Gospel Compromise
Galatians 2:11–14
When [Peter] came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. Galatians 2:11

Here is the reason why Peter was in the wrong or stood condemned. It was not, it must be noted, a case of Peter’s simply making an honest mistake. The Peter who had received the vision prior to going to the house of Cornelius and who had defended Paul at the council was not fooled by the arguments of the legalizers. The difficulty was that he gradually gave in to pressure exerted by the legalizers, even though he knew what was right. In other words, Peter played the hypocrite.

Unfortunately, conduct such as Peter’s is not inconsequential, neither in his day nor now. So one is not surprised to read that other Jews, including Barnabas, were led away by his dissimulation. If Peter had been a lesser man or less prominent, the defection might have been less serious. But this was Peter, the pillar apostle, the companion of the Lord during his earthly ministry!

What Peter did moved others. It is obvious that any Christian must give heed to his actions and the greater the position or responsibility, the more important those actions become.

Paul has already shown that he opposed Peter to his face because he was wrong, but we are not to think that he did this because he loved exposing error or, even less, because he loved an argument or wanted to enhance his own prestige. Paul’s real concern was for the truth of the gospel. It was not a matter of personalities. To the Corinthians he wrote, “What then is Apollos? What is Paul?” (1 Cor. 3:5). It is not a matter of trivial forms or ceremonies. What was at stake was the gospel itself. Hence, Paul acted out of the very concern that Peter lacked.

This is the second time that Paul has spoken of “the truth of the gospel” (Gal. 2: 5, 14)—the good news that men and women do not become accepted with God because of anything they have done or can do but solely on the basis of God’s grace shown in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Moreover, on the basis of this death, all who believe become fully accepted by God and are accepted equally. Peter’s conduct compromised this principle, for it implied that there could be a superiority in some Christians based on race or traditions.

It is not enough merely to understand and accept the gospel, as Peter did, nor even to defend it, as he did at Jerusalem. A Christian must also practice the gospel consistently, allowing it to regulate all areas of his conduct.

Taken from Come to the Waters by James Boice ISBN 9798887790954 used with permission from P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg NJ 08865

Scripture quotations are from the ESV (the Holy Bible English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.