Galatians 2:11-21
Paul Opposes Peter
11When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. 12Before 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. 13The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
14When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?
15"We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' 16know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.
17"If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! 18If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker. 19For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"
St. Paul tells us he opposed St. Peter on eating and dietary issues and sharing meals with Gentiles...St. Peter had seen a vision and heard from God that people could eat any food He had made...God told St. Peter, when he was hungry to "Get up...Kill and eat...Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."...Then Peter went to a Gentile's house and ate with a Gentile named Cornelius (Acts 11)...
It seems here that after that incident and St. Peter's vision, St. James had persuaded him to change his opinion on this vision (about food and eating with Gentile)...It appears Peter had subdued to James' pressure and Peter felt again that he should not eat anything (again) unclean...St. Paul disagreed with St. Peter and St. James on dietary and food issues and also eating with Gentiles...What you eat and who you eat with, in St. Paul's opinion, does not make you unclean...
This uncleanliness of eating certain foods and who one ate with would remain a controversy...But Jesus had given the disciples a teaching on this...Jesus taught that it is not what goes in one's mouth that makes one unclean, but it is what comes out of his mouth that makes one unclean (Matthew 15:11)...So St. Paul had taken the position Jesus taught in Matthew 15:11...St. Peter still fought within himself this teaching of His Master...Change is hard...Things we have done day in and day out and over and over are hard to change...This was true even for St. Peter...
The heart of St. Paul's message is not that he and St. Peter disagree on certain issues of food and diet...St. Paul's main point and teaching is that faith in Jesus Christ, and not observing the law is what brings salvation...Just because a Jew or a Gentile observes the law does not justify him or bring him salvation...The Law of Moses is there to show us we are sinners...When people realize this then they are free to seek, study, and find Jesus and are free to put their faith in Him, no matter what their sin or sins...Jesus teaches us that we are reborn in Him, when we have faith in Him and realize that we are sinners...Jesus died for our sins...He brings us salvation...This is something that the Law of Moses cannot do...
Because Jesus forgives us from sins, does that mean we can keep on sinning...St. Paul says absolutely not...We are not to continue to sin and just ask Him for forgiveness, again and again...We are dependent on Jesus...We must realize this...He died for each of us, individually...If we have true faith, we want to live by faith (in Him) and follow Him...We want to try to do good...We want to try to do better...He is the way, the truth, and the life...He wants us to love one another...He gave us a new teaching (He gave us numerous new teachings)...A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another...By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:34-35)...
When we truly love another, we may disagree but still get along...St. Paul and St. Peter did this...Husbands and wives sometimes disagree on certain issues, but still love one another...
St. Paul ends with the thought that following the law does not bring righteousness or salvation...If we just follow the Law of Moses, and all we do are good works, then what else do we need...But this is not the way...It is the grace of God that brings us salvation...Faith in the Father and Son through His grace is what gets us to heaven...If it was only following the Law of Moses that brings salvation, then we do not need Jesus...If this were true, this means that Christ died for nothing...