The Threat To The Gospel Series

Hello everyone. Good to meet up online again, to remember the Lord together, to worship Him and hear from His Word.

• We are going to look at Acts 15 today, where a council was convened in Jerusalem to answer a very important question: “How are we saved?”

• Supposed we died and stood before God and He asked, “Why should I let you into heaven?” What would you say? What do you think you would say?

• “I have been a good person. I tried to live the Christian life the best I can. I read the Bible and I give to the poor. I’ve been attending my Bible study on Zoom regularly. I have been serving the Lord…”

• Can I be saved? Will that be enough to grant you access into heaven?

That’s the question the early church was confronted with. Are we justified before God by faith in Christ or by the works of the Law? Or faith in Christ plus works of the Law?

• By the end of this sermon, we will get the answer. The council at Jerusalem resolved it for us.

Let us pray and ask the Lord to speak to our hearts again this morning.

Enlighten us, Lord, so that we can be sure of our salvation in Jesus Christ. Your Son is our righteousness, the only atoning sacrifice that You have prepared for us.

Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds and lead us in the way everlasting. Our faith in you will bring about a change in our lives. May we not turn from your way, the only way that can bring us life abundant and life eternal.

Keep us from all false doctrines and false teachings. Grant us wisdom and discernment, to understand your truth and walk in it.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, Oh Lord, my rock and my redeemer. In your name, we pray, AMEN.

Let’s read the Word of God - Acts 15:1-5

15:1 Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3 The church sent them on their way, and as they travelled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad. 4 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.

5 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."

This was a pervasive thought: “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” (15:1)

• We have Jewish believers coming from Judea to Antioch teaching this.

• And then in 15:5 when in Jerusalem they met a group of Pharisees repeating the same: “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the Law.”

• This wasn’t about some preferences or customs, but the very essence of salvation. UNLESS the Gentile believers follow the Jewish Law they CANNOT be saved.

Having understood the message of grace and seen the works of God’s grace among the Gentiles, Paul and Barnabas stood up to them.

• They had sharp dispute and debate because this has to do with the truth of our salvation in Christ. Are we justified by faith in Christ or do we have to do more?

• This has to do with the essentials of the Christian faith. It’s not about different styles, practices or preferences in doing things.

• It has to do with the essence of the Gospel. You change this, you change the Gospel.

• Must Gentiles be circumcised and keep the Mosaic Law to be saved? Can they be saved apart from the Law, without being Jewish?

The issue at stake was huge. The Antioch church did the right thing. They sent Paul and Barnabas plus some other believers to Jerusalem.

• They need to nip this in the bud and resolve it with the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. It has to do with the doctrine of justification by faith alone in Christ alone.

The Pharisees are well known for their high regard for the law and their belief that one can be justified before God by keeping the law.

• Their identity has been tied to the Old Testament and the understanding of their covenant with God, framed by the rite of circumcision and the Mosaic Law.