Berean Community Church Wednesday Bible Study 10/25/2023 Galatians 2:11-16

We can make our way to our seats and then take a minute or two to just pray and quiet our hearts and prepare for worship.

Father God, we just thank you for the privilege that it is to come here and to study your Word together. We pray, Lord God, that as we just after long days give us strength to just be focused on you, that you remove the distractions and the cares of the world, that we may be wholeheartedly just focused on you. I pray, Lord, that as we just sing these songs to you, would it be a pleasing aroma. And so, would you bless this time? In your name we pray. Amen.

I will glory in my Redeemer, whose priceless blood has ransomed me. Mine was a sin that drove the bitter nails, and hung Him on the judgment throne. I will glory in my Redeemer, who crushed the power of sin and death. My only Savior before the holy judge. Lamb who is my righteousness. Lamb who is my righteousness.

I will glory in my Redeemer, my life He bought, my love He owns. I have no longings for another, satisfied in the Lord. I will glory in my Redeemer, His faithfulness my standing place. Though foes are mighty and rush upon me, my feet are firm in the God His grace. My feet are firm in the God His grace.

I will glory in my Redeemer, who carries me on eagles' wings. He found my life with loving kindness. His triumphs all the letters sing. I will glory in my Redeemer, who waits for me at gates of home. And when He calls me, it will be paradise. His face forever to behold. His face forever to behold. I will glory in my Redeemer, who waits for me at gates of home. And when He calls me, it will be paradise.

His face forever to behold. His face forever to behold. His face forever to behold.

You are God in heaven, and here in my honor. So I'll let my words be few. Jesus, I am so in love with you. And I'll stand in awe of you. So I'll stand in awe of you.

So I'll let my words be few. Jesus, I am so in love with you. And I'll sing the praises of all the songs I want to bring to you. So I'll let my words be few. Jesus, I am so in love with you.

And I'll stand in awe of you. So I'll stand in awe of you. And I'll stand in awe of you. So I'll stand in awe of you. So I'll let my words be few. Jesus, I am so in love with you.

Alright, I hope you guys had a nice little break and just a good time of prayer last week for praise and prayer. I want to read Galatians chapter 2 verses 11 to 16 and then we'll pray together. This section is actually kind of the heartbeat of all of Paul's theology and scriptures. So hopefully this isn't just like an academic endeavor. This really is something that really affects not just your head but really your heart as we think of how a person is saved. And so the next two weeks we're looking at the remainder of chapter 2. But let me read the first six verses of this section for us.

Number three, what would qualify as not being straightforward about the gospel? And this is a good place where you actually cross or like look through the different translations. What does it mean to be straightforward or not being straightforward? And number four is very important. How would you define the word justification? So let me pray for us and then we'll get back together at 810. Father help us tonight not just to think through this text but really feel the weight of it. I pray Father that you would help us not just understand the gospel clearly but that would cause terror, delight, passion and boldness in God and conviction so that we would respond appropriately to your truth. Help us Lord God as we reflect upon our own justification that we would really feel free.

That we would feel just passionately in love with the person of Christ. And Lord that our time today really would be a sweet fellowship as we reflect on what you have done for us. So with each and every group here and at home I pray Father for just a sweet time of study. And this is a heavy text so I pray that you would help us to think clearly but not to get bogged down in all the nitty gritty details. But really to feed off your word not just with precision but also just with much joy. So Lord we pray that you would be with us here for our time together in advance and we pray that you would protect each group and every discussion that takes place here. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. See you guys at 810.

>> All right.

John Lee, can you hear me? Matt Choi, can you hear me? Okay.

Eunice Roe, you can hear? Okay. All right, let me pray for us and then we'll just do a little wrap-up. Father, there is so much meat in this passage. So I pray, Father, that you would help me not to fumble through it but to share accurately and help us, God, to grow in our affection for the work and the person of Christ through this so that this wouldn't just be an academic exercise but this really would cause us to grow. Would you help us to learn so well and so thoroughly tonight from your word and from each other that when we leave here, we really will leave here with an abundance of joy and gratitude and peace. So we thank you, Lord, in advance just for the feeding that's going to come.

I pray that you would hide me behind your cross and help me to just wrap this up in a way that really is profitable for the body. In Jesus' name we pray. So we took a week off and we are in Galatians. We're at the end of Galatians chapter 2. And if you remember, like chapters 1 and 2, the context is there is no other gospel, there is no other way to salvation, to eternal life outside of the cross of Jesus Christ. There is no other way. Right? There's only one way and there's only one gospel. And at this time there was no New Testament scriptures. And so if Peter is saying something, if James or John are saying something and Paul is saying something, like they don't have a New Testament to consult. So the apostle's authority is everything. And so in chapter 1 and 2, actually a lot of it is Paul is defending his apostleship.

