Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Galatians 2:14

"But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Cephas before [them] all, If thou, being a Jew, livest as do the Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, how compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?" — Galatians 2:14 (ASV)

Paul has already shown that he opposed Peter to his face because he was wrong (v.11), but we are not to think that he did this because he loved exposing error or, even less, because he loved an argument or wanted to enhance his own prestige. Paul’s real concern was for the truth of the Gospel, and he acted out of the very concern that Peter lacked.

This is the second time that Paul has spoken of “the truth of the gospel” (vv.5, 14)—the good news that men and women are not accepted with God because of anything they have done or can do but solely on the basis of God’s grace shown in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Moreover, on the basis of this death all who believe are to be accepted equally. Peter’s conduct compromised this principle, for it implied that there could be a superiority in some Christians based on race or traditions. It is not enough merely to understand and accept the Gospel, as Peter did, nor even to defend it, as he did at Jerusalem. A Christian must also practice the Gospel consistently, allowing it to regulate all areas of conduct.

The verses that conclude this chapter contain capsule statements of some of the most significant truths of Christianity. In particular, Paul clearly states the doctrine of “justification” (GK 1467–1470) by grace through faith and defends it over against the traditional objection that justification by faith leads to lawlessness. This message is central to the letter, to his Gospel, and indeed to Christianity generally. This statement flows out of the situation at Antioch and anticipates the fuller argument of the same doctrine in chs. 3–4.