Sermon: “God Shows No Partiality” - Easter 5 - Galatians 2:1-10, May 03, 2026

Scripture: Galatians 2:1-10

Preacher: Ryan Slifka

Sermon: “God Shows No Partiality” - Easter 5

This morning we’re  continuing our sermon series on the book of Galatians. The book of Galatians being the Apostle Paul’s letter to a group of churches in Galatia, which is now modern-day Turkey. Churches that Paul had a hand in planting.

In this week’s passage, Paul narrates a visit that he made to Jerusalem, fourteen years earlier. Either after either his conversion, or the formal start of his ministry as a preacher and church planter. God had prodded him to visit Jerusalem because that’s where the "acknowledged" leaders of church were. Big names like Peter, and John–OG disciples who knew the Jesus pre-resurrection, and James–Jesus’ own brother. Paul was sent there to lay out the gospel he was preaching, step by step. Not because he doubted, or needed permission to do what he was doing–remember last week how Paul said he was commissioned as an Apostle not by any human being, but that he was sent by Jesus himself. Jesus who met him in a flash of light on the road to Damascus. But he was prodded there by God for the sake of church unity. Church unity.

Paul had gone to Jerusalem, by divine prodding, to make sure he and the Jerusalem church–the “mother church”—were all on the same page. Because if they weren’t, then the whole unity thing was in vain. His whole ministry would have been like sprinting on a hamster wheel–going nowhere.

Now, what had occasioned the worries about unity you may ask?

Circumcision! Remember that? See I told you last week it’d be back.

Circumcision! The reason Paul’s writing his letter in the first place. A group of–in Paul’s eyes– false teachers within their congregations have convinced the Galatians of the necessity of circumcision. That in order to be a part of God’s people, in order to experience new life in Christ, gentiles–non-Jews–must be circumcised. In accordance with the law of Moses. And according to today’s scripture it’s not the first time he’s gone head to head with these people. Because on that same trip to Jerusalem way back when, Paul says one meeting they had was infiltrated by a similar pro-circumcision faction.

But for Paul, this goes against the gospel.

Remember that Paul had come to believe that in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ at Easter, and the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, that God was bringing Jews and non-Jews–also known as Gentiles or Greeks, together into one single unified people of God. One unified people of God also known as the church. That in Jesus, God had set into motion a plan that God had in the beginning. That one day all the nations of the earth would stream to Jerusalem, the heavenly city, and would learn the ways of the God of Israel, the Creator of the universe. In the church, the unity of peoples God had always had in mind had begun.

With the coming of Christ, circumcision has become not a question of divine requirement or command, but has become relativized. It’s secondary. It’s now understood to be part of culture, the unique customs and practices of particular peoples. Culture of God’s dealing with Jews, yes. But not gentiles–non-Jews. And to require such cultural practices as necessary across the board, defeats the whole purpose of God’s universal project of reaching out to every single human being and every single human culture, and creating unity in Jesus Christ, from every tribe and nation.

Paul and co. wouldn’t surrender then fourteen years ago in Jerusalem, and Paul won’t surrender the Galatians to them now. Because to require circumcision would create an unnecessary barrier for gentiles—non-Jews—to receive the good news of Jesus Christ. And would prevent the unity between peoples that God had planned. From day one.

Now, clearly circumcision is not the point of controversy now that it once was. Whereas the earliest church was a coalition of Jews and gentiles, the modern church is almost all gentiles—non-Jews. Millions of varieties from Zambians to Persians to Koreans and even the occasional Canadian. There are some Jewish Christians, even ones who continue to follow the law of Moses. But they are the great exception. So we may see this church conflict as purely ancient.

It’s not necessarily, however. Because remember how Paul sees circumcision as more cultural. As part of the practices belonging to a particular people.

I was flipping through a book I’ve mentioned several times before. It’s called One Church, Many Tribes: Following Jesus the Way God Made You, written by the late Lakota Sioux writer and activist Richard Twiss. The book argues that when Europeans spread Christianity among the indigenous peoples of North America, they had assumed not only the truth of the gospel message. But they had also identified their own cultures–English, French, Dutch, Spanish, and Portuguese, with Christianity itself.

One of the chapters in the book is humorously titled “500 years of bad haircuts.” Which illustrates their way of thinking: that in order to receive the gospel, they had assumed that indigenous people had to drop most–if not all–aspects of their prior culture. Whether language, clothing, musical instruments or even hairstyles, they’d have to leave all those traditions behind, and embrace European ones. Otherwise they would not be truly Christian. They would not be God’s people.

You could say that it was a form of cultural circumcision.

The late Rev. Bob Smith, former Moderator of the United Church who died just this year, said as much. In the apology that he issued on behalf of the United Church to First Nations people in 1986 said it like this: “We confused Western ways and culture with the depth and breadth and length and height of the gospel of Christ. We imposed our civilization as a condition of accepting the gospel.”