I am just as much an apostle as Peter and John and if you consider James a primary leader of the church, I am just as much a herald of the gospel as these guys. I have the same message as them. I have the same convictions and passions as them. I received revelation like they have. I was trained directly from Jesus for three years like they have. In fact, I am so much an apostle when the other apostle or apostles are in error, I have the duty to correct. And that's kind of what's going on today. Okay? So chapter 1 and 2, it's in the defense of Paul's apostleship but the main context is there's only one gospel. And we're looking at now, just remember the whole thing here is Paul's autobiographical account and we're looking at this red section. Man can be justified only by faith alone in Christ alone. And next week we're going to be looking at a justified man is a man united with the crucified Christ.

Okay? And so this is how I kind of formulate the passage. Okay? And I pulled out what I feel is like the main thrust, the most important section of this is that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Christ Jesus. And you guys have plowed through these verses so I'm not going to spend too much time on this. But in order to understand what's going on, I'm going to start today by talking about why is Antioch so important? And then we're going to talk about what does this mean for Peter to be living like the Gentiles? Is that derogatory? So what is that? Okay? And then when Paul says we are Jews you, me, Peter, and Barnabas and all the ethnic Jews who believe in Christ, we are Jews by nature.

So what is that? Does that mean that they're not sinners unlike the Gentiles? So you guys probably touched upon that. And then lastly we're going to be looking at justification and condemnation. Okay? And we're going to kind of put those side by side. So that's how I'm going to try to wrap up and tackle today's passage. So before we get to Antioch we have to understand the significance of Jerusalem. Okay? Do you guys see it on the map in the red? Okay? So Jerusalem basically is the home base of ministry to the Jews at this time. The church leaders, the apostles are there. Okay? So James, Peter, and John all the apostles and the elders, they're there. And that's where they actually assemble to have big meetings. And we read about one in Acts chapter 15 and that's called the Jerusalem Council.

And so these men from James presumably have come from there. So the question I have is if you just first glance reading, is Peter the only one in the wrong? Or is Paul taking on two of the guys? If James sent certain men is Paul going against two of the pillars? Or just one of them? Okay? So that's an inductive question that I would ask. But the men from James are from Jerusalem. Antioch, it's the home base of ministry of Paul and Barnabas. Their pastor is there. Okay? Paul's an apostle, but their pastor is there. Barnabas actually recruited Saul from Tarsus, brought him to Antioch. And that's where the disciples are first called Christians in Antioch. And what we read from Acts is they were there for about a year, according to Acts 11, and then a long time, according to Acts 14. And there could be, and they do stop along the way every time Paul goes on a missionary journey.

Antioch is home base. Okay? And Antioch is where he actually had fierce debates with the Judaizers. And we've talked about the Judaizers almost every other week. We're going to touch upon them a little bit later today. One of the original deacons of the seven is from Antioch of Gentile birth. That's what a proselyte is. So he was a deacon. And he's from Antioch. And Antioch was the place where all the persecuted Christians from Jerusalem, they fled to Antioch. And you can kind of, it makes sense according to the map. They fled there for safety. And Antioch initially was a home to many idolatrous Greeks. So idolatrous Greeks, their worship was disgusting. Every one of their temples had tons of prostitutes. They sacrificed dirty food in the temples. There was no restriction amongst these Antioch Greeks.

So that's kind of home to just a Gentile culture. And it's the cult center to Daphne. They had a theater. They had an amphitheater. They had a circus. They even had a two mile strip mall. A marble paved main street. So this is a bustling town of mostly Gentile people. So this is home base. And why is Paul so angry? Because the gospel of Jesus Christ, the understanding of it, the clear reception of it, that's what's at stake. Because they don't have the New Testament quite yet. And Peter was the handpicked leader by Jesus Christ and he's clearly in the wrong. So Paul has to confront this wrong. So some of you guys might be questioning, "Hey, is Paul being biblical according to Matthew 18? Doesn't he first have to take a couple witnesses and then try to win them over behind closed doors and then take it to the church?" But he's just right? But this is that serious a thing.

