session 4 stand your ground - clover...

session 4

stanD your GrounD

122 S E S S I O N 4 © 2013 LifeWay© 2013 LifeWay

The PointNever compromise when the issue is a matter of biblical right and wrong.

The Bible Meets LifeFor many of us, our preferred way of dealing with conflict is not to deal with it

at all. We ignore it and hope the conflict goes away on its own. While there are

some conflicts that may be minor enough to dissipate on its own, many do not.

And there are some conflicts we should walk away from, in the sense of letting

go of what we want in the matter (as we saw in the previous study). However,

there are some issues on which we should not compromise by giving in, walking

away, or ignoring. When conflict is caused because of an issue of right and

wrong, it’s time to stand our ground.

The PassageGalatians 2:1-14

The SettingIn response to opposition from some of the people in the Galatian churches,

Paul defended his ministry to the Gentiles. He explained that even the leaders in

Jerusalem affirmed his ministry to the Gentiles and the truth that the gospel is

for all people, free from any Jewish rules or rituals. This was an uncompromising

truth that led Paul to confront Peter when Peter’s hypocritical actions made a

distinction between Jews and Gentiles.

B i B l e S t u d i e S f o r l i f e 123© 2013 LifeWay© 2013 LifeWay

Galatians 2:1-14 (HCSB)

1 then after 14 years i went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking titus along also. 2 i went up according to a revelation and presented to them the gospel i preach among the Gentiles—but privately to those recognized as leaders—so that i might not be running, or have run the race, in vain. 3 But not even titus who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. 4 this issue arose because of false brothers smuggled in, who came in secretly to spy on the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us. 5 But we did not give up and submit to these people for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would be preserved for you. 6 now from those recognized as important (what they really were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism)—they added nothing to me. 7 on the contrary, they saw that i had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter was for the circumcised, 8 since the one at work in Peter for an apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in me for the Gentiles. 9 When James, Cephas, and John, recognized as pillars, acknowledged the grace that had been given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to me and Barnabas, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 they asked only that we would remember the poor, which i made every effort to do. 11 But when Cephas came to antioch, i opposed him to his face because he stood condemned. 12 for he regularly ate with the Gentiles before certain men came from James. however, when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision party. 13 then the rest of the Jews joined his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. 14 But when i saw that they were deviating from the truth of the gospel, i told Cephas in front of everyone, “if you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Key Words

Greek (v. 3) – The word designated a non-Jewish person (a Gentile) who spoke the Greek language, observed Greek customs, and absorbed Greek learning. To Jews, Greeks were pagans.

circumcised (v. 3) – Jews removed the foreskin of a male’s genital as a sign of membership in God’s covenant community. Jews were required to perform the rite on all Jewish male babies.

Cephas (v. 9) - The Aramaic word for “rock,” referring to Peter.

right hand of fellowship (v. 9) – The gesture of shaking right hands was used to ratify a covenant.

What does the Bible say?

12 4 S E S S I O N 4 © 2013 LifeWay© 2013 LifeWay

GEt iNto thE StuDYDISCUSS: Ask the opening question

on page 103 of the Personal Study Guide

(PSG): “When have you drawn a line

in the sand?”

SAY: “Last week we discussed the impor-

tance of standing down in some conflicts.

But sometimes we need to stand up. The

key is learning when to stand down and

when to stand your ground.”

GUIDE: Explore what factors might be

important in determining whether or not

it’s time to take a stand, using the story in “The Bible Meets Life” section on page 104

of the PSG. The story is that a Christian responsible for prayer was asked to refrain from

using the name of Jesus in that prayer.

READ: Call on a volunteer to read The Point at the top of that section: “Never com-

promise when the issue is a matter of biblical right and wrong.”

ENHANCEMENT: As you introduce Paul and Peter, highlight the theme of this six-

session study, using Pack Item 5: “When Relationships Collide.”

TRANSITION: The focus of our Bible study will be discovering how to stand our

ground effectively.

PRAY: Ask for God’s discernment to help us recognize when to take a stand, and how

to do so.

Notes

10 minutes

B i B l e S t u d i e S f o r l i f e 125

thE PoiNt Never compromise when the issue is a matter of biblical right and wrong.

© 2013 LifeWay© 2013 LifeWay

Notes

Galatians 2:1-5

1 Then after 14 years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking

Titus along also. 2 I went up according to a revelation and presented to them

the gospel I preach among the Gentiles—but privately to those recognized

as leaders—so that I might not be running, or have run the race, in vain. 3 But

not even Titus who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to

be circumcised. 4 This issue arose because of false brothers smuggled in, who

came in secretly to spy on the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, in order

to enslave us. 5 But we did not give up and submit to these people for even an

hour, so that the truth of the gospel would be preserved for you.

