Galatians 2 | The Upward Way | Bible Study with A. Z. Adams — Transcript

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1. 0:00Galatians chapter two. So, Paul's just
2. 0:02been [music] giving his
3. 0:04introduction of himself in chapter one
4. 0:06saying that he's an apostle. [music] He
5. 0:08didn't come through the agency of man.
6. 0:09He's trying to tell the Galatian church,
7. 0:12"You don't have to worry that the
8. 0:13telephone game is involved in my
9. 0:14theology. I got this from Jesus. I
10. 0:17didn't get this from somebody else."
11. 0:18[music]
12. 0:19And he's just said that he spent 15 days
13. 0:21with Peter, and he met James the Lord's
14. 0:24brother, but only after three years of
15. 0:26effectively starting churches and
16. 0:27preaching all over the place in Arabia.
17. 0:30Chapter two begins like this. "Then,
18. 0:33after an interval of 14 years, I went up
19. 0:38again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking
20. 0:41Titus
21. 0:42along also."
22. 0:44Now, the Barnabas visit means that this
23. 0:47is where
24. 0:49Paul is going to have the dispute.
25. 0:51Does that make sense?
26. 0:53>> [music]
27. 0:53>> So, we've got three years and then 14
28. 0:55years. So, we are 17 years into Paul's
29. 0:59conversion.
30. 1:00Okay?
31. 1:02"After 14 years,
32. 1:05I went up again to Jerusalem with
33. 1:06Barnabas, taking Titus along also. It
34. 1:09was because of a revelation that I went
35. 1:12up, and I submitted to them the gospel
36. 1:15which I preach among the Gentiles,
37. 1:17>> [music]
38. 1:18>> but I did so in private to those who
39. 1:21were of reputation for fear that I might
40. 1:24be running or had run in vain."
41. 1:27So, Paul visits the apostles in
42. 1:30Jerusalem, Peter and James, after three
43. 1:33years,
44. 1:34and they are completely united. When he
45. 1:35stays with Peter for 15 days,
46. 1:38then Paul goes, and he preaches for 14
47. 1:41years, but he has a revelation.
48. 1:44And the revelation that Paul gets
49. 1:47is how the law, the old ceremonial law,
50. 1:52>> [music]
51. 1:52>> is no longer necessary.
52. 1:54But now, when he has this revelation,
53. 1:57he goes up and he submits himself
54. 2:02to those among the apostles who are of
55. 2:06reputation.
56. 2:09So, there's a company of apostles, but
57. 2:12then there are those among the apostles
58. 2:14who have greater history or greater
59. 2:17authority, and he submits himself to
60. 2:20those of reputation among the apostles.
61. 2:23For fear that I might be running or had
62. 2:27run in vain.
63. 2:29Not in his original gospel, but in his
64. 2:33revelation.
65. 2:35He's going to make sure that this new
66. 2:37piece that he doesn't believe the church
67. 2:39has yet, that it really does come from
68. 2:42God. Do you kind of guys follow what
69. 2:43he's saying here?
70. 2:46But not even Titus, who was with me,
71. 2:48though he was a Greek, was compelled to
72. 2:51be circumcised. Paul's saying that the
73. 2:53apostles who knew that Titus was a Greek
74. 2:56did not require
75. 2:58him to be circumcised
76. 3:00who was with Paul.
77. 3:02But it was because of the false brethren
78. 3:04secretly brought in
79. 3:07who had sneaked in to spy out our
80. 3:09liberty
81. 3:10which we have in Christ Jesus in order
82. 3:12to bring us into bondage.
83. 3:14So, it seems like Titus might have been
84. 3:17circumcised.
85. 3:19There that he was required, but it was
86. 3:21to appease people who he thought were
87. 3:23false brethren who might destroy the
88. 3:26church. But we did not yield in
89. 3:28subjection to them for even an hour, so
90. 3:31that the truth of the gospel would
91. 3:33remain with you.
