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NASB | Galatians 2:11 ¶ But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Galatians 2:11 ¶ Now when Cephas (Peter) came to Antioch, I opposed him face to face [about his conduct there], because he stood condemned [by his own actions]. |
Bible Question:
I've got what I consider to be a tough question. Let me set it up for you to see. Most everyone knows the story of Cornelius in Acts 10 and the fact that Peter reiterates the story to his fellow Jews in Acts 11. I'm sure a few of you but maybe not all might know about the time one Apostle "chewed out" another Apostle, "opposed him to his face." Check out the story in Gal 2:11-21 from Paul himself. Yes, Paul opposed Peter in this touchy subject, set him straight and reminded of what he supposedly learned as cited in Acts 10 and 11. Now, my question: Where was the Holy Spirit if He was supposed to "dwelling in" the Apostles, including Peter? Why did He allow Peter to make this big goof and maybe even "embarass" the church at that time? As I'm sure this confrontation between Apostles caused quite a stir. Another minor question: Why did Paul see fit to spread this "gossip" to the brethren in Galatia if he discourages gossiping elsewhere as in 1 Tim 5:13? Please respond to both if you can. And of course, cite scriptures in support of your answers to these questions. |
Bible Answer: Here's a good explanation from John Piper in his book "The Passion of Jesus Christ: 50 reasons why jesus came to die", #44 To Destroy the Hostility Between the Races, p. 106: "Peter has been living in the freedom of Jesus Christ. In spite of the fact that he was a Jewish Christian, he was eating with non-Jewish Christians. The dividing wall had come down. The hostility had been overcome. This is what Christ died to achieve. But then some very conservative Jews came to Antioch. Cephas panicked. He feared their criticism. So he pulled back from his fellowship with Gentiles. The apostle Paul saw this happening. What would he do? Serve the status quo? Keep peace between the visiting conservatives and the more free Christian Jews in Antioch? The key to Paul's behavior is found in these words: "I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel" (Galations 2:14) This is a crucial statement. Racial and ethnic segregation is a gospel issue! Cephas' fear and withdrawl from fellowship across ethnic lines was "not in step with the truth of the gospel." Christ had died to tear down this wall. And Cephas was building it up again." Piper's explanation is consistent with what we know of Peter and of Paul, and it shows how Jesus is the foundation for understanding scripture, and that God can use any situation for his purposes. |