Day 4
Lisa Sheffler, author
As we’ve seen so far in this letter, Paul would not bend when it came to the gospel. There was simply too much at stake for individuals, churches, and communities. Salvation is found in Christ alone and he is the Lord of the entire world. What makes you right with God and gains your acceptance into God’s family is putting your faith in Christ and committing to him. Nothing more needs to be added, and anyone who says otherwise is dangerously wrong.
When Paul met with the church leaders in Jerusalem, he gained their acceptance. They didn’t attempt to alter his message at all, but recognized God’s work in Paul.
Read
Galatians 2:6-10
6 As for those who were held in high esteem—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—they added nothing to my message. 7 On the contrary, they recognized that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised. 8 For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles. 9 James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. 10 All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.
What work of God did the Jerusalem leaders recognize in Paul?
Reflect
Paul is wrapping up his description of a significant meeting he had with the Jerusalem church leaders. Contrary to what Paul’s opponents were saying, Paul didn’t get his message from some human source, and he certainly hadn’t changed his mind about the necessity of circumcision or keeping the law. He preached and would always preach the full sufficiency of Jesus Christ with nothing added. So, the Galatians were being deceived.
Paul is so confident in the gospel he is proclaiming that he doesn’t need the acceptance of the “pillars” of the Jerusalem church. After all, Paul is not impressed by their status and knows that God shows no favoritism (verse 6). Yet, ultimately he acknowledged that they accepted both him and his message. They just wanted assurance that Paul agreed that all believers had a responsibility to help those in need.
Imagine what this meeting must have been like. We know that Peter was there, along with James, Jesus’ brother and John. All of these men, including Paul were risking their lives to see the good news of Jesus spread throughout the world. They were each living out Christ’s last, great commission. But they recognized that God may have them working in different mission fields.
Paul would be the apostle to the Gentiles. God had entrusted him with taking the message of his Son into these Gentile spaces so that the people of the world would be given the opportunity to be reconciled to their Creator. Peter would continue the task of preaching to their own nation. God had entrusted people to harvest in both fields.
In a letter Paul wrote to the Ephesian church, he encouraged the believers with the following: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” After considering Paul’s story last week, I wonder if he was also thinking of himself when he wrote those words. After all, in Galatians 1:15 he wrote, “But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was please to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles…”
Paul believed that all of us are created by God and bear his image. All those he calls, he equips to accomplish his purposes. This sense of calling isn’t unique to missionaries, preachers or “professional clergy.” Every believer is God’s handy work, and every believer has good work to do. But it won’t always be the same work done in the same way. The core of our mission and message won’t change, but God will accomplish his work with a variety of people in a variety of contexts using a variety of ways.
We would be wise to imitate the apostles in recognizing the work of God, extending the hand of fellowship, and seeing the grace that has been given to one another.
Respond
Do you see yourself as God’s handiwork? Recognize the part you have to play in God’s Kingdom. What good work do you believe God has prepared for you to do? Pray over your answers.
Are you accepting and supportive of Christians who are working for God, but differ from you? Those who are in different contexts or traditions, using different methods, but share your commitment to Christ and the one, true gospel? How so?
