Paul vs Peter: Two Different Gospels? — Galatians Chapter 2

Hello and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick. An Oklahoma rancher and farmer, Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick. Okay, it's good to have everybody in, and again, we always like to let our television folks know that this is our once a month taping session, and we're going to be producing, Lord willing, four programs this afternoon. And for those of you joining us on television, we just again want to thank you for your response by way of phone calls and letters and your financial help. We just stand amazed at God's grace, because as I've said so often, we never dreamed that this would go more than to the Tulsa audience, and maybe six months, and it would die a natural death. But the Lord has just seen fit to sort of extend it out, and now, of course, we've got a nationwide audience, and how we do thank the Lord for all that's been accomplished. And as I've said so often, we couldn't do it without you folks that come in to the studio every month. And so we just praise the Lord for everything. Now, again, I guess I have to always remind folks that everything that has been produced earlier is now available on videotapes and the printed little books that you see on the screen. And if you're interested in any of that, you just give us a call or drop us a note, and we'll get the information to you. All right, now we're in the book of Galatians, and in our last program we had gotten up to about verse 8 or 9 in Galatians chapter 2, but I always like to make constant review and a little bit of reminder of why this little letter was written. And remember, the whole theme of this little letter to the Galatian church is, we're not under law, we're under grace. And that, of course, is a statement that came straight from the lips of the Apostle Paul, first and foremost, up until that time. That was an unknown tenet, and as we're going to see here, even Peter for the most part had no comprehension of this great move of God to come away from Israel and the covenant promises and all that was attendant to that, and go out to the whole wide world, black and white, rich and poor, east and west, regardless, Jew or Gentile, with this tremendous gospel of the grace of God. And we don't know it until we get, of course, to Paul. And this is hard for a lot of people to swallow. In fact, I was just reading a gentleman again the other day for whom I've had a lot of respect, but I couldn't agree with him when he said, now after all, there is no difference between Peter's message and Paul's. Why, goodness sakes, there's so much difference, it's daylight and dark. Maybe it just takes common lay people to see that, huh? It could be. But anyway, as we're going to see later on in this chapter, you see, there was that difference of opinion, and that Peter had a hard time, as we'll see later, as he wrote in his second epistle, that in the things written by Paul are things hard to be understood. Well, why? Well, because, you see, he came out of that Jewish background, under the covenant promises, under the law, and nothing had changed except that their Messiah had made His appearance, and He had presented Himself to Israel as their King and their Redeemer and their Messiah, and for the most part, the nation rejected it. Oh, sure, several thousand, of course, came around to it, but on the whole, the nation of Israel rejected Christ at His first advent. They crucified Him, and again in the book of Acts, the same thing. Peter appeals to the nation of Israel over and over to still repent of the fact that they had crucified their Messiah, but that God had raised Him from the dead, and that He was alive and still in a position to come back and be their King, but Israel rejected Him. Israel went on in unbelief, until finally in Acts chapter 9, of course, God did something again that was supernatural, when He saved that arch-religionist, that zealot, Saul of Tarsus, and immediately made the announcement, I will send you far hence to the Gentiles. And of course that's when everything began to change, and that's why then He had to make that graphic statement in Romans chapter 6, that we're not under law, we're under grace. But the moment He started having Gentile converts under His Gospel, the Judaizers from Jerusalem began to undermine it, and were still trying to convince these Gentiles that, but you have to keep the Law of Moses, you have to be circumcised, and you have to do these things. And so the Galatians were falling to that. And Paul even makes the stringent statement, in fact come back to Galatians chapter 1 for just a quick review. In Galatians 1, what a statement, and it is just as apropos today as it was the day he wrote it, because even though it may not be circumcision that we're dealing with, we still have all these other aspects of legalism that Paul had to confront here, especially to the Galatians. Now it's interesting, in fact I told someone the other day, I'm so thankful that we did teach 1 and 2 Corinthians before we came to Galatians. Now I know that's the way it sits in the format, and that's how the Holy Spirit intended it, but I can see why. Because you see, all the things that he wrote to the Corinthian churches in those first two letters were not so much a failure in their doctrine as it was a failure in their practice. They were having divisions, and they were being divided as to who was the true apostle. But it wasn't so much a doctrinal thing. But now when you get to Galatians, it's not the practice, it's the doctrine. And look what he says in chapter 1, verse 6. He says, "...I marvel that you are so soon removed from him who called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel, which is not another, but there be some that