Leviticus 18:3-4
"After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, (that is in the slavery and their paganism religion) shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, (when they came in after Joshua not to flow their paganism religion) whither I bring you, shall ye not do; neither shall ye walk in their ordinances
(to abide by its legalism or oaths of false religion but this was not
the case Israel did that which they were just told not to do). 4. Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God."
For those who choose to become one with Him through death to self-will
and the spirit of the world this is still in effect. To have come out
from among them and be holy as "I Am" Holy is in part the Law of God
written within us and impressed on our minds. It's not a burden because
there is no penalty tied with it because it comes as an willing
obedience to do from Genesis chapter 12 verses 1- 4a.
Then
beginning in verse 6 God stipulates graphically all the immoral sins of
the Canaanites and the Egyptians, and that believers are to have
nothing to do with these sins even today. Just because we're under Grace
doesn't mean that we are now free to eat blood, and practice
immorality, or worship idols. Absolutely not! They're forbidden! Now
come back to Galatians chapter 2.
Now we're
going to come to an interesting situation, and we always have to clarify
ourselves lest we be accused of not having a warm place in our heart
for the Apostle Peter. Yes we do, because we understand Peter's
position. Peter was still steeped in legalism, Peter still had not had
his eyes totally opened to these Pauline Truths and so Peter was in
perfect accord with his Lord as far as it went. We're not taking
anything way from the man's spiritual aspect whatsoever, but Peter could
not comprehend what it was to be totally out from under the bondage to
Judaism of Law. So sometime after the Jerusalem counsel, and this had
all been supposedly settled that these Gentiles, under Paul's ministry
who had been saved like you and I by the Gospel of Grace, are free to
eat whatever they wanted to eat. They we're not under any dietary law
whatsoever, and Peter comes up to visit the Antioch Church and now look
what happens.
Galatians 2:11a
"But when Peter was come to Antioch, (sometime after the Jerusalem counsel) I withstood him to the face,..." Paul
may have had to have gotten on a soap box to look Peter in the face
because we think Peter was a tall Galilean, and Paul a typical Hebrew.
We're almost positive that he was much smaller in statue than Peter. So
Paul withstood him to the face publicly. My that must have been an
embarrassing thing for Peter and now look what goes on.
Galatians 2:11b-12
"...because he was to be blamed.
(Peter was at fault. Now this isn't the first time that old Peter
stumbled, nor do we get to the place where we don't stumble. Peter was
just as human as all of us, and here he stumbled, and Paul called him on
it. Now here is the whole reason.) 12. For before (in time-wise) that
certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they
were come he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of
the circumcision." James is now the head man in
Jerusalem and when emissaries came from James' congregation, before they
arrived Peter ate with Paul and the Gentile believers regardless what
the meal was. But after these Jewish people arrived what does Peter do?
Hey he's scared of them, he's afraid of them. And so to continue on and
maintain the testimony of Paul's Gospel of Grace that he could prove to
these Hebrews from Jerusalem, "Hey fellows we are free to eat whatever
we want to, we are no longer under the dietary laws, we've been set free
from all that." But instead of standing his ground for these Gentile
believers, Peter gives in to his Law-keeping background. Isn't that
something? Peter gave in and refused to go in and eat with Paul's
Gentile converts.
Can you imagine what this
did to the Apostle Paul? Now we know Paul had that little short temper
side of him. He had to apologize for it. We think Paul just got real
upset with Peter. "Now Peter you're being two faced." That's what we'd
say today. "When there wasn't anybody from Jerusalem here, you didn't
have any problem eating with my Gentile converts, but as soon as those
people came from Jerusalem then you say, `No I'm a good Hebrew, I can't
do that.'" So Paul calls him on it. Looking at verse 12 again.
Galatians 2:12
"For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles; but when they were come, (these Hebrews from James congregation) he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision."(the
men from Jerusalem) We've always given Peter credit, and we still do.
Remember, leading up to Christ's crucifixion and suddenly when Peter saw
Christ arrested and when he denied he knew the Lord those 3 times. He
even swore, and do you know why? He was afraid of the powers that were.
