You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth.
13 And [kai] the other [loipoy] Jews [Ioudaios] dissembled [sunupokrinomai] likewise [kai] with him; [autos] insomuch [hoste] that
Barnabas [Barnabas] also [kai] was carried away [sunapago]
with their [autos] dissimulation. [hupokrisis] KJV-Interlinear
13 And the
rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas
was carried away by their hypocrisy. NASB
Dissembled, 'sunupokrinomai,' means hypocrisy.
In his most stern words, Paul reprimands both Peter and James, and also Barnabas, for their hypocrisy in maintaining a double standard with regard to circumcision as it relates to salvation in the view of the Jewish believers of that time.
Peer pressure overtook these men as they associated with gentiles and maintained salvation through faith, but when the Jewish believers were present, they cowered to the pressure of the current traditional thought, by which salvation was being tied to certain Jewish works. Circumcision was one of the more prominent works in view.
Barnabas was a believer, a Levite from the island of Cyprus and cousin of Mark. He met Paul, then known as Saul, and became his sponsor when Paul was introduced to the early disciples in Jerusalem, wherein they accepted Paul very early on in Pauls ministry.
Barnabas was high up in respect and reputation within the Christian community.
It is noted here in these verses that it took Pauls efforts and intervention to straighten out those early leaders so far as their beliefs and inconsistent interactions with Jews and gentiles.
They had been compromising doctrine for the furtherance of their cultural relationships. And when doctrine is in view, compromise cannot be allowed to interfere with its consistent application, either because of peer pressure, or even personal conveniences.
Today, as most likely in all generations, there are people who have pre-existing ideas as to what the spiritual life really is. Most often it is viewed as ones personal works or attitude which are more easily pursued, than to sit down and listen to, or read, doctrine being taught.
To sit and concentrate seems to be an effort for most. And while it is far easier to just believe things that you want to believe, to do things that you want to do, to have things that are more convenient and less confining than a daily study, than to subject oneself to a daily study, to subordinate oneself to someone else's teaching, places a bit of a strain on ones personal views.
Do-gooders and personal opinions and works are the popular approaches to the spiritual life. But they are all wrong, and in a form they are hypocritical.
Back then circumcision was the barrier of failure. Today it is the approbation of presenting ones opinions, that is the barrier to spiritual failure.
And today it is the social network apparatus that seems to promote superficial spirituality, despite its phenomenal opportunity to promote doctrine in the correct manner.
But just as in Pauls day, so too in our current day, it is far easier to go with convenient beliefs, and ignore Gods mandate to 'study to show yourself mature' and learn doctrine correctly.
