5 But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you. 6 But from those who were of high reputation (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—well, those who were of reputation contributed nothing to me.
Unequivocating and unyielding was Paul’s terse response to the threats of legalism to the gospel message. He would not bend to human pressure, regardless of the source. There could be no modification of the gospel of grace that brings freedom from the law, not in the slightest.
We simply point out the obvious in his statements. First, he was motivated to preserve the “truth of the gospel.” Doctrine, contrary to cultural Christians of today, does matter, particular at the core issue of God’s work in Christ. The gospel was completely new and was of a completely different nature than the law of Moses. There can be no mixture of the two. This was not merely an intramural debate among differing persuasions in the broader context of the Christian religion—it struck at the core, the very nature of the Christian faith.
Second, Paul was unconcerned with the reputation of any individual who might be seen as modifying the core message of the gospel. Earlier he said even if he himself were to change the message, then let himself be accursed (Gal 1:8-9). Reputation meant nothing to Paul, neither his nor anyone else’s.
Third, his attitude modeled that of God, who shows no partiality. The Lord uses people, but He is not beholden to them. It is only by His grace that He uses any of us, and we dare not abuse that role by tampering with the truth.
Finally, Paul asserts dogmatically that the so-called “pillars” of the early church, Peter, James and the rest of the Jerusalem leaders “contributed nothing to me.” He bows to no man when it comes to preserving the truth of the gospel..
The early church was in the throes of a major issue, namely overcoming old prejudices against the Gentiles. It took some time for them to transition their behavior to coincide with their belief in the gospel of grace, and to fully understand the commissioning of Acts 1:8 that the message was to the “uttermost parts of the world.” Acts 10 chronicles the apostle Peter’s early struggle with preaching the gospel to the Gentiles. It didn’t come easily for him and so required a revelation from God in the form of a sheet lowered from heaven with unclean animals. After the ensuing conversion of Cornelius in Caesarea, in Acts 11 he reported in detail the whole event to the church in Jerusalem. Paul cemented the issue – the gospel did not require the law!
Lord, help us not to treat the doctrine of the gospel of grace as simply one of many theological interpretations. It is the core of Your message to us today.
This is very good stuff! Too often folks seem to give great weight to “reputation”, whether it be a person, or a denomination, as far as how much credence is given to certain teachings. We all need to be willing to “test evrything, and hold fast to what is good.” If Paul would not exempt himself from scrutiny, how much less should anyone today, or any group, act as if it is preposterous to even raise questions about their teachings. If the teaching is legitimate, it should not be difficult to show that fact from a careful explanation of God’s word. May the Lord help us all to be willing to learn, and be corrected by God’s word. Thanks for your labors Chuck!
Thanks Tom. It is my pleasure to write these if the Lord uses them for blessing. Chuck