Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me.
Truth to Learn
There is no room for legalism in the Christian faith.
Meaning Explained
Having justified his apostleship and his message, Paul now turns to the crux of the letter, explaining why it is wrong to add legalistic observances to Christian faith. In this verse he says that after 14 years he went back to Jerusalem with Barnabas.
These events occurred after Paul’s first missionary journey. When he and Barnabas returned to Antioch to report on the events of that trip they encountered teachers in the church who had come from Jerusalem who taught that circumcision was required in addition to faith in order to be saved. After some strong disagreement, the church in Antioch decided that Paul, Barnabas, and others from the church should go up to Jerusalem to talk to the apostles and elders about this issue.
And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question (Act 15:1, 2)
But, even in the church in Jerusalem there were Pharisees who wanted to force legal obedience on all who were saved.
But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” (Acts 15:5-12)
After additional discussion James (the leader of the church in Jerusalem) spoke up and made a final declaration which they all agreed to:
Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. (Act 15:19, 20)
Paul informed the Galatian believers about this trip because it was this same type of legalism that had crept into the churches in Galatia.
Application
When we let legalism and tradition creep into our doctrine, we begin observing ordinances of man instead of exercising a faith walk with God, and that does not please Him!
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2007 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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