READ: Invite a volunteer to read Galatians 2:1-5 on page 105 of the PSG.

DISCUSS: Question #2 on page 106 of the PSG: “How would you describe

the freedom we have in Christ?”

GUIDE: Ask group members to call out reasons freedom in Christ is a critical issue.

After several comments, note that Paul went to Jerusalem to defend this freedom.

SAY: “For many of us, our preferred way of dealing with conflict is not to deal with

it at all. We can learn from Paul how to stand our ground.”

GUIDE: Prompt learners to find reminders about Paul using the “Galatians 2:1-5”

section on page 106 of the PSG. Briefly, these are:

Paul was passionate about what he believed. Paul knew what God

wanted him to do and so he willingly suffered to see the mission of the

gospel grow.

God knew what He was doing. God uses the experience, heart, and

temperament of people for Kingdom purposes.

TRANSITION: Paul did not act alone. Church leaders encouraged him in his

work. The next verses show how they did that.

StuDY thE BiBLE10 minutes


Galatians 2:1-5 Commentary

Paul was thrust into a conflict whose outcome would affect the course of the church. He had preached

the gospel in Galatia, won converts, and established churches. After he left the area, Jewish-Christian

teachers (Judaizers) came and insisted that to be full-fledged Christians, Gentile converts would need

to become Jewish proselytes. When Paul received news of this, he passionately defended the gospel

truth that salvation comes through faith in Christ—period. His Letter to the Galatians laid out the true

gospel he preached. People are not redeemed by faith plus legalism; they are forgiven by grace through

faith. After a brief greeting (Gal. 1:1-5), Paul began to battle for the gospel. He expressed shock that the

Galatian believers turned to the Judaizers’ pseudo-gospel so soon after heeding God’s call to salvation

(vv. 6-10). He answered the false charge he was not really an apostle (vv. 11-24). He demonstrated the

gospel is neither divisive nor different from the church’s received doctrine.

Barnabas, Paul’s early mentor and his partner in the first missionary journey, accompanied Paul

to Jerusalem. Paul also took Titus with them. Titus was an early Gentile convert to Christianity and

a coworker in Paul’s ministry (2 Cor. 8:23). Toward the end of his ministry, Paul wrote Titus, who was

working on the island of Crete, and called Titus his true son in their common faith (Titus 1:4). Titus would

prove invaluable in Paul’s missionary endeavor. That the group went up to Jerusalem to confer with

the Jerusalem church reflected the city’s elevation and religious significance.

Paul did not go to Jerusalem on his own or at the Antioch church’s urging, and the Jerusalem church

did not summon him. He went in response to a revelation, a divine disclosure. Paul’s purpose for

meeting with the Jerusalem believers was to lay out for their consideration (presented to) the gospel

he consistently preached among the Gentiles, likely including Jews living in the various areas. Paul’s

concern was that Gentile converts have equal standing with Jewish Christians. Paul well may have taken

Titus to Jerusalem as a trial. Paul was contending for salvation by grace though faith alone, without any

appended Jewish rituals. Titus was a Greek, an uncircumcised Gentile. Paul stressed that the Jerusalem

church and its leaders did not demand that Titus be circumcised. He was not compelled to submit to

the Jewish rite.

The issue of whether Titus, a Gentile convert to Christianity, should be circumcised probably arose during

the meeting in Jerusalem rather than sometime earlier. Pseudo Jewish-Christians (false brothers)

either were planted in the Christian community by non-Christian Jews or were helped to infiltrate the

Christian ranks by members of the church. The picture is that of spies or defectors sneaking into inside

positions. The purpose was to spy on genuine believers’ freedom … in Christ Jesus (relationship

with God through grace alone) with the false claim to have the right or authority to pass judgment on it.




Notes

Galatians 2:6-10

6 Now from those recognized as important (what they really were makes no

difference to me; God does not show favoritism)—they added nothing to

me. 7 On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel

for the uncircumcised, just as Peter was for the circumcised, 8 since the One

at work in Peter for an apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in

me for the Gentiles. 9 When James, Cephas, and John, recognized as pillars,

acknowledged the grace that had been given to me, they gave the right hand

of fellowship to me and Barnabas, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles

and they to the circumcised. 10 They asked only that we would remember the

poor, which I made every effort to do.

