But contrariwise, when they saw that the Gospel
James, Cephas, and John, were so far from blaming or correcting
anything in the apostle's ministry, or adding anything to it,
that they highly approved of it; and as a token of their
agreement with him and Barnabas, gave them the right hand of
fellowship: the reasons of their so doing are inserted here, and
in the following verse, and in the next to that: the reason here
given is, because
they saw that the Gospel of the uncircumcision was
committed unto
me, as the Gospel of the circumcision was to
Peter;
by "the uncircumcision and circumcision" are meant the Gentiles
and Jews; see ( rom 2:26 rom 2:27 ) ( 3:30 ) by the Gospel of
the one, and the Gospel of the other, two Gospels are not
designed, for there is but one Gospel, and not another. Paul did
not preach one Gospel unto the uncircumcised Gentiles, and Peter
another to the circumcised Jews; but the same Gospel was preached
by both, and is so called with respect to the different persons
to whom it was preached by these apostles. The Apostle Paul was
ordained a minister of the Gentiles, and he chiefly preached
among them, though not to them only. Peter was principally
employed among the Jews, though also as he had opportunity he
sometimes preached to the Gentiles: however, the subject of both
their ministrations was the Gospel, which is said to be
"committed" to them, as a trust deposited in their hands, not by
man, but by God; the management of which required both prudence
and faithfulness, and which were eminently seen in these good
stewards of the mysteries of God. This being observed by the
apostles at Jerusalem, they came into an agreement that one part
should discharge their ministry among the Gentiles, and the other
among the Jews.