Gospel Grit: The Jerusalem Summit Text: Galatians 2:1-10
Introduction: The Unadulterated Gospel
We live in an age of compromise. Our politicians do it, our institutions do it, and most tragically, our churches do it. The spirit of the age whispers a seductive lie into the ear of the modern evangelical: be reasonable, be winsome, find common ground, don't be so dogmatic. The pressure is to soften the edges of the gospel, to make it more palatable to a hostile culture, to add a little something here or take away a little something there to make it go down easier. We are told that the gospel of grace alone is too stark, too offensive, too simple. And so men try to improve it. They add social justice, or political activism, or therapeutic self-esteem, or, in the case of the Galatians, a little bit of old-fashioned religious rule-keeping.
But the gospel plus anything is not the gospel. The gospel plus works is a different gospel, which is to say, it is no gospel at all. It is a counterfeit, a fraud, a soul-damning lie dressed up in religious piety. And the Apostle Paul understood this down to his bones. For Paul, the purity of the gospel was not a secondary issue to be debated by theologians in ivory towers. It was the central issue. It was the line in the sand. It was the hill to die on. The controversy in Galatia was not a minor intramural squabble. It was a war for the soul of the church.
In our text today, we see Paul go up to Jerusalem for a high-stakes summit. This was not a meeting of a board of directors where the corporate mission statement was up for a vote. This was a confrontation, a showdown. Paul goes to Jerusalem not to have his gospel validated by men, but to have the one true gospel, which he had received by revelation from Jesus Christ, publicly acknowledged by the other apostles. He goes to ensure that the counterfeit gospel of the Judaizers would be given no quarter. What we witness here is apostolic backbone. It is gospel grit. And it is a lesson we desperately need to relearn today, lest we find ourselves running in vain.
The Text
Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also. And I went up because of a revelation, and I laid out to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but I did so in private to those who were of reputation, lest somehow I might be running, or had run, in vain. But not even Titus, who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. But this was because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us. But we did not yield in subjection to them for even a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you. But from those who were of high reputation (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality), well, those who were of reputation contributed nothing to me. But on the contrary, seeing that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised (for He who worked in Peter unto his apostleship to the circumcised worked in me also unto the Gentiles), and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. Only they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I also was eager to do.
(Galatians 2:1-10 LSB)
A Strategic Summit (vv. 1-2)
We begin with the setup for this crucial meeting.
"Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also. And I went up because of a revelation, and I laid out to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but I did so in private to those who were of reputation, lest somehow I might be running, or had run, in vain." (Galatians 2:1-2)
Notice the timeline. "After fourteen years." Paul is not some insecure rookie rushing to Jerusalem to get his apostolic credentials stamped. He has been preaching the gospel faithfully for well over a decade, planting churches, and seeing the power of God transform Gentile lives. His authority comes from God, not a committee. In fact, he tells us he went up "because of a revelation." God sent him. This was a divine mission, not a human summons. Paul is not reporting to his superiors; he is obeying his Commander-in-Chief.
His approach is filled with wisdom. He laid out his gospel "in private to those who were of reputation." This is not cowardice; it is strategy. Paul knows that a public food fight would be disastrous for the church. He goes to the leaders, the pillars, James, Peter, and John. He wants to secure the unity of the church at the highest level. His concern about "running in vain" is not a confession of self-doubt about his message. Rather, he is concerned that if the Judaizers succeeded in driving a wedge between his Gentile mission and the Jerusalem church, his work would be isolated, undermined, and effectively nullified in the broader life of the church. He is fighting for the catholicity and unity of the one body of Christ.
The Titus Test Case (vv. 3-5)
Paul brings a living, breathing exhibit of his gospel with him: Titus.
"But not even Titus, who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. But this was because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us. But we did not yield in subjection to them for even a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you." (Galatians 2:3-5)
Titus is the test case. He is an uncircumcised Greek, and he is a beloved brother and minister of the gospel. He is Exhibit A that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone, apart from the works of the law. If the Jerusalem apostles had forced Titus to be circumcised, it would have been a public capitulation to the Judaizers and a complete repudiation of Paul's gospel. The entire principle was at stake in the flesh and blood of this one man.
