Sermon June 28, 1998 What Good is Jesus? based on Galatians 2:11-21

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

(reread last verse)

Introduction

Some of you helped when we moved into our new house just about a year ago. We all took a look at the size of the house, and then the moving truck and school bus full of things that were to go into that house. Some wondered where it was all going to fit. Since then, being in a smaller house, we have had an ongoing process of trying to reduce our collection of things so that we might have some more breathing space. This reduction process involves looking at things and determining if we really need them. "What good is this?" might be the constant question.

In our faith, we might also evaluate things in the same way. And the biggest question is: "What about Jesus?" What good is Jesus for us?

In our text, Paul proposes this kind of question among the Galatians to whom he is writing. "Did Christ die for nothing?" is the question suggested at the end. What use is Christ for you? What good is Jesus for you?

Galatian Situation

Paul had determined it was time for the Galatian Christians to ask this question of themselves. They were facing some spiritual challenges and needed to be reminded of the value of Jesus. Our Sunday morning Epistle readings have been taken from Galatians for three weeks now and they will continue to come from this book for another three weeks. The entire book deals with a problem in the churches in the region of Galatia, which is located in present-day Turkey.

The problem these Galatians had was with a group called the Judiazers. They wanted Christians to be obedient to all the customs and regulations of the Old Testament. In fact, they insisted that one must be obedient in order to be saved. One must follow this law in order to be saved. A major item had to do with circumcision. The non-Jews, that is the Gentiles, who became Christian would not have been circumcised. Yet, to be a Jew, you must be circumcised. So, there was a big battle in the early Christian church over what one needed to do to be a Christian.

Paul is the writer, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, of this epistle or letter to the people in Galatia. He was himself God's instrument for bringing the Gospel to these people and founding churches. Paul begins his letter by talking of his astonishment that these people are so quickly turning away from the gospel with which they were called to faith. Their actions suggest that they have abandoned the Gospel he originally brought to them. He sees them as turning to another gospel, which is really no gospel at all. He challenges them with a question of whether they were given the Spirit, that is, given faith, by truth which their hearts believed or by doing what the law says?

The basic point where the Judiazers were leading the Galatians astray involved what one must do in order to be saved. The Gospel teaches us that all that needed to be done for us to be saved was done by Christ on the cross. The Gospel says we are saved apart from our works, and we are free from obligations to the law. The Judiazers, on the other hand, would have the Galatians believe that they must be circumcised. They must follow the dietary laws. Many other laws must be followed in order to be saved, forgiven and granted eternal life. This type of thinking destroys the gospel. It is another gospel, but really no gospel at all. It is not gospel, that is good news, because it is leading back to the efforts of people to satisfy God's law and that task proves impossible.

Situation With Peter

To further bring home his point, Paul writes in our text of a situation between Peter and himself. Peter was highly regarded as an apostle, but there came a time when Paul had to correct him. Peter is rebuked by Paul because his behavior changed. See, Peter was eating with Gentiles. This would have been unusual for a Jew who was not a Christian, for the Jews considered the Gentiles to be unclean and would not associate with them. They were not accepting of the Gentiles, and shunned them.

Peter was a Christian Jew, however. He understood the Gospel which was meant for all people. He understood the Gospel which was based on Christ's work alone, and not on our works. Peter was even sent to speak and minister to the Gentile Cornelius, as Acts 10 reports. Therefore, it was perfectly natural for Peter to be seen eating with Gentiles. He would not shun them. He would participate fully in fellowship with them at meals because they would be brothers and sisters in Christ.

Peter's behavior changed however, when certain men came from Jerusalem. The text says they came "from James," which is probably meant to indicate they came from where James was located in Jerusalem. After these men came, Peter drew back from the Gentiles and separated himself from them. Peter was shunning the non-Jews. He didn't want to be seen with them.

Children are often victims and perpetrators of this type of behavior. They want to impress each other so highly, that they will shun other children if they believe it will give a better impression. It is very sad when this happens. Children eat school lunch alone. They get left out of games. They are left without partners and companions. This exclusion is often for the simple reason that other kids think there is something wrong. The one doing the shunning is often just going along with what others think or acting on gossip.

This sort of behavior occurs among adults also. It takes the names of bigotry and discrimination. People are shunned because of their race, income, nationality, and religion. Whatever the apparent cause of our excluding behavior, it is often the result of what others tell us, and not firsthand experience. It is also often practiced in a group. There is a "gang mentality" to this behavior. We shun and exclude other people because our friends would think poorly of us if we didn't.

