Galatians 2

In this chapter Paul continues with events from his history but givfes specific examples of things that happened in his past that were similar to the problem that the Galatian believers are facing now.
Namely, Paul faced situations where even the leaders of the church, Peter, Barnabas and others were led astray to follow the idea or teaching that to be right with God they needed to follow Jewish traditions and the law of Moses.  Specifically Paul notes that Peter and Barnabas who had at first been eating with Gentile believers, drew back and separated themselves from Gentiles because of fear of the "circumcision group".

Circumcison is the sign that God gave first to Abraham (Gen 17:10) and then further codified as part of the law of Moses (Leviticus 12:3) whereby all males where to be circumcised - have their foreskins cut off - when they were eight days old.  Paul references that Titus while in Jerusalem was not compelled to be circumcised.

The "circumcision group" was a group of persons who believed that to have a relationship with God, one must obey all of the Mosaic law, especially that they should be circumcised.  And this went for all Gentile believers.  So Jewish tradition then restricted Jews from eating with or going to the house of Gentiles who were not circumcised.  This is what Peter and Barnabas began to do and Paul stood up to them and said that they were wrong.  Additional details of this incident are found in Acts 15.

Paul's main two points that follow are this:
1) We are not justified before God (declared righteous and have sin and guilt removed) because we observe the law of Moses (v 15-16)
2) That doesn't mean that we can go on sinning either.  We need to fulfill the moral commands of the law while recognizing that the law and its requirements do not save us.

These are important to know and observe.  Over the years the application of this has lead some to go to far to one side or the other.  Some become "anti-nomian" - against the law - and so fully emphasize the grace of God and reject the law alltogether, that they say that no law is needed; Christians do not have to live righteously and that they shouldn't try but rather that they can sin and go on sinning and that they are and always will be forgiven.  This error is what Paul addresses in verse 17.  The other side is that some become so fully focused on fulfilling the moral law that it becomes a strict legalism and their lives are bound up by rules and regulations and the observance of them.  This becomes a law that they feel they must follow.  This is the problem that Paul is addressing in this whole chapter.

The proper course is between the extremes.  We have freedom and grace in Christ Jesus.  We cannot earn our salvation nor do anything to deserve it.  On the other hand we are bound by the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2) and if we love Jesus we will obey him (John 14:21).  We must recognize that at all times we are not capable of obeying or following Christ by ourselves, but must rely on God's help and strength and by his grace we will stand.

Lord Jesus help us to follow you in the right way and avoid extremes but to be led by your spirit in truth and holiness.