The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Galatians 2:12-20, “For prior to the coming of certain men from James, (Peter) used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision.
13 The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.
14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?
15 “We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles;
16 nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be!
18 “For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor.
19 “For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God.
20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

What do you do when someone accuses you of something you positively did not do?
Most of us would furiously leap to our own defense! But what do you do when you see a person keeping company with a questionable group? Do you leap to accuse the compromiser? That’s precisely what the Apostle Paul did.

These were the early days of the Christian faith. Prior to this time, many Jews believed
that salvation was achieved in blending Christianity with the Law of Moses. These Jews were called “Judaizers.” Peter held to salvation in Jesus; however, his fraternizing with the Judaizers was a compromise. That’s when Paul challenged Peter and insisted on salvation being in Jesus Christ alone.

“For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed,” (meaning, holding to the Law of Moses), “I prove myself to be a transgressor” against the Christian faith. It must have been a hard pill for Peter to swallow. At the same time, Christianity cannot tolerate compromise of any sort!

If we laugh at jokes that are tainted with profane words, we are compromisers! The joke
Itself may rate a laugh, but not with the intrusions of unacceptable words. Ultimately, Simon Peter sided with Paul in upholding Jesus Christ as the only LORD and Savior! We must uphold Him as well, or we bring disrespect on the only faith that rescues from sin. We must always stand faithfully in and for our LORD Jesus Christ!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom