Galatians 2

Then after a period of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus also with me.

I went up by revelation, and I laid before them the Good News which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately before those who were respected, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain.

But not even Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.

This was because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who stole in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage,

to whom we gave no place in the way of subjection, not for an hour, that the truth of the Good News might continue with you.

But from those who were reputed to be important—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God doesn’t show partiality to man—they, I say, who were respected imparted nothing to me,

but to the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Good News for the uncircumcised, even as Peter with the Good News for the circumcised—

for he who worked through Peter in the apostleship with the circumcised also worked through me with the Gentiles—

and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, those who were reputed to be pillars, gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision.

They only asked us to remember the poor—which very thing I was also zealous to do.

But when Peter came to Antioch, I resisted him to his face, because he stood condemned.

For before some people came from James, he ate with the Gentiles. But when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.

And the rest of the Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

But when I saw that they didn’t walk uprightly according to the truth of the Good News, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live as the Gentiles do, and not as the Jews do, why do you compel the Gentiles to live as the Jews do?

“We, being Jews by nature and not Gentile sinners,

yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because no flesh will be justified by the works of the law.

But if while we sought to be justified in Christ, we ourselves also were found sinners, is Christ a servant of sin? Certainly not!

For if I build up again those things which I destroyed, I prove myself a law-breaker.

For I through the law died to the law, that I might live to God.

I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.

I don’t reject the grace of God. For if righteousness is through the law, then Christ died for nothing!”

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter records Paul’s defense of his apostolic authority and the divine origin of the gospel he preaches, particularly in contrast to the pressure to conform to Jewish customs. It moves from a historical account of his visit to Jerusalem to a sharp confrontation with Peter over hypocrisy in Antioch, underscoring that justification comes by faith in Christ alone, not by adherence to the Mosaic law.

Flow.

Paul recounts his visit to Jerusalem after fourteen years, emphasizing that he received no correction or addition from the apostles there, confirming the divine confirmation of his mission to the Gentiles.
He highlights that Titus, a Greek, was not required to be circumcised, rejecting the demands of false brothers who sought to impose Jewish practices as necessary for salvation.
The narrative shifts to Antioch, where Paul publicly confronts Peter for withdrawing from table fellowship with Gentile believers under pressure from Jewish Christians, thereby undermining the gospel of unity in Christ.
Paul’s rebuke leads into a theological declaration: Jews and Gentiles alike are justified by faith in Christ, not by works of the law, and to rebuild what the gospel has abolished is to deny Christ’s saving work.

Connections.
Following chapter 1, where Paul established the divine origin of his gospel and his independence from human authority, this chapter reinforces that independence with historical and personal evidence, showing that the early church’s leaders recognized his apostolic calling. The conflict with Peter and the issue of Jewish-Gentile relations in Antioch directly set the stage for chapter 3, which unpacks the theological implications of justification by faith, appealing to the experience of the Spirit and the promise to Abraham to prove that the law does not supersede grace.

What it teaches.
The chapter affirms that the gospel is received by revelation and authenticated by God’s work, not human endorsement (WCF 1.1, 1.6). It upholds justification by faith alone, apart from the works of the law, a truth central to the unity and integrity of the church (WCF 11.1, HC LD 23). Paul’s declaration "I have been crucified with Christ" expresses union with Christ, by which believers die to the law’s demands and live by faith in the Son of God (WCF 26.1, HC LD 7). The refusal to impose circumcision on Gentiles safeguards Christian liberty, which must not be surrendered to human traditions that undermine grace (WCF 20.2, BC Art. 36).

Apply.
Stand firm in the liberty of the gospel, neither imposing human requirements on faith nor compromising fellowship where Christ has established unity through His sacrifice.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.