The need and the risks of defending the gospel
Warm-up: What do you like or dislike about people who are confrontational?
Read: Galatians 2:11-21
1) Last time, we read until v10. v11 now starts with “But…”. Why?
- Hint: When do you say “But…” in a dispute? [After listing the points where two parties agree, the “But…” states where they disagree)]
- What did Paul affirm as points where there was agreement? vv3,7,8
- What was the point of disagreement? v11
- v12 also mentions James, brother of Jesus (cf 1:19). Did Paul blame James for this controversy? Why or why not?
2) By confronting first Peter and now the Galatians, and even publicly, what did Paul risk?
- By contrast, what would have been the risk if he had let this pass unchecked? v2
- Is every misbehavior of Christians (or their leaders) best addressed in this way? Why or why not? Mt 18:15
3) What was Paul’s public confrontation of Peter all about? v12-13
- Was the charge of hypocrisy about conduct, or about doctrine? v14c vs v5
- What does it mean to “force Gentiles to live like Jews”?
- If it had been only about conduct, would Paul still have confronted Peter anyway? cf 1Pet 4:8; 1Cor 13:7
- How did he confront him? v14
- And why did he write about it, if not to hang out dirty laundry? v5
4) vv-17-18: How could Peter (or any other Christian) transgress the law of Moses by how he wished to obey it?
- Hint: Is v17 talking of a merely hypothetical scenario? Or is every genuine conversion to Christ an admission that we actually broke the law? Why?
- What then was at stake because of Peter’s conduct: Only our conduct, or the heart of New Testament doctrine? Why?
5) Read again vv19-20. Which law is Paul talking about, and how could he die to it and through it? cf 2Cor 3:7 [Carved on stone; cf Ex 31:18].
- v19: What does it mean to ‘die’ to the law through the law?
- If the law ‘kills’, did Paul consider this to be good or bad? v20; cf 2Cor 3:6-7 [Ministry of death]
- By contrast, to whom does a zealous Pharisee under the law live for?
- Why is it therefore even necessary to ‘die to the law’ to be a genuine Christian?*
- If Christians have died to the law, should the law still be preached? Why or why not? 1Tim 1:8-11
- To whom and how?
- Why is this doctrine unexpected (if not shocking or even offensive)?
6) Personal & application
- How would you accept to be publicly embarrassed like Peter was?
- How did Peter take it, and the fact that Paul wrote about it for all posterity? 2Pet 3:15-16
- How do you explain this outcome?
- Have you ever faced similar situations?
- If so, how did that go, and what did you learn from it?
* Paul further elaborated this argument in Ro 7:7-17. Becoming a Christian means to be freed from the law like from a late husband, Ro 7:1-3, and to become bound instead to Christ by his indwelling Spirit.
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