trouble you and would pervert." It was a perversion of the gospel that was afflicting these Galatian churches. And so they would pervert the gospel of Christ. And then look at this tremendous statement in 8 and 9, "...but though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that we have preached, let him be what? Accursed." Now, you know what that means in Scripture. That means an eternal separation, not just a punishment for six months. That is an eternal separation. And he repeats it in verse 9, "...as we've said before, so say I now again, if any preach any other gospel unto you than that you have received, that is, from this man Paul, let him be accursed." And so he goes on then to show how that God supernaturally reached down and saved him by grace, taught him for three years out in the desert down at Mount Sinai, and then didn't send him back to the Twelve to pick up everything that they knew, which most people I suppose imagine that Paul was just an extension of Peter and the Eleventh's ministry. Heavens no! My, the Holy Spirit through the pen the Apostle Paul makes it so plain that there had to be a total break between the Twelve and this man's ministry. Now we pick it up if you'll go on with me a little further in chapter 1 in verse 11 and 12. This is all review, but we always have to remember we've got new people coming in every week, and I've got to review. And even for those who have heard it 10 times, they still call and say, don't ever stop reviewing. So I'm not going to apologize for this, but chapter 1 now verse 11, he says, "...and I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which is preached of me is not after man, for I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation or the revealing from Jesus Christ." And then he goes on to show how the Lord had to supernaturally save him on the road to Damascus and took him down into Arabia for three years. And then in chapter 2 where we left off last week, he is now again being confronted by what I call the wheels in Jerusalem. Now I don't do that to make any snide remark, but that's what they were. In our vernacular they were the wheels. They were the headmen of the Jerusalem church. They were the twelve and some of the other, and they were Jewish. And I maintain, and I've said it over and over and over on this program, that those Jewish believers there in Jerusalem were still basically law keepers. And they had not comprehended Paul's gospel of grace. And I've shown my reasons for saying that. Peter at the vision of the sheets says, not so, Lord. I'm not going to eat any of those animals. Why? Because I've never gone contrary to the law. I eat kosher. I have never eaten anything common or unclaimed. Well what is that? That's law. And then he went to the threshold of Cornelius. And ere he walked in, what did he say to Cornelius? He said, now you know, you've been in Israel long enough in your military service, you've been around us, you know it's an unlawful thing for me, a Jew, to keep company with a man of another nation. Well now, if Peter understood Paul's gospel of grace, that wouldn't have even crossed his mind. He should have been thrilled to death to go into the house of a military officer. But see, it was bugging him. And here he was a good Jew, and according to the law, he couldn't go in there. But of course, God had made it plain that this is what he wanted. And so this was the whole controversy as we saw in our last program, or maybe in the last two. How that? These Jewish emissaries from Jerusalem were undermining Paul's little congregations wherever he went. Corinth, just as much, remember he had to defend his apostleship constantly in the Corinthian letters. Why? Because the Jerusalem people were saying, well, you're just something that's gone out on his own. You haven't got any official recognition from Peter and the eleven. But Paul says, I don't need any official recognition from Peter. I got mine from the one who's in charge. I got mine from the Lord in heaven. But oh, they couldn't understand that. And so now let's just pick it up in chapter 2, about where we left off. We kind of hurriedly ended it last program, but let's just pick it up in about verse 5. And this hits us directly. If it were not for this verse, you and I as Gentiles would still be out there in paganism. But this man stuck to his guns. Verse 5 of Galatians 2, To whom, that is, the leaders in Jerusalem, we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour, for what purpose? That the truth of the gospel, Paul's gospel, the gospel of grace, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. Who are the you? Gentiles. See? But of those who seemed to be somewhat. Now I explained that in the last program. Why did they seem to be somewhat? Well, at one time they were. They were somewhat. They were the leaders. And I went back and showed you in the book of Acts that all of those Jewish believers in that Jerusalem congregation had land and houses and CDs and stocks, whatever else they may have had. And they sold it. They turned it into cash. And what did they do with it? Laid it at the apostles' feet. Why? Because they were in charge. Then even old Barnabas, it says, good old Barnabas had land on the island of Cyprus, and he sold it. What did he do with the resources? Brought it right back to Jerusalem and laid it at the feet of the apostles. Why? Because they were in control. See? All right. But now you see, some 14, I've always said it, about 22 years after Pentecost, it's a long time, 20, 22 years after Pentecost, now Paul writes by inspiration, they still thought they were the somewhat, but they weren't, because their power base was slipping away. God was turning away from the Jews, and He was going out now to the Gentile world. And so this