TWO THREATS, ONE HOPE
February 22 | Discipleship Guide
Be Real Together:
Take a few minutes to catch up, tell stories, and laugh together.
If you’re launching a new Group, trust and friendship take time to build. Take turns each week having someone share a bit of their story.
If you’re launching a new Group, trust and friendship take time to build. Take turns each week having someone share a bit of their story.
Read Together: Galatians 2:1–21 (CSB)
In Galatians 2, Paul confronts two major threats to the health of the Church:
First, false teachers were attempting to add requirements to the Gospel—insisting that Gentile believers adopt Jewish customs to truly belong. Paul makes it clear: adding to grace enslaves people again. Salvation is by faith in Christ alone.
Second, Paul publicly confronts Peter for hypocrisy. Though Peter knew the truth of the Gospel, he withdrew from Gentile believers out of fear when certain leaders arrived. His behavior contradicted the grace he professed.
Both threats—distorted truth and divided lives—endanger the Church. But Paul anchors us in one unshakable hope: “I have been crucified with Christ… Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). Our hope is not performance or image, but union with Jesus.
- False teaching from the outside.
- Hypocrisy from the inside.
First, false teachers were attempting to add requirements to the Gospel—insisting that Gentile believers adopt Jewish customs to truly belong. Paul makes it clear: adding to grace enslaves people again. Salvation is by faith in Christ alone.
Second, Paul publicly confronts Peter for hypocrisy. Though Peter knew the truth of the Gospel, he withdrew from Gentile believers out of fear when certain leaders arrived. His behavior contradicted the grace he professed.
Both threats—distorted truth and divided lives—endanger the Church. But Paul anchors us in one unshakable hope: “I have been crucified with Christ… Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). Our hope is not performance or image, but union with Jesus.
The One Question:
If you only have time for one question, ask this one.
Which feels like a greater danger in your life right now—believing subtle lies about the Gospel, or living inconsistently with what you already know is true?
Grow Together:
Use these questions to go deeper with your Group or for personal reflection.
- In what ways do you find yourself wanting to add “extras” to the Gospel, like the Judaizers in the text (“the circumcision party”)?
- What are some modern distortions of the Gospel you see in culture or even in church spaces? Which of these have subtly shaped your own thinking?
- Peter’s hypocrisy was driven by fear of people. Where are you most tempted to shift behavior based on who is watching? Where do you need to confess hypocrisy in your own life?
- Why do you think hypocrisy can be so damaging to individuals and to the Church as a whole?
- Read Galatians 2:16 again. What does it practically mean for you that you are justified by faith and not by works?
- How does Galatians 2:20 reshape your identity and daily life? What would change if you truly believed Christ lives in you?
Pray Together:
- Ask God to reveal any lies you may have subtly believed about the Gospel.
- Confess areas of hypocrisy, fear, or image management.
- Thank Jesus that righteousness comes through Him alone.
- Pray for courage to walk in the light, live integrated lives, and please God over people.
Next Steps:
- Spend time this week memorizing or meditating on Galatians 2:20.
- Identify one area where fear of people has shaped your behavior and take a step toward integrity.
- Invite a trusted believer into a place of struggle through honest conversation and prayer.
- Ask God daily to help you reject lies, confess quickly, and rest fully in Christ who lives in you.