Galatians 2:6 But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man’s person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me:
7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;
8 (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)
9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
10 Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
In verse 6 the apostle Paul is not being disrespectful. He had respect for the other apostles and for other saved people as well. He travelled with Barnabas for a time and then with Silas. He developed a close relationship with Timothy and others as well.
The context here is with regard to the Gospel. No man is of greater importance than the Lord. The Lord gave the Word. It is important for His people to honour His Word above all else. Today, most religious leaders dishonour God’s Word. They do not even believe God’s promise of preservation.
Psalm 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
The perversions corrupt those verses to take away from the promise of God. That is the work of the devil. The apostle Paul pointed out that no one could add anything to the message he was given by the Lord. He met with several apostles at the Jerusalem counsel. They could not disagree with what he was teaching, but rather agreed that his message was the same as theirs, just to a different audience. The only thing they wanted to make sure of was that he would look after the needs of the poor.
In verse 7, Paul stated that rather than disputing with him over the Gospel, they understood that God had chosen him to reach out primarily to the Gentiles/Greeks and they were to reach out to the Jews. Peter was the primary apostle to reach out to the Jews.
In verse 8 Paul reminded the recipients that the same God that worked to equip Peter for the ministry, also worked to equip Paul for the ministry. As noted before, there is no contradiction with God. The message was the same, whether to Jew or to Gentile. The Jerusalem council made that clear.
In verse 9 Paul mentioned a couple of the apostles that seemed to be pillars. They had been chosen earlier than Paul. God did not differentiate between them, but sometimes we as people have a “pecking” order that we set up artificially.
These men saw that the grace of God was given to Paul and to Barnabas. They stretched out their hands in fellowship with Paul. There was no competition, and there was no conflict. Those men added their voice of approval to Paul and Barnabas’ ministry.
That is the way it still is with God’s Work. God calls men into the ministry. If God calls a man into the ministry, there will be other godly men who will see that the man has been called of God. They will not dispute the call as long as it is from God. If the call is from God, it will be founded upon true Biblical principles. It will be identifiable by the Word of God.
I listened to a funeral service of a young man who died suddenly. They talked of how great a husband, father and mentor he was. They stated how he was a great Christian man. However, there was nothing in that service that indicated this man was a born again Christian. Some will take offence to me saying this. However, stop and think for a moment, not just of his loss, but of those who are looking up to him and going the wrong way. The Word of God tells us that knowing the true Jesus, will make a difference that will be identifiable with the Word of God. There is a blueprint that God gave us. That blueprint is the Word of God. Those who are saved serve God in different ways but the foundation of faith is the same in all. It is defined in the Bible as a changed life that glorifies God. The Bible often warns of the fallen nature of the flesh. The flesh is all about feelings. The spirit is what is made alive in Christ and when that happens, the flesh will be changed. The desires of the saved are changed and changing to be more Christlike, not more like the world.
As noted earlier, the concern that the apostles wanted to be sure to address, was the need to look after the poor. This is in relation to the poor saints. Persecution was very real at that time. There were saints that had very little. There were also crop failures due to drought. This would limit the income of those who were farmers. They may not have had enough grain to feed themselves. Maybe they could not look after their livestock properly. Christians need to look at the well-being of fellow believers as of greater importance than a large bank account.
When true saints work together under God’s direction, He makes sure that needs are met. The apostle Paul certainly learned what it meant to be hungry. He travelled much and so he did not have a home to go to. However, there were saints in different places that respected his work and they lodged him. They did not complain because they saw the value of what he was doing. He was not too proud to accept help from others.
True saints need to be humble servants of God. We do not take advantage of others. We are not wasteful. We are thankful for the goodness of God that is shown through other saints. Sometimes God even uses the ungodly to help the saints along.
What is important is that the saints honour their first love which is the true God and the true Gospel. We do not compromise the Gospel just to gain a following. We honour God and demonstrate true love for others.
Pastor Bartel