Paul identifies the enemy with blunt clarity: "false brothers." He does not mince words. These are not well-meaning but mistaken Christians. They are infiltrators, spies, and saboteurs. Their mission is espionage against Christian liberty. They "sneaked in" like thieves in the night to "spy out" the freedom of the saints in order to "enslave" them. The language is one of warfare. The gospel of grace brings freedom. The counterfeit gospel of works brings bondage. These men wanted to put the chains of Mosaic ceremony back onto men whom Christ had set free.
Paul's response is the model for all faithful pastors. "We did not yield in subjection to them for even a moment." Not for an hour. Not an inch. There can be no negotiation with those who would corrupt the gospel. To compromise here would be to betray Christ and to sell the Galatians back into slavery. Paul's stand was not for his own ego or reputation. He stood firm for one reason: "so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you." He was their champion, fighting for their liberty.
One Gospel, Two Mission Fields (vv. 6-9)
Having won the crucial battle over Titus, Paul describes the outcome of his meeting with the pillars.
"But from those who were of high reputation (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality), well, those who were of reputation contributed nothing to me... and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship..." (Galatians 2:6, 9)
Paul's respect for the Jerusalem apostles is clear, but he is not in awe of them. His gospel did not come from them, and so it was not subject to their review. "What they were makes no difference to me." This is not arrogance; it is a profound statement about the source of his authority. The gospel stands above every man, even the most esteemed apostle. He notes that these pillars "contributed nothing to me." They did not add to his message, correct it, or amend it. They could not improve upon a perfect revelation from Jesus Christ.
Instead, they did the one thing that was needful: they recognized the grace of God on Paul's life and ministry. They saw that the same God who was powerfully at work in Peter's mission to the Jews was just as powerfully at work in Paul's mission to the Gentiles. There were not two gospels, a Jewish one and a Gentile one. There was one gospel, entrusted to different men for different mission fields.
And so, the pillars, James, Peter, and John, did the only right thing. They "gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship." This was the formal, public seal of approval. It was a declaration of partnership, of unity, of shared faith. It was a complete and total vindication of Paul and his gospel, and a complete and total repudiation of the false brothers who sought to divide the church.
The Fruit of Grace (v. 10)
The summit concludes with one simple request.
"Only they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I also was eager to do." (Galatians 2:10)
This is not a postscript. It is not an addition to the gospel. It is the natural, beautiful fruit of the gospel. The Judaizers wanted to add law as a requirement for fellowship. The true apostles demonstrated their fellowship through love. This request for the Gentile churches to send aid to the famine-stricken saints in Judea was a practical outworking of their unity in Christ. It was a tangible way to show that these two branches of the church, Jew and Gentile, were part of the same vine.
Notice that this is not a social gospel. It is not a command to remake the Roman economic system. It is a call for diaconal mercy within the covenant community. And Paul's response is telling: "the very thing I also was eager to do." This was not a burden imposed upon him, but a joy he was already pursuing. True faith, the kind that saves, is never alone. It is a faith that works through love, and one of the first expressions of that love is care for our brothers and sisters in need.
Conclusion: No Other Gospel
The lesson of the Jerusalem summit is as relevant today as it was in the first century. There is one gospel. It is the gospel of the sovereign grace of God, received by faith alone, in Christ alone. This gospel is not up for negotiation. It cannot be amended, improved, or supplemented.
The enemies of this gospel are still among us. They are the false brothers who sneak in to spy out our freedom and bring us back into bondage. They may come demanding adherence to political platforms, or cultural sensibilities, or therapeutic fads. They may use the language of love and unity, but their goal is to place a yoke upon the disciples of Christ. They want to add their own requirements to the finished work of Jesus.
We must have the same grit as the Apostle Paul. We must not yield for a moment. Our task is not to make the gospel palatable, but to proclaim it purely. True unity is not found by compromising the truth, but by standing together upon it. When we stand firm on the unadulterated gospel of grace, we find that we are then free to extend the right hand of fellowship to all who call on the name of the Lord, and to joyfully and eagerly remember the poor. Let us contend for this faith once for all delivered to the saints, so that the truth of the gospel will remain for our children and our children's children.