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Fall Quarter 2023: God’s Law Is Love
Unit 2: Faith Triumphs, Law Fails
Lesson 7
Sunday School Lesson for the week of October 15, 2023
By Craig Rikard
Key Text: Galatians 2:11-21
Lesson Aims
- To better understand the divisive issue of requiring beliefs and behaviors from Judaism be accepted in the growing Gentile Church.
- To learn the history and early importance of the Jerusalem Council to the spread of Christianity.
- Also, to learn how the Jerusalem Council almost impeded the sharing the Gospel.
- To recognize the message Paul wanted the church to gain through his confronting Cephas.
- To more fully understand Paul’s statement, “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
Background and Context
Authorship and Date
Most accept Paul as the author of the epistle. The arguments and information contained in this letter are consistent with Paul’s other writings, especially his earlier writings. Some claim Galatians is the earliest Pauline epistle, while some place the Thessalonian letters earlier. Many date the letter around 48-50 AD.
The Jerusalem Council
The Jerusalem Council marks the earliest “organized” Christian hierarchy. It is described in Acts 15. The early Christian apostles had remained in Jerusalem, making this body the center of Christian power. Why did they “headquarter” in Jerusalem? The greatest pulpit they had was the empty tomb. Also, Jerusalem had long been the spiritual and intellectual center of Judaism. The Apostles were Jewish but had converted to Christianity after the resurrection. Still, in their minds, this was the logical site for the early church and its decision-making body. The Council’s location in Jerusalem gave them more credibility as they spoke to other Jewish Christians and the new Gentile converts.
The leaders of the council were Peter, James, and John. They were the trifecta of power in the early church. It seems James, the “Lord’s brother,” was highly esteemed and heard when decisions were made. Thus, he could accurately be described as the leader of the Jerusalem Council. Remember, James refused to convert to Christianity. For him, Jesus was just his brother, a wise brother no doubt. However, Jesus appeared to be disseminating beliefs contrary to Judaism. Only one thing could convert James from his staunch Judaism to Christianity: the risen Jesus! James would later die a martyr’s death, refusing to denounce his faith for he witnessed the rising of Jesus from the dead.
How difficult do you think it would have been for James, a devout, pious participant in Judaism, to believe that Jesus was the Christ? Can you understand why he refused to believe in Jesus prior to his crucifixion? What does James’ conversion say about the power and meaning of the resurrection?
Simon Peter, a member of the trifecta, had emerged from the shame of his earlier denials of Jesus to occupy an important place in the early church. John, the “beloved,” had remained with Jesus, even at Golgotha. Thus, each played a major role in the leadership of the council.
Among the great issues facing the council was the acceptance and assimilation of the Greeks into the Christian faith. Many in the Jerusalem Church and Council maintained their Jewish belief, especially regarding the required act of circumcision. However, the Greeks were not circumcised, were not reared in the confines of the Mosaic Law, and did not observe the rituals in the temple. The issue of assimilating the Greeks into the church led to an important meeting of the Council. They had asked Paul and Barnabas to travel to Jerusalem and give an account of their ministry to the Gentiles. They wanted to ensure Paul was not ignoring Judaism in his preaching and teaching on grace. Again, the issue of circumcision was a major point of contention.
The council decided Paul’s and Barnabas’ ministry was valid. How could they deny God’s use of them as the church grew mightily in the Greek world? However, just to continue to have the upper hand in the Church, they demanded the two evangelists teach and preach against idolatry, fornication, and the eating of flesh cut from a living animal. These were initial requirements for Gentiles desiring to join the Christian church.