READ: Invite a volunteer to read Galatians 2:6-10 on page 105 of the PSG while

the rest of the group listens for ways church leaders encouraged Paul.

SAY: “God used men like Barnabas, James, Cephas, and John to encourage Paul

in his work. They recognized that Paul was entrusted with reaching Gentiles while

Peter reached Jews.”

DISCUSS: Question #3 on page 107 of the PSG: “Why was it significant that

these men gave Paul their support and approval?”

SAY: “Affirmation of godly people can be one measure of whether we are aligning

our lives with Christ’s teaching and the Word of God. It can also help us know if we

are taking a stand in the right places and in the right ways.”

TRANSITION: Not all believers will do the right thing all the time. In the next

verses we’ll find how Paul confronted Peter.

StuDY thE BiBLE

tip: Evaluate yourself and your teaching often. Ask yourself: “What seemed to help group members connect with the Scripture?”

5 minutes

12 8 S E S S I O N 4 © 2013 LifeWay© 2013 LifeWay


Paul stressed that in the private meeting with the Jerusalem church’s leaders (2:2), they added nothing

to him—to the gospel he preached. They did not instruct him to add works of the law to faith as a

requirement for salvation. Possibly, Paul also indicated the leaders added nothing to his commission

as an apostle. They conferred nothing new to him. Paul described the leaders as those recognized

as important. Jerusalem believers respected their leaders. These leaders contrasted sharply to the

pseudo-Christians to whom Paul referred in 2:4. His statement did not mean he was indifferent to the

leaders’ status as apostles and to their association with Jesus; rather, he was not concerned about their

commissioning him. Paul’s opponents could charge he was inferior to the other apostles, but God

showed no favoritism; He did not show deference (favor) because of their position.

The church leaders recognized he had been entrusted with proclaiming the gospel to the

uncircumcised. Peter had been commissioned to proclaim the gospel to Jews, the circumcised; Paul

had been designated to take the good news to Gentiles, the uncircumcised. Both had special ministries.

Their areas of work differed, but their message was the same. They proclaimed one gospel. Their action

refuted the claim of Paul’s enemies that he was not an apostle or at best an inferior one. The same God

called and equipped both men for their ministries to different audiences. Paul identified the Jerusalem

church’s leaders with whom he met privately: James, Cephas, and John. These men were pillars of

the church; they had the valid reputation of giving solid leadership. They provided strength and stability.

Paul referred to the privilege of taking the gospel to the Gentiles as grace. He viewed his missionary

work as God’s gift to him. The three church leaders acknowledged that gift of grace and gave the right

hand of fellowship to Paul and Barnabas. Interestingly, James, Peter, and John took the initiative to

shake hands as a sign of accepting Paul’s God-given ministry. The gesture of clasping hands expressed

unity; was a recognized guarantee of friendship; and affirmed the participants’ shared life in the Spirit.

The leaders agreed on general directions of labor. Paul and Barnabas would work primarily among the

Gentiles; the Jerusalem leaders would work primarily among Jews. The only request the church leaders

made was that Paul and Barnabas remember the poor. This meant more than keeping them in mind

or even praying for them; the leaders asked that Paul and Barnabas continue to take action on behalf of

poverty-stricken believers. The leaders may have referred to Judean Christians in general or primarily

to the believers in the Jerusalem church. Christians in Judea suffered severe economic hardship. Such

compassionate ministry was a work Paul already had done. As representatives of the church in Antioch

of Syria, Paul and Barnabas had brought famine relief to Christians in Judea (see Acts 11:27-30). Paul

already had exercised efforts to help the poor.




Notes

Galatians 2:11-14

11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he

stood condemned. 12 For he regularly ate with the Gentiles before certain

men came from James. However, when they came, he withdrew and

separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision party. 13

Then the rest of the Jews joined his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was

carried away by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were deviating

from the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas in front of everyone, “If you, who

are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel Gentiles

to live like Jews?”

READ: Invite a volunteer to read Galatians 2:11-14 on page 105 of the PSG.

GUIDE: Ask the group to summarize how Peter was being hypocritical.

DISCUSS: Question #4 on page 108 of the PSG: “How do you know

whether you’re standing your ground on biblical principles or

personal preferences?”

DO: Direct members to use the activity on page 109 of the PSG.

The Conflict of Compromise:

A married friend confesses to being unfaithful and asks you to keep it a secret.

Keeping the secret would affect me by:_______________________________

Keeping the secret would affect my friend by:__________________________

Keeping the secret would affect my church by:_________________________

DISCUSS: Question #5 on page 109 of the PSG: “What role does love play

in how you stand your ground?”