But we've always made this point. After Peter witnessed the resurrection
and the power of it, what happened to him? Peter was a different
person. He was no longer afraid of anybody. He stood up to the Jewish
religious leaders, he stood up to the Romans, and no doubt took a
martyr's death because of it. But here in this situation as an ordinary
practicing Hebrew in a moment of weakness among these Gentile believers
he blows his testimony again, and Paul has to call him on it. Now verse
13.
Galatians 2:13-14a
"And the other Jews (because of what Peter did) dissembled (or withdrew) likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas (Barnabas that had seen everything that Paul had accomplished with the Gentiles) also was carried away with their dissimulation. (or hypocrisy that they couldn't eat with these Gentiles.) 14. But when I saw that they walked not uprightly (Peter not walking uprightly? Not here he wasn't. He was failing miserably) according to the truth of the gospel...." What
Gospel? Paul's Gospel of Grace which sets us free from these dietary
rules and regulations. There is now no difference between Hebrew and
Gentile, and Peter was not yet ready to recognize that. Let me show what
we're talking about in II Peter, and we think this is such an
enlightening verse, what a verse. Now remember this is just shortly
before he and Paul were martyred. This isn't at the beginning of his
ministry this was clear at the end. He's had all of these years of being
in contact with Paul and Paul's message and still he writes by
inspiration the following.
II Peter 3:15-16
"And account (or understand, to consider) that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation: even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16. As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; (What things? salvation up in verse 15, The Gospel of Grace and the New Covenant) in which (these epistles) are some things hard to be understood,..." Now
it's hard for us to imagine that Peter could say anything like that
isn't it? After all these years Peter still can't quite comprehend what
Paul is driving home. We tell you why he couldn't. Peter was so steeped
in Judaism that it just didn't come through for he remained under the
curse from which all the Hebrews had been released or redeemed from.
Peter wasn't the only one that didn't understand for as many as choose
to come under the curses of the Law to them the revelations are hidden.
My look at the multitude that is encompassed in the last part of this
verse. (Romans 11:25, 7-8; 2 Corinthians 3:14-16)
II Peter 3:16b
"...which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest (or
twist, what's Peter talking about? Paul's epistles. So the ignorant and
unstable, the ones who don't comprehend the Scriptures are still
twisting them) as they do also the other scriptures (And what's the conclusion? They're doing it but, it's ) unto their own destruction." So
when preachers and teachers ignore or delete the writings of the
Apostle Paul they are, according to Peter, setting or signing themselves
up for their own destruction. And that's exactly why Paul wrote such
strong language in the first chapter of Galatians and the Epistle to the
Hebrews which has five warnings in it, that if someone is going to
preach any other Gospel for salvation than his Gospel let them be
accursed. Now that's strong language, we didn't put it in there, the
Book says it and we have to stand on what the Book says. Now back to
Galatians chapter 2, and looking at verse 14 again.
Galatians 2:14
"But when I saw that they (Peter, and Barnabas, and these other Hebrews) walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel. I said unto Peter before them all, (this was a public rebuke) If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, (if you're going to admit that the Grace of God has set you free from the Law and its penalty of death) and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?" Do
you see what he's saying? Listen, it's no different today. Oh we know
the rhetoric is a little different, but the concept is the same. People
are adding things that do not belong to the Gospel of Grace and then
they wonder why people have a hard time comprehending it. For just as in
Genesis 1:1-2 to do so is to mix Light with darkness but the Light
there spoken gave life to the world and nature, it caused color to
become and the seed to become and then produce and caused order to come
to the chaos. Its this same Light which causes us to be born again even
after passing through conversion into redemption which brings us to this
Light and the Light brings us to the point of the second blessing and
our having to pass through a re-re-birthing if you will, to where God is
restored to His Temple our heart. No religion of mans design where it
be of faith or of works will cause the Light of Life to come into its
proper place unless there be a change of heart condition first, a death
of pride and the spirit of the world which is in mans fallen nature. For
natural man after birth is in a state of being until the body dies and
his soul and spirit passes either to hell or to heaven the choice is
ours. This we'll see shortly.
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