In Galatians 2, we see Paul is taking Titus, a Gentile, to Jerusalem to go and speak to a church that is located in the middle of Judaism. Remember, Judaism was a thought of a group of Jewish people that the gospel was Jesus plus circumcision. Paul says, “we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.”

We see in verses 11-14 that the same mindset is being put into place by Peter, but in a different way. Peter was trying to “look right” in different groups of people. The Jews didn’t believe they could eat with the Gentiles. Again, it is a picture of Jesus plus something. That isn’t the gospel.

A hypocrite of the day was someone who wore a mask at the theater. They became and actor, or someone that they really were not. Peter was acting as a hypocrite because he “feared the circumcision party”. Unfortunately, we do that too. We seem to are too much about what others think of us. We fear a different “party of people”.

Thankfully, Paul challenged Peter to walk straight in the Truth of the gospel. We must each walk straight in the gospel wherever He is taking us. Along the way, we remember that He doesn’t change and neither does His Word. We can’t put our hope in people. Man will fail. God will not!

The cure for hypocrisy is:

1. Believe the Truth of the gospel…not moralism.

2. Fear God…not man.

The result of all of this is freedom!

To discuss today:

1. What cultural “norms” do you falsely believe help make a good Christian? Is that adding to the gospel?

2. What “memories” are you stuck in that you need to repent of to enable the gospel to truly be Jesus + nothing?