What does it mean for Peter to have been living like the Gentiles? And that's a section, if you just read it at first glance, it might not really make sense. So I want to walk you through some passages that will help you. This is not the same slide as two weeks ago, but it contains some of the same scriptures. Acts chapter 10.

the Holy Spirit have been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they were hearing the Gentiles speaking with tongues and exalting God and then Peter answered, "Hey surely no one can refuse the water "for these to be baptized who have received "the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?" And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. And then they asked him to stay for a few days. So Peter skips circumcision, none of that is important. He's like, they need to be baptized, he baptizes them. Chapter 11 verses one through four, now the word is spreading of what Peter has been doing. Okay, he's been up to some shenanigans. And chapter 11 verse one through four, "Now the apostles and the brethren "who are throughout Judea heard "that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.

"And when Peter came up to Jerusalem," which is actually south, "those who were circumcised took issue with him. "You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them? "You had bacon? "You had sausages? "How disgusting is that?" Like what is going on? But Peter is very articulate and he began speaking and proceeded to explain to them in orderly sequence, saying, and then he explains what happens. About three times a vision came to him, et cetera, et cetera. So Peter is very clear. Acts 15, seven to 10, okay? Pay attention to the responses of Peter and James, okay? "After there had been much debate, "Peter stood up and said to them, "Brethren, you know that in the early days "God made a choice among you, "that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the gospel "and believe.

"And God who knows the heart testified to them, "giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he also did to us. "And he made no distinction between us and them, "cleansing their hearts by faith. "Now therefore, why do you put God to the test "by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke "which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?" You see a different side of Peter here, right? "But we believe that we are saved "through the grace of the Lord Jesus "in the same way as the Gentiles are. "All the people kept silent "and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul "as they were relating what signs and wonders "God had done through them among the Gentiles. "After they all had stopped speaking, "James answered saying, 'Brothers, listen to me.

"'Simeon, Cephas, Peter has related "'how God first concerned himself "'about taking from among the Gentiles "'a people for his name.'" So James goes on to say, okay? So the gospel is very clear.

And then they actually put together a document of how the Gentiles will come to faith and how they are to abstain from certain things still. And they sent this letter by them, "The apostles and the brethren who are elders," this reads like a beginning of an epistle, right? "To the brothers in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia "who are from the Gentiles, "grace to you and peace from God our Father "and the Lord Jesus Christ." That's what he says. "Since we have heard that some of our number "to whom we gave no instruction "have disturbed you with their words, "unsettling your souls." Sometimes I wonder, did James send these guys in Galatians chapter two? I'm hoping he didn't. But actually at the end of the day, that doesn't matter.

But here, this is James writing, "Some of our number to whom he gave no instruction "have disturbed you with their words, "unsettling your souls. "It seemed good to us, having become of one mind "to select men to send to you "with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, "men who have risked their lives "for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." So there is all kinds of unity in the church, but this event in Galatians, we don't really know where that fits. But I'm operating under the assumption that maybe it'd be a little bit after that. Now, Paul saying, "Peter, we are Jews by nature "and not sinners from among the Gentiles." What is that? Romans two expands upon that a little bit, verse 17 to 20. "But if you bear the name Jew and rely upon the law "and boast in God and know his will "and approve the things that are essential, "be instructed out of the law "and are confident that you yourself "are a guide to the blind, "a light to those who are in darkness, "a corrector of the foolish, "a teacher of the immature, "having in the law the embodiment of knowledge "and of the truth."

So the Jews were very proud that they were handpicked by God to be the chosen race through whom the Messiah will come. They were God's people. They had the law of God in their possession. So they were a privileged people. They had scriptures. No other people had scripture given to them. They had the sign of a covenant that God would bless them. But what's interesting over the years, even the best of law keepers wrestled with the question, how do I get into the kingdom of God? So every Jew, even the most devout Jews, had this feeling of like, we can't live up to these standards. So but does the law really justify us and grant us eternal life? You see the Pharisees and the Sadducees asking to be baptized by John.

You see the rich young ruler who says, "Every one of these commandments "I've kept since I was a child." He's actually wondering, how do I get the kingdom of God? How do I get eternal life? Nicodemus comes secretly at night to ask Jesus. I mean, he's mentioned three times in the book of John. How does one get eternal life? So even the best of Jewish rulers had a sinking feeling that the law was not enough. So when Paul is saying, Peter, even for us privileged Jews, even on us whom God has placed restraint and hedges, so we're not like those barbarians, we're not like those Gentiles, even you and I know that the law does not save us. We Jews know that the law cannot save. That's what he's saying in verse 15.

Now, the Judaizers, and I've shown you this slide before, they were saying that before Gentile people could actually be saved, they first needed to become like the Jews, in circumcision, the ritual bath in water, and then agreement to take upon the 613 additional yoke of the Mosaic law.

