Gospel People Part 3: Gospel Unity
Gospel People was a series I taught through the book of Galatians. The title came from the primary issue of the book: whether people define themselves by the Gospel or works they can accomplish. This writing series will outline the points I used in teaching the book of Galatians and will hopefully serve as a starting point for you in teaching it as well.
Finding unity is one of the toughest things for people today. The lines that divide people seem to be more pronounced than ever and are becoming harder to cross by the day. The tone of modern discourse more closely resembles a fistfight than a conversation and doesn't seem like it will change soon. This leads many people to give up and assume unity is an unattainable goal. Without God, that may be true, but Christians are called to unity with each other. Christian unity is the topic Paul discusses in the first half of Galatians 2. In Paul's view, the Gospel is the ultimate source of unity and should be the foundation for our unity today.
When I taught this passage, I broke the text up into two major sections.
1. Unity in Foundation (Verses 1-6)
Paul continues the storyline from chapter 1 and prepares us for the scene he'll share in verses 1 and 2.
"Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain."
Paul spent chapter 1 showing that his Gospel came directly from God but uses chapter 2 to show that it was in harmony with other believers. After 14 years of following Jesus, Paul meets up with the church leaders in Jerusalem to present to them the Gospel he was preaching. This was not Paul questioning whether his teaching was valid but rather making sure they were all in agreement. When major decisions are being made, a couple may bring up a conversation many times just to make sure they are moving forward in unity. This is how Paul viewed this time.
The end of verse 2 shows how important this unity was to Paul. In his mind, this meeting was necessary to make sure he "had not run in vain." If other church leaders wouldn't walk in unity with Paul, he saw it as an undoing of his whole ministry. Unity was not a nice addition to his ministry; in Paul's thinking, it was a prerequisite.
Paul begins to present how the meeting went in verses 3 through 5.
"But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out sour freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you."
It may seem like a major departure in theme to discuss the circumcision (or lack thereof) of Titus, but this was often the issue used to show what one thought about the Gospel. Paul's teaching was that a person was free in Christ apart from the law. This meant a person did not need to keep the law, which included circumcision, to be saved. When people snuck in to try to push Titus to be circumcised, they were really asking Titus to come under the demands of the law. This was something Paul, as well as the other leaders, did not give in to "even for a moment." The unity of the Gospel must be a unity of freedom, not over law-keeping.
Paul gives his conclusion on their foundation in verse 6.
"And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me."
Paul's ultimate discovery was that his Gospel aligned perfectly with the other church leaders. When Paul says that the influential "added nothing to me," he means that they did not contribute any major element to his teaching. After comparing Gospels, Paul found affirmation that what he was teaching was the truth. Paul and the church leaders were in complete unity as to their foundation.
2. Unity in Mission (Verses 7-10)
While Paul and the church leaders he met with were in agreement over their foundation, Paul shows their different functions in verses 7 and 8.
"On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles)"
These verses use Paul and Peter as primary contrasts. Everyone recognized that Peter and Paul had different calls, different audiences, and different missions to fulfill. For many believers, comparing callings can be a big problem. When we see other believers fulfilling their mission, it becomes easy to think we should be doing exactly what they are doing. Peter and Paul didn't think like that. They saw beauty in their distinct callings. Both had a call to share the Gospel (a call all believers share), but both were comfortable with the different ways they were led to fulfill that call.
Verses 9 through 10 finish on this same theme.
"And when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do."
The ultimate declaration from this meeting was that Paul was welcomed by the church leaders. The phrase "the right hand of fellowship" was a common cultural act that showed total acceptance of another person. With the Gospel as their foundation, Paul was welcomed in as a brother and recognized as someone whom God was working through. When believers have the Gospel in common, both in doctrine and in practice, true fellowship is the result. This is the end believers should strive for. In a world of division, any form of unity can seem attractive. It's important to teach that true unity can only be found with the Gospel as its base.
Two main questions arise from the text for us today. First, what is the type of unity you are trying to seek out? Many have found unity with others through common interested, political affiliations, or just simple proximity. All of those provide a kind of unity, but not one that can endure disagreement. Only unity built on the Gospel can do that. Second, how are you welcoming others who have the same foundation? Unity is something everyone is looking for. When we encounter other believers, rather than seeing the small reasons we may have for division, we should focus on the major reason we have for unity. When the church is united, it is most able to fulfill the mission God gave it.