“Is It Grace Plus Works?”
Acts 15:1-23
Paul and Barnabas had just returned from their first missionary journey (Acts 13:4-14:28). While they were sharing about their experiences in Antioch we are told, “And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” (v. 1) The church’s mission to the Gentiles was gathering momen-tum. The trickle of Gentile conversions had become a flood. The problem now became how these Gentile converts were to become a part of what had been a predominantly Jewish body. The message Paul and Barnabas had been preached was simple: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” They believed salvation was by grace alone through faith alone. Gentile converts were being welcomed into the fellowship by baptism without circumcision. They were becoming Christians without first having to become Jews.
The specific issue of circumcision has long since passed away as a concern to us; but the principle behind it is very, very present with us today. The enemy has simply changed the issues. Substitute baptism, or separation issues, or speaking in tongues, or the necessity of good works for circumcision and you bring the problem right up to date. They said, “unless you are circumcised…. you cannot be saved.” But what is the problem and why was it so dangerous? They were attempting to mix law and grace. To add anything whether it is baptism or good works or whatever it may be as a requirement for salvation is to diminish grace.
Paul puts it very clearly in his letter to the church at Galatia (3:1-3). “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. (2) I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? (3) Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? (Galatians 3:1-3 -NIV)
We can just imagine how Satan wanted to take advantage of this situation. First, he wanted the false doctrine of works righteousness to succeed. But even if it didn’t, Satan wanted a costly, bitter doctrinal war to complete split and sour the church. This may be the greatest threat to the work of the gospel seen in the Book of Acts! The problems that confronted the church at Antioch seem easier to understand if we keep several things in mind. First, all of these men who came down from Jerusalem were evidently sincere. I don’t know that they came down trying to make trouble; they were deeply committed to their conviction that unless a Gentile first became a Jew by circumcision then, he had no right to call himself a Christian.
Secondly, no doubt these men had Scriptures to back up what they believed. (The Pharisees who believed might quote in defense of their position are Exodus 12:48-49 and Isaiah 56:6. These passages might be quoted to say that the covenant the Gentiles were invited to join was a covenant of circumcision.) Their position even seemed to be supported by the church at Jerusalem.
Luke says that when this group arrived in the city they stirred up “no small dissension and dispute” (v. 2). After the Judaizers arrived apparently Peter began to act differently. Apparently before they came Peter “would eat with the Gentiles” but after they arrived they persuaded Peter to withdraw and “separated himself” from the Gentiles. (Gal. 2:12). Not only would this have hurt the feelings of the Gentiles and created a dissension within the body, it made Peter look like a hypocrite (Gal. 2:13). But even beyond Paul says that were not acting in accordance with “the truth of the Gospel.” (v.14)
First, The Dispute. (15:1-6)
Verse two says, “Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question. (3) So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the breth-ren. (4) And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them.”
When the dispute could not be settled within this local body they decided to appeal to the church at Jeru-salem. It is a reasonable suggestion for several reasons. First it was where the apostles would be found, or at least some of them. Secondly, it was the church it would seems that the Judaizers had come from and since the Judaizers seem to have given the impression that they spoke for the apostles and the church at Jerusalem, who would have been better to confirm their teachings or to confront their error?
•We must beware of bringing our precon-ceived ideas into a discussion of the nature of salvation. (vv. 5-6)
“But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” (6) Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter.”
It was natural for some of the former Pharisees to have a difficult to make a clean break with their past as Pharisees. In fact, we are all influenced by our back-grounds. Every one of us brings from our backgrounds and past experiences things that distort how we believe the Christian life should be lived. The challenge is to identify these points before we allow them to distort how we look at the truth.
These men – the Judaizers did not deny salvation by grace per se, they did not deny that Gentiles could be saved - they just thought that circumcision should be added to belief in Jesus to be made right with God.
Although had justification to believe that God would use a redeemed Israel to reach the nations (Isa. 2:3, 60:2; Zech. 8:22) they relied too much on their own traditions and did not fully understand that a new age of Grace had arrived.
So why should we care about this first century church conference? We should care because it - an essential question: “What is necessary for person to be saved?” The distortion of the Gospel plan of salvation may be much more prevalent than you think.
•Three Approaches To Salvation.
1st Faith + Works = Justification
I few simple questions will help us determine it you believe this paradigm. What do you think you need to do to be saved?
