Commentary on Galatians

Pseudo-Augustine

The apostle Peter would not have been rebuked if he had separated himself from the Gentiles for fear of giving scandal to the Jews. But what was rebuked in the apostle Peter was that, when he previously had been living in Gentile fashion with believers, he started to teach that the Gentiles ought to follow Jewish practice because he was overcome by fear upon the arrival of Jews from James. Therefore it was said to him, "If you, being a Jew, live in Gentile fashion, why do you force the Gentiles to follow Jewish practice?" For he had introduced doubt about discipleship in the gospel, which is a crime, since he was destroying what he had built. Thus it is that the apostle Paul calls this "insincerity.

This means the one who follows the law will live and not die for the present. But the righteousness which is from faith makes one righteous in God's sight, so that one may be rewarded eternally in the age to come.

See also

• More works by Pseudo-Augustine

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