Galatians 2:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

NIV: All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.

NASB: They only asked us to remember the poor—the very thing I also was eager to do.

CSB: They asked only that we would remember the poor, which I had made every effort to do.

NLT: Their only suggestion was that we keep on helping the poor, which I have always been eager to do.

KJV: Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.

NKJV: They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.

Paul has reported to the Galatians that the other apostles, Jesus' own disciples during His time on earth, had given their full approval both to his own role as an apostle and the message he preached of salvation through God's grace and not through following the Law. This was their opportunity to correct Paul's preaching, to rebuke his message, or to declare where he was wrong. Their actions prove that they did not see error in Paul's gospel—they recognized it as the truth. So, they declared their fellowship with Paul and made it clear that they approved of his ministry.

Now Paul adds that Peter, James, and John did ask him to do one extra thing in his ministry to the Gentiles. They asked him to remember the poor. Paul eagerly agreed. In fact, he had likely come to Jerusalem from Antioch in Syria to bring famine relief from people in that part of the world (Acts 11:29–30). Paul's entire ministry was marked by urging Christians to give support and care to those who were struggling (1 Corinthians 16:1–3).

Galatians 2:1–10 describes an important meeting in Jerusalem between Paul and the other apostles. Paul is pleased to learn they preach the same gospel of God's grace through faith in Christ that he does. They agree that Gentiles should not be made to follow the law, and they endorse Paul's God-given calling to preach to the Gentiles. Peter, James, and John offer to him and Barnabas, his partner in ministry, the right hand of fellowship, a symbol of their support, approval, and unity with them.

Paul holds a crucial meeting with the other apostles. Do they preach, as he does, that salvation can only be found through faith in Christ and not by following the law? He learns that they do, though ''false brothers'' in their midst are opposed to this gospel of God's grace. After receiving official approval from Peter and the others, Paul later opposes Peter for publicly trying to distance himself from Gentile Christians out of fear of how others might respond. Paul declares that justification comes only through faith in Christ and not by the works of the law.

In Galatians 1, Paul defended himself in order to defend the trustworthiness of his message. He made the case that he was a legitimate apostle. He shows in Galatians 2 that the other apostles stand with him in teaching the gospel of salvation through faith in Christ. He describes a moment in which he rebuked Peter for hypocrisy and then makes the case that only faith in Christ can bring justification for any person in the eyes of God. The works of the law can never make anyone righteous, or Christ would not have had to die.

Galatians is sometimes called “a short Romans” for its similar themes of justification and sanctification through faith. A group of Christians known as “Judaizers” were preaching a gospel of legalism, rather than grace. Paul’s main purpose in writing the letter to the Galatians was to reiterate the true nature of the gospel: we are justified (made righteous) and sanctified (made more Christlike) through our faith in Jesus Christ alone. This letter was probably written shortly before the church elders in Jerusalem issued their official refutation of the Judaizers, commonly called the Jerusalem Council.

Accessed 5/4/2024 1:53:01 PM