Food for Friday
But when I saw that they walked not uprightly, according to the truth of the Gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? Galatians 2:14
When I was in grade 9, I joined the school’s air force cadet corps. I got to dress up once a week in an air force uniform, I got to take part in military drills and exercises, and I got to take part in regular target practice with the specially designed rifles they had for us. I even got to go on a flight in an old air force DC-3 transport plane that they brought in to the Trenton airfield. But I was never able to make much of a cadet, because I could never learn to march. I would be out of step, or I would be moving incorrectly, or I would be veering off to one side or the other. Even the highly-polished shoes they provided did not help a bit; I simply did not have the correct walk for a cadet. I was something like those who Paul is referring to in today’s text, who did not have the right walk for a Christian.
Just as the air force has strict rules about how to march, so too does God have for those who serve Him. Being out of step withn the sergeant’s orders is wrong for a cadet; being out of step with the truth of the Gospel is wrong for a Christian. The truth of the Gospel is essential, as Paul reminded Peter. And Peter got the message, and corrected his misstep. It was well that he did, because he was badly out of step, making a difference between Jewish and Gentile believers, reinserting elements of the law where they did not apply.
We need to be aware of and shun legalism today. But there are many other forms of not walking according to the truth of the Gospel that we need to watch for. It is fairly easy to weed out those who follow the blasphemous doctrines of the cults. Some of the more ‘main-line’ denominations are a bit more difficult, because they hold to some of the truth, and add their own supplementation. But what about those who appear to preach the same Gospel as us, but neglect the necessity for repentance? Some would urge listeners to embrace Christ without ever telling them to forsake their sins. Others would present a Gospel that requires baptism or a second blessing of some sort. The truth of the Gospel means all of the truth, and nothing but the truth.
The truth of the Gospel cannot ever be compromised. If we walk in that truth, we will not stumble or be out of step with God’s purposes. –Jim MacIntosh