GALATIANS 2:1–10
One Gospel for Jew and Gentile
Paul has told us where his gospel came from.
Not from men.
Not from Jerusalem.
Not from the other apostles.
He received it from Christ.
But that raises another question.
Did the apostles in Jerusalem agree with Paul?
Did Peter, James, and John preach one gospel to Jews while Paul preached something different to Gentiles?
Galatians 2 answers that question.
Fourteen Years Later
Paul writes:
“Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also.” — Galatians 2:1
Titus is important.
He was a Gentile.
And he was not circumcised.
That makes him almost a living test case for the controversy troubling the Galatian churches.
Must a Gentile become circumcised in order to belong fully to God's people?
Why Did Paul Go to Jerusalem?
Paul says:
“I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles.” — verse 2
Paul did not go because he needed Jerusalem to give him a gospel.
He already had one.
He went and presented the gospel he had been preaching.
Now we are going to discover whether the Jerusalem apostles agreed.
What Happened to Titus?
Paul gets right to the issue:
“Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.” — verse 3
That is significant.
Here stands an uncircumcised Gentile believer in Jerusalem.
If circumcision were necessary for Gentiles to belong to Christ, this would have been the perfect time to say so.
But Titus was not compelled to be circumcised.
Why Was Circumcision Such a Big Issue?
Circumcision wasn't merely a medical procedure.
It was the covenant sign God had given to Abraham and his descendants.
Later it became closely connected with Israel's life under the Law of Moses.
So the question was much larger than:
Should Titus undergo a physical procedure?
The real question was:
Must Gentile Christians come under the Jewish covenant identity in order to belong fully to God's people?
Paul's answer was no.
Some Wanted to Take Away Their Freedom
Paul says:
“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.” — verse 4
Here Paul introduces a word that will become very important in Galatians:
Freedom.
Freedom from what?
We need to let Paul answer that as the letter develops.
But in this immediate context, the issue is clear.
Gentile Christians were being pressured to accept circumcision and the obligations that came with it.
Paul Would Not Give In
Paul says:
“We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.” — verse 5
Why such determination?
Because this wasn't merely a disagreement over customs.
The truth of the gospel was at stake.
If Gentiles had to become circumcised and come under the Law in order to belong to God's covenant people, then Christ alone was not enough.
Paul refused to accept that.
What Did the Jerusalem Leaders Add?
Now we reach the heart of Paul's argument.
After meeting with the recognized leaders in Jerusalem, Paul says:
“They added nothing to my message.” — verse 6
Think about that.
Peter did not correct Paul's gospel.
James did not add circumcision.
John did not tell Paul that his Gentile converts needed to come under the Law.
They added nothing.
Paul's gospel did not need repairing.
Different Missions — Not Different Gospels
Paul explains that he had been entrusted with preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been entrusted with preaching particularly among the Jews.
That does not mean there were two gospels.
It means there were different fields of work.
Paul worked primarily among Gentiles.
Peter worked primarily among Jews.
But both were serving the same Christ and proclaiming the same gospel.
The Right Hand of Fellowship
Paul says that James, Cephas, and John:
“recognized the grace given to me”
and:
“gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship.” — verse 9
That settles an important question.
Paul was not a rogue apostle preaching a competing Christianity.
The recognized Jerusalem leaders acknowledged his ministry.
They recognized God's work among the Gentiles.
One Request
There was one thing they asked Paul to remember:
the poor.
Paul says this was something he was already eager to do.
Notice what they did not ask him to do.
They did not say:
Circumcise your Gentile converts.
They did not say:
Put them under the Law of Moses.
They did not say:
Make them become Jews.
They asked Paul to remember the poor.
One Gospel — One People
This passage gives us an important foundation for everything that follows in Galatians.
Titus was a Gentile.
Titus was uncircumcised.
Titus belonged to Christ.
The Jerusalem apostles did not require him to become a Jew.
That points toward something Paul will make even clearer later:
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile... for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” — Galatians 3:28
God was not creating two peoples with two different gospels.
Jew and Gentile were being brought together in Christ.
Follow Paul's Argument
Look at how Paul's case has developed.
In chapter 1:
My gospel came from Christ.
Now in chapter 2:
The Jerusalem apostles recognized that same gospel.
And Titus provides the practical test.
A Gentile did not have to become circumcised to belong to Christ.
But something surprising is about to happen.
One of those very apostles who recognized Paul's gospel is going to behave in a way that contradicts it.
His name is Peter.
And Paul is going to confront him publicly.
Why?
Because the gospel isn't merely something we believe.
Our behavior can either reflect it—or contradict it.
Read the paragraph.
Follow the argument.
Check the context.
Read First. Conclude Later.