Galatians
Chapter 2
Paul and the Other Apostles
After fourteen years, I once again traveled to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and Titus joined us too.
After a revelation, I went to share the gospel I am preaching to the Gentiles. I had a private meeting with the leaders to ensure I was not working or had not worked in the wrong way.
But they did not require circumcision, not even for Titus, who is Greek and was with me.
However, some intruders and false brothers had gained access to observe how we live out the freedom Christ has given us. They wanted to enslave us with the law,
but we refused to give in, even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel remains intact for you.
The other leaders, the more respected ones—regardless of what they were before—gave me no new instructions.
They understood that I had been trusted to deliver the Good News to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been trusted to deliver it to the circumcised.
Just as God made Peter the apostle of the Jews, he made me the apostle for the Gentiles.
James, Cephas, and John acknowledged the grace God gave me. Those men, regarded as the pillars of the Church, extended their hand to Barnabas and me as a sign of fellowship; we would go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews.
We should only remember the poor among them. I have made sure to do this.
Paul Confronts Peter
Later, when Cephas came to Antioch, I confronted him because he deserved to be blamed.
Before some of James’ followers arrived, he used to dine with the Gentiles. But once they arrived, he withdrew and no longer mingled with them out of fear of the Jewish group.
The rest of the Jews went along with him in this pretense, and even Barnabas was part of this insincerity.
When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas publicly: If you, a Jew, are living like a Gentile, and not like a Jew, why do you now compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?
Jews and Gentiles Are Saved by Faith
We are Jews by birth; we are not Gentile sinners.
However, we know that a person is justified not by practicing the law but by faith in Christ Jesus. That’s why we believe in Christ Jesus—to receive the true righteousness through faith in him, not through our works under the law, because the works of the law will justify no one.
Now, if in our effort to be justified in Christ, we are found to be sinners, then Christ would serve sin. Not so!
But look: if we remove something and then bring it back, we admit we were wrong.
As for me, the law itself caused me to die to the law so that I might live for God. I am crucified with Christ.
Do I still live? It is no longer I who live; Christ lives in me. The life I now live in this body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
In this way, I do not ignore the gift of God, for if justification were achieved through the practice of the law, then Christ would have died for nothing.
Commentaries
Paul and the Other Apostles.
The apostle clarifies that he did not go to Jerusalem to give an account or seek approval, but “following a revelation” (2), alluding to the Holy Spirit, whom he always considered the true protagonist of all his apostolic decisions. And there, in the midst of the assembly, he speaks about his ministry among the Gentiles: he does not require circumcision or compliance with the law from those who convert. The leaders in Jerusalem not only approved his actions but also confirmed his authority as an apostle to the Gentiles, just as they confirmed Peter’s authority among the Jews.
Paul Confronts Peter.
The so-called “Antioch incident” reveals the failure of the agreement made in Jerusalem, which led to decisions affecting both Jewish-Christian and pagan-Christian communities. Still, no one seemed to consider the needs of mixed communities. Peter, whether to maintain peace or under pressure from extremists, stopped visiting the pagan-Christian communities. Since Peter was an authority figure, his actions did not go unnoticed and caused confusion, resulting in a break in fellowship between the two groups. Paul recognized the danger, reacted, and openly confronted Peter in front of everyone. The core issue was the truth of the Gospel: salvation is not based on Jewish law or any other law, but comes through faith, not works.
Jews and Gentiles Are Saved by Faith.
The scope of the Apostle’s vision goes beyond Jewish law. It includes every law, belief system, and human effort that puts man at the center of his own destiny, as his own savior. Paul consistently and gently reminds the Galatians that salvation only comes through faith in Christ, not through the Law, because “no one will be justified by observing the law” (16). Only faith in Christ reveals and allows us to experience, on one hand, our sinful condition, and on the other, God’s forgiving love and gift. Ultimately, setting aside debates and arguments, Paul lets the new life within him speak, with one of his most profound and daring expressions: “crucified with Christ… I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (19f).