Justified by Faith, Not by Works

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1. Observe

   What did Paul refuse to allow regarding Titus when he went to Jerusalem?

   • He refused to let Titus speak to the Jerusalem elders directly
   • He refused to allow Titus to be compelled to be circumcised
   • He refused to let Titus eat with Jewish believers at the Jerusalem council
   • He refused to allow Titus to be baptized again in the Jewish manner

2. Observe

   What specifically did Peter do at Antioch that prompted Paul to confront him publicly?

   • Peter denied that Gentiles could be full members of the church
   • Peter preached circumcision was necessary for salvation in a public sermon
   • Peter withdrew from eating with Gentile believers when envoys from James arrived, fearing those of the circumcision
   • Peter refused to shake hands with uncircumcised believers in the assembly

3. Interpret

   Why is Peter's withdrawal from Gentile table fellowship not merely social awkwardness but a betrayal of the gospel itself?

   • It was rude and hurt the feelings of the Gentile believers, damaging church unity.
   • Peter was violating Roman social customs that required equal hospitality to all guests.
   • Peter simply forgot the lesson God had taught him in the vision of Acts 10.
   • By separating from Gentile believers, Peter acted as if their status before God was incomplete without Jewish markers — his behavior implied that faith in Christ was insufficient for full standing, that ethnic-religious boundary-keeping was still necessary, and that Gentiles needed to "become Jewish" to be truly acceptable; this was not a social problem but a theological statement made in practice, contradicting the gospel that justifies all people equally by faith.

4. Interpret

   What does Paul mean when he says "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me"?

   • Paul experienced a literal near-death experience that changed his personality.
   • Paul is speaking metaphorically about leaving his old career as a Pharisee behind.
   • The believer's old self — defined by self-will, law-keeping, and independence from God — died with Christ at the cross, and the life now being lived is animated by Christ himself through faith; this means the law is no longer the governing principle of the believer's identity, because the one who was under the law has died and been replaced by a new person whose life flows from union with Christ and is sustained daily by faith in the Son of God who loved him.
   • Paul means he has no personal identity left and simply does whatever the church community tells him to do.

5. Apply

   Peter's hypocrisy at Antioch shows how fear of others' opinions can cause us to act against our convictions. Where in your life does peer pressure or the desire for acceptance cause you to withdraw from people the gospel embraces?

   • Peer pressure only affects immature believers and is not a problem for those who are more spiritually advanced.
   • The solution is to avoid all social situations where you might be pressured to compromise.
   • Simply ignore what others think and make no effort to understand their perspective.
   • Most believers face moments where social cost makes it tempting to distance ourselves from people the gospel includes — whether that is a person of a different background, someone others look down on, or someone our social circle excludes — and Peter's example warns us that even seasoned leaders can cave, so we need accountability and the clarity of the gospel itself as a check on our behavior.

6. Apply

   Paul says "if righteousness is through the law, then Christ died for nothing." How does this statement challenge any tendency to add personal performance to the basis of your standing before God?

   • It means believers never need to do good works of any kind since they are already righteous.
   • It means the law is completely irrelevant and believers need not read the Old Testament.
   • It means religious effort alongside faith is acceptable as long as you do not call it "earning" salvation.
   • The statement exposes the internal logic of every performance-based approach to God: if my obedience, religious practice, or moral effort contributes to my standing before God, then the cross was an overreaction to a problem human effort could have solved; but if Christ had to die, it means the standard of righteousness is beyond human reach, and the only way in is through His death received by faith — which means adding any performance-requirement to faith is not humility but an insult to the cross.

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