Paul in Galatians 2 – If you are free don’t become trapped again.

Yes it is true. You are free.
You are free from every power that sin, flesh, the world will throw at you.
You are free from every addiction. You are free from every fear and phobia.
You are free from all guilt and shame.
You are free from the past. You are free in the present. You are free tomorrow.

Remaining free means you will have to let go of pleasing man and the rules that supposedly protect your status with God. Every generation has to ask ‘what kind of Jesus will we follow?’ The one that keeps you free or the one that entraps you again? 

Paul confronted Peter for withdrawing from the Gentiles because of his fear of the team of Jewish leaders that have come to Antioch from James in Jerusalem. 

And now Paul tells us what he said to Peter, “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no-one will be justified. “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! “If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a law-breaker.” Galatians 2:15-18

What does that mean?

1. He and Peter (plus Barnabas and those that have come down from James) are Jews by birth, they are not the sinful Gentiles. We had thought that because we were different by birth and culture we were made special and righteous because of our Torah, our ancient story of life and who we are.
2. But Jesus has shown us that all of that carries no weight at all. What matters to us as children of God is what Jesus the Messiah has done and what He offers to all. It is not our birth or how we have lived our life under the Torah. It is the partnership we bring to His work by bringing our faith and trust in Him.
3. So actually though we are Jews we are also equal to the sinful Gentiles. We don’t become sinful by eating with the Gentiles (and other things), we were already because we did not have faith in Jesus.
4. If you want to be a true follower of Jesus then we must eat with all Jesus-followers whether Jew or Gentile.
5. Don’t build any more dividing walls. If you return to that original position (point 1) then the Torah will declare you sinful and for you Peter the Torah will ask why for you Peter you had even started to eat with the Gentiles in the first place (Acts 10-11).

Paul had foresight that prejudice and racism must be ejected and inclusivity and diversity be embraced within the Church Christ is building.

Does this sound familiar?

• God only really dwells with certain Christians and churches.
• Those who are not Pentecostal/Charismatic are better Christians and churches.
• My church is the best church in the town.
• I know where God dwells and where He doesn’t.
• The town has room for other Christian denominations but if people want the true experience of God they have to come to my church.
• In my church there are some people I choose not to fellowship with, they’re just not my type of people.
• People should become Christians because their lives are a mess and they have sinful habits and they need to clean their lives up and get right with God.

Let’s remind ourselves as I close on this. Paul, a leading Jew, the Apostle was saying all these things: this was not a Gentile with a placard demanding to be heard.

This was a Jew doing all he could to bring about change, to disturb the status quo, risking offence in order to speak the message of Christ, to protect the gospel in its early years.

Today, social media, Christian websites, books and magazines and in every possible media along with conversations in coffee shops and wherever possible people will be speaking their views on their world from their perspective. Division through ethnicity, culture and religion, deep generational racism, condescending economic differences revealing who is truly blessed will be suggested.

We need more than ever men and women of God to step out of their comfort zones and to speak well of those people who are different to them. To say and to demonstrate through words and decisions how God has a plan for all mankind and that is to dwell in each one of them through the presence of Christ and for Him to be seen in all people.

Who is God calling you to share this message with? It starts closer to home than perhaps you would care to admit.