92. 3:35But from those who were of high
93. 3:37reputation,
94. 3:40what they were makes no difference to
95. 3:41me. God shows no partiality. Well, those
96. 3:44who were of reputation contributed
97. 3:47nothing to me.
98. 3:49So, he's saying
99. 3:50the false brethren made ruckus.
100. 3:53But those who were
101. 3:56of reputation in the church,
102. 3:59they did not add anything to Paul's
103. 4:01teaching. They did not say, "Oh, Paul,
104. 4:03you're missing this critical piece."
105. 4:05They did not contribute anything to
106. 4:06Paul.
107. 4:08But on the contrary,
108. 4:09seeing that I had been entrusted with
109. 4:12the gospel to the uncircumcised just as
110. 4:15Peter had been to the circumcised,
111. 4:18for he who effectively worked for Peter
112. 4:21in his apostleship to the circumcised
113. 4:23effectively worked for me also to the
114. 4:25Gentiles. He's saying Jesus who worked
115. 4:28with Peter was working with me for the
116. 4:30Gentiles.
117. 4:32And recognizing the grace that had been
118. 4:35given to me,
119. 4:36James and Cephas and John, who were
120. 4:40reputed to be pillars, gave to me and
121. 4:44Barnabas
122. 4:45the right hand of fellowship.
123. 4:49So that we might go to the Gentiles and
124. 4:52they to the circumcised. They also asked
125. 4:54us to remember the poor, the very thing
126. 4:58I also was eager to do.
127. 5:01So,
128. 5:02let's just paraphrase this. Paul is
129. 5:04saying, "You guys are trying to bring a
130. 5:06division, but I'm telling you I didn't
131. 5:09get my revelation from the main
132. 5:11apostles, but they didn't disagree with
133. 5:13me.
134. 5:14The only people who caused me trouble
135. 5:16were the troublemakers, the Judaizers.
136. 5:19But these people of high repute, these
137. 5:21pillars in the church, they didn't add
138. 5:24anything to the gospel I was already
139. 5:26bringing." And he says, "They gave me
140. 5:29the right hand of Christian fellowship."
141. 5:31That would have been the sign that we
142. 5:33trust you as a brother. Now, everybody
143. 5:35shakes hand, but in that day it would
144. 5:37have been almost like a covenant to
145. 5:39extend the right hand of fellowship to
146. 5:41Paul was to say, "We accept you as one
147. 5:44of us." All they asked is please
148. 5:46remember the poor in your effective
149. 5:49ministry. Please help us raise funds for
150. 5:52the struggling Jerusalem church. And
151. 5:54Paul says, I was eager to do that. But I
152. 5:56had their blessing. So Paul's not a
153. 5:58maverick, but Paul didn't get it from
154. 6:00man. So he has the same authority that
155. 6:02they have. In fact, [snorts] Paul had a
156. 6:04revelation that they probably learned
157. 6:07only through Paul.
158. 6:09But [snorts] when Cephas came to
159. 6:10Antioch,
160. 6:13I opposed him to his face
161. 6:15because he stood condemned.
162. 6:17So, let's try to picture this. We know
163. 6:20that the dispute that landed in Acts 15
164. 6:23broke out in Antioch.
165. 6:27Okay? And that's probably where Paul
166. 6:30opposed Peter to his face.
167. 6:33Okay? Because privately, Paul had given
168. 6:36them this new revelation that he had
169. 6:39gotten after 14 years. He had given them
170. 6:41the new revelation and privately, James
171. 6:44and Peter had agreed with it. But now
172. 6:46publicly, when Paul's doing what they
173. 6:49told him he could do,
174. 6:51Peter apparently is going to make an
175. 6:53opposition. And it's because of this
176. 6:56dispute that included Peter on one side
177. 6:58and Paul on the other that they probably
178. 7:00go to Jerusalem to settle it. That's
179. 7:03probably the chronology. We don't have
180. 7:05it for sure.
