“Ten Lies About God: Lies on How to be Saved and Walk with God”

Galatians 2:11-14

INTRO. When President Bill Clinton’s cabinet stood before the public and

certified his innocence with Monica Lewinsky, many with no first

hand access to the facts were persuaded by their testimony. His

later confession created a bitter pill for many to swallow. Some of

these good people got caught in a bad lie. Prominent people can

create some powerful lies. Dr. Erwin Lutzer in his Book, TEN LIES

ABOUT GOD, identifies some commonly held beliefs about God and

His dealings with man. While these ten lies are believed and

circulated in American culture today, these lies have been around

since the fall itself.

In fact, in our text, lies about God were promoted in the early Church.

one region of Asia Minor (Modern Turkey) suffered from a particularly

powerful lie created by a prominent person. In the letter to Galatians,

the Apostle Paul confronts a lie that changed the very nature of the

gospel. The lie added works to faith. What this lie does is to invalid-

ate God’s Grace and make it null and void. Grace is the free gift of

God offered to undeserving sinners such as us all. If we add works to

Grace it is no longer grace and Salvation becomes something that God

owes us for our works. Paul said in Romans 11:6, “And if by grace,

then it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it

be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”

Salvation from the first to the last must be either of grace or of debt.

These things are so directly contrary to each other that they cannot

be blended together (Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Concise Bible

Commentary). Else grace is no longer grace - The very nature of grace

is lost. And if it be of works, then it is no more grace: else work is no

longer work - But the very nature of it is destroyed. There is

something so absolutely inconsistent between the being justified by

grace, and the being justified by works, that, if you suppose either,

you of necessity exclude the other. For what is given to works is the

payment of a debt; whereas grace implies an unmerited favour. So

that the same benefit cannot, in the very nature of things, be derived

from both (John Wesley).

Paul combats and confronts thelie and the liar in our text and

sentences him to serious condemnation. The “Galatian Heresy”, as it

came to be known, twisted thewhole process of salvation and sancti-

fication. The lie confused people about how to be saved and how to

walk with God. Paul explains his arguments against this distorted

message in the later part of Chapter 2 through Chapter 5 of

Galatians. To prepare his readers, Paul narrates how this same

distortion divided the Church at Antioch. Let us look at this as we

think on the subject, “Ten Lies About God: Lies on How to Be Saved

and Walk With God.”

(1) PROMINENT PEOPLE CREATE POWERFUL LIES

A. The Beginning of Antioch Church. The Church in Antioch began

among Gentile believers with little or noexperience under the Mosaic

Law. The Jerusalem Church sent an apostolic representative, Barna-

bus, to inspect and report on thesituation. Barnabas reported back

to the Church at Jerusalem of their genuine conversion and the Holy

Spirit’s work among them. He did not require Gentile believers to

submit to circumcision or perform any other ceremonial rights required

by Moses. Under the teaching of Paul and Barnabas the Antioch

grew and flourished.

B. The Beginning of the Problem (v12a). Peter joined Barnabas and

Paul in Antioch for a time of joint ministry. The trouble began when a

delegation of Jewish believers from Jerusalem began attending the

Church. In verse 12 we read, “For before that certain came from James,

he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and

separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.” Peter

“withdrew and separated himself..”, theoriginal wording leads us to

believe this process occurredover some time. Fear always leads to a

lack of faith! Notice the words, “fearing them which were of the

circumcision.” When Peter first came to Antioch, he mingled with the

Gentiles and ate with them; but after these visitors arrived, he

withdrew himself and put up the old Jewish barriers again. The reason

was fear (1). Proverbs 29:25 tells us, “the fear of man bringeth a

snare…”

ILLUS. Fear doesn't want you to make the journey to the mountain. If

he can rattle you enough, fear will persuade you to take your

eyes off the peaks and settle for a dull existence in the

flatlands. -- Max Lucado, Christian Reader, Vol. 32, no. 3.

C. The Blunder Peter Made(v12b). Fear caused Peter to falter. The

blunder hemade was a result of three things:

  1. Peter lost sight of the vision at Joppa, which opened his under-

standing to God’s work with the Gentiles (Acts 10).

  1. Peter forgot about God wondrously saving Cornelius (a Gentile)

and his whole household (Acts 11).

  1. Peter forsook his fellowship with Cornelius even though he had

earnestly defended Cornelius and his newfound faith to those who questioned it (Acts 11).

