We’ve all heard of peer pressure, when someone or some group gets a person to go along with their thinking or actions, even if that other person wouldn’t initially do that on their own. The group putting the pressure on the other individual will often try to make their actions look good and right. Sometimes they will use subtle or mild bullying tactics to get the other to comply, saying that person is a coward, or that they will look bad to others, or use a mild threat. Fear of embarrassment or looking bad will often cause the one person to go along with the group. In today’s Scripture from the Book of Galatians tells the account of the Apostle Peter, and how he succumbed to peer pressure from the wrong group, even though he knew better. Let’s take a look.
In order to fully understand the situation, we need to look at some background first. During the first few years following Jesus’ Ascension back into heaven, believers were almost exclusively from a Jewish background. Then the Holy Spirit began moving upon the apostles' hearts to fully obey the command Jesus gave, to bring the Gospel to everyone, including the Gentiles. We read about one of the earliest Gentile conversions in Acts 10, when Peter brought the Gospel to the Roman centurion Cornelius. At around the same time believers in the city of Antioch were also sharing the Gospel with Gentiles.
This disturbed some of the more devout orthodox believers, those from a more Pharisaical background. They felt that if a Gentile was to become a believer in the Lord Jesus, then they first needed to become Jewish, that is, to be circumcised, follow a kosher diet, and follow all of the Law of Moses. Only then, they felt, could they really be a believer and follower of Jesus. However, this was not what God wanted or intended, and through the direction of the Holy Spirit, a meeting or council was held by the church leaders in Jerusalem, and the Holy Spirit directed that neither circumcision, nor eating kosher was necessary (Acts 15:7-29).
This did not sit well with a segment of the Jewish believers, and they went around to newly established churches in Gentile areas, teaching contrary to what the Jerusalem Council and the Holy Spirit had directed. This group, commonly called Judaizers, strongly opposed Paul, Barnabas, and Silas, all throughout their missionary journeys, and as our Scripture today shows, they were beginning to influence Peter.
As we read here in Galatians, Peter stopped eating with the Gentile believers, because the Judaizers felt that was wrong to do. Peter was afraid of losing popularity with these legalistic Judaizers, even though they were self-righteous, and promoting teachings that the Church body had said was wrong. Were these men really sent by James, or did they just claim to be? I think it likely that, though they came from Jerusalem, they were not sent by James, as he had headed up the Jerusalem council which had said that the Old Testament Law was not necessary to keep.
Peter was guilty of sin by aligning himself with these men he knew to be in error, and because of the harm and confusion he caused the Gentile believers. By withdrawing from Gentile believers to fellowship with the Judaizers, which Peter knew was wrong, he was giving the impression of not holding divine doctrine of salvation by grace alone through faith alone. Those who followed Peter’s lead were not walking in line with God’s Word. Paul knew he had to confront Peter before his actions damaged the Church, so Paul publicly opposed Peter. Paul did not talk to others about this. He went to Peter face-to-face. We should never imagine that our choices affect only ourselves, and no one else. Peter led Cornelius and his household to the Lord, even though they were Gentiles, but now, out of fear of losing popularity and condemnation from Judaizers, he stopped eating with, and fellowshipping with Gentile believers.
Salvation is only through faith in Christ, and not by the Old Testament Law. We cannot live a life that is pleasing to God, apart from faith in Jesus Christ. No amount of attempting to earn our way to God will ever work. We need to cling to Jesus, and put to death an old, independent way of living, just as if we ourselves had died. Now we live by faith in the Son of God. The Law served as a mirror to reveal sin, not as a cure for it. If these Judaizers were right, then Jesus was wrong, as He had taught that food could not contaminate a person (Mark 7:19; Acts 10:13-15). Jesus can never be wrong, as He Himself is God. Never let pressure from others get you to do something that you know is contrary to God’s Word.
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