It would be good for us to take some time and go back and clarify in our own minds and in our own hearts, what are the commandments of God?  Now it doesn’t pertain to the ten commandments anymore.  We’re not under the authority of the ten commandments any longer.  Jesus came and fulfilled the law; amen?  So, the law has been fulfilled.  The law is only there now and pertains to the lawless.  Look at 1 Timothy 1:9 and we see one thing there that’s given us some great insight into this.  He’s talking about the fact that the law is for the lawless and prior to that He said, the end of the commandments is love, out of a pure heart and a good conscience and of faith unfeigned.  Paul had admonished young Timothy, he said listen, “Charge those that they teach no other doctrine.  Emphasize edification.  The end of the commandment, love out of a pure heart.”  And we know that at this time, Judaizers we’re trying to bring the church back under the law.  We had the counsel at Jerusalem that had to take place with this as the main theme because some had come out of Jerusalem teaching that you needed to be circumcised as it pertained to redemption, that it had to be included with the finished work of Jesus.  That these certain aspects of law had to also be a part of our redemption.  And we find the great counsel that took place in Jerusalem, and I won’t get into that right now.

We might at another time look into this a little closer, but the transition from Judaism into Christianity was not a clear-cut thing.  They didn’t have all of the Pauline epistles.  While this was going on, Paul was off in the wilderness with Jesus, while the other pillars of the church, or as Paul said its, “so called,” were trying to work this thing out.  Paul’s having a vision, a visitation into the heavens.  Paul was hearing things that are not lawful to others.  Just think what some of that must have been when what he did utter were all of the great revelations of the mysteries of the resurrection of Jesus, of the finished work of redemption, of our justification, praise God!  All of these things that were unknown that the prophets desired to look into.  Paul got this glimpse and brought us that revelation by the Holy Ghost.  We see that it was a difficult transition. 

In the churches in Galatia, and at one encounter—Galatia was not just a church, Galatia was a region, many churches within it, but it was a whole region.  And the confrontation between Paul and Peter that took place was very telling.  Peter had caught the revelation and was now walking free from that bondage that then those that came from Jerusalem Peter then was swayed by their visitation, by their influence.  It says even Barnabas got caught up in it and Paul withstood them to their face; amen?  Let me just share one thing, when people are distorting the doctrine of God, withstand them to their face; amen?  This is nothing that should be given place, ever, in the community.  It’s leaven that will leaven the whole lump.  It also shows that no matter how mature we are, as Peter was, we can get off base.  We need to be taught constantly and reminded of the truth of God’s Word.  And the great truth that Peter learned there from Paul, evidenced fruit when they went to the counsel of Jerusalem because it was very clear in Jerusalem what position Peter was taking.  There was no confusion left any longer in his mind of that vision that was had at Cornelius’s house.