New Testament 6
Lecture 20
Galatians 2: 11-21
Why tell this, Paul?
•	To help us understand this passage, two things are helpful.
1. Paul continues
•	 to stress his independence from the other apostles for his ______________ and apostolic mission since his enemies were saying Paul was subordinate to the 12.
2. Paul’s Rebuke of Peter
•	Illustrates the principle of gospel ______________, which was the issue at stake. It is a credit to Paul that he could recognize the problem as it was going on and step forward to correct it as he did. 
Chuck Swindoll, p. 34
•	Begins his study on this passage with the following ideas:
•	“______________ and let ______________…do your own thing…if it feels good, do it…you mind your own business and I’ll mind mine. These popular expressions reveal our culture’s pervasive perspective; we are accountable to no one but ourselves. Like bubbles, we go our own ways with no regard to the paths taken by others. And when we bump into one another on occasion, we rarely allow anyone to penetrate the surface of our lives.”
Swindoll continues,
•	“Has this viewpoint infiltrated the church? You bet it has!  We hardly ever treat ourselves as members of Christ’s united ______________. The closeness, care, forgiveness, and accountability that marks a loving family are al but invisible in our local churches. Instead, most Christians lead lives centered on benefiting themselves, often at the expense of others.  While the harm is usually not intentional, it is just as damaging as if it were. (______________.)
Had Enough Yet?
•	Swindoll continues, “Is this ______________? Are we to live independently, minding our own business even when we see someone scandalize the Body of Christ? Don’t you believe it! God’s Word exposes this two-faced lifestyle as hypocrisy, telling us to face it squarely and openly so we can build up one another in Christian maturity…”
So again, Why tell this story?
The Historical Purpose
•	Is to remind the readers that Paul is no mere appointed ______________ who would cower to those who appointed him. He is divinely commissioned by the Lord and it is to this Lord that he would answer, not to the 12 or any other group of men.  He was a full apostle in his own right and when necessary would oppose even one of the most powerful and respected of the 12.
The Practical Purpose
•	As mentioned by Chuck Swindoll above, these verses clearly show the practical nature of accountability among Christian brothers.  We are not ______________ scattered along the ______________of ______________  We are part of the family of God.  We are responsible for one another. This obligation, intentional or not, originates from the love of Christ.  No matter how gifted, important, or popular, none of us are exempt from spiritual accountability.
A. The Customary Tradition
•	V 12 shows that the ______________and ______________ were sharing meals within one another.  It appears from the Greek that this has been a rather usual experience and may have been a common arrangement. No one seemed to think anything about it in Antioch. It seemed to be the norm!  So when did this happen?
Luke in Acts
•	Does not mention it. He may have been unaware of it or felt that it was too ______________to include.  Whatever the reason the Holy Spirit felt it did not need to be a part of Acts.  So, when did Paul and Peter have this confrontation? How long did Paul allow this to continue? Was he there when it began? We just don’t know much.
Some scholars
•	Prefer to place it prior to Acts 15 and just after Paul had returned from his first journey (Acts 14:24-28; Gal 2:11).  This would place Paul’s rebuke prior to the Jerusalem Council that officially and publicly recognized Paul’s gospel that ______________ is by ______________ apart from the regulations of the Law (Acts 15: 1-29).
B. The Critical Tests
•	Peter came to Antioch—and as 2:12a says that he used to regularly ______________ with the Gentiles. This would have been taboo in traditional Jewish circles, but Peter had learned in a vision that God saw such things in a different light (Acts 10:1-11:18). Peter broke with his Jewish heritage and broke bread with the Gentile brothers. Then some influential Jews from Jerusalem arrive and put Peter to the test!
•	The Test of Actions
The first thing Peter did was to act. He began to withdraw from the Gentile brothers and to keep himself away from them(2:12).  He lost his ______________, ______________, and ______________. He acted the part of the hypocrite!
2. The Test of Attitudes
Peter’s greatest test came in the area of ______________.  He knew full well that it was not “______________” for a Jew to share a meal with the Gentile.  Gentiles were known to eat food that was not kosher and not prepared in a kosher manner.  The Jewish code insisted that a Jew not even do business with a Gentile, how could Peter eat with these?  We see Peter fears offending his Jewish brothers more than those of his Gentile brothers.
The Lesson:
We see just how human our Christian forefathers really were.  They could be weak and be lead by their own ______________ from time to time. They had to learn to live in a yielded manner just as we have to do.  The early church was not perfect, why do we expect the church to be perfect today? Peter’s actions demonstrated the truth of Proverbs 29:25 – 
3. The Test of Attrition 
Not only did Peter ______________ and ______________, but many others followed Peter.  Verse 13 clarifies it: even Barnabas went with Peter.  Could you imagine Paul’s heart when he saw Barnabas, his companion in the mission, so persuaded?  Paul’s position was taking a hard hit here and he could not morally nor practically let it continue.  
C. Combative Teaching
Why should ______________ turn against ______________ in such a public format? Why should he rebuke his brother in such a defensive style?  Peter’s actions were wrong and had a negative impact on many other brothers.  Peter was betraying the doctrine of salvation by faith through the grace of God.  He was publicly accepting works of justification as true all because of peer pressure.  Paul demonstrated the biblical method of rebuke.
•	Public Rebuke of Sin
Paul knew that the ______________ of ______________ had been done in public. All the people had watched and Paul needed to set the record straight.  His decision needed to be on target.  He needed at least two witnesses to charge Peter and he had a church full of them (1 Tim 5: 19-20).
2. Prevent Future Sin
Paul wasn’t just out to get even with Peter.  That was far from Paul’s mind. His concern was the spread of this awful lie and deception of justification by works.  So, in order to help stem the spread of this disease and wrong thinking, he openly ______________Peter.  This would help prevent future occasions. (See 1 Tim 5:20b).  If Paul would take on Peter, a pillar, what would he do to me? 
4. Corrected Teaching 
Did Peter respond to this rebuke? We don’t know for sure. Galatians does not answer that for us.  However, if this happened prior to Gal 15, then Peter became the ______________ of the______________.  All one has to do is read 1 and 2 Peter and see that Peter is on target with Paul. There is no contradiction between these two. 

So what? What difference does this make to us?
•	We are ______________ to and for one another.
•	We do ______________ one another.
•	We need to be more committed to the truth than reputation, ideas, creeds, confessions etc.
•	We need to ______________ a holy standard of living and avoid hypocrisy in our own lives.