Today we are going to take our next baby step forward. Galatians 2:11-14 will be our short focus set of verses. Here, we hear about something that makes a lot of people uncomfortable: Conflict. It seems that, sometime after Paul went to Jerusalem and he and the other apostles "compared notes", that Peter came north to Antioch, the place that Paul kind of set as a home base of operations. We aren't told why Peter came up there, or any of the circumstances, merely that he came up to Antioch.
What happened at Antioch, though, is significant. Paul noticed that Peter was being kind of two-faced about things. Among the Jewish circumsized group, Peter was acting one way, and around the Gentiles, Peter was acting a bit differently. While Peter may have had his reasons for doing this, the fact that he, who was seen as influential, was doing it also caused others to do the same thing. They started to make distinctions that were not supposed to be made, and Peter was the main culprit in the situation.
So, what did this relative newcomer into the leadership circles of the Christians do? He opposed Peter, and not privately, but in front of everyone! Now, this is really kind of startling for us for a few reasons. First, most of us simply aren't all the comfortable initiating conflict, even when it is something that really needs to be done. Especially in church circles, we can fall into the trap of thinking that dealing with each other according to the Gospel means that we let sinful behaviors and attitudes go. That simply isn't the case. Now, to be certain, we deal with such situations in love, and with an eye toward restoration, but the thing is, we deal with them. The conflict is essential and inevitable, as we are all sinful people. How we handle the situation will speak volumes about how God has been forming us by His Spirit.
The second thing that I want to highlight here is less clear in the text. It seems that this confrontation led Peter to repent of his sin and change his ways. He was open to hearing Paul's rebuke and correction. While he likely continued to struggle with it, he also seems to have been strong enough in his faith that he could be corrected.
How open are we when others show us our sin and our fault, regardless of their standing or station in life? We probably find that we are less than open to hearing the correction of a brother or sister in Christ, and maybe even will disregard it if they aren't in our circle of friendship. However, I hardly think that God would say we should discard their words simply because they aren't close to us, or in a similar position to us. Whether they are the highest or the lowest, we should be open to hearing our sin and their rebuke, and then have a heart to change as God's Spirit works the image of Christ Jesus within us.
What happened at Antioch, though, is significant. Paul noticed that Peter was being kind of two-faced about things. Among the Jewish circumsized group, Peter was acting one way, and around the Gentiles, Peter was acting a bit differently. While Peter may have had his reasons for doing this, the fact that he, who was seen as influential, was doing it also caused others to do the same thing. They started to make distinctions that were not supposed to be made, and Peter was the main culprit in the situation.
So, what did this relative newcomer into the leadership circles of the Christians do? He opposed Peter, and not privately, but in front of everyone! Now, this is really kind of startling for us for a few reasons. First, most of us simply aren't all the comfortable initiating conflict, even when it is something that really needs to be done. Especially in church circles, we can fall into the trap of thinking that dealing with each other according to the Gospel means that we let sinful behaviors and attitudes go. That simply isn't the case. Now, to be certain, we deal with such situations in love, and with an eye toward restoration, but the thing is, we deal with them. The conflict is essential and inevitable, as we are all sinful people. How we handle the situation will speak volumes about how God has been forming us by His Spirit.
The second thing that I want to highlight here is less clear in the text. It seems that this confrontation led Peter to repent of his sin and change his ways. He was open to hearing Paul's rebuke and correction. While he likely continued to struggle with it, he also seems to have been strong enough in his faith that he could be corrected.
How open are we when others show us our sin and our fault, regardless of their standing or station in life? We probably find that we are less than open to hearing the correction of a brother or sister in Christ, and maybe even will disregard it if they aren't in our circle of friendship. However, I hardly think that God would say we should discard their words simply because they aren't close to us, or in a similar position to us. Whether they are the highest or the lowest, we should be open to hearing our sin and their rebuke, and then have a heart to change as God's Spirit works the image of Christ Jesus within us.
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