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Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—
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and all the brothers and sisters with me, To the churches in Galatia:
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who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
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But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased
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to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being.
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Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days.
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And they praised God because of me.
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I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain.
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Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.
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As for those who were held in high esteem—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—they added nothing to my message.
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For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles.
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James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.
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Paul Opposes Cephas
When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.
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For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group.
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The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
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“But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!
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I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
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Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?
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So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
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The Law and the Promise
Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case.
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The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.
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What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise.
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Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator.
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A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one.
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The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father.
