Test What You Believe – Galatians 2:6-10

Topic: Test What You Believe

Reading: Galatians 2:6-10

6 And from those who were reputed to be something (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality) –those, I say, who were of repute added nothing to me; 7 but 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 8 (for he who worked through Peter for the mission to the circumcised worked through me also for the Gentiles), 9 and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised; 10 only they would have us remember the poor, which very thing I was eager to do.

Introduction and Overview

In these words we find an important principle. We can all learn from these words how it is important to check and test what we believe.

Paul did not have the New Testament in his day to check the accuracy of his ministry. In fact, for the most part he was writing the New Testament, laying down the teachings for us. But he felt the need to test his gospel, and so he went to the authorities on the gospel at that time, who were the early apostles of Jesus. He laid out the ministry he was teaching to the Gentile churches to ensure the accuracy of his beliefs.

And this is an important process for us today also. We cannot take what we believe to the early apostles. But we have the words of the scripture, written by them in words inspired by God Himself, and the words of Jesus against which we can test what we believe. Testing what you believe is important every time you hear a new doctrine. The Bible, and especially as Christians, the New Testament, is the yardstick against which to test our beliefs.

How do you know what you believe is correct? How do you know it is the truth? There are so many false and misleading doctrines in the church today. How can you ensure what you believe is the truth? To ensure the truth of what you believe you have to test what you believe against the scripture. And at the same time ask God in prayer to open up His words for your understanding.

Key points from reading:

1. God is your teacher and He will show you the truth when you test what you believe.
2. It is important to know the truth and to know that what you believe is the truth.
3. Test what you believe against an appropriate authority; in our case the scriptures.

Discussion:

1. Scripture: Galatians 2:6
   • In this verse we see Paul taking his ministry and laying it out to the early apostles of the church. At this time Paul had been ministering the gospel for some seventeen or more years.
   • There were teachers who were coming into the Gentile churches teaching that the new converts were to be taught to keep the law and be circumcised. These were things that were done under the Jewish Old Covenant teachings in the law.
   • However Paul had learned and understood that these things were not the way of salvation. And he was not teaching these things because he understood that we are set free from sin and set free from the law through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
   • However, perhaps Paul had doubts. Or perhaps he wanted to establish once and for all if what he was teaching was correct, especially because these other teachers were not ministering the same things Paul taught. It is probably for this reason that Paul went to Jerusalem to test what he was teaching to make certain he was on the right track.
   • In this first verse we find that when Paul laid out his ministry, the early apostles added nothing to it. Those men of repute in the early church had no more to say or add to the gospel as Paul taught it. This process of testing what he believed and taught was valuable because he could then continue ministering what he was teaching, confident that it was the truth and correct.
2. Scripture: Galatians 2:7-8
   • After testing what he believed and taught, both Paul and the early apostles discovered that both sets of teaching were the same. Both the early apostles and Paul were teaching the word of God. In Paul’s case this is enlightening because the early apostles, Peter, James, and John, were all taught the gospel directly from Jesus. However, Paul was not physically in the presence of Jesus when He walked the earth. Instead, Paul received the gospel ministry and the wisdom of the word via direct revelation from God. And when testing what he believed, all of those present found that Paul’s ministry was the same as the ministry the apostles were teaching.
   • So, both Paul and Barnabas and the disciples and apostles who walked with Jesus were preaching the same message. Each of them had been entrusted with the words of God and they were all preaching the truth.
3. Scripture: Galatians 2:9-10
   • After seeing the grace given to Paul and Barnabas by the Lord to preach the gospel, the apostles of the early church, Peter, James and John extended the hands of fellowship to them. Their respective ministries were aligned and they agreed that they could and should work together in partnership for the advancement of the kingdom of God.
   • It was evident that God had entrusted the ministry to Paul and Barnabas to preach the good news of salvation to the Gentiles. Likewise the Lord had taught Peter, James, and John and they were entrusted to bring the message of salvation to the Jews. So, in partnership with each other, the gospel was spread throughout the known world.
   • The one caveat that the early apostles added was to ensure they remembered the poor. Helping the poor who were in dire need was an important part of the early ministry as there was no government support, no pensions, and no social welfare benefits. Those who were poor and in need were supported by the church.
   • Testing what you believe is an important part of everyone’s walk with Christ. It is essential to ensure you know who and what you believe in so that you are not led astray. Today, we can go to God in prayer to guide us and we need to read the Bible to get both a high level understanding of what it says, as well as a detailed knowledge of the scriptures and words. When we have the broad picture of the gospel, it is often easier to see the truth and errors of doctrines that we might hear. We can also recognise when people twist scriptures to their own advantage.
   • Do not be led astray. These were the words of Jesus when talking about the last days in Matthew 24, Luke 21, and Mark 13. In these last days, there are many false teachings. Do not be led astray. Testing what you believe is more important now than ever before as false doctrines in the church are more prevalent than ever before. So, test what you believe and do not be led astray.

Prayer Points

1. Pray and ask God to give you insight to understand the truth of His words. Ask Him to show you the truth of what you believe, and also pray and ask for the ability to test what you believe and to make changes if needed.
2. Knowing that there are many false doctrines in the world today, pray and ask the Lord to keep your mind and spirit free of those things and to be able to recognise and reject false teachings before they take hold. Ask Him to protect you so that you are not deceived and led astray.