11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.
12 For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles, but when they came, he began to shrink back and separate himself, fearing the party of the circumcision.
13 And 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 before everyone, “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 Jesus Christ, 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.
Quotes:
“It’s a kind of treachery, like a husband who removes his wedding ring so he can play the part of a single man. It’s an act of dishonesty and disloyalty.” (Dr. Todd Wilson)
“By his withdrawal from the Gentiles, Peter had, in effect, joined the Judaizers in belittling Paul’s inspired teaching, especially the doctrine of salvation by God’s grace alone working through man’s faith alone.” (Dr. John MacArthur)
“If the article of justification by faith is lost, all Christian doctrine is lost.” (Martin Luther)
“Faith is a total surrender to Jesus Christ, a complete acceptance of all that He is and all that He has done for our salvation. The reason faith justifies is that it take hold of Christ, and Christ is the one who makes us right with God. We are acceptable to God—not by keeping the law ourselves, but by trusting in the only Man who ever did keep it, Jesus Christ.” (Dr. Philip Ryken)