04 October 2020 (am) – Galatians 2:1-10

Andy Bruins preaching from Galatians on Sunday 4th October 2020.

In chapter 1, Paul has made the case for the origin of his Gospel. He himself is an Apostle in the truest sense; he met the risen Jesus and was sent directly by Him. But more than that, his gospel itself (the message he preached) was also directly from God; there was nothing in it that came from his own thoughts or that he learned second-hand from others.

Paul starts this second chapter by relating a trip that he made to Jerusalem 14 years later.
In Jerusalem he had a private meeting with the leaders of the church, including Peter, James (Jesus’ brother) and John.
Paul and Barnabas lay before them the gospel that he has been preaching and they stand their ground against the false brothers who have come to spy on them. The leaders of the Jerusalem church add nothing to the content of Paul’s message. They recognise God’s grace in Paul and they offer him and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship.

In relating this story to his readers in Galatia, Paul establishes that there are indeed false teachers, even in Jerusalem, who preach that things must be added to our faith in Christ… but theirs in not the message of the Apostles in Jerusalem.

Big Idea: There is only one gospel, no matter what context we preach it in, and to add to it is always going to enslave people rather than set them free.

Q Read v1-2. Why does Paul go to Jerusalem after 14 years of ministry in the gentile world? Is he worried that the gospel he’s been preaching might be faulty after all? Why / Why not?

Q Who does Paul take on the trip? What do we know about these men? Why do you think he takes Titus?

Q Read v3-5. Why does Paul say that the false brothers were trying to make people slaves?

Q Read v6-9. What are the outcomes of this meeting? Why was this meeting so crucially important, even to us?

Q How might we fall into the trap of making ours a gospel that enslaves people today?