What was Peter's cause for shunning the Gentiles? The text says he was afraid of those who belong to the circumcision group. These are those who wanted all Christian men to become circumcised. They were just like the Judiazers who felt that following all the Jewish Old Testament customs was required of Christians.

Peter's particular fear may have been that these men from James would be critical of his associating with Gentiles. Why was he not separating himself from them? They considered Gentiles unclean. Peter may have been afraid that these men from James would believe that Peter had broken the Jewish dietary customs because he was eating with the Gentiles. They didn't eat kosher food, so Peter was perhaps also not eating kosher food.

Whatever Peter's particular fear, his reaction had an effect on many others. In our text it says that the other Jews joined him in this behavior. Even Barnabas, who was Paul's companion, was led astray. They were led into hypocrisy. They belived one thing, but behaved another way. They believed that works do not save us, but they behaved as if the works required by the Judiazers did save us. Regardless of what they believed, Peter, Barnabas, and the other Jews were led into behaving as if one needed to follow the Jewish law to be a Christian. The "gang mentality" took over and they excluded the Gentiles.

Paul's Response To Peter

Paul found it necessary to publically criticize Peter's actions. Paul said, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?" Apparently Peter had given up some of the Jewish customs. So, Paul correctly points out that Peter is a Jew, yet lives like a Gentile. This action matched his belief that following Jewish customs was not required for salvation. Yet, here Peter was a hypocrite, for he was forcing Gentiles to follow the Jewish customs. By refusing to eat with the Gentiles, Peter was behaving like he was trying to force them to change.

Peter must not have responded to Paul, for Paul continues, by reminding Peter of the Gospel. "We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified." Paul tells Peter that even the Jewish Christians know that a man is not justified by observing the Law. Peter should know this. He should know that faith in Christ Jesus saves us. It is not observing the law which justifies or saves us.

It is good to review what is meant by "being justified." It means being put into a right relationship with God. To be acquitted of our sins. To be declared and treated as righteous. You see that "being justified" has a little different meaning than "being saved." With the phrase "being justified" we can see even more clearly that this is something which God must do for us. He must acquit us and declare us not guilty of our sins. This is not something to which our efforts can lead. By attempting to obey and observe the law, no one can be justified.

Present-day Judiazers

Perhaps it is no surprise to you that there are present-day equivalents to the Judaizers and the circumcision group. They do not usually advocate circumcision, but will put other kinds of laws before people. They set up other requirements which they declare are necessary to prove your faith and to be saved. For example, some advocate being baptized only as an adult after reaching the age when one can "decide" to follow Christ. Others talk of accepting Jesus in your heart which implies that you take an action which then justifies you. There is much interest in having a "spiritual experience," which can mean a variety of different things. If you have something happen to you, get some sort of feeling, fall down, laugh, or something else, then you have done what their law requires. Speaking in tongues is required by still others. Then there are those who suggest it is possible to live a perfect life and that you must do so in order to be saved.

These present-day Judaizers want to reintroduce their laws as a requirement for salvation. They place their roadblocks in front of those who would simply trust in Christ. They have built up the requirements of the law, after Christ tore them down. Paul puts himself in the place of those who would build up the law, saying this simply proves they are lawbreakers. This is so, because we can never satisfy God's law to the standard He sets; the standard of perfection. If we erect laws, we only show that we are breakers of laws.

Moreover, and most importantly, if we build up requirements for justification, we are rejecting Christ. We "set aside the grace of God." We reject Christ, because we try to go it alone. We try to work our way to salvation. If this is possible, then What good is Jesus for us? Of what use is Jesus, if we can save ourselves? "If righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" If we could become justified, that is to gain righteousness, through the law, through our works, then we don't need Christ. Christ died for nothing, if we can get to heaven on our own.

Paul argues this way with Peter to point out how silly Peter's behavior is. Indeed, we cannot be justified by the law. Our works are of no avail. Our salvation cannot be earned. We are left completely dependent on Christ Jesus.

This Jesus did not die needlessly. It wasn't for nothing that He suffered on the cross. Rather, it was for everything. It was for every sin of every person that He died. It is for our very sinfulness and our original sin that our Savior gave up His life. It was for our eternal life that Christ sacrified His life.

As Paul did, we too see ourselves as dead to law. We are unable to satisfy the law's demands. We can only cling to Jesus Christ. Coming to the judgment seat clinging to Christ will result in instantly being justified. We will be saved by trusting in Jesus' sacrifice for our sins.

Summer may be a good time for you to take a inventory of your spiritual house. Maybe there are lots of useless things in your house. Yet, when you come upon Jesus, may you find Him to be very useful in your life. Most valuable, most precious, most vital is our Savior who died for us, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Now may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.