Paul and Peter: Conflict, Theology, and Reconciliation in the Early Church
Later that evening, after the confrontation, Paul and Peter sat apart from the others, shadows flickering on the walls.
Peter broke the silence. “Paul, you challenge me on the Law—on circumcision, the very sign of God’s covenant with Abraham.”
Paul nodded solemnly. “Peter, I honour the Law as holy, but it cannot save. The Law reveals sin but cannot justify.”
Peter’s voice was heavy with years of tradition. “But how then can the Gentiles be made right with God without it? Our fathers have kept the Law for generations.”
Paul’s eyes shone with conviction. “It is not by the works of the Law that anyone is justified, but through faith in Jesus Christ. He is the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham.”
Peter considered this. “So you say faith alone, apart from circumcision?”
“Yes,” Paul replied firmly. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us. Now, the blessing of Abraham comes to the Gentiles through faith.”
Peter bowed his head, wrestling with the revolutionary truth that the Messiah’s gospel transcended the Law’s boundaries.