Galatians 2:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles),

NIV: For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles.

NASB: (for He who was at work for Peter in his apostleship to the circumcised was at work for me also to the Gentiles),

CSB: since the one at work in Peter for an apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in me for the Gentiles.

NLT: For the same God who worked through Peter as the apostle to the Jews also worked through me as the apostle to the Gentiles.

KJV: (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)

NKJV: (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles),

Paul is writing to Christians in the region of Galatia who happily believed in Jesus and became Christians when he came to them. Later, though, a group called the Judaizers came and insisted that Paul was wrong. This sect said these Gentiles must be circumcised and follow the law of Moses to be truly saved. Paul's stance on this view is clear: these Judaizers are not even Christians themselves, and that the other apostles agree with him. When a person tries to add any other requirement to salvation, they are preaching something false.

Peter and the others have recognized that he, Paul, has been sent by Christ to preach the true gospel message to Gentiles, just as Peter's mission is to take the good news of Jesus to Jewish people, referred to as "the circumcised".

Now Paul points to something essential: The same Jesus is working through Paul in his ministry and working through Peter in his ministry. The only difference is the audience. It's the same Jesus, same message, and same way to be saved—through the grace of God and not human effort.

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 4/30/2024 9:14:33 AM