“And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.” Galatians 2:4-5
Truth is worth defending.
Throughout history, men and women of faith have stood firmly upon God’s Word in spite of intense pressure to compromise. Here in this passage, Paul gives a powerful example of what it means to stand for the gospel of truth. Even when those around seek to distort the truth.
Paul was presenting the gospel he had been preaching to the Gentiles. He didn’t doubt the truth of the gospel, he was demonstrating to the other apostles the unity of the message God had entrusted them with. The gospel Paul preached was the same preached by Peter, James and John: salvation is by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
“False brethren” had secretly entered the church and they were trying to bring believers back under the bondage of the Law. They insisted that the Gentile believers must follow the Jewish customs, including being circumcised, to be fully accepted by God. Paul recognized that this wasn’t just a minor disagreement but an attack on the foundation of the Gospel.
Paul refused to compromise because it would have confused the believers and weakened the message of God’s grace. If he had given in, the church would have turned from the freedom found in Christ to the burden of human effort.
We face the same dangers today. False teachings don’t always make an obvious appearance. Most of the time, they are wrapped in religious language or sincere intentions. False teachings usually add to the gospel, they make it seem like we have to do something else besides fully trust in Christ to save us.
Conviction and humility are both required to stand for the truth. We shouldn’t argue over every opinion or preference we believe in, but we are called to hold fast to the essential truths of God’s Word. Love never requires us to abandon truth, and truth should always be spoken with love.
We should be committed to studying and learning God’s Word so that we are able to defend against false teachings. Ultimately the greatest message to defend is that the gospel of Jesus Christ is complete, nothing should be added to it.
Counted Faithful 