We, Too, Have Put Our Faith In Christ Jesus

When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 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. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.

When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas 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?

“We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of 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 the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

Galatians 2:11-16

There are so many moments in Peter’s life when God could have “frozen” him in time. But He never did. Peter, the impulsive disciple “corrected” Jesus, earning a sharp rebuke from the Lord.

He famously denied Christ only to be restored later. And he once contributed to racial divisions within the church.

Peter went on to serve God in the beautiful spirit of unity He intends for us.

No one needs to remain frozen in their worst moments. In God’s grace we can embrace each other, lean from each other, confront each other when it’s necessary, and grow together in His love.

If we confront someone, we should have one goal in mind: restoration, not embarrassment.

Our Daily Bread – August 26, 2018