07 - Galatians 2:1-5

Bible Study Time Galatians
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:open_book: Let’s read Galatians 2:1-5 (NLT)

In this chapter, Paul continues to make his case to the Galatian believers that the Judaizers are not only wrong about him—they’re completely wrong about the gospel.

1 Then fourteen years later I went back to Jerusalem again, this time with Barnabas; and Titus came along, too. 2 I went there because God revealed to me that I should go. While I was there I met privately with those considered to be leaders of the church and shared with them the message I had been preaching to the Gentiles. I wanted to make sure that we were in agreement, for fear that all my efforts had been wasted and I was running the race for nothing. 3 And they supported me and did not even demand that my companion Titus be circumcised, though he was a Gentile.

4 Even that question came up only because of some so-called believers there—false ones, really—who were secretly brought in. They sneaked in to spy on us and take away the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. They wanted to enslave us and force us to follow their Jewish regulations. 5 But we refused to give in to them for a single moment. We wanted to preserve the truth of the gospel message for you.

Verse 1

Paul begins to tell the story of a trip to Jerusalem that he took with Barnabas and Titus. This is very likely the trip that’s described in Acts 11:27–30, fourteen years after Paul’s conversion to Christianity, in 45 AD.

Verse 2

These men were going to Jerusalem because of a revelation that was given to a prophet regarding a widespread famine that was coming (Acts 11:27–28). So they were actually coming to provide famine relief.

But while he was there, Paul approached the church leaders privately to explain the gospel he’d been preaching to the Gentiles (non-Jewish people). He wanted to make certain that the other disciples were preaching the same message as the one he received from Christ. It was important that they were all on the same page.

Verse 3

As it turns out, the apostles supported Paul’s teaching of salvation through faith alone—not through following Jewish laws perfectly. Paul brings evidence of their support by pointing out how they responded to Titus.

As a Gentile Christian, Titus wasn’t circumcised—something required of all Jewish men. The apostles didn’t tell him he needed to be circumcised in order to be a part of the Christian church.

Verse 4

Paul clarifies why he’s bringing up circumcision in the first place by saying that there were some people within the church who continued to hold onto ungodly beliefs.

They still believed that following the Law of Moses was required for salvation—especially circumcision (Acts 15:1). Not only that, but they thought it was wrong to associate with Gentiles for any reason.

Verse 5

Scripture is super clear that any attempt to add more “requirements” to the gospel is NOT OK (Galatians 1:8-9). So Paul, his co-laborers, and the apostles didn’t listen to those interlopers for one minute.

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:red_question_mark: Questions: Galatians 2:1-5

  1. Why do you think it was so important to Paul that all the apostles agreed with the same he was preaching? What would a disagreement between church leaders lead to?
  2. Paul asserts that they didn’t give in to the popular false teachings of the “spies” in the church. Have you ever had to stand firm in the face of peer pressure to do the thing everyone else is doing?
  3. The simplicity of our freedom in Christ is sometimes hard to wrap our heads around. Why is it so tempting to add to the gospel, saying, “You have to X, Y, Z in order to be a real Christian”?

:thinking: Things to Think About

Why is it so dangerous to compromise your morals, convictions, or beliefs? What can we do to make it easier to say “no” to popular practices when they’re clearly wrong for followers of Christ? How can we remind ourselves every day that our identity is in Christ—not in what others say about us?

:speech_balloon: Share your thoughts on any of the questions above or add your own insights!

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Love this so much! It is so true and such an encouragement

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Thanks for the response, Ellie! :open_hands:

Have you ever found yourself in a position where you had to stand up for the truth or the moral decision when faced with a group who believed contrary to your convictions?