Do you have to be baptized?
Do you have to eliminate certain habits?
(smoking, drinking etc.)
Do you have to hold to a certain theological belief?
Do you have a member of a certain church?
Do you have to have a certain religious experience? (speaking in tongues)
Do you need to prefer a certain version of the Bible? (KJV)
Do you need to dress a certain way?
Do you have to say a certain prayer?
Do you have to walk an aisle or raise your hand?
If you believe any of those things are necessary before you can be made right with God you are following the same error as the men in Acts 15. You in fact believe in faith plus works. No matter what you say you believe works are necessary for salvation.
2nd Faith = Justification - Works
Some Churches go to an opposite extreme. They teach we are saved by trusting Christ alone and even if we live the rest of our life following the ways of the world, ARE saved. In other words, if at some point in your life you “walked down an aisle and shook a preacher hand” and you are saved . . . even if you walk away from the church and never show any evidence that you were really saved. Beware of a life that shows no spiritual fruit!
3rd Faith = Justification Works
Paul clearly states the principle in Ephesians 2, “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. (10) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10) We are not saved because of anything that we do. We are saved by grace through faith alone ….but not by a faith that is alone.
•True Biblical Faith.
True Biblical faith involves three dimensions: understanding, belief, and commitment. We must und-erstand that Jesus gave His life as a payment for our sin. We must know that He rose from the dead and opened the door of eternity to all who would believe. If a person does not understand this they may have faith but it is misplaced faith.
Second, we must believe. It is one thing to know something it is another to believe it. The second group of people tell you that belief alone can save you. Unfort-unately, James tells us that even the demons believe (James 2:19).Faith is something deeper than knowledge and assent or belief. True faith involves surrender and commitment to the truth you say you believe.
Second, The Debate. (15:7-21)
A three-fold witness
•The Witness of Peter. (vv. 7-11)
“And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. (8) So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, (9) and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. (10) Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? (11) But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”
Peter who had up to this point been listening stands and speaks. He first makes the point (vv. 8-9) that what the Judaizers are advancing is unnecessary; because it is obvious that God has already saved the Gentiles without it. The Judaizers had been saying to the Gentiles that “without circumcision you cannot be saved.” But they were ignoring one very persistent fact, “those Gentiles were already saved.”
Secondly, Peter says that he is puzzled as to why the Judaizers want to saddle the Gentiles with the burden of keeping the law (v.10). He reminds His Jewish listeners that they had not been able to bear it, so why heap on others what they themselves could not do. He tells them that it is unwise to test God by refusing to believe that He has saved the Gentiles. Peter then ends by very graciously saying not that the Gentiles were save just like us, but rather we were saved just as they were (v.11).
The Witness of Barnabas and Paul. (v. 12)
“Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.”
Paul and Barnabas tell of their work among the Gentiles, supporting Peter’s claim that God is doing a work among them. The point being that God would not keep doing miracles among them had He not accepted their faith as a response to the gospel of salvation by grace through faith. The miracles were witness to the fact that God had accepted the Gentiles.
•The Witness of James. (vv. 13-21)
“And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, ‘Men and brethren, listen to me: (14) Simeon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. ..(19) Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, (20) but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. (21) For Moses has had throughout many gener-ations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”
James’ Authority.
This James is not the Apostle James (whose martyrdom is recorded in Acts 12:2) but James the Just - the half-brother of Jesus (Matthew 13:15) senior pastor of the church at Jerusalem (Acts 12:17), and author of the book of James (James 1:1).
James very wisely began by referring not Paul, who was the Apostle to the Gentiles - but to Peter. And he refers to him not as “Peter” which is his Greek name (petros – means stone in Greek) but by his Hebrew name, “Simon” and by the most Jewish form of his Jewish name, not merely “Simon” but “Simeon” (v. 14). It was Simeon who had first shown how God had shown his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. How it must have startled the Judaizers when James called these saved Gentiles “a people of His [God’s] name” (v. 14), because this is the title that the Jews alone had carried for centuries.
James then quotes the Old Testament prophet Amos (9:11-12) to prove that God has always been just as concerned about saving the Gentiles as he was the Jews.
