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I Withstood Him To His Face - Galatians 2:11
I Withstood Him To His Face - Galatians 2:11
There are times when people are wrong.
Sometimes it is rebellion and sometimes it is being mislead. Sometimes it comes from social pressure to conform to current ideas and concepts that are popular (yet wrong). Sometimes it is done in 'honest ignorance' and sometimes it is willful perversion of truth. While such differences may call for handling the situation in different ways, the bottom line is that they are wrong. Peter stood condemned.
There of course must be a STANDARD – a truth.
Paul stated emphatically that 'his gospel' was a revelation from God. This is then God's word, the truth, a standard that one must not deviate from. They are not wrong because they disagree with me, they are wrong if they are out of step with truth.
It needs to be that which endangers the soul.
There is a lot of latitude in our opinions and preferences, but that is not true of concerning truth of the gospel. Paul and Barnabas could disagree about taking Mark with them on their preaching journey and neither one was out of step with truth. Peter on this occasion was advocating a different 'good news' – Gentiles can be saved IF they are circumcised and observe Jewish law. Such added requirements for fellowship with God that God did not give are the reason Peter stood condemned.
When such was public – it was withstood publicly – before them all.
When it is personal, you go to your brother personally and try to solve things. What Peter was doing was done openly and publicly. Those that sin openly, rebuke before all (1Tim. 5:19-20). This was not about marshaling your support base first. This was not behind the back slander. "I opposed him to his face" (2:11).
It must be handled on a high level of integrity.
Being in the right has its own dangers, pitfalls, and problems. Often it produces arrogance and attitudes of superiority. Such is often handled on a 'power' basis. It can be done without love. The goal of turning one back to God gets lost as it becomes a personal struggle. It is not about winning the public debate, but the restoration of the soul in error.
Paul instructed Timothy: " The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" (1Tim. 1:5). Again, Paul wrote that "the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will" (2Tim. 2:24-26).
It CAN have good results – when such is accepted.
Peter accepted and loved Paul…. (cp. 2 Peter 3:15).
Sometimes however, it causes the unrepentant to stiffen their resolve in error.
Hugh DeLong
