Galatians 2:9 Commentary

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Galatians 2:9

Comments

Paul now restarts what he had begun to say in verse 7 and then broken off. James is listed first because at this time it was he who was the leader of the church at Jerusalem, its permanent elder, while Peter and John came and went while ministering to the churches of Judea. ‘Who seemed to be pillars’ - again this is said against the background of the Judaizers attack on Paul and their false exaltation of the Jerusalem apostles. They were indeed pillars in the church: those through whom God gave revelation to the churches, and whose faith and lives were a great support and encouragement to many. These three saw the grace given by God to Paul and Barnabas. They therefore gave them that sign of unity in Christ that was universally practiced in the early church - the right hand of fellowship. This was an endorsement of Paul’s gospel and of his stand in refusing to force the Gentiles to be circumcised.The agreement was that there should, in broad terms, be a division of labour. Its purpose was certainly not to limit either party from preaching in the sphere of the other, they were still to take every available opportunity to preach. But this was what they understood to be the Lord’s assignment to them. This agreement effectively settled the issue of circumcision once and for all, for the Judaizers’ objections were swept aside as erroneous.

Application

James, Cephas, and John saw the unmistakeable work of Christ through Paul. Who were they to argue with their Lord about his choice of workers? They show us how we should all react upon hearing of the advance of Christ’s cause through the work of others. We must be free from all envy and rejoice that Christ is able to work with or without us.

How careful those who are leaders, and who are respected in the church should be. For if the pillar of a building collapses, then the whole building is in danger of being destroyed, and when leaders of the church fall it is likely to bring the entire local church to the point of collapse, so that the witness in that place is destroyed. Leaders should remind themselves of these things as a further incentive to keep them from temptation.

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Galatians 2:9 Commentary and Bible Study