181. 7:07But when Cephas came to Antioch, I
182. 7:09opposed him to his face because he stood
183. 7:13condemned.
184. 7:15Verse 12 says, for prior to the coming
185. 7:17of certain men from James, he used to
186. 7:20eat with the Gentiles. But when they
187. 7:22came, he began to withdraw and hold
188. 7:24himself aloof fearing the party of the
189. 7:27circumcision.
190. 7:29James was the lead apostle in Jerusalem.
191. 7:33We know this because when Peter is set
192. 7:36free from prison, he tells the
193. 7:39congregation to go show these things to
194. 7:41James and the other apostles or the
195. 7:44other brethren.
196. 7:45So, James is seems to be the apostle who
197. 7:48is overseeing the Jerusalem church,
198. 7:50which is the most prominent church in
199. 7:52the whole movement. And
200. 7:56Peter and James have already heard
201. 7:59Paul's revelation privately.
202. 8:01But for whatever reason
203. 8:03after over a decade of preaching it
204. 8:06they've fallen back into their rigidity.
205. 8:10And so, when Peter comes down to Antioch
206. 8:14before James shows up, Peter's able to
207. 8:17eat with Gentiles and treat them like
208. 8:18brothers in Christ.
209. 8:20Cuz Jews weren't allowed to do that. But
210. 8:22Peter's able to do that because he has
211. 8:24this revelation. But then when the guys
212. 8:26from James are coming
213. 8:29Peter stops doing it. And Paul thinks
214. 8:32that is hypocrisy.
215. 8:34So, he opposes him to his face because
216. 8:37he stands condemned.
217. 8:39Paul is very unhappy. But what Paul is
218. 8:41showing the Galatian church is don't you
219. 8:44be appealing to these other brothers,
220. 8:47these other apostles.
221. 8:48I'm in agreement with them. I have the
222. 8:50same authority in this matter as they.
223. 8:53And I have even exerted authority to
224. 8:56correct them in some of their error
225. 8:58relating to this topic.
226. 9:00>> [laughter]
227. 9:00>> So, he's saying don't don't be playing
228. 9:03the James card with me. Don't be playing
229. 9:05the Peter card with me. I have history
230. 9:08with these brothers and this is what it
231. 9:09looks like.
232. 9:11Prior to the coming of certain men from
233. 9:12James, he Peter used to eat with the
234. 9:15Gentiles, but when they came he began to
235. 9:17withdraw and hold himself aloof
236. 9:20fearing the party of the circumcision.
237. 9:24The rest of the Jews joined him in
238. 9:26hypocrisy with the result that even
239. 9:29Barnabas was carried away by their
240. 9:31hypocrisy.
241. 9:33So, twice he calls it hypocrisy. That is
242. 9:35not a good word. That's what Jesus used
243. 9:37to label the
244. 9:39enemies of the of the truth, the
245. 9:42Pharisees, right? Who crucified him. But
246. 9:45when I saw that they were not
247. 9:48straightforward about the truth of the
248. 9:49gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence
249. 9:52of all.
250. 9:53So, what's about to come is Paul's
251. 9:56rebuke, what he said to Cephas in front
252. 9:59of everybody. Okay?
253. 10:01He says, "If you, being a Jew, live like
254. 10:05the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how
255. 10:08is it that you compel the Gentiles to
256. 10:10live like Jews?" He's still speaking to
257. 10:12Peter.
258. 10:14We are Jews by nature and not sinners
259. 10:19from among the Gentiles.
260. 10:21Now, the term sinners does not mean
261. 10:24actual transgressors.
262. 10:27That is the figure of speech that the
263. 10:31whole Jewish community
264. 10:33used to refer to people who were not
265. 10:35Jews. It was like calling them pagans.
