Make Up Your Mind

Sermon series based on the Letter to the Galatians (II)

Galatians 2:1-21

Two men had a dispute. They argued hours about it. In the evening, one of the men went and spoke to the chief of the village. After telling the story, the chief said, “You are absolutely right.” Next day the other man came and told the chief his version of the story. The chief said, “You are absolutely right.”

Later his wife confronted her husband and said, “How come you heard two different stories and both were very different, and both are absolutely right?”

The chief turned to his wife and said, “You are absolutely right.”

We will always face conflicts. Some of us avoid them, some of us are experts in creating them, and some of us are gifted in solving them. We are moving on to the second chapter of Galatians. Paul is a person who does not avoid conflicts. In fact, he faces them.

As in any other time, those days there was conflict to be solved. Last week I mentioned the problem of some of the new converts who were “legalists.” The Law was more important than God. The other problem of the legalists was that they tried everything to gain God’s favor. These people thought Paul was preaching an “easy” Gospel, where salvation is by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. One receives this grace through faith in Jesus, not by works or merits. The question we ask this morning, “What is this faith? Is it emotions? What does it mean ‘I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.’?”

Last Sunday I mentioned Paul is assuring his audience that the Gospel he received was directly from Christ: no compromise in the message. Yet, after 17 years, Paul is coming back to Jerusalem. He likes to have the approval of the council of Jerusalem. Remember Paul’s conversion, three years in Damascus and Arabia prepared him for the mission. One of his best brothers was Barnabas. Barnabas means the encourager, who had a major role in introducing Paul to Jerusalem at the time. After 14 years of service, Paul is turning back to Jerusalem, with Barnabas and with Titus, a Greek or gentile convert. The gospel or the Book of Acts does not mention why Barnabas or Titus were with him, but I can see some obvious points. Barnabas, although Paul disagreed with him in a few points, is the encourager; he was appointed by the apostles of Jerusalem to walk with Paul in his mission. And Titus, perhaps a sample of new convert, who is not circumcised.

What is the problem? Paul is bringing this time the issue with Peter. Yes, Peter, Paul’s friend and supporter.

Remember, Peter is the first apostle who preached the Gospel to the gentiles. Read Acts. He is the first one who saw a revelation from God. His vision was about a large sheet containing all kinds of animals forbidden to eat. God revealed to him that unclean gentiles would come to Jesus through His grace. Peter stood in the council of Jerusalem and defended the conversion and the baptism of the gentiles. Now the same Peter who ate with gentiles in Antioch, touched these people, ate unclean meat, and had fellowship with them, suddenly withdrew from them when his fellow Jews arrive to Antioch from Jerusalem. Suddenly he changed his stand with the gentiles.

Paul is the one who said, “To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law (I Cor 9:20). But Paul is upset when Pater changed his attitude depending on the circumstances. “Peter, make up your mind.”

Last Sunday evening I was having dinner with a person who does not believe in Jesus. He thinks all this “Jesus business” is fabricated. I often had talks with him and confronted him, and told him where I stand. Although I disagree with him, I have fellowship with him around the table. I continue to be his friend and pray for his salvation. But he knows and I told him again where I stand in my faith. He said he does not want to talk more about it.

Hypocrisy is a bad thing. Jesus did not like it and confronted it especially with the Pharisees. Although Peter believed that gentiles could become Christian without keeping the Jewish laws, he joined the “other” crowd. Why? Fear of fellow Jews? Acceptance by the others?

I don’t know what made Peter change his mind.

Do we face similar issues today?

I am sorry to say, many of us are embarrassed to share our Christian faith. “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some” (I Cor. 9:22).

Do not compromise your faith out of fear, or peer pressure.

We will continue in English.