Lesson 8: Strength for the Right Battle
Read Galatians 2:1-21 - www.bible.com/bible/59/gal.2
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.
12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.
13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.
14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
One of the things we can be certain of in our Christian life is that we will face battles – Ephesians 6:10-18. These battles should never surprise us (1 Peter 4:12) even though sometimes they may catch us where we do not expect them.
Paul was caught in such an unexpected situation in our verses today. He had not expected Peter (Cephas) to fall to the temptation of pride in this situation where believers of both Jewish and Gentile backgrounds were worshiping God together. Whatever the cause for this temptation, Paul understood the consequences of Peter’s actions. If the separation between Jewish and Gentile believers would be allowed here in this situation, the damage to the Church – the Body of Christ – could mean separation which might lead to far greater problems. It is very possible it was this very situation which led to the decree of the Church Council we read about in Lesson 6.
How are we to handle differences between those of us who believe in Jesus and those who do not? We do so with love, explaining to them how much God loves them and wants them to be with Him for eternity.
How do we handle differences between us and other believers? We must tell the truth in love – Ephesians 4:15.
We must choose the right setting for confrontation. In this case, the separation Peter’s action caused was in public and would have been spread around through the entire Christian community if not addressed immediately and before all the people who had witnessed Peter’s actions. Confrontation had to be immediate – before the effects of Peter’s actions could begin to fester in the hearts of those whom he had insulted and bitterness could grow.
While Paul’s words were strong to Peter, they were not hateful or angry. He asked a question which clearly showed Peter’s action and the consequences to his action. We will study the rest of this confrontation between Paul and Peter in the next lesson.
*Is there someone you need to confront, speaking the truth in love? Bathe this situation in prayer first, trusting God for the right timing and words, and to prepare the other person’s heart. Then follow through.
Lesson 8: Strength for the Right Battle Print
Modified on: Fri, 16 Apr, 2021 at 2:11 PM
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