Speaking about his apostolic ministry, Paul mentions certain well-known and worthy people who, however, demanded nothing from him besides the testimony he bore as an apostle. Apparently, in this case he is speaking...
Speaking about his apostolic ministry, Paul mentions certain well-known and worthy people who, however, demanded nothing from him besides the testimony he bore as an apostle. Apparently, in this case he is speaking of the other apostles, and above all of Peter, with whom Paul met and spoke more than once.
In this case Paul remains faithful to Christ and to his ministry: he says that with God there are no great or respected people; for Him, human respect and fame are worth nothing. At first glance this may seem strange: in every matter there are people who are more or less known, experienced, authoritative.
Such authority need not be inflated at all. But the point is that witness to Christ is not an ordinary matter. No special experience is usually required of a witness as such. What is required of him is only that he be an eyewitness of the events described, that he has seen with his own eyes what he is speaking about. The same was required of Paul, who understood this perfectly well. He knew that what he had to speak about fit into no human framework.
Of course Paul used the language and all the riches of his spiritual and religious tradition to tell about what had been revealed to him and about the One whom he had encountered on the Damascus road. But the apostle understood perfectly well that no tradition can contain this revelation whole. And if so, there can be no theology here, no doctrine, no theory at all. Of course, one can invent many theological schemes that in one way or another describe Christian revelation. And in creating them there really are people more or less experienced, more or less authoritative, more or less known.
But God does not need these schemes, and such activity has little to do with what He expects from His faithful. When it comes to witness, only one thing matters: did the witness see with his own eyes what he is speaking about? Applied to Christian witness, everything comes down to the question of whether the witness has the experience of living communion with Christ and of life with Him in His Kingdom.
Paul had such experience, and he was not chasing anything else. Judging by the fact that none of the people then authoritative in the Church demanded anything else from him, one may think that the other apostles agreed with him in this too. That is not surprising: despite all their human differences, all of them were first of all witnesses of Christ and inhabitants of the Kingdom. Everything else was secondary for them, and there was no point arguing about it.
2
2:1 Then fourteen years after - My first journey thither.I went up again to Jerusalem - This seems to be the journey mentioned Act 15:2; several passages here referring to that great council, wherein all the apostles showed that they were of the same judgment with him.
2:2 I went up - Not by any command from them, but by an express revelation from God. And laid before them - The chief of the church in Jerusalem. The gospel which I preach among the gentiles - Act 15:4, touching justification by faith alone; not that theymight confirm me therein, but that I might remove prejudice from them. Yet not publicly at first, but severally to those of eminence - Speaking to them one by one. Lest I should run, or should have run, in vain - Lest I should lose the fruit either of my present or past labours. For they might have greatly hindered this, had they not been fully satisfied both of his mission and doctrine. The word run beautifully expresses the swift progress of the gospel.
2:3 But neither was Titus who was with me - When I conversed with them. Compelled to be circumcised - A clear proof that none of the apostles insisted on the circumcising gentile believers. The sense is, And it is true, some of those false brethren would fain have compelled Titus to be circumcised; but I utterly refused it.
2:4 Because of false brethren - Who seem to have urged it. Introduced unawares - Into some of those private conferences at Jerusalem. Who had slipped in to spy out our liberty - From the ceremonial law. That they might, if possible, bring us into that bondage again.
2:5 To whom we did not yield by submission - Although in love he would have yielded to any. With such wonderful prudence did the apostle use his Christian liberty !circumcising Timothy, Act 16:3, because of weak brethren, but not Titus, because of false brethren. That the truth of the gospel - That is, the true genuine gospel. Might continue with you - With you gentiles. So we defend, for your sakes, the privilege which you would give up.
2:6 And they who undoubtedly were something - Above all others. What they were - How eminent soever. It is no difference to me - So that I should alter either my doctrine or my practice. God accepteth no man's person - For any eminence in gifts or outward prerogatives. In that conference added nothing to me - Neither as to doctrine nor mission.
2:7 But when they saw - By the effects which I laid before them, Gal 2:8; Act 15:12. That I was intrusted with the gospel of the uncircumcision - That is, with the charge of preaching it to the uncircumcised heathens.
2:8 For he that wrought effectually in Peter for the apostleship of the circumcision - To qualify him for, and support him in, the discharge of that office to the Jews.Wrought likewise effectually in and by me - For and in the discharge of my office toward the gentiles.
2:9 And when James - Probably named first because he was bishop of the church in Jerusalem. And Cephas - Speaking of him at Jerusalem he calls him by his Hebrewname. And John - Hence it appears that he also was at the council, though he is not particularly named in the Acts.Who undoubtedly were pillars - The principal supporters and defenders of the gospel. Knew - After they had heard the account I gave them. The grace - Of apostleship. Which was given me, they - In the name of all. Gave to me and Barnabas - My fellow - labourer. The right hands of fellowship - They gaveus their hands in token of receiving us as their fellow - labourers, mutually agreeing that we - I and those in union with me. Should go to the gentiles - Chiefly. And they - With those that were in union with them, chiefly to the circumcision - The Jews.
2:10 Of the poor - The poor Christians in Judea, who had lost all they had for Christ's sake.