Paul's specific purpose with the Galatians was to reconcile the former-Jews and new Christian-Gentiles. The former-Jews were still practicing (and enforcing) old customs and the gentiles were not. The two groups began to clash because of disagreements even though they had each adopted this new philosophy of God brought by Jesus and the apostles.
2:1-2 Paul recounts his time as an apostle (as we read of in Acts). He established himself throughout regions as a former persecutor of the very faith he now believes and preached.
2:3 Paul spoke of Titus who, even though he raised Jewish, would not practice the custom of circumcision. Within the world of religion and custom there is much disagreement about which customs are compulsory and which are not. The apostles mission was to explain to their students that the only compulsory action required for this philosophy of God was the be compassionate, truthful and just.
2:4-5 We never do have to submit to our adversaries, no matter how powerful or stealth they are. A large portion of the apostles job was to teach us not to fear. As children of God, we have his strength within us and when we develop our faith, our mental and emotional strength endures. The apostles never bent an inch for their enemies and therefore they exemplified to us that we never have to either.
The most prominent element of our strength is our trust in God. Trust in God need be built and require over time and through circumstance. As we work together with God through the events and emotions of our lives, we learn to hear and see Him around us. We are therefore enabled to listen, learn and follow Him.
2:6 Paul gives us the perspective with which to view our adversaries: no matter how eloquent, powerful, influential, wise, resourceful... no matter how impressive they appear to be, or think they are, or have others convinced that they are, they are not more than you.
2:7-10 The apostles purposed equally toward each group: the Jewish and the Gentile. Their intention was to clear up the confusion of the custom practices and to focus people on the main purpose at hand, helping those who needed them. There are different types of poverty: monetary poverty but also there are people who have impoverished souls, impoverished thoughts, impoverished stores of strength and patience and hope. The apostles, and all of God's children, work toward filling the emptiness in the world with abundance.
2:11-13 These verses teach us to have the strength to defend and display our beliefs (especially when we are look upon as teachers). We are made up of our beliefs. What we value and how we believe it should be protected and cared for should not be taken lightly by us. Justice in the world depends on our focus on it.
A component of this is courage, remembering as the just discussed, not to fear our adversaries, not to fear disagreement. We cannot be hypocritical when it comes to our beliefs. It cannot matter who we are around. We must be consistent in what we think, say and do, regardless of who our audience consists of.
2:14-15 Our words and actions are a display of our beliefs. We each influence the people around us, whether we mean to or not. Mean to! Know what your beliefs are and validate them but exemplifying the manifestation of them.
2:16 Remember that our justification comes from our authentic compassion. Jesus was the manifestation of everything we must also embody: patience, justice, truth, compassion. We are not validated by customs or ceremonies. We are not validated by following rigid-religious rules. We are justified by our compassionate behavior, by our kind thoughts, by our productive work.
2:17 We represent our God. As His children, we have the blessed responsibility of exemplifying to the world His love and wisdom in our lives. So many people in the world have negative connotations about divinity and spirituality and the reason is because people do not take seriously their impact on the world. What we do and say is seen and heard. Not only must we be aware of our influence on the people around us, we must choose and exemplify the influence we believe represents our faith and values.
2:18 When we behave contrary to what we believe, we destroy our own world.
2:19 When we learn from our mistakes or from a situation or person in our lives we must make the conscious decision not to repeat. We establish our values but we also need to retain and maintain them.
2:20 Paul frankly, boldly, eloquently displays the evolution of his faith: "... it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Let yourself be absorbed into your faith, nothing else protects, inspires, leads or loves you as much as it, as whatever manifestation of God you believe in. Let Spirit animate you. Although filled with life here on earth, we truly come alive in an harmonious infinity when we stop living for ourselves and start living for what we believe in (justice, compassion, truth, hope, patience, creativity, love).
2:21 Paul does not separate his faith from anything that he thinks, says or does. Your faith and your beliefs must come through everything that you think, do and say. Your beliefs must be present with you in order to inspire you toward bringing your truth into fruition. If we do not display and defend our beliefs then we waste them, our time, and ultimately our own potential. When we are grounded in consistent self-truths, our lives make immeasurable waves. We wash away injustice, we wash away fear.
