peter did not require the Roman centurion and the men and boys in his household to be circumcised. But they were baptized.
Nor was Titus forced to be circumcised. Who was bringing the pressure that Titus must be circumcised? It was the same crew who were now harassing the Galatian churches. How does Paul describe them? “Yet because of false brothers. . . . ” When it comes to the gospel, Paul pulls no punches. Keep in mind, these men believe Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God, that He died for our sins, that He rose bodily from the dead. But because they denied that Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection are enough to justify believing Gentiles, they are false brothers. Period. We are not as bold as Paul today, are we? We play footsies with men Paul would call false brothers.
These false brothers were brought in secretly, not openly. They were not sincere about their motives. They acted like undercover agents. They wanted to see what the Gentile Christians were up to. They came in to spy out their freedom that they have in Christ Jesus so that they could bring them into slavery.
Gospel-denying legalists hate the freedom we have in Christ. We are forever free from the guilt of our sins—and we know it because Christ died for our sins. We are forever free from the project of self-justification—and we know it because Christ lived for us that perfectly obedient life to God’s law that we can never live. And He rose from the dead for us, so we know we are forgiven and justified by his cross and righteousness alone. We are free—not to sin but to worship God, to love one another, and to live a life of gratitude for God’s grace. But legalists will not rest until you are back under the yoke of self-justifying slavery.
They say, “Yes, Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, but if you are not circumcised and do not keep the law of Moses, you cannot be saved. Yes, you are justified initially by faith in Jesus, but your final justification on the last day must include your works.” Grace-rejecting legalists think freedom is dangerous. So they want you to live as if you are not free but on probation. Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection did not secure your freedom once for all. He merely put you on probation until judgment day, and then we will see if you did enough works to be justified in the end.
But thanks be to God, Paul fought for our freedom in the gospel: “To them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.” The truth of the gospel is preserved for you, Christian, here in the book of Galatians. This is why some have called it the Magna Carta of Christian liberty. But freedom is not free. Your freedom was purchased by the blood of God’s beloved Son. And Paul, the gospel freedom fighter, by the grace of God preserved the truth of the gospel for us in Scripture. Do not submit to those who preach a gospel that denies your freedom in Christ, no matter their reputation.
By God’s mercy, the truth of the gospel is preserved for the sake of your freedom. And so the unity of the gospel is upheld, as we see in verses 6–10.
The God of the gospel is impartial. He is not impressed by the things or the people that impress us. There are no celebrity pastors in his sight. Just servants—more or less faithful servants. Some of them who are altogether unfaithful on the last day will vainly try to justify themselves: “Lord, Lord, did we not do many mighty works in your name? Didn’t we build big movements with big budgets and wide influence?” But if they preached another gospel, they will hear these terrifying words: “Away from me, you who practice lawlessness. I never knew you!”
Paul has already made this clear. He does not say, “I am an apostle; therefore, you must implicitly accept what I teach.” Paul has said, “If I or another apostle or even an angel from heaven should preach another gospel, let him be accursed of God.” This is why he uses the language he does in verse 6: “And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me” (emphasis added).
Paul is not denigrating the other apostles or leaders in Jerusalem. He is reminding us that the best of men are only men and prone to error. The infallible standard is the inerrant Word of God and the one true gospel it teaches. God is no respecter of persons. Paul’s gospel is God’s gospel, and thankfully the Jerusalem VIPs know it. They do not have to modify anything that Paul preaches. And so the unity of the gospel is upheld.
Paul continues in verses 7–10:
On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars [that is, in this new temple of God, the church], perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me [meaning that we are united in the one true gospel], that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.
(Remembering the poor refers to the famine-relief collection Paul received from the predominantly Gentile churches to help the Jewish believers in Judea. Another proof of gospel unity!)
Unity is upheld because there is only one true gospel: not multiple gospels, not one gospel for Jews and another for Gentiles, not one gospel for Americans and another for Africans or Asians. There is only one. And we must fight for the freedom it secures for all of us because the gospel is meant for all nations—not to make Gentiles Jewish but to make Jews and Gentiles righteous in Christ alone—justified only by the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ, by faith alone, and all by the grace of God alone.
Do you know the truth of the gospel? Do you believe it? Do you live in the freedom of it? Will you defend it? Will you communicate it to those lost and perishing in their sins? Martin Luther boils it down: “I must listen to the Gospel. It tells me, not what I must do, but what Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has done for me.”1 This is why the gospel is something we need to hear and believe over and over again. It saves us and grows us in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and only Savior of sinners. And this same gospel is given to us visibly in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Let this sign and seal of the new covenant confirm your faith in the one true gospel, in this Jesus who gave his body to be broken for you, who shed his blood for the forgiveness of all your sins. Come and eat and drink and believe that Jesus alone is your righteousness and your life—and celebrate your gospel freedom!
Note
- Martin Luther, Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, trans. Theodore Graebner (Zondervan Publishing House, 1949), 31–32, Kindle.
©Tony Phelps. All Rights Reserved.
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Tony Phelps
Tony grew up in Rhode Island. He was educated at University of Rhode Island (BA) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He worked in the insurance industry for ten years. He planted a PCA church in Wakefield, RI where he served for eleven years. He has pastored Covenant Reformed Church (URCNA) in Colorado Springs (2015–18), and Living Hope Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Allentown PA (2019–25). He is currently pastor of Christ Our Hope Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Charlestown, RI. Tony is married to Donna and together they have three children.
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