2:1 after fourteen years It is unclear whether these 14 years are in addition to the three years Paul mentions in Gal 1:18, or whether they include them.

Barnabas Paul’s mentor and companion during his first and second missionary journeys. During both journeys, they traveled through Galatia together (Acts 13–14). Paul mentions Barnabas to add credibility to his story: Barnabas witnessed the approval of Paul’s gospel message by the apostles in Jerusalem.

Titus Titus was a Greek Gentile and companion of Paul. He is mentioned to demonstrate that the leaders of the church in Jerusalem did not pressure him to be circumcised. This would have discredited any claim that the leaders in Jerusalem required that Gentiles be circumcised.

2:2 because of a revelation Attests to Paul’s motivation for traveling to Jerusalem. He was responding to God’s direction, not human invitation. He was concerned with aligning his ministry to the Gentiles with the work of the Jerusalem apostles. In essence, he was not the rogue minister that his accusers claimed he was.

laid out to them Paul explained the gospel he preached to the gentiles so the Jerusalem leaders could give approval of his ministry.

influential people Peter, James, and John (Gal 2:9). These men were considered influential because they were among the original apostles who ministered with Jesus during His earthly life and were key leaders in the early church. Paul went to the “most important” leaders for confirmation of his gospel message.

running This imagery is about faithfully living the gospel message (Phil 2:16; 3:12–14; 2 Tim 4:7). In this case, Paul hoped that the Jerusalem leaders would prove him to be faithful by approving of his law-free gospel. If the leaders had required Gentiles to be circumcised, then Paul’s gospel would have been discredited. Paul’s account of his faithfulness to the gospel serves as the basis of a later appeal he makes to the Galatians (Gal 5:7).

2:3 But not even Titus Since Titus was Greek, he would not have been circumcised. His presence at this meeting supports Paul’s claim that he fully disclosed his gospel message to the apostles (v. 2). The question about whether non-Jewish believers needed to be circumcised (for salvation or acceptance into the Christian community) already had been resolved; hence, the apostles would not have compelled Titus to be circumcised.

2:4 false brothers These individuals likely were suspicious of Paul because of his law-free gospel. Paul refers to them in order to draw a parallel between his story and the circumstances of the Galatians. The Judaizers who have infiltrated the Galatians represent as much threat to the gospel as the false brothers Paul mentions here.

might enslave us Indicates why the false brothers spied on the meeting between Paul and the leaders.

2:5 yield in subjection Paul intends for his response to the false brothers to serve as a model for the Galatians in their present situation.

truth of the gospel This phrase refers to the integrity of the message of the gospel and its implications for Christian living (v. 14). In particular, Paul seems to have in mind the truth that the gospel frees believers from the law and its requirements, including dietary laws and circumcision (vv. 1–10; 5:2–6). For Paul, the truth of the gospel is more than an abstract concept; it is a new life of faith and love in Christ (5:6).

2:6 those who were influential Refers to the leaders of the Jerusalem church. Paul recognizes the authority of the Jerusalem leaders, but does not grant them special status on account of their role in the early ministry of Jesus. The false brothers may have considered the Jerusalem leaders to have great authority because of this association.

added nothing Paul insists that the Jerusalem leaders approved of the gospel he preached to the Gentiles (non-Jewish people) without any objections. This statement is confirmed by the fact that they did not require Titus, a Gentile, to be circumcised (v. 3 and note).

2:7 just as Peter to the circumcision Peter was recognized as the apostle to the Jews. The leaders of the church in Jerusalem recognized that Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles was just as valid as Peter’s ministry to the Jews.

2:9 Cephas See note on Gal 1:18.

pillars This metaphor indicates the supportive and integral roles that James, Peter, and John fulfilled as apostles in the early church (compare Matt 16:18).

the right hand of fellowship This act indicates the acceptance of Paul’s apostleship and gospel message by the apostles in Jerusalem, as well as the recognition of their partnership as ministers. If the Galatians were formerly concerned that Paul might be a rogue apostle, they no longer needed to be. Paul had full support of the “pillars” of Jerusalem all along—the Jerusalem apostles came to recognize that every apostle has their own area of ministry.

2:10 we should remember the poor The leaders likely encouraged Paul to help the economically impoverished believers in Jerusalem. As Paul continued to focus on his role as the apostle to the Gentiles, they did not want him to forget the Jewish believers in need.

thing I was also eager to do Expresses Paul’s shared desire to contribute to the poor in the Jerusalem church. Paul frequently mentions in his letters his effort to raise funds among the Gentiles to support the poor Jewish believers in Jerusalem (Rom 15:25–28; 1 Cor 16:1–4; 2 Cor 8:1–6). Paul also knew that remembering the poor represented a further opportunity to unite Gentile and Jewish believers (2 Cor 8:6).

2:11 Antioch Located in Syria, nearly 300 miles north of Jerusalem. Several Gentile believers lived in Antioch, and many missionaries went from Antioch to other Gentile regions (Acts 13:1–3). Peter’s visit to Antioch is not recorded in Acts.

