Galatians 2

Galatians 2 describes Paul's journey back to Jerusalem with Barnabas and Titus to confirm the gospel he preached among the Gentiles. He confronts the issue of whether Gentile converts must follow Jewish law, specifically circumcision. The chapter emphasizes unity in the Christian doctrine, even amid disagreement, and Paul's confrontation with Peter over the inconsistency in his behavior towards Gentile believers.

Galatians 2:1-2 (NKJV)
1 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me.
2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain.

Fourteen years after his conversion, Paul returned to Jerusalem with Barnabas and Titus. This visit was prompted by a divine revelation, leading him to present the gospel he preached to the Gentiles to the prominent Jewish-Christian leaders. His aim was to ensure that his work was not in vain, seeking their agreement to avoid undermining his mission.

Galatians 2:3-5 (NKJV)
3 Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.
4 And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage),
5 to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

Paul addresses the issue of circumcision, a contentious point among early Christians. Titus, a Greek and uncircumcised companion of Paul, was not forced to undergo circumcision, despite the presence of false believers who infiltrated the community to enforce Jewish law. Paul and his associates firmly resisted these pressures to maintain the gospel's truth and freedom in Christ, emphasizing faith over legalistic observance.

Galatians 2:6-10 (NKJV)
6 But from those who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me.
7 But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter
8 (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles),
9 and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.
10 They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.

The Jerusalem leaders, recognized as pillars of the church—James, Peter (Cephas), and John—acknowledged Paul's mission to the Gentiles, just as Peter's was to the Jews. This mutual recognition affirmed that both missions were divinely guided and equally valid. The only additional request from the leaders was for Paul to remember the poor, a commitment he was already dedicated to fulfilling.

Galatians 2:11-14 (NKJV)
11 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed.
12 For before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.
13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite along with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.
14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, "If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?"

Paul recounts how he confronted Peter publicly in Antioch because Peter’s actions were inconsistent with the truth of the gospel. Although Peter understood from his vision in Acts 10 that, in God's eyes and under the New Testament view, no one was ceremonially unclean by nature and that the gospel was for both Jews and Gentiles, he withdrew from eating with Gentile believers out of fear of criticism from conservative Jewish Christians who still clung to the Old Testament belief that Gentiles were spiritually impure and insisted on maintaining purity and separation. This fear led not only Peter but also other Jewish believers, including Barnabas, to act hypocritically, implying that Gentiles also needed to adopt Jewish ceremonial laws to be fully accepted. Paul rebuked Peter, making it clear that by returning to these old distinctions, he was undermining the gospel, which proclaims that salvation and fellowship with God come solely through faith in Christ, not through adherence to ceremonial or cultural laws. This passage emphasizes that in Christ, all believers—Jew or Gentile—are united, and no cultural or traditional barriers should divide the body of Christ.

Galatians 2:15-16 (NKJV)
15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,
16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

Paul clarifies that both Jewish and Gentile believers recognize that justification comes through faith in Jesus Christ, not from observing the law. This is a significant statement that underscores a foundational principle of Christian doctrine: salvation is a result of grace through faith alone, and not from adhering to any law. This truth applies universally, dissolving ethnic and religious boundaries established by the law.

Galatians 2:17-18 (NKJV)
17 "But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not!
18 For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor."

Paul explains that trusting in Jesus for salvation doesn’t make Christ responsible for our sins just because we still struggle with sin. For example, if someone comes to Christ and admits they’re a sinner, it doesn’t mean that Jesus encourages sin—it means the gospel reveals the truth about our condition and points us to grace, not condemnation.

Paul also warns that if he goes back to trying to earn righteousness through keeping the law, after already accepting that salvation comes by faith in Christ, he’s contradicting himself. It’s like knocking down an old wall because you’ve found a better way, but then rebuilding that same wall, making all your work pointless. Paul is saying that trying to rebuild a system of earning salvation by works only proves that we’re sinners in need of grace, not that the law can save us. Faith in Christ must replace the old way, not be mixed with it.

Galatians 2:19-21 (NKJV)
19 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.
20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."

Paul explains his personal transformation, stating that through the law, he has died to the law so that he might live for God. Verse 20 is a profound declaration of Christian identity and life purpose: being united with Christ in his death and resurrection, Paul lives a life powered by faith in Jesus, who loved him and sacrificed for him. He concludes by emphasizing that if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ's death would be pointless, affirming the supremacy of grace over the law.