READ: Gal. 2:6–10: … they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me …
Paul’s preaching of the gospel is affirmed in Jerusalem by the other apostles. They did not impose anything additional on him. In other words, his gospel was not lacking. No comments were made regarding fulfillment of the ceremonial law.
Paul points out that people—like the Judaisers among the Galatians—tend to place the apostles on a pedestal. But Paul wants nothing to do with that. Later he calls himself the least of the apostles because he persecuted the church (1 Cor. 15:9).
But when it comes to him and the other apostles, what matters is the authority granted to them by God, their proclamation of the gospel, and their obedience to God. It’s not about who they are as individuals.
Paul points directly to God: “God shows no partiality to man” (v.6). In that light, Paul is no less than the apostles who knew Jesus in person during His earthly life. He, too, is an apostle—and therefore no lesser apostle.
Later, Paul will even have to rebuke Peter when he fails to act consistently (Gal. 2:11f).
The authority granted by God must be recognized, and respect is important, but if someone goes against God’s Word, then God’s Word is the standard. In that case, personal status becomes irrelevant.
Ultimately, it becomes clear that the apostles fully agree that Paul should preach the gospel to the Gentiles. It is, after all, the same God working through the apostles among the circumcised Jews and through Paul among the uncircumcised Gentiles (v.8).
We should read this with gratitude; Paul will have felt especially supported in his preaching—free from the obligation to keep ceremonial laws.
It’s important to recognize that he did not view his message as his gospel but as the true, pure, divine gospel. It is also significant that the other apostles thereby acknowledged Paul’s authority as coming from God.
The apostles then expressed their desire for Paul to continue his preaching independently as an apostle, and they confirmed this with a handshake.
Does someone’s personal status influence us?
Sing: Ps. 40:1