The apostle declares he is an apostle of the Gentiles. (vv. 1–10)

He had publicly opposed Peter for telling Christians to adopt Jewish practices. (vv. 11–14)

Paul’s meeting privately with the leaders (Gk dokousin; lit “the recognized ones”) in Jerusalem makes it unlikely he was talking about the Jerusalem Council

To make it clear that he had not adjusted his gospel message during this private conference with the church leadership in Jerusalem, Paul used Titus (see note at v. 1) as a test case. Had Paul caved in to the view that had recently been preached in the Galatian churches (that it was necessary for a Gentile to be circumcised and keep the Mosaic law to become a Christian; 2:16; 5:2–3), Titus, a Gentile convert, would have been compelled to be circumcised, but he was not, reflecting the fact that Paul’s gospel was accepted by the recognized church leaders in Jerusalem.

False brothers (Gk pseudadelphoi) reflects that they were not really Christians. This group heard that Paul was having private discussions about the gospel and the Gentiles, and they found a deceptive way to “crash the party” to try to curtail freedom … in Christ and enslave Christians to the law, which was happening in the Galatian churches (5:1).

James, Peter, and John were the recognized (Gk doke) “pillars” of the church (v. 9).

The unity of viewpoint between Paul and the leaders of the Jerusalem church was symbolized by the right hand of fellowship—a common sign of friendship and agreement.

Thankfully, Titus was not compelled to be circumcised, and the leaders of the church in Jerusalem—Peter, James, and John—affirmed Paul not only as an apostle, but also in the gospel of grace he was preaching (v. 9).

Today our problem may not be circumcision or Jewish law, but there’s a host of things we might do that fall into this right behavior with wrong belief category: having a quiet time, studying the Bible, avoiding certain sins, coming to worship, helping other people. All these are good things, but when we do them thinking that we are earning God’s favor, we are becoming legalistic. All of us have this tendency; we are all recovering legalists. We are all born with a sinful nature, thinking we can earn our way to God; this legalistic mind-set carries over even after conversion. Paul’s words, then, should serve as a warning to professing Christians. We must avoid this kind of legalism.

To remember the poor was the main reason why Paul and Barnabas had made this trip to Jerusalem (Ac 11:28–30).