I opposed him Paul felt strongly about the implications of Peter’s actions for the gospel message and so confronted him directly.

2:12 certain people Unlike the false brothers (false believers) mentioned in Gal 2:4, these people came to Antioch with authority from James the apostle. However, Paul does not specify the reason James sent them.

eat with the Gentiles Since Gentiles did not observe Jewish food laws, the groups did not eat together. At first, Peter shared meals with Gentiles as an act of unity in Christ, but his later separation from them reinforced a divisive atmosphere in the Antioch church.

Gentiles

he was afraid Paul does not mention that the people from James tried to persuade Peter, only that their presence intimidated Peter and caused him to act against the truth of the gospel—that God’s cleansing mercy makes both Jew and Gentile one people of God (Acts 10:34–35, 45, 47). Peter’s actions are hypocritical because he witnessed this cleansing mercy firsthand at Cornelius’ home (Acts 10) and because, as one of the Jerusalem leaders, he already approved of Paul’s law-free gospel (see Gal 2:10).

2:13 Jews also joined in this hypocrisy Peter’s actions influenced the rest of the Jewish believers in Antioch, who previously had made it their custom to eat with Gentile believers. Paul calls their actions hypocritical because they were hiding their true beliefs and practices in order to be viewed favorably by the people from James.

Barnabas Barnabas was also known as Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus (Acts 4:36). As a Jewish believer, he was susceptible to the same pressures Peter faced to observe dietary laws. The Galatians would have known Barnabas as Paul’s companion from his first and second missionary journeys through Galatia (Acts 13–14).

2:14 the truth of the gospel Paul uses this phrase in Galatians to describe actions that violate the truthfulness of the gospel message (see Gal 2:5; compare Eph 1:13; Col 1:5). By withdrawing from meals with Gentiles, Peter and Barnabas effectively returned to life under the law and discredited the gospel’s promise of freedom in Christ.

live like a Gentile Peter, an ethnic Jew who followed Jewish food laws (Acts 10:14; Lev 11), began to practice table fellowship with Gentile believers on account of the revelation that God can make all people clean (Acts 10:15, 34–35). Peter’s actions demonstrate the irrelevancy of the law for those “in Christ.”

Gentiles

Gentiles to live like Jews Expresses the aim of Judaizers to force non-Jewish believers to observe certain aspects of the law.

2:15 not sinners from among the Gentiles Captures the attitude of most Jewish people of the time toward Gentiles. From the Jewish point of view, a sinner is a person who does not live by the law. Because the Gentiles were not given the law, they are sinners by default (compare Rom 2:17–29).

2:16 justified Paul’s notion of justification can be interpreted as an ethical transformation that makes a person righteous or as a forensic transaction by which a person is declared righteous and acquitted. Paul likely has both aspects in mind: Those who place saving trust in Christ are declared righteous by God and become righteous.

works of the law Refers primarily to requirements of the law that Jews observed to preserve their ethnic identity and honor their covenantal obligations (dietary laws, circumcision, etc.). The phrase also might describe legalistic observance of these requirements to gain favor before God. Paul recognized the significance of these works for those under the law, but insists they have no value when it comes to justification (compare Gal 5:6).

faith in Jesus Christ Refers to the believer’s saving trust in what God has done through Christ or, possibly, to the faithfulness of Christ. Paul contrasts faith in Christ with the works of law that are described in chs. 3–4.

2:17 is Christ an agent of sin From the Jewish perspective, being without the law means being a sinner. According to this view, if Paul teaches that justification in Christ requires that one abandon the law—and thus become a sinner—then Christ must be a promoter of sin. Paul addresses this quandary in the following verse.

2:18 I show myself to be a transgressor Paul preached a law-free gospel that did not require non-Jewish people to observe the law. If his words or actions suggested that law observance was necessary for salvation, he would be contradicting that gospel.

2:19 through the law I died to the law Christ’s death and resurrection frees believers from the law and its curse (3:10–14; 4:4–5).

I have been crucified with Christ Paul does not refer here to physical death, but to the death of his former self (see Eph 4:22). Paul’s understanding of union with Christ begins with the cross of Christ. This enables Paul to endure shame, contempt, and false accusations like Jesus, God’s Suffering Servant (Col 1:24; Phil 1:29).

2:20 Christ lives in me Refers to new life in Christ as well as the presence of God’s Spirit, which empowers obedience to the gospel (Gal 3:2; 4:6; 5:16–18, 22–25).

the Son of God Paul’s title for Jesus anticipates the parallels he will draw between slavery and the law, as well as sonship and promise (4:4–7). Faith in the Son of God transforms a person from a slave to a child of God.

gave himself for me Paul describes the sacrificial love of Christ in personal terms. Christ’s willingness to die on behalf of sinners brings deliverance from the power of sin for those believe in Him (1:4).

2:21 the grace of God This suggests that Paul’s opponents had accused him of using God’s grace to justify unrighteous living. See v. 17 and note.