When [Peter] came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face… I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel.
Galatians 2:11, 14
This was a critical moment in the life of the early church. Galatians 2 tells us the story of a clash between two giants of the early church—Peter and Paul.
Modern commentators sometimes suggest that Paul and Peter preached a different message. They will say that Peter was more about works, and that Paul was more about grace. They go on to say that these two versions of the gospel go back to the beginning, that they both have their lines of descent in the church, and that evangelicals simply prefer Paul over Peter.
This cannot be the case! The gospel did not come through invention from the Apostle Paul, nor through tradition from the church, but by revelation from Jesus Christ. And that is why there can only be one gospel. You could have many inventions by different leaders, and many traditions from different institutions, but you can only have one gospel that comes from Jesus Christ.
Galatians 2 tells us about a time when this gospel had to be defended, not because Peter didn’t believe it, but because he acted in a way that was inconsistent with it. The story reminds us that the gospel needs to be defended not only in the world but also in the church.
Satan would love nothing better than for the church itself to either misunderstand the message of the gospel or to act in a way inconsistent with it.
Has the gospel ever had to be defended in your church? How did the leaders of the church deal with it? How did you deal with it?
