Watch Out For Spies!

Reflection:  Paul reflects on his call to preach to the Gentiles, and then on his assimilation back into the church with the other leaders.  Then he recognizes what is happening in the church that needs correction which even the apostle Peter had not recognized:

⁴ This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. ⁵ We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.

Interesting that Paul calls them “spies”.  And specifically they were spying on the freedom of the Gospel.  That is the freedom that sets us free to a life worthy of the calling of Christ.  There are two equal and opposite false beliefs regarding the Gospel that can beset a church through false teaching at any time.  As we have said before but bears repeating, a heresy, or false belief often looks quite like the truth, so that people believe they are hearing the truth but actually it is a lie.  And the two opposite beliefs are this.  One, that once one is saved they need to go back to the Law, and/or being a Christian is about all about behaviors according to the Law.  And the second and opposite teaching is that once a believer is saved, they can do whatever they want since they are set free from the Law. 

You can see how tricky this can become, because of course a believer’s life should reflect God’s laws, as they are of God and good.  But it is not the Law that saved us but Jesus Christ by God’s grace.  And it is by God’s grace that we begin to live a life worthy of our calling, and it is by God’s grace that we continue on and become a mature believer learning how to live according to the truth and in the power of the Holy Spirit.  In this case the believers were teaching one had to be circumcised if they came to faith as an adult. This was part of the Old Testament ceremonial law that set the Jewish males apart, but now as part of the new covenant Jesus came to usher in our hearts have been circumcised by the Holy Spirit who sets apart.  To say one had to be circumcised to be saved was going back to salvation by works. Paul recognized it and exposed it for what it was to safeguard the Good News from being perverted.

Still today we are always exposed to the two opposite errors?  Which one are you and/or your church more prone to? Legalism?  Or using God’s grace in vain?  It is good to have others in our lives to keep us accountable because sometimes we fall into these ruts quite unaware ourselves and our brothers and sisters in Christ can admonish us accordingly. 

Psalm 77:16-20

¹⁶ The waters saw you, God,
    the waters saw you and writhed;
    the very depths were convulsed.
¹⁷ The clouds poured down water,
    the heavens resounded with thunder;
    your arrows flashed back and forth.
¹⁸ Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
    your lightning lit up the world;
    the earth trembled and quaked.
¹⁹ Your path led through the sea,
    your way through the mighty waters,
    though your footprints were not seen.

²⁰ You led your people like a flock
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron

Song of Solomon 5,6

He

5 I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride;
    I have gathered my myrrh with my spice.
I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey;
    I have drunk my wine and my milk.

Friends

Eat, friends, and drink;
    drink your fill of love.

She

² I slept but my heart was awake.
    Listen! My beloved is knocking:
“Open to me, my sister, my darling,
    my dove, my flawless one.
My head is drenched with dew,
    my hair with the dampness of the night.”
³ I have taken off my robe—
    must I put it on again?
I have washed my feet—
    must I soil them again?
⁴ My beloved thrust his hand through the latch-opening;
    my heart began to pound for him.
⁵ I arose to open for my beloved,
    and my hands dripped with myrrh,
my fingers with flowing myrrh,
    on the handles of the bolt.
⁶ I opened for my beloved,
    but my beloved had left; he was gone.
    My heart sank at his departure.^[a]
I looked for him but did not find him.
    I called him but he did not answer.
⁷ The watchmen found me
    as they made their rounds in the city.
They beat me, they bruised me;
    they took away my cloak,
    those watchmen of the walls!
⁸ Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you—
    if you find my beloved,
what will you tell him?
    Tell him I am faint with love.

Friends

⁹ How is your beloved better than others,
    most beautiful of women?
How is your beloved better than others,
    that you so charge us?

She

¹⁰ My beloved is radiant and ruddy,
    outstanding among ten thousand.
¹¹ His head is purest gold;
    his hair is wavy
    and black as a raven.
¹² His eyes are like doves
    by the water streams,
washed in milk,
    mounted like jewels.
¹³ His cheeks are like beds of spice
    yielding perfume.
His lips are like lilies
    dripping with myrrh.
¹⁴ His arms are rods of gold
    set with topaz.
His body is like polished ivory
    decorated with lapis lazuli.
¹⁵ His legs are pillars of marble
    set on bases of pure gold.
His appearance is like Lebanon,
    choice as its cedars.
¹⁶ His mouth is sweetness itself;
    he is altogether lovely.
This is my beloved, this is my friend,
    daughters of Jerusalem.

Galatians 2:1-14

Paul Accepted by the Apostles

2 Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. ² I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. ³ Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. ⁴ This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. ⁵ We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.

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.

Paul Opposes Cephas

¹¹ When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. ¹² For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. ¹³ The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.

¹⁴ When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?

O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. Psalm 105:1

Paul said, “I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace.” Acts 20:24

Great God, we know even our finest words of praise and our great hymns of thanksgiving can never fully express our gratitude for your sacrifice. May we share your love with the whole earth! Amen.