After evangelizing, discipling, and planting churches, Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch to celebrate what God had done over the past year. You could hear their enthusiasm in Acts 14:27: “And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.” Last week we summarized 14 The RC of ministry.
Between 1 & 2 Missionary Journeys DISPUTED-DISCUSSED-DECIDED Acts 15:1-35
Disputed: Paul and Barnabas realized this issue was a serious threat to the gospel so verse 2 tells us “This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them.” The word “dispute” means, “to stand against.” They were disputing and debating the doctrine of works with those who were teaching it.
Discussed: As they gathered to discuss the matter, the leaders of the church gave three different speeches. Peter spoke first, followed by Paul and Barnabas, and then James, the half-brother of Jesus, wrapped it all up with a compelling conclusion. James quotes the Word of God Amos 9….James uses the word to make his point.
“Councils have no authority in the church unless it can be shown that their conclusions are in accord with Scripture.”
Peter had a spiritual mic drop moment in Vs10-11 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
Decided: God enabled the apostles, the elders, and the whole church to reach a unanimous decision. Acts 15:28 shows how the Holy Spirit led the leaders to this decision: “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements…” UMC
Vs29 “You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.”
Gentile Christians had the “right” to eat meat sacrificed to idols, to eat food without a kosher bleeding, or meat of strangled animals because these were aspects of the Mosaic Law they definitely were not under (Leviticus 17). However, they are encouraged (requirements? You will do well to avoid these things) to lay down their rights in these matters as a display of love to their Jewish brethren.
Though they were not bound under the Law of Moses, they were bound under the Law of Love. The Law of Love told them, Don’t unnecessarily antagonize your Jewish brothers and sisters, who shared the same faith.
Better to Tie a milestone-Matt. 17-Mark 9-Luke 17
1 Corinthians 8:13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
These three dietary matters could inhibit Jews and Gentiles from sharing common meals. (Fellowship-Unity)
Sexual Immorality: (Sex outside marriage-Adultery) Leviticus 18
Now I want us to understand the importance of the issue that brought Paul and Barnabus into a sharp dispute and debate:
Vs1 Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.”
Vs5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”
GOSPEL POLLUTION SLIDE Paul and Barnabus have just returned from their 1st missionary trip all over the Gentile world…preaching the gospel, seeing many saved. Then some men came from Judea and said to these new converts, you’re not really saved, you just think you are…if you really want to be saved you need to become a Jewish proselyte first, and go thru our rituals, and keep the OT law of Moses.
They were saying that to get into the Kingdom of God, you have to go thru the door of Judaism. Well, this disturbed the faith of all these new, young believers…so Paul and Barnabus here rise up in defense of the simple gospel.
They said, we are Jews, we understand Judaism, but you need to understand that has nothing to do w/ being saved. They said, we are saved by grace…thru faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on Calvary…plus nothing, minus nothing!
This was not a small issue; it had to do with salvation itself — how someone is made right with God.
This was not a matter where there could be disagreement among believers, with some believing you must be under the law, and some believing it wasn’t important. This was an issue that went to the core of Christianity, and it had to be resolved.
This is absolutely the greatest threat to the truth of the gospel yet seen in the Book of Acts.
Praise God, Paul recognized what these men were doing…it was gospel pollution.
Ill—air pollution/water pollution…not nearly as bad as gospel pollution, which is still is going on today.
The clear message of salvation by grace gets so easily muddied today…by the smog of works salvation.
Baptism/Taking communion/confessing sins to a man/speaking in tongues/trying to keep the law/circumcision…none of these things will save your soul!
SALVATION IS BY GRACE ALONE, THRU FAITH ALONE, IN CHRIST ALONE!
In Ch. 15 the leaders, Apostles, disciples and most importantly the Holy Spirit decided to talk this out and mark it down in stone, what salvation is all about…and I’m glad they did, because if not, then grace would have been polluted right from it’s very beginning. But here it is, crystal clear: WE ARE SAVED THROUGH/BY THE GRACE OF GOD!
Vs 11 We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Every person who is truly saved whether Jew or gentile is saved in the same way: by grace, through faith plus nothing, minus nothing. John 3:16
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Jesus is the only Mediator. Fully God and Fully man. He alone satisfied all the holy demands of God w/ His perfect life, and he alone satisfied our sin-debt w/ His sacrificial death on the cross.
And it was on that cross He took a holy God w/ one hand and sinful man w/ the other and in an act of GRACE brought the 2 together and reconciled them.
He is the mediator between God and all mankind…and if you wanna be saved, you have to go thru the “Jesus” door. John 10:9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved,..”
If you’re a member here I want you to know that you are under the umbrella of a Bible-believing church, there is a certain spiritual protection that you can enjoy.
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