Okay, so I covered the orange. And I'm gonna be looking at the difference between condemned and justified here. Condemned means to declare or make wrong. It's a liability to punishment, a judicial act of declaring one guilty. Now, I don't think any of you guys concluded that Peter is bound for hell. Right? What I would say to this passage is, these are very strong words, but Paul, in essence, is saying, you are acting like someone who has no understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and you are standing like someone who is condemned. That's the thrust of the meaning, not that he is condemned. And Peter isn't touting false doctrine, he's living as a hypocrite. So condemned is kind of the opposite of justified, and that's why I put those two together.

And you guys see the word down here where it says, when I saw that they were not straightforward? Did you guys look into that word? Raise your hand if you actually looked into that word. Straightforward doesn't mean honest. In our language, it means like honest. But if you look at the ESV, it says they're not walking in line. King James says they're not walking uprightly. The word is orthopedeo, which means, it's like orthopedic. Here's the straight standard, and you're not walking according to it. So when Peter and even Barnabas and the rest of the Jews were starting to withdraw themselves from the Gentiles, it was almost as if they were saying, the Judaizers are right. You guys are unclean, and until you are circumcised, until you change your dietary laws, we can't be in fellowship.

Not because of what they said, but because how they lived. So that's what Paul calls utter hypocrisy. I mean, this is so bad that even Barnabas, Paul's co-pastor, is starting to also shrink back and withdraw himself. All right, so this is bad. But Paul is saying, we can't do this, because we know that none of these things that the Judaizers are saying allows for someone to be saved. So what does it mean to be justified? It means to be declared not guilty, to be declared righteous, and we're gonna spend a lot of time unpacking this next week. And here are some definitions of justification from three systematic theology books that I often consult. Grudem says, "It's an instantaneous legal act of God "in which he, one, thinks of our sins as forgiven, "and Christ's righteousness as belonging to us, "and two, declares us to be righteous in his sight."

Richard Mayhew writes, "It's a declaration "that the person has been restored "to a state of righteousness through belief "and trust in the work of Christ, "rather than on the basis of one's own accomplishment." Louis Burkhoff, he's like an old-school Reformed theologian, he writes, "Justification is a judicial act of God "in which he declares on the basis "of the righteousness of Jesus Christ "that all the claims of the law are satisfied "with respect to the sinner."

Hallelujah. So the only, I mean, we're gonna unpack this in the rest of Galatians, but here's some application of thoughts, right? Galatians 5, 12 to 13, "I wish that those "who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves." That's Paul, we're gonna get to that. Pastor Mark's gonna unpack that for you, okay? What does mutilation mean, okay? "For you were called to freedom, brethren, "only do not turn your freedom "into an opportunity for your flesh." So we are gonna be looking at holy living, okay? "But through love, serve one another," and that's repeated in chapter six, especially to the believers of the family of God. Hebrews chapter 35, or chapter 35, Hebrews chapter 10, verse 35, 39, "The word shrink back here is the exact same word "as Peter shrinking back."

Okay? "Here we go, therefore, do not throw away "your confidence, which has a great reward, "for you have need of endurance, "so that when you have done the will of God, "you may receive what was promised. "For yet in a very little while, "he who is coming will come and will not delay. "But my righteous one shall live by faith, "and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. "But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, "but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul." Hebrews chapter 11, verse one. Anybody know what that says? Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, and the conviction of things not seen. That's the next verse. And that is what the men of old, how they gained approval.

And so Hebrews, let's say it's written by Paul, it's almost a very similar language, right? I wanna just throw out a couple quotes and just quickly close just with a thought. Martin Lloyd-Jones, he says, "Ultimately, it is only the man "who feels quite hopeless about himself "who really trusts God." Charles Spurgeon, he writes, "Morality may keep you out of jail, "but it takes the blood of Jesus Christ "to keep you out of hell." And we're gonna unpack justification a little bit more next week and the ramifications of it a little bit more next week. But my hope is that we don't leave here thinking like, man, Galatians chapter two was intense. But really thinking through verse 16. If you are a Christian, does it impact your thoughts and your attitudes that you are perfectly righteous in the sight of God?

That God, the creator of the universe, looks at you and says, "Innocent." I mean, it's almost akin, like you're gonna spend a life in prison, deservedly so, but the judge says, "You're free." And he doesn't just let you escape out of hell. He justifies you and then exalts you to the position of sonship. Later we're gonna see in Galatians chapter three, so that we might receive the adoption as sons of God. Like, how can that not affect you? Part of it is because we don't think that we're that disgusting.