The fear of man will always cause us to falter. It was Peter’s fear that

caused him to withdraw and separate himself from the Gentiles. It

was Peter’s fear which lead him to keep silent.

D. The Blinded People who followed (v13). Prominent people can create

powerful lies. Peter was one of the most respected apostles and a

pillar in the Church in Jerusalem. Whatever Peter did would influence

numerous uninformed people. They would and did follow his lead.

Even Barnabas fell into the trap, amazing his missionary companion,

Paul. Peter’s decision to boycott the Gentiles involved more than a

mere social choice. When Church leaders or television evangelists

abandon faith and morality, they damage the faith of many!

A choice of whom to eat with hardly seems noteworthy. Peter did not openly modify the gospel message nor did he teach a different gospel verbally. Why did Paul consider Peter’s behavior to strike at the very heart of the Christian

messsage?

(2) POWERFUL AND DANGEROUS LIES CAN BE EITHER VERBAL OR

BEHAVIORAL

A. Notice how Paul describes what happened (v14):

  • He saw them (not heard them).
  • He observed them withdraw from fellowship with Gentile believers.
  • He interprets their behavior as not being “..straightforward about the truth of the Gospel.” “They walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel.”walked not uprightly--literally, "straight": "were not walking with straightforward steps." Peter and Barnabas were not walking uprightly. What we believe determines how we behave. Because Peter and Barnabas were confused about spiritual truth, they were unable to walk a straight line. Notwithstanding Peter's character, yet, when Paul saw him acting so as to hurt the truth of the gospel and the peace of the church, he was not afraid to reprove him (Matthew Henry).

Peter and the others behavior communicated a lie about the Gospel. While

they were not telling lies, they were living lies.

B. Nothing could be more fundamental or essential than understand

Ing how to satisfy God’s requirements. This seemingly harmless

behavior communicated a serious lie about God. Does a person need to

have faith in Jesus and be a circumcised observer of the law? When Paul

saw that Peter and the others did not live up to that principle which the

gospel taught, and which they professed, namely, That by the death of

Christ the partition wall between Jew and Gentile was taken down, and

the observance of the law of Moses was no longer in force; as Peter's

offence was public, he publicly reproved him (Matthew Henry). The

“truth of the Gospel” is not only something for us to defend (v5), but it is

also something for us to practice (2). Thetruth of the gospel--which

teaches that justification by legal works and observances is inconsistent

with redemption by Christ. Paul alone here maintained the truth against

Judaism, as afterwards against heathenism (2Ti_4:16-17).

  1. Nowadays public lying has become so common in America that we

Hardly consider Peter’s actions a problem.

ILLUS. According to polls reported by USA Today, Americans lie-and

are lied to-much more than we realize. Citing statistics from the

book The Day America Told the Truth, the newspaper reported

that 91% of American lie routinely (3).

But Paul considered Peter’s behavior such a serious threat that he con-

fronted Peter publicly. Note the blaring rebuke Paul gave to Peter, “you

are a Jew, said Paul to Peter, “but you used to live like the Gentiles, with no barriers between you and the other Christians. Now you want the Gentiles to live like Jews, doing what you did not even do yourself!”

There is a very great difference between the prudence of St. Paul, who

bore with, and used for a time, the ceremonies of the law as not sinful,

and the timid conduct of St. Peter, who, by withdrawing from the

Gentiles, led others to think that these ceremonies were necessary

(Matthew Henry).

The Gospel must NOT BE COMPROMISED either verbally or behaviorally.

We can communicate a lie about God with our lives just easily as with our

lips. In Fact, a powerful and dangerous lie need not to be spoke to entrap

even good people.

(3) EVEN GOOD PEOPLE CANGET EASILY TRAPPED IN A BAD LIE

Galatians 2:13—“And the other Jews dissembled likewise with

him:insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with

their dissimulation.”

A. Peter feared the consequences of living out the truth in front of

the Jewish visitors. Maybe Peter anticipated fierce criticism. Rather

than face their censure head on, he withdrew from the Gentiles. We

must not be afraid to stand up for the truth whether it be among the

heathen, i.e. the lost, or among the brethren! Peter was a good man,

who because of fear, got trapped in a bad lie.This same Peter, through

fear of man (Pro_29:25), was faithless to his own so distinctly avowed

principles (Act_15:7-11). We recognize the same old nature in him as

led him, after faithfully witnessing for Christ, yet for a brief space, to

deny Him. "Ever the first to recognize, and the first to draw back from

great truths" [ALFORD].

