Confrontation in Antioch: Paul, Peter, and the True Gospel

Tensions flare in the early church as Paul recounts a defining confrontation with Peter, one that would shape Christian theology for centuries to come. Through the dusty streets of Antioch, we witness a clash not of personalities but of principles—where the pure gospel of grace collides with the persistent pull of religious tradition.

Paul first takes us to Jerusalem, where the apostles who walked with Jesus extend the right hand of fellowship, affirming his ministry to the Gentiles. But harmony quickly fractures when Peter, initially eating freely with Gentile believers, withdraws when certain men arrive from Jerusalem. This isn't merely about table manners—it's about whether Christ's sacrifice stands alone or needs supplementation through religious observance.

With unflinching resolve, Paul confronts Peter "to his face" because the stakes couldn't be higher. His passionate defense culminates in one of scripture's most profound declarations: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." These words transcend theological debate, offering us a radical reimagining of Christian identity—one where performance gives way to presence, where striving surrenders to grace.

Galatians 2 speaks powerfully to our modern tendency toward spiritual performance and people-pleasing compromise. When do we, like Peter, retreat from grace when under pressure? Where are we rebuilding walls Christ demolished? This chapter invites us to examine our lives and remember that our standing before God depends not on what we do, but on what Christ has done. Will you join us in exploring this transformative truth that sets us free from religious performance and anchors us in Christ's finished work?

Music Credit: "I Can Hear You Call My Name" by JOYSPRING

Thank you for joining us in this episode of In the Field Audio Bible, where we explore the richness of God’s Word, one chapter at a time. We hope today’s reading brought insight, comfort, or inspiration to your journey of faith.

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Episode Transcript

In the Field Audio Bi (04:53):
Galatians 2 is a chapter fraught with
divine confrontation, clash ofconviction and compromise, and
the resounding call to standunwavering in the true gospel of
Christ.
The firelight flickers againstthe stone walls of a modest home

(05:14):
in Antioch.
The day's dust still clings toPaul's cloak.
His fingers, rough andink-stained, grip a worn piece
of parchment.
Fingers, rough and ink-stained,grip a worn piece of parchment.
The night air is cool now, butthe tension in the room is still
warm, still lingering from aconversation that changed

(05:36):
everything.
Paul sits in silence for amoment, reflecting, remembering.
Not long ago he stood inJerusalem, shoulder to shoulder
with men who had walked withJesus, Peter, James, John,
apostles with calloused handsand hearts still pulsing with

(05:57):
the memory of their risen Lord.
They met not in rivalry but inpurpose, to confirm the truth of
the gospel Paul was preachingnot a gospel of law and
tradition, but of grace,liberating grace offered to
Gentile and Jew alike.

(06:19):
And they agreed.
They saw the same spirit movingthrough Paul's mission that had
stirred in Jerusalem atPentecost.
They extended the right hand offellowship.
And yet not long after thatfellowship was tested.
Paul recalls the moment with akind of holy fire In Antioch,

(06:44):
Peter or Cephas ate freely withGentile believers until certain
men came from James.
Then Peter pulled back.
The fear of man, the weight ofold habits, the pressure of
religious identity.
It crept in like shadows atdusk and with him others
followed, even Barnabas.

(07:04):
The pressure of religiousidentity.
It crept in like shadows atdusk and with him others
followed, even Barnabas, Paul'strusted friend.
Paul could not stay silent.
This was not just about food orcustoms.
This was about the heart of thegospel, about whether Christ's
sacrifice was enough and whethergrace stood on its own or

(07:24):
needed to be propped up by thelaw.
In that moment Paul stood, notas a man seeking approval, but
as one crucified, with Christ nolonger living for self, but
with Christ living in him.
Imagine Paul now hunched overthe table, his writing lit only

(07:46):
by oil lamp.
His jaw is set, his eyesfocused not out of anger but out
of love, out of the weight oftruth too precious to distort.
He writes with urgency, not forhis own defense but to guard
the freedom Christ died to give.

