Truth of the Gospel

Summary: When Cephas (Peter) came to Antioch, Paul confronted him openly because his behavior stood condemned. At first, Cephas freely ate with Gentile believers, but when certain men associated with James arrived, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who insisted on circumcision. Other Jewish believers followed his lead into the same hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was carried along by their inconsistency. Seeing that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, Paul addressed Cephas in front of everyone, pointing out that if Cephas - though a Jew - had been living like a Gentile, it made no sense for him now to pressure Gentiles to live like Jews. Paul then presses the core issue: even those who are Jews by birth know that a person is not made right with God by observing the Law, but through faith in Jesus Christ. For that reason, they themselves have believed in Christ so that they might be justified by faith in Christ rather than by works of the Law - because no one will be justified by works of the Law.   Teaching: Peter’s leaving the table while he was eating - after hearing that Gentiles were coming - was hypocrisy. Our God is the God who looks at the center of the heart, but people look only at outward appearances. That is why Peter’s action was seen as hypocrisy. Hypocrisy means that one’s words and actions do not match, and it is behavior driven by an awareness of people - doing something because one is watching others and fearing what they will think. The key issue is whether we follow the truth of the gospel or not. However, the truth of the gospel is not like drawing legal lines that divide people into “inside” and “outside,” as though we were enforcing rules. The truth of the gospel is connected to what Jesus spoke about - the kingdom of God - and to God’s “law.” And this “law” is the law of winning people. Those who have met Jesus are people who have received salvation by believing in Jesus Christ. What remains, then, is to live rightly by that faith in Jesus. Do not forget this: through the gospel, we were saved by believing the gospel, and we have been born again by the Holy Spirit. Excerpt from the sermon by Pastor Lee, Feb 20, 2026 Galatians 2:11-16