is why he says what he says, they who seem to be somewhat, who still thought they were in control, but whatsoever they were maketh no matter to me, God accepts no man person, reading on in verse 6, for they who seem to be somewhat in conference, when they really sat down and laid line upon line and precept upon precept, who was above and who was beneath? Well, Paul took the ascendancy, and the 12 in Jerusalem had to finally admit, okay, Paul, you're right. Evidently, the Lord is doing something different. Now I'm not taking anything away from the 12's spiritual relationship with God, nothing at all. It was just that God had not yet revealed to those Jewish believers at Jerusalem that He was doing something different. You know, I'm always going back to Deuteronomy 29. Deuteronomy 29, the secret things belong unto the Lord our God. And what does that mean? God can keep in His mind whatever He wants to keep it, and He will reveal it whenever He's good and ready, and not until. And so He kept all these things secret. But then Deuteronomy 29 goes on to say that once it's revealed, then we are to believe it. See? All right, now Peter and the 11, of course, were in that position that God had not revealed it to them. So I'm not blaming them of being out of step with God, or being less spiritual. No, no. It was just that God had not yet revealed to those Jewish believers that now He's doing something totally different. In fact, that word, let me show you. Turn over with me to Philippians. Ephesians, next after Galatians, and then Philippians, chapter 1. It's an interesting little verse. Most people, I suppose, miss it completely. Philippians chapter 1, verse 10. And again, remember the letter to the Philippians is to a Gentile congregation. Well, let's just read verse 9 first. And this I pray, Paul writes, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment or discernment, and that you may approve things that are ... Now the King James says excellent, but that particular Greek word is translated different in every other portion that I'm aware of in the New Testament. Now why did they change it here? I don't know. But read it in that light. Oh, that you may approve things that are different. Different. How different? Well, as different as night and day. Oh, the same God, but now a whole new body of truth is being revealed that had never been mooted before. And I've reminded our audience now and most of you in my classes for years, goodness sakes, was there anything in Christ's earthly ministry that spoke of a Gentile body of Christ? Not a word. Was there ever a word that the Holy Spirit would indwell individual believers? Not a word. Was there anything in Scripture that the blood of Christ had atoned for all the sins of the whole world? Not a word. Oh, it was all back there in latent language. But to just come right out and say it, no, you can't find it until you get to Paul. And the same way with this whole doctrine of the rapture of the church, and this what throws a curve at people. You won't find it anywhere but Paul because it is uniquely a church phenomena. And Israel knew nothing of such a thing. The Gentile pagan world certainly didn't know such a thing. But you see, it was revealed to this apostle because all these items within this body of truth are so totally different than anything that had ever been revealed before. For example, the word justification, just come to mind, it'll probably come a little later in our study in Galatians. Can you see a place in all of Scripture where it says, and you can be justified from all things by just simple faith in the gospel? No, it's not in there. Now I know, I think it's Amos that says, the just shall live by faith. And it was on that premise, of course, that Martin Luther made his move, the just shall live by faith. But to take it in the context that Paul teaches it, it was unknown, totally unknown. It was a secret held in the mind of God. All right, back to Galatians chapter 2, but now verse 7. Now this is still a repeat from our last program, but contrary wise, and I always put it in our own vernacular, how do we put it? On the other hand. Isn't that what we say? Sure. But on the other hand, when they, the 12 and the Jerusalem leadership, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision, what does uncircumcision mean in the Bible? Gentiles. See? So just put that word in there. You won't do any violence to Scripture. So when the gospel of the Gentiles was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision, or the Jew, the gospel of the Jew was, and put in the verb, committed unto whom? Peter. And that's when they suddenly realized that here we have two, I put it last program, a fork in the road. Here we'd been coming down Jew only, Jew only, Jew only, with a few exceptions, but it was Jew only ever since Abraham, back in Genesis 12. And now all of a sudden in Acts chapter 9, God says, I'm going to do something different. It's just like a fork in the road. And of course we usually teach the book of Acts as transitional, not a complete break from Judaism and the Jewish Christians, but nevertheless there's that bridging over now then from God dealing with Israel to dealing with the Gentiles, and so this is what they're finally seeing, that the gospel of the Gentile was committed unto Paul, as the gospel of the Jew was committed unto Peter. And you can never tell me that it was the same gospel. There is no way you can show me the gospel of the grace of God in Christ's earthly ministry or as Peter preaches in Acts. It's just not in there. If you can find it in your Bible, you show it to me. You show me at break time. If I had a lot of money, I would just be brusque enough, I'd say, listen, I'll give you a thousand dollars if you can show it to me. I haven't