Later, when Peter came to Antioch, I had a face-to-face confrontation with him because he was clearly out of line. Here’s the situation. Earlier, before certain persons had come from James, Peter regularly ate with the non-Jews. But when that conservative group came from Jerusalem, he cautiously pulled back and put as much distance as he could manage between himself and his non-Jewish friends. That’s how fearful he was of the conservative Jewish clique that’s been pushing the old system of circumcision. Unfortunately, the rest of the Jews in the Antioch church joined in that hypocrisy so that even Barnabas was swept along in the charade. 14 But when I saw that they were not maintaining a steady, straight course according to the Message, I spoke up to Peter in front of them all: “If you, a Jew, live like a non-Jew when you’re not being observed by the watchdogs from Jerusalem, what right do you have to require non-Jews to conform to Jewish customs just to make a favorable impression on your old Jerusalem buddies?” (Galatians 2:11–14) Message Translation We know from Acts 10 that God had made it clear to Peter that Gentiles were included in his plan of redemption, and they were not to be excluded in any way or treated as second-class citizens. But Peter, who had been in open fellowship with the Gentiles, withdrew from them when a Jewish circumcision group showed up. In so doing, he acted in direct contradiction to the gospel doctrines he had been taught and had professed to believe. It is important to note that what happened here was not the result of Peter changing his doctrinal position. The problem was not first theological; it was moral. Fear of man was a more powerful motivator in Peter’s heart than what God had taught him was right and true. Where in our hearts is there a war of allegiance between what the doctrines of Scripture call us to and what we want for ourselves? Are there places where we have become comfortable with a dichotomy between what we say we believe and how we live? We must always shine the light of the doctrines of Scripture on the thoughts, desires, motivations, and cravings of our hearts. For more understanding on this read: Do You Believe?: 12 Historic Doctrines to Change Your Everyday Life. |