Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? (Galatians 2:11-14)

Paul Withstood Peter To His Face

No man is perfect, and all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Jesus is the exception, as He lived a sinless life. The challenge for the human spirit is growing in faith to sin less in life by the grace of God. Many valiant saints of the Lord have exemplified their lives with great faith. They have become legendary examples of the character to serve God with all faithfulness. But even the best of men struggle with their faith. Many people were around Jesus when He walked on the earth. Twelve disciples shared a close relationship with the Son of God, and Peter, James, and John held a closer place with Jesus.

Simon Peter was a central figure in the ministry of Jesus. There were times Peter showed his trust and faith in the words of Jesus, and there were times that Peter failed miserably to understand Jesus’ plan. He was a deeply convicted man who greatly loved his Lord and teacher. His faith struggled with an impetuous desire to show boldness before Jesus. On the night of Jesus’ betrayal by Judas, Peter denied his beloved Lord three times. He could hardly contain his grief when he looked into the eyes of Jesus. His heart was broken when he heard that Jesus had died. When Peter heard the tomb was found empty, he ran to see it with his own eyes.

Peter’s faith settled with great firmness as he spoke about the crucified Son of God on Pentecost. The early days of the church were filled with activities of opening up the gospel of grace to a lost and dying world, and Peter was at the center of kingdom work. He and John were arrested for preaching Christ, and then the twelve were arrested and beaten. Peter opened the gospel to the Gentiles when he took the gospel to the home of Cornelius. There had to be excitement in Peter’s mind when he first met Saul of Tarsus, who had become a disciple of Jesus Christ. Peter would have read the news of Paul’s work in the kingdom with great interest.

Saul of Tarsus became known as Paul the apostle. Paul knew he was a latecomer to the apostleship and, in many ways, undeserving of the honor of being called a child of God. James, Peter, and John, pillars of the church, gave Paul the right hand of fellowship, that he should go to the Gentiles to preach the gospel. Peter would work with the Jews to show them the Christ. On one occasion, when Peter came to Antioch, Paul confronted the aged apostle. When Peter first came to Antioch, he would eat with the Gentile Christians, but when Jews later came with James, Peter would not eat with the Gentiles. This was an egregious affront to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Paul did not hesitate to challenge Peter. The apostle Peter had been serving the kingdom for many years, but he was wrong. Peter needed to be corrected in front of all the brethren, and Paul acted with the loving concern of a parent correcting their child. Peter’s faith needed to grow more, and it did. A clear message of Peter’s strong faith is evident in the epistles written by Peter later and preserved by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not provide Peter’s acceptance of Paul’s rebuke, but the text suggests his humble acceptance. Peter did not get angry with Paul, and Paul loved Peter enough to correct him. The confrontation of Paul and Peter is the story of faith, love, forgiveness, the need for deeper study, and how two men loved the Lord more than themselves. Their example would change the hearts of many saints in the church of the Lord if men would follow them.