Be Careful What You Do – Galatians 2:11-16

Topic: Be Careful What You Do

Reading: Galatians 2:11-16

11 But when Cephas came to Antioch I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he ate with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And with him the rest of the Jews acted insincerely, so that even Barnabas was carried away by their insincerity. 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?” 15 We ourselves, who are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners, 16 yet who know that a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law shall no one be justified.

Introduction and Overview

We need to be careful what we do. Always. Actions have consequences and they can be either good or bad. As Christians, our aim is to please God. We please Him by believing that Jesus is our Lord and Saviour, and that God resurrected Jesus from the dead. This is the basis upon which every person is saved.

But it goes further than that. The work of transformation requires us to behave and act in a manner that is pleasing to God. You need to be careful what you do and ensure you are doing what is good and right in the eyes of God. And sometimes it is difficult to know what the right thing is. In the example from this reading today, Peter may have thought he was doing the right thing. But Paul pulled him up to show him what he thought was right, based upon works of the law, is not right under the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

As we see in this reading, actions have consequences. Peter, as one of the earliest disciples and apostles, was an example that others would follow. So, if he did the wrong thing, it could influence others to also do what is wrong. That was what happened in this case. This is why it is essential to be careful what you do. All of us are or may be an example to others. So it is even more important that we be careful what we do.

Paul had to stand against Peter in this situation and call out his error. When we read his explanation, we see how this was a problem and what the gospel requires, which is different from operating under the works of the law. So, let’s examine this is in detail and learn the same lesson.

Key points from reading:

1. If we are being true to our Christian walk, we need to be careful what we do.
2. Our actions affect others. Good or evil they influence and affect what they do too.
3. Actions, including works of the law, do not make us righteous. We are justified by faith in Christ Jesus.

Discussion:

1. Scripture: Galatians 2:11
   • There are times when we have to take a stand. When we see our brothers or sisters in Christ going down the wrong path, or behaving in ways that are opposed to or not consistent with the gospel, we need to act. This was the case with Peter and Paul in this first verse.
   • Peter needed to be pulled up because he was in error. He needed to be straightened out and I expect there were some hard words between Paul and Peter. It was clear that Peter was in the wrong, as we see in the next verse, and I am sure it was hard for Paul to deal with this matter. Remember, Peter was one of Jesus’ closest disciples and it was Peter to whom Jesus handed a clear responsibility to carry on Jesus’ work.
   • But even the greatest of Christians still make mistakes. The flesh gets in the way and we need to be pulled up. So, while it may have been hard for Paul to speak to Peter as he did, it was necessary. And it was necessary not just for Peter’s sake, but also for the rest of the believer’s at that time who were carried away with Peter’s error.
2. Scripture: Galatians 2:12
   • Here we see the nature of Peter’s error. He was mixing quite freely with the Gentiles in Antioch and ate with them. And there was no reason why he should not have done so. God does not show any partiality between Jews and Gentiles. In fact it was Peter to whom God first showed that there was no difference between Jews and Gentiles. In Acts chapter 10 we see Peter had a vision of a sheet with many unclean animals and reptiles and he was told to kill and eat any of them. Peter stated that he had never eaten any common or unclean meats, which was a requirement under the Jewish food laws, and still is today. But a voice spoke in the vision saying, “What God has cleansed, you must not call common.”
   • As Peter was pondering this, events unfolded where the Lord led him to go to the Gentiles and first preach the gospel of salvation. And it was there that the Gentiles first received the Holy Spirit and God showed that there was to be no distinction between Jew and Gentile.
   • So, fast forward to the situation Paul is speaking about in Antioch, and we see Peter reverting back to his old ways. Under Jewish laws the people were not to associate or eat with the Gentile nations. In fact if a person had to go among the Gentiles, there were rites of purification that needed to be followed to cleanse them before entering normal Jewish society.
   • Peter was reverting back to the old Jewish ways and following the works of law. He knew better and he knew that there should be no partiality or prejudice. Yet he was more concerned about what others thought rather than following the truth of the new covenant. He succumbed to the prejudices of the Jews rather than doing what was right in Christ.
3. Scripture: Galatians 2:13
   • Now this is where it becomes important to ensure you be careful what you do.
   • Peter’s actions in withdrawing from the Gentiles led to many others in the church to do the same. Even Barnabas who was a co-worker and apostle with Paul fell into this error. All the rest of the Jews pulled away from the Gentiles as they followed Peter’s example. And his example was wrong. Had it continue it would have led the people into greater and greater error.
   • This is why it is so important to be careful what you do. Your actions and my actions may influence others. And if we are not following the truth correctly, it can cause the downfall of a brother or sister in Christ, which is not a matter to be taken lightly.
4. Scripture: Galatians 2:14
   • In this verse we see Paul calling Peter to account. He is basically explaining how and why Peter was in the wrong. He explains Peter’s error to him in a way that is simple to see and understand.
   • There was an element of hypocrisy in Peter’s actions. Peter was doubtless teaching that there is no partiality in Christ Jesus, but then he was acting with partiality after the Jews came from James. His behaviour ceased to match his words, and it could be very destructive in the church. Nobody likes a hypocrite. It is no different today than it was back then.
   • It can be described this way. You can’t be a Christian and continue to behave as the world and the unbelievers behave. Coming to Christ requires a change of heart and attitude. The essence of repentance is to change the way you think, and therefore the way you behave.
   • And we can’t go back to our old ways. This was the error Peter had fallen into. He was going back to his old ways and thus walking away from the truth of the gospel. And that is exactly what Paul told Peter to pull him up and get him back on the right path.
   • Which raises an interesting point. We are all capable of going off track from time to time. And to that end it is necessary that we are willing to listen when someone else pulls us up, and also to help others when they are straying. Again, it emphasises the critical need to be careful what you do.
5. Scripture: Galatians 2:15-16
   • These final two verses in this section emphasise the point that Paul is making. It pushes right to the heart of the truth of the Gospel.
   • The days of some kind of righteousness by works is long gone. It was gone in their days and is clearly further gone in our day. Righteousness by works is about doing the works of the law. But such works are irrelevant today. The works of the law include things like tithing, fasting under the law, observance of certain days and seasons, food laws, clothing laws, and the like. They also include the issue that Peter was caught up in, which was basically a form of prejudice against the Gentiles purely by an accident of birth. There is no place for prejudice on the basis of race, colour, social standing, or any other factor you can think of. In the eyes of God we are all the same and need to be careful what we do.
   • The only way we can approach God and enter into His kingdom is by faith. Works of the law will not cut it and do not make us righteous. Therefore, be careful what you do and focus on finding the truth of faith rather than trying to do good works and thinking that they will make you righteous.

Prayer Points

1. Pray and ask God to show you the path of faith rather than trying to seek righteousness by works. Ask God to help you see when or if you are straying as Peter strayed in this example.
2. Pray also that God will help you overcome any wrong thinking or prejudices you may hold. There is no place for such thinking as there will be people from every part of life, every nation, every race, and every colour in the kingdom of God, and we need to learn to live with them now.