(08:06):
This is not just a letter.
It is a battle line drawn inink, a declaration that
righteousness does not comethrough rule keeping or heritage
, but through faith in Jesusalone.
Paul has known the crushingyoke of the law.
He has known the cold pride ofearning and outperforming, but

(08:28):
now he knows something deeper arighteousness not his own, a
life no longer his own, a Saviorwho gave himself for him.
Let the weight of this chaptersettle on you.
This is more than theology.
It's Paul's heartbeat, atestimony forged in conflict,

(08:52):
carried in scars and sealed ingrace.
So find your seat around theflickering light.
Imagine the scroll beingunrolled, the hush that falls
across the room.
This is Paul speaking acrosstime, across space and into the
center of your soul.

(09:15):
As we prepare to hear Galatians2, step into the tension Paul
carries as he defends the gospel, not just in word, but in lived
conviction.
This chapter pulls us into amoment of bold confrontation
when truth and hypocrisy collide, even among leaders of the

(09:36):
early church.
Paul recounts a criticalmeeting with the apostles in
Jerusalem and later challengesPeter himself in Antioch, not
out of pride, but to protect themessage of grace that unites
Jew and Gentile alike.
The heart of his mission beatshere that no one is justified by

(09:57):
works of the law but throughfaith in Jesus Christ.
Let these words remind us thatstanding for the gospel
sometimes means standing alone,and that true unity is found not
in conformity but in Christ.
Now let's take a moment toquieten our hearts and listen to

(10:20):
the word itself.
Let these words sink deep intoyour spirit, bringing comfort,
conviction and encouragement.
Whether you're sitting in aquiet place or out in the world,
allow scripture to meet youright where you are.
I hope you have your favoritecup of tea or coffee.

(10:40):
Sit back, relax and let's stepinto the sacred text of the
Epistle of Paul to the Galatians2.

(11:15):
Then, after fourteen years, Iwent up again to Jerusalem.
This time I went with Barnabas.
I took Titus along also.
I went because God showed mewhat he wanted me to do.
I spoke in private to those whoare respected as leaders.
I told them the good news thatI preach among the Gentiles.
I wanted to be sure I wasn'trunning my race for no purpose

(11:41):
and I wanted to know that I hadnot been running my race for no
purpose.
Titus was with me.
He was a Greek, but even he wasnot forced to be circumcised.
This matter came up because somepeople had slipped in among us.
They had pretended to bebelievers.
Because some people had slippedin among us.
They had pretended to bebelievers.

(12:01):
They wanted to find out aboutthe freedom we have because we
belong to Christ Jesus.
They wanted to make us slavesagain.
We didn't give in to them for amoment.
We did this so that the truthof the good news would be kept
safe for you.
Some people in Jerusalem werethought to be important, but it

(12:23):
makes no difference to me whatthey were.
God does not treat peopledifferently.
Those people added nothing tomy message.
In fact, it was just theopposite.
They recognized the task I hadbeen trusted with.
It was the task of preachingthe good news to the Gentiles.
My task was like Peter's task.

(12:45):
He had been trusted with thetask of preaching to the Jews.
God was working in Peter as anapostle to the Jews.
God was also working in me asan apostle to the Gentiles.
James, Peter and John arerespected as pillars in the
church.
They recognized the specialgrace given to me, so they shook

(13:09):
my hand in the hand of Barnabas.
They wanted to show.
They accepted us.
They agreed that we should goto the Gentiles.
They agreed that we should goto the Gentiles.
They would go to the Jews.
They asked only one thing theywanted us to continue to
remember poor people.
That was what I had wanted todo all along.

(13:33):
When Peter came to Antioch, Itold him to his face that I was
against what he was doing.
He was clearly wrong.
He used to eat with theGentiles, but certain men came
from a group sent by James.
When they arrived, Peter beganto draw back.
He separated himself from theGentiles.

(13:53):
That's because he was afraid ofthe circumcision group sent by
James.
Peter's actions were not honestand other Jews in Antioch joined
him.
Even Barnabas was led astray.
I saw what they were doing.
It was not in line with thetruth of the good news.
So I spoke to Peter in front ofthem all.

(14:17):
You are a Jew, I said, but youlive like one who is not.
So why do you force Gentiles to?
We are Jews by birth.
We are not sinful Gentiles.
Here is what we know.
No one is made right with Godby obeying the law.

