Day 5 - Galatians 2:11-21

Today is December 1st.  As we enter into the month when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, I thought it would be appropriate to add an image to each blog post to keep our focus on Jesus this year.  

But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. 12 When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. 13 As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

14 When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?

15 “You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles. 16 Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”

17 But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! 18 Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. 19 For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. 20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.


Tori's Comments:

"afraid of criticism" This actually has a comforting effect on me, that I'm not the only one to struggle with this. But if we stand on the truth and for the truth, we have nothing to fear. 

Interesting that trying to live by all the laws' requirements actually hindered living for God.

Verse 19-21 is sort of like a mantra for the Christian faith. 

"treat the grace of God as meaningless" I am often tempted to fall back into old ways or prioritize my life over God, despite Christ being the one who lives in me.


Terrie's Comments:

Fear of man will keep us from doing the will of God in our lives.  This is a struggle every Christian will have until we fully understand who we are in Jesus Christ and learn to live in abandonment for His will in our lives.

"if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die."  

I find it interesting that Paul had to stop living by the law and it's requirements to actually live for God.  We can get wrapped up easily in "doing" what we think that God requires of us or what other people expect of us in the church... bottom line we are to live in freedom.  Dying to ourselves and living by the guidance of the Holy Spirit in us.  

We live by Grace - unmerited favour - through Faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross.  




Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!