What we see here in chapter 2 is something that is rare which we probably won’t see anywhere else, one apostle rebuking another apostle. Why does Paul bring down the hammer on Peter in verses 11-14? Well, one of the reasons Paul is writing to the Galatians is because there are false teachers that are invading the church teaching a false gospel. These teachers are Judiazers who are saying to be saved you must follow the Mosaic law and be circumcised, but Paul is saying that is false. There is only one true gospel and that is righteousness through Christ by repentance and faith. So, one day Peter comes down to Antioch and he acts all cool with the Gentile believers, he hangs out with them, kicks his feet up with them, but when some Jews also come down to Antioch Peter immediately acts like a stranger to those, he was kicking it back with. The reason that he does so is because he fears the Jews and does not want them to know that he was hanging out with the Gentiles, so his true colors come out that he was showing partiality. God hates partiality, God does not like it when we regard one group over the other because God shows mercy to all. By doing this Peter is jeopardizing the unity of the church by picking sides instead of encouraging them all to fellowship since Christ breaks down the wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles. That is not the main reason why Paul rebukes him, the main reason is that in that moment Peter was putting at stake the integrity of the gospel. What Peter was suggesting by aligning himself with the Jews was that the Gentiles were truly not people of God. That is because the Jews were still living according to the law and by joining them the apostle Peter was pretty much making a bold statement that this is the true way of salvation. If his actions suggested that Gentiles were not truly people of God that means that people were not actually justified by faith alone and that is a direct attack on the work and person of Jesus Christ. Peter by acting that way was aligning himself with the false teachers because of fear and he put the integrity of the gospel at risk. Brothers and sisters, it is a very serious thing when we put the integrity of the gospel at risk. When we put the integrity of the gospel at risk by minimizing it to a set of rules or regulations, or by adding works to our salvation that is a very dangerous thing because it is a direct attack on the work and person of Christ. That is why it was necessary for Paul to rebuke Peter in that instance. Instead, Paul knew that it was necessary to remind the Galatian church that if you repented of your sins and believed in Christ then you have been crucified with him also. If you have been crucified with Christ it is no longer the old you who lives, but someone who has been transformed by deep and sovereign grace and we can live by faith in the Son of God who loved us to the point of death. I want to remind you all that no matter how many times we hear the gospel, we can never outgrow it, we will never stop learning about it, we will never stop being transformed by it, but the gospel is daily at work in us reminding us that even though we did not deserve it, we have been met with much grace and mercy. If you are drenched in sin and you feel tired and ashamed, remember, the gospel promises us forgiveness and rest if we run to Christ. There is nothing we can do to gain a righteous standing before God like the Judaizers believed, but we can believe in Christ who will cover us with all of his righteousness. I pray you find a fresh and renewed love and zeal for the gospel of Christ.