Gal 2:1  Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also. 
Gal 2:2  And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.
Gal 2:3  But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:
Gal 2:4  And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:
Gal 2:5  To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

Paul continues to establish the authority of his apostleship, and the authority of his message, and how they were both ordained of God Himself.  Paul is developing a timeline of his ministry and his interaction with the apostles for the churches at Galatia, so they can be certain what he’s telling them about the message he preached to them is the truth.  

This is the first time we see Titus mentioned in the scriptures.  Titus is mentioned in the Pauline letters 15 times.  He is Greek according to the flesh.  He was fathered in the faith by Paul Himself.  Titus is one of Paul’s most beloved disciples.  Paul entrusted Titus with the care of the Corinthian church.  One of the letters in the New Testament is a letter Paul wrote to Titus concerning the care of the Corinthian church.  Titus also visited Paul while Paul was in prison.  

Paul went to see the apostles by divine revelation.  He didnt go to Jerusalem because he was sent by the apostles.  He didnt go to get approval of the message he preached.  He wasnt looking to find out if the message preached was true or not.  He was led by God to go to Jerusalem for the purpose of standing in defense of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The message that justification is through the faith revealed in Jesus Christ, and not the works which man can do, through the strength of their own hands.  As Paul says in Acts 17 God does not dwell in temples made with man’s hands, neither is He worshipped by the works man can do for him.  

Paul went to Jerusalem so the message he preached to the Gentiles could be established once and for all as the only truth that is unto godliness.  

Paul met with the apostles privately because he didnt want his trip to Jerusalem to be in vain.  He didnt want to go all the way to Jerusalem, only to have the false brethren who infiltrated the church in Jerusalem, pretending to be believers, create an uproar and work everyone into a frenzy before he could share the message he preached with the other apostles.  

Its really so different today, but there was quite a controversy in those days concerning the works of the law.  Many of the jewish people came from a background of being zealous for the works of the law, and the meeting could have easily digressed into total chaos.  In the book of Acts you can find several instances where Paul’s meetings and preaching was disturbed by Jewish people zealous for the works of he law.  

The liberty we have in Christ is we are no longer sweating from our own brow trying to cloth upon ourselves with our good works.  We have taken Jesus’ doctrine onto ourselves.  We are walking in the Father’s good work.  We are the meek, we are the poor in spirit.  We think much of the Father’s work to justify us with His life, and we think very little of the works of man to justify themselves.  

Paul says these false brethren crept in, not liking it that we are living in freedom, no longer carrying the heavy yoke of trying to be justified by what we can do for God, but instead looking to the Father to justify us, free from our works through Jesus.   These guys crept in pretending to be believers, but they are spots on our love feasts.  Their mouths are full of the poison of asps.  They have no interest in letting Jesus wash their feet or our feet for that matter.  As Paul says in Galatians 6 all they care about is you proving through your flesh that you are the children of God.  Their only interest is to bring us back into the bondage of trying to be justified through the strength of our own works, so they can glory in our flesh.  All the while our only interest is to glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus, that we might be strengthened with His life/know him and the power of his resurrection.  

Titus was with Paul when he met privately with the leaders of the Jerusalem church.  Paul took Titus with him because Titus being Greek, having no Jewish descent, wasnt circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.  Paul tells the Galatians, who were deceived by the judaizers into thinking they must be circumcised in order to be justified, that neither the apostles or any of the elders in the Jerusalem church said Titus should be circumcised.  

The point Paul is making is if the apostles believed Gentiles must be circumcised in order to be justified, why didnt they demand for Titus to be circumcised, when they knew both his Father and his Mother were Greek.  

Gal 2:5  To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you

Paul gave no place to the false brethren, and their message that godliness was found through the strength of the flesh.  He cared deeply about the Galatians, and didnt want the truth of the gospel to be perverted in their eyes.  He was unyielding in his stance that justification is found in the hearts of people being circumcised from looking to the strength they see in the flesh for justification, not in the circumcision of the flesh of the foreskin.  

There are some who point to Acts 16 where Paul circumcises Timothy to say that Paul taught we must continue to perform the works of the law, even after Christ.  

Simply put the situation with Titus was about being justified in the sight of God, and the situation with Timothy didnt have anything to do with God being happy with the state he was in.  Real quick, to be justified in the sight of God isnt about God being happy with you because you’ve been a good boy or girl.  Its about God being happy because you are possessing eternal life, and He created you to be in a state of life, where you will live eternally with Him and never die.  

If you read the account in Acts 16 Timothy wasnt compelled to be circumcised.  Neither was Timothy circumcised as an act of obedience to the law contained in carnal ordinances.  Timothy was circumcised of his own free will.  It was out of the liberty he has in Christ he chose to be circumcised.  

