Hard Conversations – September 11, 2026

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When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. . . “[We] know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.”
Galatians 2:11,16

Hard Conversations

The apostle Paul had to have a hard conversation with Cephas, better known as the apostle Peter. You know the kind of conversation—the one that puts your stomach in knots and that you’d really rather avoid. Paul had to call Peter out in front of the whole church because Peter’s actions were damaging the church.

As more and more Gentiles came to faith in Jesus, cultural questions naturally arose. Did these non-Jewish believers have to follow Jewish customs to belong to the Christian church? Did they have to live like Jews in order to be true Christians? The Bible’s answer is clear: of course not.

Yet Peter had stopped eating with Gentile Christians and ate only with Jewish Christians. By his actions, he was sending the message that faith in Jesus was not enough. If you wanted to be a true believer, you needed faith in Christ and obedience to the Old Testament ceremonial laws.

Paul saw what was happening and recognized the effect it was having on the other believers. Without hesitation, he confronted Peter. Paul was not concerned about fitting in, hurting feelings, or offending people. He was concerned for the spiritual welfare of the entire church. He recognized Peter’s actions for what they really were: a threat to the very message of forgiveness through faith in Jesus alone.

So, Paul reminded them that we are justified—acquitted in God’s courtroom—not by what we do, how we act, or how we live, but solely by wh