(14:38):
It is by believing in JesusChrist.
So we too have to put our faithin Christ Jesus.
This is so we can be made rightwith God by believing in Christ
.
We are not made right byobeying the law.
That's because no one can bemade right with God by obeying

(14:59):
the law.
We are seeking to be made rightwith God through Christ as we
do.
What if we find that we who areJews are also sinners?
Does that mean that Christcauses us to sin?
Certainly not.
Suppose I build again what Ihad destroyed, then I would

(15:24):
really be breaking the law bythe law.
I died as far as the law isconcerned.
I died so that I might live forGod.
I have been crucified withChrist.
I don't live any longer, butChrist lives in me.
Now I live my life in the body,by faith in the Son of God.

(15:46):
He loved me and gave himselffor me.
I do not get rid of the graceof God.
What if a person could becomeright with God by obeying the
law?
Then Christ died for nothing.

(16:21):
As we come to the end of ourtime together, let's take a
moment to reflect on thepowerful truth woven through
Galatians 2.
Paul's confrontation andconfession are more than moments
in church history.
They are a mirror held up toour own hearts.
This chapter reminds us of ourtendency to seek approval, to

(16:44):
perform, to return to old waysof earning what Christ has
already given.
But it also calls us back tograce, to freedom, to a life
fully surrendered.
It's a reminder that we nolonger live for ourselves but
for the one who loved us andgave himself for us.

(17:06):
The scroll is rolled, the firehas burned low and in the
stillness, Paul's words hang inthe air weighty, honest,
unyielding.
Galatians 2 was not written ina vacuum.
It was forged in the fire ofconflict, hammered out on the

(17:30):
anvil of community and soaked inthe ink of conviction.
This was Paul, not simplyteaching doctrine but embodying
it, wrestling with it, living itout, standing for it, even when
standing meant standing alone.
You see, the early churchwasn't a polished place of tidy

(17:52):
theology and perfect unity.
It was messy, raw, human.
People still carried the marksof their old lives, their old
systems, their old fears.
Peter the rock still wrestledwith fear of man, Barnabas,
Paul's companion on mission,still swayed under pressure.

(18:14):
But Paul, eyes fixed on thecross, speaks.
Speaks into the chaos, not tocondemn but to call them back.
And so we're left with thishauntingly beautiful phrase I
have been crucified with Christand I no longer live.

(18:34):
But Christ lives in me.
It's more than poetry, it's theheartbeat of transformation.
It's Paul saying my past doesnot define me, my identity is
not mine to build.
My life is no longer my own.

(18:55):
Now, imagine what it would looklike if we lived like that In
our world.
Much like Paul's, identity iscurrency.
Culture tells us to buildourselves, define ourselves,
promote ourselves.
In Galatians 2, it invites usto lay all that down, to step

(19:16):
into a gospel that says youdon't have to perform, you don't
have to pretend and you don'thave to prove yourself.
You just have to die to selfand live to Christ.
So here's the question thatlingers after the reading when
are you tempted to add to thegospel?

(19:38):
Is it in comparison, measuringyour faith against someone
else's?
Is it in legalism, thinkingthat your obedience earns you a
place at God's table?
Or maybe, like Peter, it's inthe quiet fear of what others
might think if you lived in thefull freedom of grace.
Let Paul's challenge sit withyou Don't rebuild what Christ

(20:04):
tore down, Don't go back to alife of law.
When you've been called into thelife of the Spirit, let grace
be the foundation you walk on,let faith be the breath in your
lungs.
Let Christ not culture, notpressure, not pride Be the one
who defines you.
And when you fall and you willRemember that even Peter

(20:28):
stumbled, but the gospel doesn'tfall with us, it remains.
So go now, Carry this truthlike a fire in your chest that
in Christ you are free, that infaith you are made new and that
your life is no longer your ownbecause it belongs to the one

(20:52):
who gave himself for you.
Thank you for joining me todayas we journeyed through the
Epistle of Paul to the Galatians2.
I pray that you carry thesereflections with you into your

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day, into your week, and thatyou find strength in knowing God
is with you in every trial,every temptation and every step
of obedience.
If this time in God's word hasencouraged you, take a moment to
share it with someone who mightneed it, and be sure to join me
next time as we continuewalking through the scriptures,
learning, growing and stayingfaithful in the field of life.

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Until next time, may you findpeace in the quiet trust in
God's call and rest in Hisunchanging love.
This is In the Field AudioBible, where we Listen to the
Bible One Chapter at a Time.