This week we encounter some conflict between Paul and Cephas (Peter) - conflict is never particularly pleasant, but it is a reality in churches, and something which was required in this situation, as we will see:

'But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”' (Galatians 2:11-14)

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Face-to-face

Paul's conduct here in the first verse is a good example for us. Paul and Cephas are both significant leaders in the church, and Peter was found in sin, so needed rebuking for that sin (see 1 Timothy 5:20). This does not mean that it is our job to point out everyone else's flaws, because that would be contrary to Jesus' teaching about seeing the speck in your brother's eye (Matthew 7:1-6). It means that one leader, out of love for his brother or sister, should address a clear sin to that person's face. The only alternative is to gossip about their sin, which is certainly 'not in step with the truth of the gospel' (Galatians 2:14). An elder at my church recently quoted someone wise by defining gossip as 'discussing someone's situation when you're not part of the problem, or part of the solution.' If we're part of the problem we ought to confess our sin, perhaps to the person we've sinned against, or perhaps to a leader, whichever is more suitable. But if we're part of the solution, as Paul is, we need to confront the problem head on - and in this case that meant talking to Cephas.

Fear of man

Fear is mentioned twice in this passage, once explicitly, and once implicitly. They are both fear of man. Cephas was 'fearing the circumcision party' (Galatians 2:12), and Barnabas feared being alienated by his friends, so bowed to peer pressure as he 'was led astray by their hypocrisy' (Galatians 2:13). This leads us back to where we landed a couple of weeks ago. Paul wrote, 'If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ' (Galatians 1:10). There's a simple battle we all face, whether we like it or not, and whether we care to admit it or not. Who do you fear the most? Are you willing, as Cephas was, to compromise Christianity in order to please man, or will you join with Paul in saying 'I am not ashamed of the gospel' (Romans 1:16)?

Hypocrisy

Running through this entire passage is this word hypocrisy. Paul shows us in verse 14 the logical thought that draws him to this word - Cephas had become a Christian out of Judaism and was now living like a Gentile, but then wanted the Gentiles to adopt Jewish practices - he was acting hypocritically! But do we do the same? What hypocrisies exist in our minds, in our lives, and in our churches? Do we believe some parts of the Bible because it's the Word of God, but ignore other parts because it's outdated? Do we freely receive forgiveness for our sin, but refuse to admit our sinfulness in some areas? Do we confess our sin to God and to others, but continue to return to it? Do we talk about loving one another, but can't remember the last time we invited someone over for dinner? Let's get practical: do you believe that God wants to bless you with a wife, but you spend all day at work and all night on the Xbox?

However public or private your hypocrisy, I'm pretty certain we've all got some somewhere. How about we take some time out this week to try and think of areas in which we're hypocritical, and clarify our Christianity? I'm reminded of James' words: 'So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin' (James 4:17).