Connect360: Liberation by Grace

• Lesson 3 in the Connect360 unit “A Cry for Freedom: Grace That Is Still Amazing” focuses on Galatians 2:1-10.

The Jerusalem leaders realized God had indeed called Paul and sent him to proclaim Jesus to the Gentiles, just as certainly as Jesus called Peter to be sent to the Jews. Both Peter and Paul proclaimed Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, as the Son of God, preaching salvation that was totally provided by God through His grace. They both proclaimed there was no other name under heaven by which men must be saved, other than Jesus Christ. The same Lord effectively working through Peter was the same Lord effectively working through Paul (2:8). There is only one salvation provided by God’s grace in Jesus, one Savior, one gospel, and all believers in the Lord Jesus are sons of God (Galatians 3:26–29).

The reputed pillars of the church (2:9) were James (the Lord’s brother), Peter and John. All three recognized the grace that had been given to Paul by Jesus, and therefore stood with Paul, Barnabas and Titus in front of the whole Jerusalem congregation, and extended to them a visual portrait of the oneness and unity that exists in the Lord’s church and mission. They extended to them the right hand of fellowship, demonstrating Paul, Barnabas and Titus were affirmed to be partners in the same mission as the reputed “pillars.”

Paul’s team and Peter’s team were all part of Jesus’ team. They had been gifted to reach different ethnic groups, but they all were commissioned to go and make disciples of all nations. Peter’s giftedness was primarily suited for reaching Jews, whereas Paul’s giftedness was primarily cosmopolitan and thus multiethnic, multinational and multilingual in nature.

All of this becomes a case study of the power of God’s grace. Peter was gifted to preach in the Jewish culture he was raised in, but Peter had to learn a few lessons. Remember his struggle to set aside the Law, even in order to obey God, and even though he was famished from hunger (see Acts 10)? In a vision, God lowered a sheet of unclean animals and ordered Peter to kill and eat. But he wouldn’t because they were unclean animals, and Peter never ate unclean animals, as per the Law. God told him not to call unclean what God had cleansed. God had to do this three times to get through to Peter.

Also, Cornelius was a Roman officer who feared God, whom God told to send for Peter to come to his house. Peter went, and when he arrived Peter realized that he needed to go inside the Roman’s house. But instead of saying: “I don’t associate with unclean people,” Peter went into the house.

Cornelius’ house was full of his relatives and friends. Peter realized that God sees all people the same, and that God wants all people to come to him through Jesus. In Acts 10:34–35. Peter began with: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation [ethnos—ethnic group] the man who fears him and does what is right is welcome to him.” He preached Jesus to them, and the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them. I wonder if these experiences flooded into Peter’s mind, as he dealt with the issues of welcoming Gentiles into God’s church and God’s people.

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