A Study On Galatians – Chapter 2

Dividing The Soul And Spirit

In Chapter 1, Paul set the tone for the seriousness of his letter (and those who were with him) with a strong emphasis of adhering to the true gospel of Jesus Christ vs. another gospel or perversion thereof. He reminds his brothers and sisters (brethren) in the churches of Galatia of who he was, a former Pharisee steeped in Judaism (the soulish bondservant self), and who he now is, a bondservant of Christ saved by grace (born again spirit believer). Note: To be a bondservant means to be fully committed. He equally places a strong emphasis on who taught him the gospel and that only through the revelations of Jesus Christ was he sent to Galatia. He began his letter: 

Paul, an apostle (not by man, nor through man,but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead) Galatians 1:1:

Read and/or listen to the full study on Chapter 1 here. 

Chapter 1 ends with two key take-aways:

1) Even though Paul was taught by Jesus through the Holy Spirit and ordained by Jesus to go to the Gentile nations, to go before kings, and the house of Israel, everything he learned from Jesus aligned with the other apostles and disciples’ teachings of the gospel that they had also received from Jesus Christ himself. 

2) We must be wise to how there are many men and women today who have perverted and want to pervert the true gospel of Jesus Christ. They prey on those who are not skilled in the word of righteousness and can easily be swayed by every wind of doctrine. We must always remember how crafty the adversary is. He comes as an angel of light. 

As Chapter 2 begins, it is a continuation of Chapter 1:15-24 with Paul describing his journey after his conversion to the time he returned to Jerusalem:

15But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, 16to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, 17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

18Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. 19But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20(Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)

21Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ. 23But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” 24And they glorified God in me.

1Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. 2And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain. 3Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. 4And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage, 5to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

Paul lets his audience know that through his personal experience, both in his former conduct of Judaism and in his conversion from the ‘law’ to grace, that he is able to discern false brethren (fake Christians). It’s interesting how he points out that they came in by stealth to spy out their liberty (freedom) in Jesus, with the plan to bring the people into bondage (to enslave). He and Barnabas encountered a similar situation when they were in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch that we can read about in Acts 15:1-2:

Acts 15:1-2: 1And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.

The false brethren’s mission was to bring those who walked in spiritual freedom with Christ, back into bondage. What this looked like for the new believers (Gauls/Celts, Italians, Romans, Greeks and others converted to Christianity), they would find themselves tricked into exchanging their previous form of bondage through their old forms of idol worship into a religious legalistic bondage of Judaism, and in this particular case, circumcision as a form of works salvation rather than grace. The false brethren preaching such doctrine would do so under the name of Yahweh and Yeshua. Paul was not having any of this nonsense and it was obvious that he had a righteous anger about these tricksters.

We don’t need to just take Paul’s word for it, but we can look at what Jesus said to his people in John 8:31-36:

31Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

33They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”

34Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

In John 8, prior to the above, we can read that Jesus had just called out the Jewish Pharisees in their sin of placing the people in bondage with the heavy burdens they had placed upon the Hebrew people. Matthew 23 also outlines their sins and yet their pride and arrogance caused them to dig their heels in deeper in rebellion against Yahweh and Jesus. One can see how pride of their heritage made them believe they have never been in bondage to anyone. They were under a spirit of delusion.

The Jews who believed Jesus’ testimony recognized the truth He spoke and knew the bondage they had been in and they chose to follow Him. We can see the twisted motive of the Pharisees and Sadducees sending out spies throughout regions to bring new converts into their bondage. A Religious spirit hates to lose control when one walks in the freedom of Christ through faith. 

In the introduction overview of Chapter 1, we share how followers of Jesus are under the same attack and even more so today because it comes in not only the form of Judaism, through the Hebrew Roots Movement, but also new age witchcraft, the prosperity gospel, and the hyper-grace theology which distorts the true gospel and deceiving believers into worldly behavior with fleshly sin. I want to spend a minute on the hyper-grace movement because many don’t understand how crafty it is.