GUIDE: Prompt the group to search Galatians 2:11-14 to find the sequence of what

happened to Cephas (Peter) and why. Use the commentary on the facing page.

TRANSITION: Next we’ll find how we can specifically take a stand.

StuDY thE BiBLE

tip: You don’t have to give the answers. Let group members search the Bible verses and find the answers. Let the Holy Spirit do the teaching.

15 minutes



The church in Antioch had become the center of the Christian movement and Paul’s base of operations.

Barnabas had enlisted Paul to help in the work there (Acts 11:25-26). Later, the church sent out Barnabas

and Paul as missionaries and thus took the lead in taking the gospel to Gentiles. At some point, when

Peter came to Antioch, Paul boldly stood up against him in a face-to-face confrontation. Peter was a

respected church leader, but he was in error, and Paul did not hesitate to call Peter’s attention to the

misstep publicly. By his puzzling and unacceptable behavior, Peter condemned himself.

When Peter visited Antioch, at first he regularly enjoyed table fellowship with Gentile believers. In the

Antioch church, Jewish Christians and Gentile believers ate together, perhaps sharing the love feast

that included celebrating the Lord’s Supper. They ignored or rejected strict Jewish dietary practice that

precluded Jews eating with uncircumcised Gentiles. When Jewish-Christians from the Jerusalem church

came to Antioch, however, Peter gradually withdrew—separated himself from table fellowship

with Gentile believers. The visiting representatives were members of the circumcision party, Jewish

Christians who insisted Gentile converts be circumcised and keep the Jewish law. Peter feared them,

perhaps fearing they would report his conduct to the Jerusalem church with the result that his influence

in the church would be diminished or his work among Jews would be hampered. Peter’s retreat under

pressure gave tacit approval to the Judaizers’ insistence on circumcision and obedience to Jewish law as

necessary for salvation. He knew better than to withdraw from association with Gentile believers. God

taught Peter a pivotal lesson concerning Gentile inclusion in His grace (see Acts 10:9-48).

Peter’s experience taught him that God does not show favoritism but accepts and forgives every

person who places faith in Christ. Peter’s treatment of Gentile believers in Antioch denied that truth.

Incredibly, Peter allowed fear to overshadow God’s dramatic lesson concerning Gentiles. In Galatians

2:11-14, Paul described Peter’s withdrawal from table fellowship with Gentile believers as hypocrisy that

influenced the rest of the Jewish Christians. Surprisingly, even Barnabas, Paul’s fellow worker among

Gentiles, was caught up and swept along by their hypocrisy. They pretended their behavior issued from

obedience to Jewish law; in actuality it was a result of fear. That is, they gave a false impression.

Paul’s confronting Peter had a redemptive purpose: to bring Peter back to conduct that was true to the

gospel. When Paul saw that Peter and the Jewish Christians were deviating from (literally, “not walking a

straight course” in moral conduct) the truth of the gospel, Paul addressed Peter in front of everyone,

pointing out Peter’s inconsistent behavior. How could Peter reverse himself and force Gentile believers

to adopt Jewish customs? Peter’s alarming example could have had a devastating influence on Jewish

Christians, leading them to associate with Gentile believers only if those believers kept Jewish customs.




Notes

LiVE it outGUIDE: Prompt group members to choose from the “Live It Out” section on page

110 of the PSG.

> Draw the line in the sand. Determine your non-negotiables and make sure

they are consistent with biblical teaching.

> Practice what you preach. If you’re asking someone to live according to a

biblical principal, be certain they can see it in your life.

> Call others to stand with you. Mentor and disciple someone else in

embracing biblical teaching.

Wrap it Up

SAY: “The goal of any confrontation is to be redemptive. If truth is being

compromised or ignored, we should do what is necessary to correct the situation.

That’s a line worth drawing in the sand.“

5 minutes


My group's prayer requests

Additional suggestions for specific groups (women, men, parents, boomers, and singles)

are available at BibleStudiesforLife.com/blog.

Teaching Points

When it comes to rights, we often teach our kids about their own freedom to express themselves however they choose. We encourage them to share their beliefs without fear. But what about a teacher’s right to do the same? Have you ever wondered what a teacher can or can’t say, especially in terms of shaping your children’s beliefs? And does it make a difference if those teachers are for or against your views?

to continue reading “teaching Points” from HomeLife magazine, visit BibleStudiesforLife.com/articles.

B i B l e S t u d i e S f o r l i f e 133© 2013 LifeWay© 2013 LifeWay

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