266. 10:38Does that make sense? And anybody who
267. 10:40didn't keep the ceremonial customs was a
268. 10:42sinner.
269. 10:43Hamartolos. Do you understand? And so,
270. 10:46Paul is saying,
271. 10:48"We are Jews by nature and not sinners
272. 10:52from among the Gentiles.
273. 10:54Nevertheless, knowing that a man is not
274. 10:56justified by the works of the law, but
275. 10:58through faith in Christ Jesus,
276. 11:01even we have believed in Christ Jesus,
277. 11:04so that we may be justified by faith in
278. 11:06Christ and not by the works of the law,
279. 11:09since by the works of the law no flesh
280. 11:12will be justified." So, he says, "Even
281. 11:14we who are Jews and not sinners from
282. 11:16among the Gentiles,
283. 11:18we had to accept faith in Christ." And
284. 11:21his point is our Jewishness didn't save
285. 11:23us.
286. 11:25But if, while seeking to be justified in
287. 11:29Christ,
288. 11:31while seeking to be justified, that's
289. 11:34what the life of a Christian looks like,
290. 11:36seeking to be justified, not sleeping
291. 11:39complacent, sure that it's all in the
292. 11:41bag,
293. 11:42but seeking to be justified,
294. 11:45we ourselves have also been found
295. 11:48sinners,
296. 11:50is Christ then a minister of sin? May it
297. 11:52never be.
298. 11:53So, when he says, "We've been found
299. 11:55sinners," what he's saying is, "We're
300. 11:58classified by the Judaizers to be pagans
301. 12:00now." He's not saying that they're
302. 12:02actually committing sin, he's saying
303. 12:04that they're breaking the ceremonial
304. 12:06custom and falling under the label of
305. 12:08sinners. They're the pagans now. If
306. 12:11we've been found to be pagans in Christ,
307. 12:14then is Christ a minister of sin? May it
308. 12:17never be.
309. 12:18For if I rebuild
310. 12:21what I have once destroyed, I prove
311. 12:24myself to be a transgressor.
312. 12:28For through the law, I died to the law,
313. 12:33so that I might live to God.
314. 12:37For I have been crucified with Christ,
315. 12:40and it is no longer I who live,
316. 12:42but Christ lives in me.
317. 12:46And the life which I now live in the
318. 12:48flesh, I live by faith in the Son of
319. 12:52God, who loved me and gave himself up
320. 12:55for me.
321. 12:56I do not nullify the grace of God, for
322. 12:59if righteousness comes through the law,
323. 13:01then Christ died needlessly.
324. 13:06What he's saying
325. 13:07in these last verses, he says, "If I
326. 13:10rebuild what I once destroyed, I make
327. 13:14myself a transgressor." What did he
328. 13:16destroy? He destroyed the legitimacy of
329. 13:20ceremonial law for salvation.
330. 13:24So, if he tears that down, and then
331. 13:26starts building it back, he makes
332. 13:28himself a sinner, a real transgressor.
333. 13:30But he uses a different word here. He
334. 13:32doesn't use the
335. 13:34the pejorative category term like pagan,
336. 13:37he uses transgressor, which is a more
337. 13:40powerful term, I make myself an active
338. 13:44wicked sinner today.
339. 13:46I'm not just falling under the category
340. 13:48that Peter's trying to escape. Peter
341. 13:50didn't want to be seen as a pagan.
342. 13:52So he's trying to escape the category of
343. 13:54being labeled, "Oh, he's a sinner."
344. 13:57Do you understand?
345. 13:58But Paul's saying, "I'm okay with that.
346. 14:01I'm okay with being called a pagan,
347. 14:03because I'm not going to rebuild the
348. 14:05ceremonial system I've torn down." How
349. 14:07did he tear it down? By saying it wasn't
350. 14:10enough.
351. 14:11By saying he also needed Jesus. If he
352. 14:14needed Jesus, then the ceremonial system
353. 14:16wasn't enough.
