do, and not as Jews do, how is it that you are compelling people of the nations to live according to Jewish practice?’”—Gal. 2:11-14.

DOOR OF OPPORTUNITY REMAINS OPEN

Here the apostle Peter was publicly reproved, and rightly so, for Peter was not walking straight according to Christian faith and morals. Fear of men was again influencing Peter as it had done when he denied Jesus three times on the night of betrayal by Judas Iscariot. (Matt. 26:31-35, 69-75; Mark 14:27-31, 66-72; Prov. 29:25) It was as if Peter was trying to use the second of the keys of the kingdom of heaven to shut and relock the door in the faces of the uncircumcised Gentiles. But he did not have the power to do so, for the resurrected Jesus Christ said later on: “These are the things he says who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens so that no one will shut, and shuts so that no one opens, ‘I know your deeds—look! I have set before you an opened door, which no one can shut.’” (Rev. 3:7, 8) So heaven did not agree with the course Peter was taking at Antioch. He quickly corrected his course, no doubt, in line with the counsel of his fellow-apostle Paul. This was in agreement with what Peter said when he spoke during the debate over circumcision in Jerusalem. (Acts 15:6-11) And he admitted that Paul had spoken and written correctly when he wrote in his own second letter to Christian believers:

“Consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul according to the wisdom given him also wrote you, speaking about these things as he does also in all his letters. In them, however, are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unsteady are twisting, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.”—2 Pet. 3:15, 16.

Peter did not consider himself an infallible pope, nor did he think he was a gatekeeper to heaven. All this is in harmony with the rest of the Bible, which teaches that Jehovah God, not Peter, is the Great Judge of his people and he uses Christ Jesus as the associate Judge with him. Also, those who do enter into the kingdom of the heavens must grasp this opportunity while on earth and must live a life of integrity. If one enters into heaven, it is because he really has followed Jesus’ footsteps on earth. To Jehovah God goes all the credit for his undeserved kindness in opening the way to the kingdom of heaven and selecting those to be Kingdom heirs with Christ. Correspondingly, to Jehovah goes the credit for arranging for the Kingdom rule of the earth and establishing his kingdom in 1914 C.E., with full blessings to begin to be poured out on mankind during this generation by his undeserved kindness.

Questions From Readers

● Must a person fulfill all vows he made to God prior to becoming a dedicated Christian?—R.J., U.S.A.

Vows are not to be treated lightly, as indicated by the Bible at Ecclesiastes 5:4-6: “Whenever you vow a vow to God, do not hesitate to pay it, for there is no delight in the stupid ones. What you vow, pay. Better is it that you vow not than that you vow and do not pay. Do not allow your mouth to cause your flesh to sin, neither say before the angel that it was a mistake.”

When a person makes a solemn vow to God, he does so voluntarily, not under duress. So