Paul’s letter to the Galatians is believed to have been written before this meeting with council. Paul was teaching and preaching the liberating power of the faith, especially in relation to the Mosaic Law. However, there were some, often referred to as Judaizers, who believed the Gentiles should be converted to both Judaism and Christianity. Yet, Paul believed a strong connection existed between the Jews and Gentiles via the meaning of circumcision and an equally strong difference existed between Judaism and Christianity. This distinction is addressed in this early letter to the Galatians. Paul reimagined circumcision in terms of baptism. Circumcision was a rite of walking in the covenant God made with Abraham. However, after Jesus, baptism became the rite that marked our entry in that covenant. In baptism, women were included in a rite that marked them as an equal part of the covenant God made with Abraham. The act of baptism symbolically represented the cutting away of the foreskin and the representation of being marked as a child of faith community.
The Audience
The Galatians consisted of, by majority, Gentiles. The Epistle was written in Koine Greek, not Aramaic, implying it is written to the Greek audience. But it is careful not to exclude the Jewish Christians. The Israelites had dispersed during the years of exile and created homes and businesses in the Greek areas of the world. Thus, there were synagogues for worship and teaching of Judaism. Paul had the difficult task of creating one body from the two groups, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Walking through The Text
Peter/Cephas
Peter had been present when Jesus touched the blind man twice before the man saw clearly. Jesus touched the man a first time, which allowed the man to see others as trees walking. When Jesus touched him a second time, he saw clearly. Peter had been touched deeply at Pentecost but still saw “men like trees walking.” He had little use or concern for the Gentiles. However, at Joppa, Peter went atop the roof to rest and pray. While there he was touched again through a vision. A sheet appeared with the “unclean” items the Jews believed defiled a person. However, God informed Peter that what he declared clean was clean. This was obviously a message about the Gentiles. Thus, Peter became an evangelist to the Gentiles as well as Jews. As an aside, Joppa is the location where the whale (large sea creature) expelled Jonah. Remember, Jonah did not want to travel to Nineveh, a violent Gentile city, and preach. In attempting to run he was eventually swallowed and three days later was spit upon the shore at Joppa. Both Jonah and Peter received another touch of God; this one sent them to the Gentiles from Joppa. Peter’s first touch from the Spirit occurred on Pentecost when he began to see the redemption of Christ with greater clarity. On the roof at Joppa, Peter was touched again and began to see the Gentiles as God’s people with greater clarity.
Have you a place, or places, where you experienced a meaningful experience with the Lord? Was the place itself important in the experience? Have you ever sought to ignore a population of people only to have God touch your eyes and heart with new vision and acceptance? Have you ever felt you perceived a community of people in a “fuzzy manner?” That is, you saw them as important to God but not necessarily to you nor were they your responsibility. Then, was there an experience that transformed your way of seeing those people? Were you then able to see them clearly as God desires? What do you think it means to receive transforming touches of God throughout life?
After the vision, Peter evangelized and fellowshipped with his new Gentile brothers and sisters. However, some men from James arrived to visit. Again, James had converted from being steeped in Judaism to Christianity. However, he struggled to let go with many of the requirements of Judaism, especially circumcision. Some, like James, wanted new converts to Christianity to be circumcised to be “grafted into the covenant family with Abraham” even though this covenant was fulfilled fully in Jesus Christ. Paul strongly disagreed. He too believed into being grafted into the covenant family with Abraham’s descendants. However, Paul viewed baptism as the “new circumcision.” Circumcision marked a babe and adult converts as a part of the Jewish family. In Judaism the day would come in which that circumcised child would choose for themselves to walk in obedience to the Mosaic Law and covenant into which they were marked. Baptism became the “new mark.” However, it was a spiritual mark on the heart. This mark was for male and female. They would be reared in Christianity until one day they embraced Jesus as their own Lord and savior. Since the church was new, both adults and infants were baptized into the family of faith, the Church. They would still need to embrace the life Jesus offers for themselves. In Judaism, it was the embracing of their Jewish faith. In Christianity, confirmation would become the moment when the baptized infant would accept Jesus as their own.
Have you been instructed in the meaning and symbolism of infant baptism? Do you understand its relevancy to being in the family, the church? What then is the role of confirmation? What is the responsibility of the church to the infants we baptize and their family?