“We imposed our civilization as a condition of accepting the gospel.” We were the circumcisers. Not literally, but culturally–bad haircuts and beyond. And in doing so it created an unnecessary barrier to receiving the gospel, to becoming part of God’s people. It not only did that, but had many far-ranging consequences that we continue to live with today. The worst part being that though a majority of Canadian First Nations identify as Christian, that number is on the decline. Because on account of this confusion with western culture and Christianity, many of us who are indigenous are suspicious of Christianity itself.

Now, before you think I’m trying to make us feel guilty for the past, or jumping on a bandwagon of political correctness. Or just being “woke,” let me say this—it’s a universal human problem. One that not just Europeans struggle with.

You seem it’s a mistake we are tempted to continually make: one any of us makes when we confuse our country, our culture, our nation, no matter how good, no matter how strong, no matter how just and beautiful, even, with the gospel. With Jesus Christ.

We can also make the same mistake in the opposite direction when we believe that our nation, or our culture is purely evil, or more evil than other cultures. The devil plays all sides! If we see any culture, or group, as inherently virtuous, not only on account of its power or strength, but also on account of its victimhood. It’s the same mistake in the opposite direction. It’s when we see being part of the people of God, or salvation itself, as requiring us to stand on one side of the culture wars. Views on politics whether left or right, human sexuality—take your pick. It’s all just another version of circumcision. I mean, how many people cite their rejection of Christianity based on Christians behaving badly?

It’s unnecessary to being a part of God’s people, but also an unnecessary barrier for others to receive it. Cultural circumcision, by any other name, is still circumcision.

Now, thanks be to God we’ve been given an alternative. Not one that we have to invent, not some we have to borrow from the University, or online influencers. But it’s one that’s been there from the beginning. One that’s been baked right into the scriptures.

Continuing today’s passage, we learn from Paul here that he wasn’t the only one with this view about circumcision being unnecessary. He and the Jerusalem church were apparently on the same page. Paul says that at that meeting of the church all-stars–Peter and John, and Jesus’ brother James–they affirmed Paul’s message, and his ministry. They gave him and Titus the “right hand of fellowship.” One Lord–Jesus Christ, one message–death and resurrection, the forgiveness of sins. All of it!

But they would take a multicultural approach. Peter would be the missionary to the Jews–he’d follow all the Jewish cultural customs–circumcise all they want! And Paul was the missionary to the Gentiles–though a Jew himself, he was free from requiring circumcision and to adapt the gospel to his hearers and their cultures, too. Two missions, two ways of preaching and teaching within two very different cultures. But one message, one Lord, one God and of us all.

And the key phrase is tucked right there in the text: Paul’s actually talking about the Jerusalem Council, about how their opinion didn’t carry more weight than anyone else. Here’s what he says: “God shows no partiality.” It’s a quote from the book of Deuteronomy. One translation puts it like this: “God doesn’t show favourites.” This means that no group has a special status in the eyes of the Lord.

Now some folks have suggested it means that merit, what anybody does, merit—rather than culture—is the basis for God’s judgment, for being right in God’s eyes. But that’s just another form of favouritism.

But for Paul and the early church, it all comes back to that word grace. The one-way, unconditional, unmerited love of God. “All have sinned,” says Paul in another letter to the church in Rome. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Jews, Gentiles—no one is righteous, not one. The purpose of the church, the unity of the church is not based on any human standard, but on our universal need for God’s grace. Jews and gentiles, First Nations and Europeans, liberals and conservatives. Gen Z and Boomers, young and old, rich and poor. The unity of the earliest church, as well as our own is established first on God’s grace in Jesus Christ. All the other stuff is circumcision. Important—yes! Something we have to continually forgive each other for, continually negotiate and advocate for, absolutely. But it’s secondary. Secondary to the fact that in Jesus Christ, God has given us the right hand of fellowship, and made us one. Not by anything we’ve done. But by grace.

Later on in the service, we’ll have an opportunity to see this gracious unity in action.

When each of us, from our many different backgrounds, cultures, ages stages and politics, come to the Lord’s table to receive the same bread and wine. In a world that’s just making us more and more angry, more resentful, more fearful. Pushing us further and further away from each other. We are given a great alternative. Following in the footsteps of the earliest church, and our dear brother Paul.

May you hear, and taste the same good news that drove him cross every boundary to make sure it was heard. The good news is that we don’t have to be this way. Not because the things we’re fighting over don’t matter, but because we’ve been given something that matters more–God’s grace in Jesus Christ. A love that expresses itself not just through this or that culture, but reaches in and through all cultures. A love that is reserved not just for this or that group, nor only the righteous and the good, but for sinners. Even for enemies.

Even for the culture or group you’re suspicious of. Even for you. And especially for your neighbour. Because God shows no partiality. Plays no favourites.

And circumcision?: it’s optional.

I offer this to you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.