For those unfamiliar with the Hyper-Grace Movement popular today, it’s doctrine is: “God forgave all of your sins when you came to Christ: past, present, and future.” They make the argument: “After all, are we not justified through Christ, and regardless of any sins we may commit, we are saved by grace and do not need to repent or confess our sins.” This doctrine is shallow and it is an E-ticket to promote that it’s okay to continue walking according to the world because they are saved by grace (not having a clue what true grace is let alone what the scriptures say). It is a dangerous attempt to justify that one does not have to confess their sins and ask forgiveness because when God looks down upon them, He sees Jesus. This is a prime example of perverting the true gospel of Jesus Christ and scripture! It is completely soulish because they know not the things of the Spirit of God.

Do you know anyone with this mindset? Do you have this mindset? If so, you need to repent, confess your sin, and get back on track with the pure and true gospel of Christ. If you know someone under this deception, share this message with them. Let’s take a minute to review some scriptures that address the subject.

1 John 5-10: 5This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. 

James 5:16-19: 16Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. 19Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

1 Kings 8:35-36: 35“When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, when they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin because You afflict them, 36then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.

Back to Galatians. Let’s read verses 6-10 in Chapter 2.

Galatians 2:6-10: 6But from those who seemed (highly esteemed, of good reputation) to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me. 7But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter 8(for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles), 9and when James, Cephas (Peter), and John, who seemed (highly esteemed, of good reputation) to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do. (emphasis mine)

This is one of those statements we can all appreciate because Paul makes it clear that no one disciple of Christ is more superior than another and he not only reminds us that God shows no personal favoritism between the original disciples and himself, but that both Peter and himself had different assignments to different people groups and yet they and other disciples respected and supported the callings. Verse 9 says James, Cephas, and John (also apostles and highly esteemed among the Jewish believers) extended the right hand of fellowship (a common sign of acceptance and friendship) to both Paul and Barnabas in their apostleship calling. This fellowship between the two groups indicated full recognition of Paul as a true brother in Christ. What we can glean from this is that each of the disciples knew who they were prior to meeting Jesus and only by His grace they were called to serve him (in whatever capacity that was for each) but that they all had a commonality between themselves…to be pillars for the gospel of Christ and the kingdom of God.

All was going so well. So what happened?

Paul continues in his letter telling of a situation that occurred with Peter and how it was addressed:

11Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood (opposed) him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12for 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. 13And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

14But 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? 15We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16knowing 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.

17“But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! 18For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. 20I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

Two things are going on here that are important for all of us to be aware of:

1) The True Gospel:

Peter knew the true gospel (knew Jesus personally) and knew Paul was ordained by Jesus to go to the Gentiles and share the true gospel (even extended the right hand of fellowship). He joined Paul at Antioch and enjoyed eating and drinking with the new converts of the Gentiles. However, when his Hebrew brothers showed up, he separated himself away from Paul and the Gentiles out of fear. His action also caused Barnabas to do the same and Paul called him out on his hypocrisy. In Acts 10, we know that Jesus had already shown Peter that no one was unclean that God has cleansed so how could this happen?:

Acts 10:9-16: 9The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. 10Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance 11and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. 12In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. 13And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

14But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”

15And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” 16This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.

2) Spiritual Warfare:

We know this was not Peter’s first rodeo with having to be corrected for works of the flesh. Jesus specifically chose Peter as His disciple and in His unfailing love for him still had to rebuke him on more than one occasion for falling back into his soulish flesh. In Acts 10:16 above, it says Jesus showed him three times in the vision that Gentiles who sought to know Jesus would be clean. Prior to that vision, in Matthew 16:23, Jesus rebuked satan in Peter, telling him he was being a hindrance to Him because his mind was not on the things of God, but on the world. 

Matthew 16:21-23:  21From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.

22Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”

23But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Can you imagine being so bold as to correct Jesus? Peter was a very passionate man, but why would Jesus call him Satan? We know Peter was not possessed by a demon nor was he the Antichrist, so what happened? Well, satan is a term that means accuser or adversary. Lucifer is the name of the one known as the fallen angel, the accuser, adversary, dragon, serpent, father of lies, Molech, Beelzebub, prince of the air, and more. The term satan, in the context Jesus used it for Peter is to say, “do not be my adversary. You know not what you say.” We see how our soul can get in the way of the Spirit if not mindful of the things of God.

In Luke 22:34, Jesus told Peter that he would deny knowing Him three times before the rooster crows upon His arrest and crucifixion. Why does this keep happening to Peter? Let’s look back a few verses to find the answer:

31And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

33But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”

34Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”

Does this statement by Jesus remind us of anyone else in scripture that Satan had asked for so as to sift as wheat? Job! Also a man highly esteemed by Yahweh. Here, we see in Jesus’ infinite mercy, He has let Peter know that there is going to be a battle for his soul, but Jesus has prayed that his faith should not fail. It is very important for you to know that Peter and Job did not have the monopoly on works of the flesh.

Beloved, when we have been called by Yahweh to go forth and share the good news of Jesus Christ proclaiming why He was sent down from heaven by our heavenly Father to redeem us from our own sins and transgressions, it is very probable that Satan is going to send in his minions to get us to react in the flesh at some point in our walk. This is why we must strengthen the pillars of our house unto Yahweh or we will not be able to withstand what is to come.

In Peter’s case, we must take into account that it was him who first proclaimed that he knew Jesus to be the Messiah, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16). Jesus knew that the only way Peter received this revelation was through His Father, Yahweh; and, at that point He prophesied to Peter that it would be through him the church would be built. This prophecy was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost when Yahweh poured out His Holy Spirit upon Peter and the others, and it was Peter who first shared the gospel with the multitude of people where over 3,000 came to the faith in Jesus. Hallelujah!

13When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” 14So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

17Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

I know all this may seem like a side journey, but in order to appreciate the seriousness of Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia, we must understand the scripture and know the back stories to why Paul mentions such things. No one can come to the Father except He draw them near, through the Holy Spirit and revelation of Jesus to them. Once we come to the Father through the Son and the Spirit of Yahweh is poured out upon us to fill us, we are also given the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever we bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. This does not make the kingdom of darkness happy. 

In Conclusion of Chapter 2:

In Galatians Paul, being Hebrew, saw the confusion to the Gentiles by those convincing them they must be under the Mosaic law and is compelled to share the hypocrisy story of Peter in Antioch when Paul immediately brought correction to Peter, Barnabas, and the others for not being straightforward about the truth of the gospel. Notice he didn’t say he threw them out of the camp. He didn’t disown them, but he did remind them of their calling and that man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ and only by His grace (gift of the promise of eternal life) can we obtain His righteousness. His correction brought conviction upon them for repentance and restoration. If Jesus shows no partiality to man, neither should we. 

The point to be made here is our unity in Christ Jesus. How are you when it comes to the circles you fellowship in? Do you behave one way with others outside your normal circle and then another way within your normal circle? Take time in the next few days to weeks to do a self exam and determine where, if any, hypocrisy is and focus on being more one in the Spirit with Jesus and other believers who are like minded. What Peter should have done when Hebrew brethren arrived in Antioch was to have them join him, Paul, and the others and sup together in the fellowship of the Father and the Son.

Philippians 2:1-4:  Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Today, this may still be a challenge because of the various doctrines of man. However, I truly believe that one day, those of us who truly love and desire to follow Jesus and love God with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul, and all our strength, will be united as one in Jesus and the Father.

I pray you found this study on Chapter 2 helpful. If so, we appreciate you letting us know by pressing the like button, sharing with others, and/or leave a comment. We hope you’ll join us again as we study Chapter 3 in the Book of Galatians. Until then, be blessed and know that you are loved.

Chapter 3