“When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

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 obey the law of Moses.’

            The apostles and elders met to consider this question.  After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: ‘Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.  God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.  …Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?  No!  We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.’“
Acts 15:4-8, 10-11

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FEBRUARY 25, 2025

Apparently, Paul and Barnabas did not have to bring the question of the means of salvation to the apostles and elders themselves.  After sharing about how God had brought a number of Gentiles to faith, the party of believing Pharisees immediately raised the issue demanding that Gentile believers not only be circumcised but also obey the law of Moses.  We might not be too quick to dismiss the Pharisees for their position, albeit in error, given their longstanding insistence upon strict adherence to the letter of the law.

The apostles and elders came together to consider the issue from the standpoint of Paul and Barnabas and that of the Pharisees, which engendered much discussion.  Finally, Peter stood up and settled the debate by reminding those present of what had happened at Caesarea in the house of Cornelius as Peter proclaimed the gospel to this Gentile centurion and his household.  The Holy Spirit fell upon the Gentiles assembled there, just as had happened previously with Jewish believers.

Peter pointed out that failure to obey the law had been true for all generations of the nation of Israel, which was precisely why “it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved.”  Likewise, none of us is truly obedient to the Lord, even for an hour.  Our thoughts and words, if not our actions, all too often betray us as the sinners we are.  We are saved by grace, and there remains a constant need for the grace of the Lord throughout the rest of our lives.

A significant shift in understanding is not an easy thing to implement.  The Jewish people had always looked upon themselves as God’s chosen nation.  They had undergone much suffering as a nation at the hands of Gentile enemies.  To see God bring Gentiles into His fold was a humbling realization, but Peter’s words revealed the truth.  The yoke of obedience to the law had been shattered by the unmerited gift of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Since the law had been nullified as a means of salvation, why would this salvation by grace alone not be available to everyone alike, Jew and Gentile?

Questions for reflection and discussion: 

  • Why is it difficult to come to the place of accepting the fact that fellow believers stand before God by themselves, answering to Him alone and not to my standards of righteousness?
  • How would you explain to a friend with high moral standards that salvation is by grace alone, apart from good conduct or sacrificial service?
  • Why is it hard to accept grace?    

 

Church Reading Plan: Exodus 8; Luke 11