Paul wrote of another trip to Jerusalem. History has it that he had taken five trips to Jerusalem, this particular was taken with Barnabas who was a Jewish believer and Titus who was a Greek Gentile believer. It is widely agreed that this particular trip was the second of five trips and called the famine visit. Some think that it could be the third visit but that visit was the Jerusalem Council visit of Acts 15. Many important decrees were set forth at the counsel meeting and if that was the trip mentioned here, we would think some mention of that business would be made.
Paul stated that he made this trip because God had directed him to do so. He met with the leaders of Jerusalem sharing the message he had been preaching to the Gentiles. Paul met with those leaders to be sure they were in agreement about his teachings, particularly the topic of salvation through Christ not circumcision for salvation. He wanted to be sure they agreed with his teaching so that his work with the Gentiles would continue on and the truth would be taught and supported. Proof of them being in agreement was that the leaders did not push Titus to be circumcised. False teachers did bring up that Titus be circumcised but of course were defeated. If those false teacher had their way, the freedom of being saved in Christ would be taken away thus driving people back to the hopelessness and imprisonment of the Law.
The Jerusalem leaders acknowledged Paul's teaching and authority to the Gentiles as they did Peter's gift from God to teach the Jews. In addition to the leaders, Peter, James and John all accepted Paul's gift and teaching and even accepted Barnabas as his co-teacher. They encouraged them to keep on preaching to the Gentiles and also to help the poor.
Peter was considered to be the chief of the Apostles and Paul wrote about a time of conflict with Peter. In the previous paragraph, Paul wrote about while they were together in Jerusalem that Peter accepted his teaching and that they were all in agreement of the Gospel message to both the Jews and the Gentiles. However, when Peter was in Antioch he did some things that compromised the Gospel. Peter had been eating with Jews and Gentiles alike even though the Jewish people had different and specific dietary laws. His doing so was a great example of the freedom in Christ and the Gospel message. His actions gave light to how Jewish and Christian believers had become one in Christ. Some visitors from James visited Peter who maintained circumcision. While there Peter was pressured into going along with these guests and slowly stopped eating with the Gentiles. It is believed that he held his beliefs but outside pressure caused him to go back to the differences between Jews and Gentiles thus re-creating the separation between Jewish and Gentile believers again.
Paul saw this as hypocrisy and called Peter out on it. Paul asked Peter how he could tell the Gentiles to follow Jewish teaching when he himself didn't believe they had to. He expressed that such direction given to the Gentiles was not the gospel message. Paul's message was that they both believed that following Christ was the way to salvation and that they both believed no one could be made right with God through theLaw but only in Christ. He stated that this had to be true because if they sought to be made right with God through Christ and that turned out to be wrong, then Christ would have led them into sinning and not following the true Gospel. They knew that that could not be possible for if it was so, then Christ would be leading them into sin, which He could never do.
On the other hand, if they were to rebuild the Law, they would for sure be sinning and Christ's death would be meaningless. Paul states that he has died to that old way of life and now lives by the message of Christ.
May God bless you and keep you. May He continue to open His word to you and reveal the wondrous truth and promises He has given to those who trust and believe. In the glorious name of Christ our Savior. Amen.