Paul was going to minister to the Jewish people in the area, and Timothy was going with him to minister.  The Jewish people in the region knew Timothy, and they knew his Father was Greek.  Neither Paul or Timothy wanted his greek background to be a stumblingblock to the Jewish people hearing the message of the grace.  Just as Paul says in 1st Cor 9, Timothy became all the things to all people that he might win the more to Christ.  

Timothy and Paul both knew justification isnt found in being circumcised, but they also knew that justification isnt found in being uncircumcised either.  They didnt want the central issue of their meeting to be circumcision or uncircumcision.  They wanted Christ to be clearly put on display in the midst of the people.  They wanted the Jewish people to hear that justification was found in death being overcome in the flesh, and in possessing the life of Christ.  They didnt want the jewish people who were circumcised to think their message was all about being uncircumcised.  They didnt want the people to now think justification was found in being uncircumcised.

We can see the same kind of thing in Paul’s letter to the Romans where he addresses the issue of eating meat sacrificed to idols.  He tells the Gentiles, listen guys, it’s true that eating meat offered to idols cannot defile you, but let us not live as if justification is found in our freedom to eat meat offered to idols, lest the conscience of our jewish brethren be corrupted.  

Justification isnt wrapped up in not doing what I don’t have to do or in doing what I am free to do.  True freedom isnt found in doing what you are able to do or in not doing what you dont have to do.  True freedom is found in the revelation that the power behind you experiencing life isnt hid in whether you are circumcised or not.  Or in whether you eat meat sacrificed to idols or not.  If we are trying to establish our lives upon what we are free to do or not do then really all we are doing is building again the observance of the outward ordinances we were so zealous in tearing down.  If our liberty is dependent on doing what we are free to do or in not doing what we are free to not do, then it isnt liberty at all.  Its bondage just the same as if we are required to perform the works of the law.  It’s just a different side of the same coin.

Gal 2:6  But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man's person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me:
Gal 2:7  But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;
Gal 2:8  (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)
Gal 2:9  And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
Gal 2:10  Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.

We need to remember Paul isnt making this statement out of the blue.  He is speaking in reference to the situation involving the Judaizers.  The Judaizers exalted the apostles over Paul in the eyes of the Galatians.  

Paul isnt tearing down the apostles or their authority to establish sound doctrine.  He’s merely making the point that just because they were apostles before him, and known to have walked with Jesus by the people.  It doesn’t mean the grace given them was any greater than the grace given to Paul.  

Paul met with the pillars of the church, those who were reputed to be above him in authority concerning the mystery that was revealed in Christ.  Paul tells the Galatians the apostles didnt add anything to his doctrine when he met with them privately in Jerusalem.  They didnt see any gaps in his message, and then fill in the blanks for him so his message could be complete.  They didnt hear what Paul said, and say to him very good but one thing you lack.  It wasnt the way it was with Apollos where he was fervent in spirit, diligently teaching the things of Jesus, but only knowing the baptism of John.  And Acts 18 says Aquila and Priscilla heard him teaching in the synagogue, and they expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. 

But contrariwise, when John and Peter and John heard Paul’s message, they saw his words were full of grace, and they perceived that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed into his hands by God, just as the gospel of the circumcision was committed unto Peter.  

Paul is still addressing the issue of his authority as an apostle here.  Not because he wants to Lord it over the Galatians faith, but he wants the truth of the gospel to continue with them so they can be partakers with God in His joy.  

Paul tells the Galatians, not only did the other apostles not add anything to his doctrine.  When they heard him preach, they saw the same grace that was given to Peter, and was mighty in him, for obedience to the faith, amongst the Jewish people, was also working mightily in him towards the Gentiles.  

Remember back in chapter 1 Paul says he was called to be an apostle to the Gentiles by the grace of God.  Paul said the power behind his apostleship to the Gentiles is the Father Himself.   Peter was called to be an apostle by grace, as were all the other apostles.  When Paul says the other apostles perceived the grace given to him, he’s telling the Galatians the other apostles recognized he was ordained by God to be the apostle to the Gentiles just as Peter was to the Jews.  He wants the Gentiles to know even the apostles, whom the Judaizers exalted to be something more than him, acknowledged his authority in the mystery that was revealed in Christ.

Gal 2:10  Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.

In the spirit of Paul being very thorough and precise in his words.  He tells the Galatians, the other apostles added nothing to him or his revelation.  Their only request was that he remember the poor, which he was already doing.  

The poor here is referring to the church at Jerusalem who were outcasts of their own society, and suffering persecution for believing on Jesus.  

In Acts 11 a prophet named Agabus came and said there would be great famine and hard times in the land.  It says the disciples were determined to send relief to the saints in Judea, and they gathered an offering and gave it to Paul and Barnabas to deliver to the elders in Judea.  You can read about Paul’s efforts to take up an offering for the poor saints in Jerusalem in several of his letters.  2nd Corinthians 8-9 comes to mind immediately.