354. 14:19For through the law
355. 14:21I died to the law.
356. 14:23So that I might live to God. How did he
357. 14:25die to the law?
358. 14:27I have been crucified with Christ.
359. 14:31And it is no longer I who live.
360. 14:34Now, how did he die to the law through
361. 14:37the law? Well, when Jesus died, what
362. 14:39killed him?
363. 14:41>> The law.
364. 14:42>> The law. So
365. 14:44even as he's dying, he is nullifying the
366. 14:47law.
367. 14:49He is taking out of the hand of the
368. 14:51devil the very weapon that the devil was
369. 14:54using, which was the law. So through the
370. 14:57law, he ruined the law.
371. 15:00And Paul is saying, "I've united myself
372. 15:03to that sacrifice.
373. 15:04I have been united with Christ.
374. 15:07I have been crucified with Christ.
375. 15:11And it is no longer I who live."
376. 15:15This is a powerful thought.
377. 15:19Paul is not
378. 15:21a new version of himself.
379. 15:23Instead, he has died. He has lost his
380. 15:27old identity as a non-sinner Jew.
381. 15:31He has lost that. He's died to that.
382. 15:34He's not trying to preserve that.
383. 15:36Peter's still trying to keep that alive.
384. 15:38But he doesn't realize he's building
385. 15:40back what was once torn down.
386. 15:43And so he's making himself sin against
387. 15:45the legitimacy of what Jesus suffered at
388. 15:48Calvary. That's real transgression.
389. 15:50[music]
390. 15:51That's not just categorized as a pagan.
391. 15:54For I have been crucified with Christ
392. 15:56and it's no longer I who live, but
393. 15:57Christ lives in me.
394. 16:01That's the spirit that we have. Christ
395. 16:04lives in me.
396. 16:06And the life which I now live in the
397. 16:08flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God
398. 16:13who loved me and gave himself up
399. 16:17for me.
400. 16:19I do not nullify the grace of God,
401. 16:21[music]
402. 16:21for if righteousness comes through the
403. 16:23law, then Christ died needlessly.
404. 16:28So if I go and act like I need the law
405. 16:30in order to be saved, then Jesus died
406. 16:32for nothing.
407. 16:34And I nullify what he did. That's real
408. 16:36transgression. Do you see that? So you
409. 16:38can either be classified as a sinner or
410. 16:41you can be a real sinner. And if you're
411. 16:43a real sinner, you're saying that what
412. 16:46Jesus did doesn't [music] count, that he
413. 16:47didn't have to die. But in fact,
414. 16:51through the law, he died to the law and
415. 16:53we are united to what he did. That's the
416. 16:56real justification. That's the real
417. 16:58atonement. No animal sacrifice, no
418. 17:01ceremonial custom, no circumcision can
419. 17:04ever touch what he did. We don't need
420. 17:07that anymore. [music]
421. 17:08That was all just pointing us toward
422. 17:10what he did. And what he did destroyed
423. 17:14and tore down the old system. And it
424. 17:16replaced [music] it with the
425. 17:17fulfillment.
426. 17:19What Jesus destroyed and replaced was
427. 17:22the ceremonial shell, but the heart of
428. 17:25the law is the will of God, because love
429. 17:29fulfills
430. 17:31all the law and the prophets. So, in at
431. 17:34the cross, he fulfills the law. Not one
432. 17:37jot or tittle could pass away until it
433. 17:40is fulfilled, but it was fulfilled in
434. 17:43the love God poured out through Jesus at
435. 17:46the cross. Do you understand? [music]
436. 17:48So, that love of God is the fulfillment
437. 17:50of everything valid in the law, but the
438. 17:53ceremonial shell of do's and don'ts,
439. 17:57it's gone. And if you build it back,
440. 17:58you're saying Jesus didn't need to die.
441. 18:02>> [music]
442. 18:12[music]