got that kind of money. But whatever, it's just not in there. You can't find it. And so here they're recognizing this great difference of operation. Then verse 8, "...for he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision," see how plain that is? "...the same God," that's implied, I know the word God isn't in there, but it's implied, "...the same God," or the same Christ, "...was mighty in me, not toward the circumcision, but toward..." What people? Gentiles. See the difference? Then verse 9, now remember this is 20 years after Pentecost. This isn't just a day or two later. This is 20 years later. And when James and Peter and John, now I don't like to put a lot of emphasis on the order of names, but there is a certain degree of it. Who's listed first? James. Now the casual reader won't catch that. But what's happened? Peter has lost something. Remember I told you in our last program that back in Acts chapter 15 when the council was raging in Jerusalem with arguing over whether these Gentiles had to keep the Jewish law, and it says, "...after there had been much disputing, Peter rose up." And what did Peter tell them? Hey, wait a minute, a long time ago God used me to speak to Gentiles, and He was referring to the house of Cornelius, but you know how long that long time was? It was 12 years. It had been 12 years since Peter had gone to the house of Cornelius. Well you would have thought that when he saw the amazing conversion of those pagan Romans, now of course there weren't hundreds of them, it was just a household. But nevertheless, the evidence was there that they had been saved without any of the attending ramifications of Judaism or any of that, you would have thought that Peter would have gone right back to Jerusalem and said, Hey fellas, let's get out of this place. The Gentiles are beginning to wake up. But does he? No. He goes back to Jerusalem and gets called on the carpet of course for having gone to a Gentile, and there they stay. There they stay. Why? Well God had not yet permitted them to move any further than their ministry to what it says here as apostleship of the nation of Israel. So now verse 9 again, So when not Peter, James, and John, but James and Peter and John, Peter is now in second place, and we'll also find that James was the moderator. When we get down a few more verses, And so who seem to be pillars, there's that word seem to be again. They weren't, but they thought they were. And so these who seem to be pillars perceived the grace that was given unto me, when all of a sudden the Lord opened their eyes that Paul had a unique apostleship of which they could not be a part except admit it. All right, read on. And so they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship. What'd they do? Like we do today. They shook on the whole deal. They shook hands and said, All right, Paul, you and Barnabas go on back to your Gentile field and we'll stay here amongst the Jews. And so he says that we should go to the heathen, to the Gentiles, and they, Peter and James and John and the others, would still continue where? The circumcision. See that? It's in your Bible. If you read it, and they agreed that they would stay with the circumcision, the Jews. Verse 10, but they're going to put some strings on it, which is all right. They're going to put some strings on this agreement. They said, All right, Paul, we'll agree that you can continue to preach to your Gentile converts. They won't have to keep the law of Moses. They won't have to practice circumcision, but we're going to add some strings. And here is one of them. They would that we should remember the poor. Now you want to remember, they had a bunch of poor Jews there in Jerusalem who had sold all their property and the kitty had run out after 20 years. And so now they're destitute, they're poor. But God isn't going to abandon them. And so God, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, inspired Paul and Barnabas, of course, that as they circulated amongst those Gentile churches, they would take collections and offerings for those poor Jews in Jerusalem. Now we always have to qualify that with Scripture. Come back with me again to Romans chapter 15, Romans chapter 15. And if you find that before the rest of us find it, you can go to 1 Corinthians, I think it is, the last chapter. I hope it is or I'm in trouble. Yeah, Romans 15 and dropping down to verse 25. Romans 15, verse 25. Look what he says. But now I go to Jerusalem to minister to the saints, the Jewish believers. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia, that is northern Greece, and Achaia, southern Greece, to make a certain contribution for the poor saints, where? At Jerusalem, see? That was the whole idea, that when they got the permission from the Twelve to go ahead and preach this gospel, but remember these poor Jewish believers in Jerusalem. All right, come on over to 1 Corinthians chapter 16. 1 Corinthians chapter 16, Mylos Thara verse 1. Chapter 16, verse 1. Now concerning the collection, the offerings, I'm in 1 Corinthians chapter 16, verse 1. Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Now verse 2, upon the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him as God hath prospered him, so that no gatherings or offerings have to be taken when I come. Thank you for watching Through the Bible with Les Feldick, a weekly Bible study. If you would like more information about the Les Feldick Ministries, a Bible study in your area, or about this program, write to Les Feldick Ministries, Route 1, Box 760, Kenta, Oklahoma, 74552. That's Route 1, Box 760, Kenta, Oklahoma, 74552. Through the Bible with Les Feldick is viewer supported, and your gift is appreciated. Thank you, and be sure to tune in next time for Through the Bible with Les Feldick.