Paul'S Gospel Under Attack But Victorious

From the very first preaching of Christianity, there was a difference of apprehension between those Christians who had first been Jews and those who had first been Gentiles. Peter was the Apostle to the circumcision, but Paul was the Apostle to the uncircumcised. He informed us of another journey, which he took to Jerusalem v.1-10.

It was not until fourteen years after the former mentioned chapter 1:18. It was some evidence that he had no dependence upon the other apostles, that he had been so long absent from them, and was all the while employed in preaching pure Christianity, without being called into question by them for it. He went up with Barnabas, and also took Titus with him. If the journey here, spoken of, was the same as the journey that was recorded in Acts 15, then we have an explained reason why Barnabas went along with him; for he was chosen by the Christians at Antioch to be his companion and associate. Though Titus had now become not only a convert to the Christian faith, but a preacher of it too. Yet, he was by birth, a Gentile and uncircumcised and therefore, by making him his companion, it appeared that their doctrine and practice were the same.

He went up by Revelation; it was a privilege with which this apostle was often favored to be under a special and divine direction. This should teach us to endeavor, to see our way made before us, and to commit ourselves to the guidance of Providence.

While at Jerusalem, Paul communicated the gospel to them, which he preached amongst the Gentiles, but privately. He gave them a fair account of the doctrine, which he preached to the Gentiles, and was still resolved to preach. Paul chose to preach private than public because he had to be very prudence and caution here. The reason for Paul being very cautious is because he did not want to stir up opposition against himself and thereby cause the success of his past preaching to be weakened or his future usefulness to be obstructed. Paul wanted to make sure that they did not disagree, or his ministry would have been useless, and they did agree. They did not even demand that Titus be circumcised; though he was a Gentile. It did not appear that the apostles at all insisted upon this, they were not for imposing it upon the Gentiles, but their were others who did, false brethren, unawares brought in, to spy out their Liberty which they had in Jesus Christ. Their plan was to bring them into bondage. Had they prevailed with Paul to circumcised Titus, they would have easily have imposed circumcision on the other Gentiles, which would have brought them under the bondage of the Law of Moses, but Paul would not give place by subjection, no, not for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with them. Paul would not yield to those who were for the Mosaic rights and ceremonies, but would stand fast in the liberty where with Christ had made us free.

Though he conversed