August 31, 2017

Freedom’s Truth

“But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, ‘If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?” Gal. 2:14

Paul was not pleased with the choices of Peter and confronted him.  Gal. 2:11-13 describes the hypocrisy, according to Paul.  Here we find Peter flip-flopping between adhering to Jewish law and setting the law aside.  Paul called him out, as we find in Gal. 2:14:  “But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, ‘If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?” After all, this is the same Peter who told Cornelius in Acts 10:34, “…In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.”  Paul is telling Peter that Peter cannot have it both ways:  he cannot ask Gentiles to live as Jews if he has lived as a Gentile (at least periodically).

Freedom’s truth means there are no longer requirements under the law that will save a soul or provide for justification.  Both are acts of grace and faith – they are gifts given by a gracious God who longs to set His people free.  Peter would eventually come to his understanding of freedom’s truth and the hope is that we will be unchained from man-made traditions and customs that bind us rather than liberate us.