Galatians | 2:1-10

Apr 21

About this series:

Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia is a heartfelt defence of the gospel of God's grace; a fervent appeal to keep the gospel front-and-centre and to not allow anything to detract from it.

In this letter Paul sounds exasperated at some points - for example, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel - which is really no gospel at all” (1:6) and, “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?” (3:1), which The Message renders as, “You crazy Galatians! Did someone put a spell on you? Have you taken leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened, for it’s obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives.”

Paul’s frustration and anger stem from a passionate concern that the churches he planted return to a full confidence that it is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone that a person is justified by God and is included in God’s family. Nothing else is required. The message he preached to the Galatians, and which they had believed, is not so much a departure from their Jewish heritage, as the fulfilment of it. Thus, in this letter we have a window into life in early Christianity and especially some of the challenges the churches faced from false teachers as the church grew from its Jewish roots.

So in this series we’re going to get a big view of what the life, death and resurrection of Jesus has achieved for mankind. And some very practical help on how we can stay true to Jesus, trusting him alone to put us in a right relationship with God, to keep us in that right relationship and to qualify us for membership among God’s people. ‘The central message of Galatians is that the freeness of God’s grace and love is not only the gateway but also the pathway of the Christian life’ (Dane Ortlund).

About this talk:

This section refers to a visit Paul made, with Barnabas and Titus, to Jerusalem and confirms that both his gospel and his ministry were endorsed by the leaders of the church in Jerusalem.

Paul’s first visit to Jerusalem has already been referred to in 1:18-19, recorded in Acts 9:26-30. He now continues his account of his post-conversion activity by recalling a second visit to Jerusalem “after fourteen years” (v 1); or possibly 14 years after his conversion. Either way, Paul has spent a ‘silent decade’ in Syria and Cilicia (1:21), based in Tarsus, his home town (Acts 9:30). There is plenty of debate over which visit Paul now refers to in 2:1. The possibilities include:

The visit of Acts 11:30. This was, “in response to a revelation” (v 2) which may refer to Agabus’s prophecy, “that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world” (Acts 11:28). Paul and Barnabas then take the collection to Jerusalem. This seems most likely to me.
The visit of Acts 15:2. The debate about circumcision arose because, “Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers” (Acts 15:1). Paul, along with Barnabas were sent “to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question” (Acts 15:2). In my mind, the lack of any mention of this visit in chapter 2 seems to rule out this option.
Another, unrecorded visit. Because these details could fit both, or neither of the above visits, another may be in view.

False teachers dogged Paul wherever he went and seem to have visited the newly planted churches in Galatia after Paul had moved on. Hence, many of his letters include sections in which he warns about false teachers or counters false teaching (eg. 2 Corinthians 11:13; 2 Timothy 2:17-18). The strength of his words in Galatians reflects how high the stakes were. If the true gospel could not be preserved (v 5), not only would he have run in vain (v 2) but, in the following section, he says Christ would have died for nothing (see 2:21)! Vs 3-5 remind us, with reference to Titus, of one of the primary matters of dispute between Paul and the other teachers. Taking the uncircumcised Titus with him to Jerusalem, where he would mix with Jewish leaders in the church, could have been perceived as a very provocative move cf. Acts 21:28; 24:6). But the fact that, “not even Titus...was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek” shows how “those esteemed as leaders” accepted Paul’s gospel practices. If this visit to Jerusalem is the one referred to in Acts 15:1ff, perhaps the presence of Titus provided something of a test case for the central matter in question there, circumcision.

It is clear that James (the brother of Jesus), Peter and John recognised the authenticity of both Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles and the gospel he was preaching, confirmed by “they added nothing to my message” (“added nothing to me,” ESV) and “gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship” (“accepted Barnabas and myself as partners and shook hands on it,” NEB). They recognised and endorsed that Paul and Peter had different, equally legitimate, spheres of ministry. The enormity of this moment for the future of the gospel cannot be underestimated.

The one request Paul records the apostles in Jerusalem making to him, v 10, was “that we should continue to remember the poor” and may favour the view that Paul and Barnabas were in Jerusalem because of the collection for the famine. Either way, there is no doubt that Paul was happy to continue to remember the poor, as evidenced by his references elsewhere to giving (eg. Romans 15:25-26; 2 Corinthians 8 & 9) and to caring for widows (eg. 1 Timothy 5:16).