Galatians 2:12
12 For [gar] before [pro] that certain [tis] came [erchomai] from [apo] James, [Iakobos] he did eat [sunesthio] with
[meta] the Gentiles: [ethnos] but [de] when [hote] they were come, [erchomai]
he withdrew [hupostello] and [kai] separated [aphorizo] himself,
[heautou] fearing [phobeo] them which were of [ek] the
circumcision. [peritome] KJV-Interlinear
12 For prior to the coming of
certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came,
he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the
circumcision. NASB
And here is the double standard which began with
how James had been conducting himself, and for which Paul reprimanded both him
and Peter for their behavior and inconsistent application of doctrine.
Doctrine is one standard and it is to be applied to
all in the same manner.
There are not two standards, one for gentiles and
one for Jews.
Circumcision was something that God commanded of
Abraham, who was a grown man, and yet the application of circumcision was
continued down through the generations and applied to infants, not to adults.
It was a teaching aid, to portray faith.
The infant certainly had no knowledge or
understanding of God or salvation, but the adults that circumcised the child would
have knowledge of God and salvation, and why they were performing this
circumcision. The child while growing up, would likewise have a perpetual and
personal reminder of faith every time he urinated.
And that was the intent of teaching aids, which was
to teach principles of doctrine. The
sacrifices and feasts were teaching aids that taught principles of doctrine from
the work of salvation, to confession and fellowship, to spiritual growth and a
relationship with the one unique person of the universe.
This all separated Abraham and Hebrews alike, from
the rest of the pagan world and their false gods and superstitions.
Faith was the key, not a surgical procedure.
Knowledge of doctrine and spiritual growth are also
the important keys of the spiritual life, not ones works or intentions or
traditions or cultural practices.
When culture becomes a source of embarrassment,
especially when you associate with non-cultural folks, then the priorities and
principles are lost.
James had associated with gentiles, the
uncircumcised, but when Jewish folks, the circumcised, came along, then James
would separate himself in an aloof sort of
embarrassment not wanting to be seen with the gentiles, or even associate with
them in public. And in this, James and
others most certainly, were wrong in their behavior and somewhat hypocritical.