Paul Confronts Cephas
Peter was certainly a fervent follower of Jesus but far from perfected in love. He spoke with the voice of a lion and whimpered when matters became too costly and risky. As the men from James arrived at Antioch, Peter “pulled back” from his Gentile brothers and sisters. His pulling back also led the other Jewish Christians to distance themselves from the Gentiles. Even Barnabas followed Peter’s lead. They were beginning to lean toward requiring circumcision in order to become a Christian.
Paul was greatly angered. This former Pharisee who once hunted down Christians to persecute, and through conversion became the greatest Christian evangelist ever, was not known for backing down easily. Once committed he remained strong regardless of the circumstance. Many would have avoided public confrontation, but not Paul. Paul reminds the Galatians that he confronted Peter “to his face.” Peter, Barnabas, and the others were engaging in a flagrant act of hypocrisy. What one preaches one lives, according to Paul. Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 always ring true, “Let your yeas be yeas and your nays, nays.”
What danger confronted the early Church through such flippant devotion as expressed by Peter? Though hypothetical, what do you think would have happened if Paul had not confronted Peter? If Paul had not confronted Peter, what role would women have in the body of Christ? How important is it in today’s church to be morally, ethically, and spiritually consistent?
Notice Paul refers to Peter by his Aramaic name rather than the Greek name “Peter.” Paul’s accusation must have stung because it was without doubt true. They had been living as Gentiles, celebrating the new life Jesus has given, and suddenly they want the Gentiles to live as the Jews. This to Paul was to return to the bondage of the Law. At that point, Paul again preached the sufficiency of grace through faith for salvation and the insufficiency of gaining eternal life through obedience to the Law.
Why do you think Paul might have addressed Peter as Cephas? What confusion do you think would have emerged had Paul suddenly began to demand his Gentile converts obey certain portions of the Law like circumcision?
Beginning with verse 17 Paul appears to be speaking of himself. As a “Hebrew of Hebrews” he has become one with the Gentile Christians, whom those in Judaism would consider “sinners.” Paul seems to ask, “Does my fellowship with the Gentiles through justification through Christ alone mean that I am a sinner?” Or, “Since Jesus has called me to preach grace and justification to the Gentiles (whom you see and treat as sinners, who, according to you, still need to obey the Law, such as being circumcised before becoming justified), does that mean Jesus promotes sin through my ministry?” He answers his question, “Definitely not!” Paul staunchly affirms that for him to preach that the Gentiles must live under the Law would go against the very bondage he sought to destroy.” Thus, preaching a return to Law would become the grave sin.
I have Been Crucified with Christ
This last paragraph is the crowning jewel of Paul’s belief in justification through grace and faith alone in Christ. Paul asserts he has laid aside his identity as a Pharisee and as a Jew. He is now an evangelist for Jesus Christ who fulfills the Law in the deepest sense through obedience to the Law of Laws: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, soul, mind and strength; and thy neighbor as thyself.” Jesus saw no distinction between Jew or Greek, male or female, and since Jesus lives in Paul, he too no longer makes such distinctions. He closes the paragraph by stating, “If righteousness could be gained through the Law, Christ died for nothing!” If we could be saved through obedience to the Law there was no need for Jesus’ death and resurrection. The Mosaic Law alone would have been enough. However, it wasn’t.
Can you claim to be attempting to see no distinctions between Jew and Gentile, male and female through Jesus Christ? If we still see the world in terms of saints and sinners, male and female, ethnicity and race, then how does this affect our witness and message? Though we are all walking with Christ toward being perfect in love, we are not yet there. Still, it is important to understand what it means to walk toward perfect love. What does this journey toward perfect love mean to you? How does it affect your life?
Prayer
Almighty God, in the Old and New Testament we perceive you grace and desire to move us ever toward Jesus Christ. Help us to recognize all things working to draw us to Christ, and especially recognizing this drawing even in suffering. Open our eyes to the value of every soul, and help us understand what Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection reveal about every individual. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Dr. D. Craig Rikard is a South Georgia pastor. Email him at craigrikard169@yahoo.com.
