Bible Question: What evidence does the Letter of Galatians give on the Jew-Gentile controversy? How did Paul deal with it in this letter? |
Bible Answer: I'm thinking one of the biggest controversies was shown clearly by Paul's confrontation to Peter. Remember it was Peter who was called by God to the house of Cornelius and for the first and only time in history, the Holy Spirit descended on Cornelius and his family, just as He did on the Apostles in Acts 2. This story is described in detail in Acts 10. Remember it took a bit of persuading from God for Peter to understand the vision he saw in Joppa. His heritage of a thousand years plus prevented him from seeing that he could now eat a much larger array of food from animals than he had enjoyed before. But he finally got the real point of God's vision as described in... Acts 10:28 Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. 29 Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?” Now back to Galations, Chapter 2. There we see Peter has fallen back to his old habits of preferring to associate more closely with his Jewish christian friends than with his new Gentile christian friends. And Peter does this in spite of his defense of the new era of Jesus' idea of Christianity for the whole world as detailed in Acts 11:1-18. I can imagine how difficult it was for Peter and the rest of the Jewish Christian community to open their minds and hearts to this idea of fully empowered Gentile christians, especially during this first generation of Christianity. But that was Paul's main point in Galations 2. He was trying to help the whole world of Christianity gain a better sense of balance. Gal 2:11 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? 15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. Notice even Paul's good friend, Barnabas gets carried away by this "inner circle" of the Jews over the Gentiles. God doesn't show ANY favortism to anyone for any reason. His Era of Christianity is to be freely extended to the whole world. And this was one of Paul's "passions" in his ministry to his Lord. 1 Tim 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 7 FOR WHICH I WAS APPOINTED A PREACHER AND AN APOSTLE-I AM SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN CHRIST AND NOT LYING-A TEACHER OF THE GENTILES IN FAITH AND TRUTH. Later on eventually Gentile christians outnumber Jewish christians by tens of thousands but again Paul is trying to establish and maintain a balance of love and forgiveness WITH full benefits to all who come to the Lord. Hope this helps; Go with God in all His Ways, Bill |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Bible general Archive 4 | Author | ||
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rose53 | ||
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rose53 | ||
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CDBJ | ||
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MJH | ||
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Bill Richardson | ||
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fcs375 | ||
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michiusvi | ||
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humility | ||
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Beja | ||
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bream925 | ||
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glimmer | ||
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glimmer | ||
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LovemyLord7 |