The Jerusalem Leaders' Assessment of Paul

Jim ButlerGalatians 2:6–10

Galatians 2:6–10 records the Jerusalem leaders' formal assessment of the Apostle Paul — and their verdict vindicates his law-free gospel and silences the Judaizers who claimed Paul was second-rate. Working through four actions of James, Cephas, and John — they added nothing to his gospel, recognized his calling, extended the right hand of fellowship, and commended care for the poor — the sermon demonstrates that Paul's message of justification by faith alone was never in tension with the Jerusalem church. The sermon closes with two sustained applications: the cessation of the apostolic office and the ordinary, church-regulated path to gospel ministry today, and the insistence that genuine justification always produces practical love for the poor and obedience to God's law.