Galatians 2:11-14 Paul Condemns Hypocrisy, and Stands For Christian Liberty

When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs? We already learned that the 12 apostles accepted Paul as an apostle too. Paul invites Peter to come with him to the gentile church. The gentiles are not under the law of Moses and have no dietary restrictions as the Hebrews do. Peter reluctantly shares meals with the gentiles in an act of liberty given by Christ on the Cross. But when other Hebrews showed up, Peter in an act of hypocrisy draws back as though he was doing something wrong. But Paul confronts him to his face and tells him that if he being a Jew was released from dietary laws, why is he now ashamed of the liberty given in Christ? Daily Prayer: Lord, we have been given freedom from the law. We only must love the Lord God with a whole heart and love our neighbor as ourselves. This is the fulfillment of the law you intended. Let us live our life in this manner. In your holy name I pray Amen.