Paul and Peter

Paul and Peter: Galatians 2  

When discussing the early church, one must remember that the church was still mostly comprised of Jews. The Jews could range from the Zealots to the Pharisees, but were mostly made out of the latter. The Pharisees, though, with Christ’s spirit and good intentions, still messed up by trying to push their customs on the Gentiles, making them uncomfortable.

When Peter was not around other Jews like these, he tended to be more lenient of their beliefs (the Gentiles’). However, once other Jews started to come from James, Peter was reluctant to eat with the uncircumcised Gentiles. Paul, disgusted with Peter’s apparent hypocrisy, openly scolds him of said hypocrisy in a lengthy monologue (Galatians 2:14-21). Peter humbles himself, and defends the Gentiles in the future Jerusalem Council.

Even today, there could be similar situations. A church might plant another church in the middle of town. The pastor, however, might not want the homeless to enter without bathing, thus causing the homeless to not be able to enter. The church automatically loses its influence and the church becomes estranged from the homeless.

As Christians, we need to learn to adapt. Just because a certain custom, tradition, or anything else makes us feel uncomfortable, it doesn’t mean we have to shun them. Now, if it goes directly against the Bible, we should bring it into question. That doesn’t mean we should shun them, though, just that we may try to help thme in that area.

So, that is my opinion. If you have any helpful advice, objections or your own opinions, write them in the comments. I’d like to hear your opinion.