  1. All the other Jews in theChurch in Antioch saw Peter’s actions

and followed his lead. This split Jewish believers and Gentile

believers. This unspoken lie lead to division in the Church. By his

actions Peter in effect was teaching that there were two bodies of

Christ, Jewish and Gentile. And that was heresy (4). No doubt, it

also offended the Gentiles who began to wonder if they had truly been saved or if something else should be added to their faith in Jesus death on the Cross. These Jewish believers who had previously enjoyed their fellowship with their new “brothers” in Christ. They were good men who got trapped in a bad lie. dissembled likewise--Greek, "joined in hypocrisy," namely, in living as though the law were necessary to justification, through fear of man, though they knew from God their Christian liberty of eating with Gentiles, and had availed themselves of it already (Acts 11:2-17). The case was distinct from that in 1Co. 8:1-10:33; Rom. 14:1-23. It was not a question of liberty, and of bearing with others' infirmities, but one affecting the essence of the Gospel, whether the Gentiles are to be virtually "compelled to live as do the Jews," in order to be justified (Gal_2:14) (Jamison, Fausett & Brown Commentary).

C. At last, even Barnabas was trapped by their bad lie. It must have

crushed the Apostle Paul who now stood as the lone Jew among the Gentile believers. The pressure must have been great for Barnabas to succumb because he was from Cyprus, a Gentile Center, and was involved in a missionary program with Paul to reach the Gentiles with the gospel (5). Barnabas’ defection hurt for several reason:

  • Barnabas birth name was Joseph but the Apostles renamed him “son of encouragement” which characterized his ministry. He typically smoothed things over and brought healing to relationships (Acts 4).
  • Barnabas certified Paul’s conversion and introduced him into the Jerusalem Church. This was no small task since Paul had earned a reputation for savage persecution of believers. Paul had become the most feared man among the Churches at that time (Acts 9).
  • Barnabas headed the first apostolic delegation from Jerusalem to investigate the Church in Antioch. His report authenticated their genuine conversion and welcomed them into the fellowship of believers (Acts 11).
  • Barnabas identified solid teaching as thebasic need of the Antioch Church. He personally recruited Paul who was languishing in Tarsus at the time (Acts 11).
  • According to Galatians 1, Paul and Barnabas had journeyed to Jerusalem to seek clarification about Gentile responsibility to the Mosaic Law. Now, even Barnabas who had brought Paul and the Apostles together, who had brought Jerusalem and Antioch together, who had brought Antioch and Paul together now joins those who split the Church’s fellowship. Even Barnabas": one least likely to be led into such an error, being with Paul in first preaching to the idolatrous Gentiles: showing the power of bad example and numbers. In Antioch, the capital of Gentile Christianity and the central point of Christian missions, the controversy first arose, and in the same spot it now broke out afresh; and here Paul had first to encounter the party that afterwards persecuted him in every scene of his labors (Act_15:30-35) (Jamison, Faussett & Brown Commentary on Galatians). Barnabas was a good man trapped by a bad lie.

All of them-Peter, the other Jewish Christians, and Barnabas-were guilty of hypocrisy because while they were confessing and teaching that they were one in Christ with the Gentiles, they were denying this truth by their conduct (6).

CLOSING: Lies about God wreak havoc among Christians. What Peter had

initiated created a public scandal and deserved Paul’s public

rebuke. Peter stood condemned. He was acting contrary to his

own convictions, was betraying Christian liberty, and was casting a

slur on fellow believers. Such behavior needed this severe repri-

mand (7). Lies about God are rampant in our world today. Every

time Barna or Gallup survey supposed Christians they reveal

almost unbelievable inconsistencies. Seemingly good people appear

unable to distinguish between truth and error. Look at the large

numbers of good people deceived each week by these televangelists

who promote lies in the name of Christ. There are serious

consequences in failing to grasp the truth about God. Perhaps you

have followed a large number of other believers without checking to

see if their conduct squares with Scripture. Let us stand with Paul

and not end up as good men trapped in a bad lie.

NOTES: 1. Warren W. Wiersbe. Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New

Testament. Pg. 520.

  1. Wiersbe. Pg. 520.
  2. Robert J. Morgan. Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories,

Illustrations & Quotes. Pg. 443.

4. John F. Walvoord & Roy B. Zuck. The Bible Knowledge

Commentary on the New Testament. Pg. 595.

5. Walvoord & Zuck. Pg. 595.

  1. Walvoord & Zuck. Pg. 595.
  2. Walvoord & Zuck. Pg. 595.