Galatians 2:11-14. 11But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
Once God sets us free in Christ, we must never return to the prison of legalism. But this is exactly what Cephas (Peter) did. And he knew better, too. God had personally shown him that all foods and all people were made clean in Christ (Acts 10). While in Antioch, Peter didn’t stop eating with Gentiles and start eating only with the Judaizers out of conviction. No, he did it out of fear and hypocrisy.
But is Paul overreacting here? Does he really need to publicly rebuke Peter over which table he sits at in the cafeteria? Yes, he does. You see, Peter isn’t merely switching seats and being cliquish. He is choosing to deny fellowship to the Gentiles and only eat with Jews because he thinks it is a sin to eat with “Gentile sinners” (2:15). Can you see how this is not just a preference issue, or a conviction issue, but a gospel issue? If Christ has broken down the wall of separation between people groups, how can we rebuild that wall without being a transgressor? (2:18).
Many of these same gospel issues play out in our culture wars. When Peter tries to compel Gentiles to live like Jews, or when the Judaizers try to make the Gentiles live like Jews, this is their version of the culture war. Anytime we push a group of people to the margins because of a cultural issue, are we not violating the gospel? Asking the family with the fussy baby or the special needs child to leave the church service, refusing to sing along congregationally with hymns or modern songs that you don’t prefer, or choosing to withhold Christian fellowship from those who don’t look, talk, or vote like us—are these not gospel issues?
Whenever we elevate a cultural preference into the place of the gospel, we naturally lower the gospel itself, and thus we lower Christ. And that is bondage, my friends. Bondage to a culture that can’t save you, rather than freedom in the Christ who can.
You: What cultural issues have you turned into gospel issues?
You in Christ: How does our union with Christ transcend culture?
Christ in you: How can you seek fellowship with those who are culturally different from you?
Pray: Father, your impartiality has to play out through Christ in me so that I don’t put culture over Christ. Help me. Amen.
