HIS AUTHORITY RECOGNISED BY THE APOSTLES AT JERUSALEM AND MAINTAINED IN HIS CONFLICT WITH ST. PETER 1-10. It was not until upon the occasion of a subsequent visit to Jerusalem fourteen years later that St. Paul had laid his gospel before the chief authorities there, and they had approved of all tha... [ Continue Reading ]
FOURTEEN YEARS AFTER] i.e. after his conversion (Galatians 1:16), from which the various subsequent events are dated: cp. Galatians 1:16; Galatians 1:18; Galatians 1:21. AGAIN] There is much difference of opinion as to which of St. Paul's visits to Jerusalem, as recorded in the Acts, he here refers.... [ Continue Reading ]
BY REVELATION] in response to a prophetic inspiration. THEM.. OF REPUTATION] cp. Galatians 2:9. LAST, etc.] that it might be evident that even in their view he was not labouring in vain.... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT NEITHER (RV 'not even') TITUS.. WAS COMPELLED] This was a crucial instance of the application of the principle at stake. A demand was made by the rigid Judaists that Titus should be circumcised. The demand raised the whole question of the obligation of the Gentiles to observe the Jewish Law, and... [ Continue Reading ]
LIBERTY] i.e. from the requirements of the Mosaic Law.... [ Continue Reading ]
We maintained our position firmly in order to preserve for you (and for all like you) the distinctive truth of the gospel, viz. that faith in Christ is the one condition of salvation.... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT OF THOSE, etc.] RV 'But from those who were reputed to be somewhat'; those to whom was accorded the greatest influence. MAKETH NO MATTER] does not affect the merits of my claim. IN CONFERENCE ADDED (RV 'imparted') NOTHING] did not propose any correction or addition to my teaching.... [ Continue Reading ]
The reference is not to two different doctrines, but to two different spheres of the Gospel's operation.... [ Continue Reading ]
God gave to me success in my work, as He had given to Peter success in his.... [ Continue Reading ]
ONLY _they would_] they made this one stipulation. THE POOR] cp. Acts 11:29; Acts 24:17; 1 Corinthians 16:3. I ALSO WAS FORWARD] RV 'zealous'; I was as eager to do this as they were to have me. 11-16. Not only was St. Paul's independence of the Twelve established by the circumstances already mentio... [ Continue Reading ]
PETER] RV 'Cephas.' TO ANTIOCH] Those who hold that the previous passage (Galatians 2:1) refers to St. Paul's second visit to Jerusalem (Acts 11:29), of course place this visit of Peter to Antioch after St. Paul's return there, i.e. between Acts 12:25 and Acts 13:1. Those who take Galatians 1:1 as r... [ Continue Reading ]
HE DID NOT EAT WITH THE GENTILES] He would thus be defiled according to the Jewish Law. WITHDREW] i.e. refused any longer to sit with the Gentile Christians at the love-feasts, and perhaps also in their houses. Peter had evidently forgotten the lesson of his vision at Joppa (Acts 10:9), and if this... [ Continue Reading ]
BARNABAS ALSO] RV 'even Barnabas,' whom the Galatians knew as fellow-missionary with St. Paul.... [ Continue Reading ]
SINNERS OF THE GENTILES] St. Paul is here adopting for argument's sake the rigid Jew's contemptuous description of the Gentiles.... [ Continue Reading ]
EVEN WE] i.e. with all our Jewish privileges we are no better than the Gentiles we despise, but must equally with them seek salvation by faith in Christ. 17-21. St. Paul seems here quite imperceptibly to pass from his rebuke to Peter to the broader question of the obligation of the Law and to the i... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT IF, etc.] This is a difficult passage. It seems to state an objection of the Judaising party, that faith in Christ is insufficient to keep men from sin. Or possibly it deals with an argument put forth by the Galatians themselves, that their faith in Christ was insufficient to enable them to with... [ Continue Reading ]
DEAD] ethically; broke relations with the Law system as by a death. THAT I MIGHT LIVE] I died to the old life and relations in order to live to the new.... [ Continue Reading ]
St. Paul passes from the inability of the Law to the ability of Christ to save him. CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST] He identifies himself with Christ in His death. Christ's death means to him the cessation of the old life of sin as well as of legal justification: cp. Galatians 6:14; Romans 6:1; 2 Corinthians... [ Continue Reading ]