As I'm getting older, this is my 30th year as a Christian, I think the older I get, the more terrifying God becomes, the holier God becomes, the more other God has become. And as I'm getting older, I'm actually seeing, man, this depravity, this residual, the residual sins that I see deeply rooted in my heart, it's nasty. I've just learned how to polish and sophisticate myself on the outside. God is holy, holy, holy. I am just utterly depraved, and yet he treats me as a child because of the work of Christ on the cross. And I receive it freely, in faith, knowing that that's all I need to do. I think as I'm getting older, I think it's only natural that grace is becoming sweeter.

And I hope that as we leave here, we're not just thinking, "Oh, it was Peter, what a wonderful man, "what a wonderful man, what a wonderful man, "what a wonderful man, what a wonderful man." No, it's not that. It's that we're not just thinking, "Oh, it was Peter, what a wonderful man, "what a wonderful man, what a wonderful man." No, it's that we're not just thinking, "Oh, it was Peter, what does it mean for Peter "to be condemned? "Wow, that guy Paul is a jerk." Like, beyond all of the theological nitty gritty of the passage, that we would leave here thinking, I am justified by faith alone. I have been adopted as a child simply because of what Christ has done for me on the cross. And I'm free.

Hopefully, that fills your heart with joy. Amen? Morality, Spurgeon says, may keep you out of jail. But it takes the blood of Jesus Christ to keep you out of hell. And I almost wanna add to Spurgeon's thing here. I'm a man. And man, the love of God is so deep that it doesn't just keep me out of hell, it exalts me to heaven. It launches me into eternal life, knowing Jesus Christ. It's a mystery. And I hope that as we reflect on this mystery, we lavish and we exalt in the freedom that we have in Christ. Not use it for the flesh, but really to love the people who are in the family of God and from those who are outside looking in. Amen? All right, upcoming events.

We have a Freshman Am dinner this Saturday, Sunday. Reformation night, if you guys have extra candy, we can always use more. Actually, don't tell the parents that, but Pastor Mark said we could use more. Next Saturday, we have a BAM seminar on just God-honoring decisions. And so if you guys have time, come out to that, and then we'll probably break off into dinner groups. FAM245 is the ministry of our church for the newly wedded people in our church. There's a bowling fellowship on Saturday, December 2nd, so kinda keep that in mind as well. We showed this to you two weeks ago, but space is gonna start running out. So my encouragement is that if you wanna be placed in a home group or in a home for the Thanksgiving dinner, go ahead and sign up online or just take time to do this right now, okay?

Once this is closed, you're just gonna be weeping and gnashing your teeth on your part, all right? So we have a limited number of homes, so, and this past Sunday, our church is full of people, and so there's a lot of you guys, if you don't sign up on time, you're gonna be outside looking. So this is for next week. Read and inductively prepare Galatians 2, 17 to 21. If you just read it, the wording of it, there's all kinds of confusing stuff before we get to one of people's favorite verses, Galatians 2, 20, "I have been crucified at Christ's hand, "and there's no longer I live." Before we get there, there's all kinds of stuff in there that you need to unpack, okay? So hopefully, you'll get out what you put in.

So what's being emphasized in Paul's rhetorical question in verse 17? Question number three, what does it mean to die to the law? Okay? I mean, is it like the law kills me, or like, what is it? Okay, what does it mean to die to the law? And what is the purpose of living by faith while in the flesh? That's an important question that if you sit and pause long enough, you'll realize, like, there's a lot of ramifications there. What is the purpose of living by faith while in the flesh? And these are the group discussions that I would like you guys to wrap up your time with before prayer. Are there areas of your life that you are not orthopodeo, straightforward about in the truth of the gospel? Are there things that are not lining up?

Are you a hypocrite? In what ways are you a hypocrite? And you can also share briefly, how did you come to faith in Christ Jesus? How do you put your faith in Christ Jesus? Or are you just churched? Three, what role does the law play in your life? Do you struggle with legalism? Do you judge how you are doing by how well you keep the law? So those are important questions. Do you have moments where you struggle with assurance? And then lastly, if there's any prayer requests that come from those, please do share them and pray for each other. Let me pray for us, and then we'll dismiss into our small group discussions. Father, help us just to chew on all of the stuff that we've fed off of today and digest it, mull over it, and that it would really change just our perspective on the time that we have left on this earth.

Help us to really be passionate about living as good witnesses. And also, Lord, as you've said, that there are other sheep who are not yet in the fold. Help us to also be passionate about the lost. And as it's our theme to pray and proclaim, help us really to long for that all together in one accord. So we thank you, God, for tonight, and pray this in Jesus' name.