Galatians 2:3  But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:
4  And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:
5  To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

Paul was directed by God to add more flesh to the issue that was affecting the saints in Galatians. They needed to be reminded of how a person is saved. God was already very clear on this matter in chapter 1. Those who want to “preach another gospel”, and there are many of them today, are accursed of God. It is tragic that so many people are grasping for that which scratches the itching ears, but they never stop to realize that the itching never stops. Thus we are seeing an increase of heretics and heretical teaching today. People are searching. They want answers. They want answers that will fit their narrative. They are on a dead end road and do not realize it. Hence the need for solid preaching that puts that massive stop sign in the way of the wicked. The wicked are constantly trying to blow up the stop signs, but they will never succeed. God’s truth is THE TRUTH. A few will finally turn to God and be saved. They will breathe a sigh of relief and wonder why they fought so hard against the truth.
Apparently the saints in Galatia knew who Titus was. Titus was a born again Christian who would be used by God here to show that circumcision was not necessary for salvation. Paul made sure the saints understood that Titus was a Greek. He was not a Jew. However, he was saved, but he was not circumcised.
In verse 4 Paul reminded the saints that there were false brethren. We need to notice again that a person who does not want to believe what the Word of God says, is not a true brother in the Lord. He is a false brother. God does not teach the tolerance that has been adopted by today’s “Christianity”. Jesus taught that the way that leads to life is a narrow way. He stated there be few that find it.
In our text, the false brethren had managed to sneak into the body of believers unawares. They brought in a false doctrine. We see as well here that it is possible for false brethren to deceive the saints. It is possible for them to bring in a false doctrine. This is why the pastor needs to be alert and faithfully teach the Word of God. These false brethren came in by stealth. They lied about who they were. The brethren were not able to discern the deception right away. True saints are not mind readers. They cannot see into the heart of another person. They need to rely on what the person says, and they also need to observe what the person does. Jesus said, true saints need to pay attention to the fruit.
Over time, it will become obvious whether a person is a true brother or not. It is important for saints to walk humbly with the Lord and be led by Him so that they can gain the discernment needed to protect themselves and others from false brethren.
God does not want His children to be deceived. He wants His children to grow stronger in Him. These false brethren came in among the saints to spy out their liberty. They knew that true saints have liberty in Christ. They did not have that liberty. True liberty cannot be manufactured. It cannot be wished into existence. It can only be obtained by those who are washed in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul made that clear in our text.
These false brethren were in bondage and they wanted to bring the true saints into bondage as well. There is a saying: “misery loves company”. The Bible tells us that false brethren are not content to be false by themselves. They want others to be bound in sin as well. They are the children of the devil, and he is a destroyer. He is the corruptor of God’s Word. He does not want people to know the truth and be forgiven and saved.
Paul made it clear to the saints that the Jerusalem council did not entertain the Judaizers in their meeting. They knew what they were about. They addressed the heresy that they were teaching. They did not allow them to try to justify their false teaching. Some people think it is rude not to allow false teachers to explain themselves. They have nothing to explain. They have chosen to believe a lie and they have chosen to promote a lie. They need to be exposed and rebuked.
The saints need to be taught the truth and they need to know that there is no room for even a little leaven. Paul was directed by God to address much false doctrine. Jesus did the same when He was on earth. The true prophets did the same in the Old Testament. They warned of the false doctrine, and they taught the truth. They did not mingle truth with error.
The ecumenical movement of our day is seeking to keep people from the truth. The New Evangelical movement and the Emergent church movement are also trying to mix truth with error. That never works. The false groups mentioned think they are doing a great thing by bringing all kinds of false doctrine together. They are all condemned before God and need to be exposed for who they truly are.
Paul was going to warn the saints of the false teaching of the Judaizers and he was also going to carefully and clearly teach the truth. He was going to teach with conviction. Those who are called of God to teach others cannot be compromisers. They need to know the truth and they need to teach the truth with conviction. Others need to be taught that the truth is not optional for saints. Lost people can believe their lies if they want to. They will be held accountable for that. However, those who are truly saved need to be reminded of the truth and they need to hold to the truth.
God directed Isaiah to write these words:

Isaiah 5:20  Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

The nation of Israel did not pay attention to these words in Isaiah’s day. The majority of “saved” people are not paying attention to these words today either. True Christians must be reminded that we are living in the last days. We are living in the midst of a massive downward spiral. Those who are saved do not need to be swept up in that spiral. The only hope is to hold to the truth. Don’t let the loud noise of deceit break you down. Hold to the truth. That is God’s message throughout the Bible.
Get into a good church that does not apologize for the truth. Pray for the pastor of that church. He needs to be faithful. He does not need to get a fat head. He needs to be a humble man who will teach the truth faithfully regardless of the fallout. Those who truly know the Lord will be encouraged and blessed to be in such a church. A few of those who are lost will finally be broken and saved. Sadly, the majority will continue to walk in defiance of the true God.
For those who are saved, make sure you are not an enabler. Listen to what God is saying through Paul and through the entire Bible. Don’t give place to the lies.
Pastor Bartel