CHRIST HAS MADE US FREE GALATIANS _HELEN POCOCK_ CHAPTER 2 PAUL MET THE LEADERS IN JERUSALEM V1 Then I returned to Jerusalem 14 years later with Barnabas. Titus came with me too. V2 God showed me that I should go there. So I went. I had a private meeting with the people who seemed to be leader... [ Continue Reading ]
Paul first visited Jerusalem about three years after he became a Christian (1:18). He returned to Jerusalem 14 years later. The Bible does not tell us everything that Paul did during those 14 years. However, Acts 13:1-3 describes how God sent Paul out from the city called Antioch. God chose Barnabas... [ Continue Reading ]
The *good news about Jesus is for everyone. God wants *Jews and *Gentiles alike to trust Jesus Christ. When the *apostles first taught about Jesus, mostly *Jewish people became Christians. Often they continued to obey the *Jewish laws. The false teachers were trying to force all Christians to obey t... [ Continue Reading ]
Barnabas was a *Jewish Christian. But Titus was a *Gentile Christian. ‘*Greek man’ may mean that Titus came from the country called Greece. But the *Jews often referred to the *Gentiles as ‘Greek men’. The *Jewish Christians and leaders in Jerusalem accepted Titus. Nobody *circumcised Titus. This me... [ Continue Reading ]
Not everyone in Jerusalem was pleased with Paul. There were people who opposed him. Paul spoke very strongly when he spoke about them. He said that they were not Christians at all. They had the wrong purpose. They were not honest when they joined the Christians in Jerusalem. They were false Christia... [ Continue Reading ]
Paul refused to agree with what the false teachers taught. It was not the truth. Paul was firm. He would not give in. Paul did not let anyone *circumcise Titus. *Gentiles do not have to become *Jews. The true *good news about Jesus makes people free from the laws and traditions of religion. God acce... [ Continue Reading ]
Most Christians considered that the leaders in Jerusalem were the most important *church leaders. These leaders had known Jesus very well. Jesus had called them *apostles. But Paul said that a person’s rank did not matter to God. God looks at what each person’s character is like (1 Samuel 16:7). Pa... [ Continue Reading ]
God sent both Peter and Paul to declare the *good news about Jesus Christ. Paul wanted to emphasise that God sent them. Men did not send them. They did not decide themselves to go. They were both *apostles because God sent them. In Acts 22:21, Paul described how God sent him. Peter and Paul declared... [ Continue Reading ]
This was the first time that Paul named the leaders. James was Jesus’ brother (1:19). When Jesus returned to heaven, the *disciples *preached to the *Jews. At first, only *Jews became Christians. But God wanted the *Gentiles to believe and trust Jesus too. Originally many *Jewish Christians did not... [ Continue Reading ]
The ‘poor people’ refers to the poor Christians who lived in Jerusalem. Most of these people were probably *Jewish Christians. So Paul collected money from the *Gentile Christians that he visited. Then he took the money when he went to Jerusalem (see Acts 11:28-30 and 2 Corinthians chapter 8). Levit... [ Continue Reading ]
Antioch was an important city in the country called Syria. Acts 11:19-26 tells us that some *disciples had travelled to Antioch. They taught people the *good news about Jesus. Both *Jews and *Gentiles became Christians. That had not caused any problems. The leaders in the Jerusalem *church had sent... [ Continue Reading ]
Peter knew that God accepted the *Gentiles (Acts 10). Jesus unites *Jews and *Gentiles when they trust him. So Peter was happy to accept *Gentile Christians. In Antioch, they ate together. This means that they regularly ate meals together. Also, they had the ‘*Lord’s Supper’ together (see 1 Corinthi... [ Continue Reading ]
Peter was an important leader, so the *Jewish Christians at Antioch copied his behaviour. Even Barnabas, who knew Paul well, did not oppose Peter. Paul described them all as cowards. They knew the truth that *Jewish and *Gentile Christians are equal. But Peter and the other *Jewish Christians were n... [ Continue Reading ]
Paul was not afraid of anyone. He cared more about the true *good news. He wanted everyone to know the truth. This important matter was affecting many Christians. Even the Christians in Galatia heard about this problem. So Paul did not see Peter privately. Instead, he spoke to Peter publicly so that... [ Continue Reading ]
God gave his laws to the *Jews. You can read them in Exodus Chapter s 20 to 24 and in the Book of Leviticus. The *Gentiles did not have these laws, so they could not obey them. So the *Gentiles did not live by God’s standards, because they did not know God’s law. But the *Jews also did not live by G... [ Continue Reading ]
Christians are free from the laws and traditions of religion. This means that we are free to serve God. But we are not free to do evil things. Jesus Christ never makes people do anything wrong. Paul was certain about that.... [ Continue Reading ]
Paul started to speak about himself in verses 18-21. He would have been wrong if he had tried to obey the *Jewish laws and traditions again. However, Paul was probably referring to the way that Peter and the *Jewish Christians had behaved in Antioch. They were starting to obey the *Jewish laws again... [ Continue Reading ]
Paul explained what happened to him when he became a Christian. He used dramatic language. It was as if he died because of the *Jewish law. Paul could never obey all the laws. He could never behave perfectly. He had *sinned. Nobody can ever satisfy the law’s holy standards. Therefore, the *Jewish la... [ Continue Reading ]
Paul realised that God had been very kind to him. Christ’s death had a very important purpose. Only Christ could give people the right relationship with God. Paul would not start to trust in the laws and traditions of religion again. Instead, he would always trust Christ. This verse ends Paul’s acc... [ Continue Reading ]