154: Peter’s Hypocrisy

In Galatians 2, the Apostle Paul rebuked the Apostle Peter in a very passionate and direct manner.

Through the Apostle Peter the Lord began to break down some of the barriers between the Jews and Gentiles. Peter ate shrimp, lobster, and bacon with the Gentiles in his new-found freedom! However, when the Judaizers showed up, Peter was intimidated. Peter wanted to convince these guys that he was keeping the law, but in order to do that, he had to withdraw from fellowship with the Gentiles. The love feasts were becoming unloving! Peter, an apostle with great influence, succumbed to pressure, separated himself from those who didn’t keep the law, and attracted other Jewish Christians (including Barnabas) to separate themselves as well, thus causing division in the body.

“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 2:14)¹

Paul rebuked Peter “before them all.” Paul is saying, “Peter! You yourself haven’t been following the Jewish law, and now you’re trying to force the Gentiles live like the Jews? You’re not practicing what you’re preaching! That’s hypocritical!” Hypocrisy is pretending to be what we’re not. In this context, it was Peter having been freed from the law, was acting like he was still in bondage to it. He was under grace, but to please mere men, he acted like he was still under law.

Paul went on to plead with Peter by telling him that even though they were Jews by birth, they did not have an advantage over the Gentiles:

“We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW NO FLESH WILL BE JUSTIFIED.” (Galatians 2:15-16)

The cross is offensive to the flesh. The reason people reject pure grace is because they have to check all their best efforts, their investment in self-righteousness, and their reputations at the door. All that work that they did to “get close to God” and “get right with God” and to appear righteous to other people is worthless! But often it’s simply too costly for them to let go.

I often think about Paul and what he went through to keep the Gospel pure. The enemy is so cunning that he can deceive those who at one time believed the simplicity of the Gospel (like Peter, for example). What is his goal? Fear, control, division, and passivity. And of course, hypocrisy. That’s the one that the world sees and rejects Christianity altogether.

To be fair to Peter, he was a great apostle and God’s hand chosen man to preach on the day of Pentecost when the church was born and 3000 people were saved. He was a great leader and defended the cause of the Gospel with passion. He was persecuted, and eventually martyred for his faith. His hypocrisy is recorded for us not to dishonor his name, but to show us that even the strongest leaders can be tempted to compromise the Gospel.

(from pages 243-244 of Unveiling Jesus)

Want more from Tricia Gunn? Check out excerpts from the Unveiling Jesus 20-part series!

Unveiling Jesus, by Tricia Gunn, is a verse by verse study of the pure gospel of grace. It’s an amazing journey of love, identity, and freedom in Christ.

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¹All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New King James Version. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®.  Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.  Used by permission.