"...even Barnabas also was carried away with their hypocricy." -The Apostle Paul to the Galatian brethren, chapter 2 verse 13

[El Greco: Apostles Peter & Paul]

As I'm reading through the book of Galatians, which is the book that help set me free from legalism, I have come to Paul's sharing how he had to rebuke Peter. And not only Peter, but also Barnabas, one of his dearest friends. I imagine it was difficult for Paul to do this. Where did he get the courage to speak up against Peter, James, the Lord's brother, and other elders from the church in Jerusalem? And why did he desire to do so?
It was because Paul said earlier, "..though WE, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed."

It's the Gospel of grace that Paul loved. And the Gospel is Christ. Jesus Christ is the good news for sinners. Period. Peter and the others were conveying that the Gospel needed help from our conduct in order for us to be right with God. And so Paul stood firm and dismissed this false impression from Peter, especially Peter, who was Christ's number one Apostle.

Two things in this passage help me. First, to see the Apostle Peter as a hypocrite so many years down the road from when he preached that great sermon on Pentecost is encouraging to me. I can also be the hypocrite. I too need friends to point me to my hypocricy, and hopefully I will repent, and trust the Lord to help me grow less anxious about myself, and more involved with others in this fleeting life.

The other thing is that the Gospel is 100% pure grace. It's grace for the Jew, and for the Gentile. It's grace for the drunkard, and it's grace for the self-righteous religious good person. It's grace for the angry blasphemer, and grace for those who have be gifted with a good measure of self-control, and trust in their own confidence. It's grace for all sinners really.

The Good News of Jesus Christ is that he died for sinners, and He rose from the dead, and is sitting on His throne sovereignly ruling the universe, and He is calling people to Himself, and forgiving their sins. And just as essential and imperative, Christ is setting them free from the power of sin, with His gift of the Holy Spirit, who He sends to indwell each and every sinner who comes to Christ, and so the Holy Spirit makes the sinner new and righteous in the sight of God. Every day from that moment on, begins the process of sanctification of this new convert; this new child of the Lord.

The new creation in Christ will never be the same, and yet he will certainly have moments of pride, lust, self-pity, and even hypocricy, as Peter did. But be encouraged, for Peter had to grow through the same sanctification, and so he listened to his brother Paul, and he moved on, and he grew in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I love to read about Peter, because he reminds me of me, and so I am encouraged, and built up in my faith. (Though I don't consider myself in the same ball park with this great Apsotle.)
Jesus loves His own. He loved Peter, and so sent Paul to him to rebuke him. And so the Lord will do the same today for us, as we walk out our faith, studying & learning His Word, praying without ceasing, and being rooted in a good Bible centered church.