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15:10; 10:9-15). How then compellest thou the Gentiles to Judaize (as you do by refusing to eat with them unless they adopt Jewish customs) ?” Of'.course,. Peter could not answer this question. The argument was unanswerable. But Paul continued: "You and I, Peter, though we are Jews by nature and not ‘sinners o f the Gentiles,’ yet knowing that a man is not justified out o f works o f the law (i. e., on the ground o f having kept the Mosaic law), save through the instrumentality o f faith in Jesus Christ, even we (Jews though we are) believed in Jesus Christ, in order that we might be justified out o f faith in Christ Jesus (i. e., on the ground o f our faith in Him ), and not out of works o f the law, And this is the only way o f justification; because by works of the law shall no flesh (not one human being) be justified.” This is a free translation o f Paul’s words, but we translate in this way to bring out Paul’s point and the force o f his argument. What Paul says being true, how absurd then to separate from those who have sought and obtained justification in the same way wc did, by faith in Jesus Christ, simply because they lack that upon which we ourselves set no value. Incidentally to this convincing argument Paul has stated a principle that sweeps away the hope of every one who is expecting salvation on the ground o f his good works (whether they be good works o f the Mosaic law or any other law). That principle is, “By the works o f the law shall no flesh be justified.” It speaks well for Peter that later in life he commended Paul, who had so sternly rebuked him, and speaks o f the very epistle in which the rebuke was recorded as “ Scriptures” (2 Peter 3 :15, 16): Saturday, April 20 . Gal. 2 : 17 , 18 . Paul continues his argument with Peter. It is this: “You and I, Peter, have sought justification in Christ (v. 17, R. V .). The position you are now taking virtually says that justification is not found in Christ. If that is so, then you and I are still found to be sinners while seeking justification by
o f the finest characters in the New Testa ment, was carried away by their dissimula tion. At first thought it seems incredible that this “good man and full o f the Holy Ghost” (Acts ,’11:24) should do'anything so small and cowardly. But perhaps if we reflect long enough upon our own lives we may find the place where we too played the coward and went with the crowd, though our inmost convictions were against it. Friday, April ig. Gal. 2 : 14 - 16 . It is a sad picture that we have had of Peter and Barnabas and the rank and file o f the Christians in the verses immediately preceding, but in these verses we see that we have occasion to thank God that there was. a Paul present to administer the needed rebuke to these erring brethren, a rebuke so greatly needed, for great principles were imperiled. It was not that Peter and the rest were teaching that the Gentiles must be circumcised to be saved. That ques tion had been settled at the Jerusalem coun cil (Acts 15:1-29). But they were teaching by their example that the uncircumcised, though in Christ and fully justified, were not on an equality with the circumcised. Peter and Barnabas and the rest in this action “walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel.” More literally translated, “they walked not straight accord ing to the truth o f the gospel.” “According to the-truth o f the gospel,” in Christ Jesus there is neither circumcision nor uncircum cision (cf. ch. 3:28; 6:15). God has cleansed the hearts of the uncircumcised as well as the hearts of the circumcised, by faith (Acts 15:8, 9). It is well to note that Acts 15 : 8 , 9, tells us that it was Peter himself who had said this. As they “walked not straight according to the truth o f the gospel” Paul rebuked Cephas before them all. The argument that Paul used with Cephas in his rebuke' was unanswerable. “ Though thou art a Jew,” said Paul, “thou habitually livest as do the Gentiles and not as the Jews (i. e., not observing the Jew ish customs about foods, etc.—cf. Acts
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