Galatians 2:8 Commentary and Bible Study

The word translated ‘wrought effectively’ comes from a Greek root meaning ‘energy’. Paul’s apostleship, as that of the Twelve, had to be proven by results. It was not enough that he preached, for as an apostle he needed the seal of God on the great work given to him and the evidence of God’s blessing had come in the form of changed lives. Jewish lives had been changed, but more remarkably so had Gentile lives, and it was the same change in both cases. It was God that was at work, and this was his seal of approval on Paul’s message and ministry. It was this work that had been rehearsed before the believers in Jerusalem, and had caused them to rejoice in the evangelization and conversion of Gentiles. They saw Paul’s zeal for the gospel, his understanding of the truth, his willingness to face contention and to suffer because of it and not give up. They saw the signs and miracles given by the Lord to authenticate him as an apostle, and they saw the fruit of his work.God had worked effectively through Peter. On the day of Pentecost he had stood up to address the people as the recognised leader of the apostolic band. As a result of his preaching, thousands had been converted and in the days following great numbers of Jews had been added to the church. But although Peter had been taught through his encounter with Cornelius, that God was sending the gospel to the Gentiles also, the Twelve had never gone far in that direction. It was through Paul that this new ground was broken. It was Paul who was the chosen instrument of God to take Christ to the Gentiles. Gresham Machen notes the important perfect tense in verse 7; what the apostles recognized was that the gospel of the uncircumcision was already committed to Paul by an unnamed agency, that is, the Lord. Here then is their admission that he was an apostle commissioned directly by Christ just as they were.