James’ Advice. (vv. 19-21)
James sums up his judgment first by affirming that the Gentiles should not be forced to adopt circum-cision and the keeping of the Law of Moses (15:19). Then (15:20-21) James mentions four things that the Gentile Christians should abstain from for the sake of not offending the Jews. Three of these were not essen-tial doctrinal matters, but rather matters that took into consideration the social situation and sought to avoid needlessly giving offense.
The very man who the Judaizers had claimed as their champion declared himself in full agreement with Peter. He stated that there was to be no additional requirements to faith added to the Gentiles. He advises the Gentile believers to stay away from anything that has to do with idols. This is an area of where the sens-itivity of other believers is to be considered. They are to avoid fornication (the Greek is porneia which is a gen-eral term covering all kinds of sexual sin both before and after marriage, and can include homosexuality and incest). And they are not to partake of meat that has been strangled or has blood in it. Some maintain that this a return to the Old Testament law that he has just said did not apply. However, the instructions against eating blood was actually given by God before the time of the Law (Gen 9:4).
Third, The Decision. (15:22-29)
“Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren. (23) They wrote this, letter by them: The apostles, the elders, and the brethren, To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings.”
According to verse twenty-two the apostles and the elders and the whole church accepted the wise words of James. But considering the situation they thought it best to send men chosen from among themselves to go with Barnabas and Paul to Antioch to present the decision and the letter (v. 23). These men would be able to confirm the truth of what would be contained in the letter as well as the fact that the whole assembly had been unanimous in standing behind it.
Summary principles.
Any theology – any idea – any belief that says – what Jesus did on the cross was not enough must be vigorously defended against.
Nothing can be added to salvation by grace and it still be grace. It cannot be grace plus baptism or grace plus works. Paul says it clearly in his letter to the Ephesians, “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. (10) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10)
Just as the first century church found it necessary to be clear on this bedrock spiritual truth, so must the church of today must be equally committed. Against every sign of a gospel-plus mentality, the Church must insist on maintaining a clear voice in defense of the purity of the Gospel message.
J. C. Ryle, a 19th century Anglican bishop wrote, “Controversy and religious strife, no doubt, are odious things; but there are times when they are a positive necessity. Unity and peace are very delightful; but they are bought too dear if they are bought at the expense of truth… Controversy, in fact, is one of the conditions under which truth in every age has to be defended and maintained, and it is nonsense to ignore it.” (Source Unknown)
As people under grace we are not to make non-biblical requirements of others.
This means that we cannot make areas of life-style that are not spelled out in scripture, normative for others in order that they be considered good Christians.
Let me conclude with this story.
“A little boy came to the Washington Monument and noticed a guard standing by it. The little boy look-ed up at the guard and said, "I want to buy it." The guard stooped down and says, "How much do you have?" The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out 25 cents. The guard said, "That's not enough." The boy replied, "I thought you would say that." So he pulled out nine cents more. The guard looked down at the boy and said, "You need to understand three things. First, 34 cents is not enough, 34 million dollars is not enough to buy the Washington Monument. Second, the Wash-ington Monument is not for sale. And third, if you are an American citizen, the Washington Monument already belongs to you." We need to understand three things about forgiveness. First, we cannot earn it. Second, it is not for sale. Third, if we trust Christ as our Savior, we already have it.” [Bruce Goettsche. “Sola Fide” -Acts 15 – www.unionchurch.com/archive/090703.html]
“Is It Grace Plus Works?”
Acts 15:1-23
First, The ______________. (15:1-6)
So why should we care about this first century church conference? We should care because it addresses an essential question: “What is ____________ for a person to be saved?”
Three approaches to Salvation.
1st Faith + Works = Justification
2nd Faith = Justification - Works
3rd Faith = Justification Works
True Biblical Faith
Second, The ________________. (15:7-21)
The Witness of Peter. (vv. 7-11)
What they are saying cannot be true because the Gentile have already been saved without it. (vv. 8-9)
Why do the Judaizers want to saddle the Gentiles with the burden of keeping the law they themselves have been unsuccessful in doing. (v.10).
The Witness of Barnabas and Paul. (v. 12)
The Witness of James. (vv. 13-21) (Amos 9:11-12)
Third, The _________________. (15:22-29)
Summary principles.
Any theology – any idea – any belief that says – what Jesus did on the cross was not _______________ must be vigorously defended against. Nothing can be _________ to salvation by grace and it still be grace. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
As people under grace we are not to make non-_____________ requirements of others.
