Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
For before certain men came from James, he [Peter] used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles …
Summary: In this passage, Paul tells the story about a time when Peter came to visit his ministry in Antioch.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:12a – Flashback”… because he stood condemned.
Summary: Today’s passage uses the word “condemned.” Because the word can mean that we have passed judgment on someone, we look at other possible meanings for the original Greek text.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:11b – Standing Firm”When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face,
Summary: Sadly, conflict is an unavoidable part of life this side of heaven.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:11a – Clash of the Titans”All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.
Summary: Being God is a bit like being a parent. As parents, we want our children to learn to do good and avoid doing evil. But we can’t live our children’s lives for them.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:10 – God’s Pickle”They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.
Summary: God’s plan for the salvation of the world he created had to be carried out in two parts. The first part involved Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. The second part was telling people about Jesus.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:9b – Divide and Conquer”On the contrary, they recognized that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised.
Summary: Paul’s assignment from God wasn’t a figment of his imagination. It was real. We know this because the apostles in Jerusalem affirmed Paul’s gospel.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:7 – Validity”… they added nothing to my message.
Summary: Paul wanted to know if the other apostles agreed with his gospel message. The answer was an encouragement to him and to us.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:6b – Double Check”We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.
Summary: Paul was just as human as you or me. We all feel the pressure when others want us to conform. Like Paul, we all have to choose whether we stand on truth or bend to the will of the people around us.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:5 – Peer Pressure”This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves.
Summary: From the beginning, Paul’s letter to the Galatians is confrontational. Paul is deeply concerned about the messages false believers spread among his flock.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:4 – Spy Novel”Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.
Summary: The issue of circumcision plagued the early church for years. It was like yelling, “I believe in life after death!” in a room full of Pharisees and Sadducees.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:3 – Covenant Conundrum”