#1581 Acts 15 Part 1 Contending For The Faith

 

Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And when Paul and Barnabas had not a little dissension and debate with them, the brothers determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. 3 Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, recounting in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brothers. 4 When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. 5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the Law of Moses.”

6 Both the apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter. 7 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; 9 and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

12 And all the multitude kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. Acts 15: 1-12 LSB

Acts 15: 1-12 

Sola fide is Latin for "faith alone," which you have likely heard in the saying, "By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone." These teachers were attacking the "solas" especially the "sola" that all one needed to be saved by Christ was faith in Christ.

Notice that Acts 15 is strategically situated between the First and Second Missionary Journeys. This makes Acts 15 one of the most important chapters in the Bible (my wife accuses me of saying that about every chapter I am studying!). And what makes this chapter so critical is it documents the battle for the integrity of the Gospel and the vindication of Paul's teaching of justification by faith alone in Christ alone.

As Wikipedia says "Sola fide (Latin: by faith alone), also known as justification by faith alone, is a Christian theological doctrine commonly held to distinguish many Protestant churches from the Catholic Church, as well as the Eastern Orthodox Churches and Oriental Orthodox Churches." - PA

V. 1 Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved - This is not a lone incident. Judaizers came at other times in the churches' history, and basically tried to get new gentile believers to not only question their faith, but to consider it illegitimate unless they first became Jews. It has worked both ways though, and Paul will get into this in Romans 9-11, where he corrects those who would write off Israel. The Jews had a lot of form and tradition, some found in Scripture, but other was their own additions. Interestingly enough, the apostasy that crept into the church, with much allegorical, gnostic teaching, stemmed back to early church leaders, who began replacing Israel, and everything written to Israel in the OT with the church. The church eventually became Romish, and what appeared? Instead of a kingdom of priests, which was all believers, we now had a system with priests and popes. Priests were not allowed to marry, contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture, and we have all the sudden a pope, or high priest, which again is contrary to Scripture. Circumcision, in this apostate church, was replaced by the baptizing of infants, which has no clear path towards a Creedal confession as can be found in Scripture. It's not there, yet even in Reform circles we still find this practice of sprinkling infants, though most of their pastors would not teach it as salvific, but it is another place where they are stunted in their reform. They still need to come out of her, whether Babylon or Rome, return to Sola Scriptura. In 1 Corinthians 7 Paul makes it clear again that there is no call to be circumcised or uncircumcised in the flesh. 

10 This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your seed after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, one who is born in the house or one who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your seed. 13 A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.” Genesis 17: 10-14

…18But I ask, did they not hear? Indeed they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” 19I ask instead, did Israel not understand? First, Moses says: “I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation without understanding.” 20And Isaiah boldly says: “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me.”… Romans 10: 18-20

10May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.” 11I ask then, did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Certainly not! However, because of their trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous. 12But if their trespass means riches for the world, and their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!…

…13I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14in the hope that I may provoke my own people to jealousy and save some of them. 15For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?… Romans 11: 10-15

…3Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4This issue arose because some false brothers had come in under false pretenses to spy on our freedom in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us. 5We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.… Galatians 2: 3-5

…18Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man still uncircumcised when called? He should not be circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commandments is what counts. 20Each one should remain in the situation he was in when he was called.… 1 Corinthians 7: 18-20

Vs. 2-3 Brothers determined that Paul and Barnabas - I take this as a noble gesture, although it was not what they had been taught, and they had received the legitimate gospel from Paul and Barnabas, these men seemed to have shaken the faith of at least some. The 12 apostles were the foundational pillars of the church, with Christ being the corner stone. There have been councils since that do not hold this same weight, but in Biblical protestant circles this is what we mean by reform, getting back to the clear teachings of Christ and the Apostles. We assert that there is a God, as revealed by Holy Scripture, that the cannon is His word, that He is eternal and so His word need not change with every age. It is timeless as He is, and when God the Son enters the world, it is said that the "Word became flesh and dwelt among us." God, being eternal, knew what He meant when He said it, and we in every age have the responsibility to go to Scripture without our bias and look for the Author's intent. When men come in teaching strange or new doctrines it is the responsibility of the elders to defend the pure gospel. 

5to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. 6I am amazed how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ.…

…8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse! 9As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse! 10Am I now seeking the approval of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.… Galatians 1: 5-10

John Phillips makes an interesting observation regarding the effect of the dissension and debate writing that “The Antioch church was torn asunder, confused, and rendered almost wholly ineffective. That, of course, was Satan’s answer to Paul’s evangelism: paralyze the church with inward strife; direct all energy against other believers; put the church on the defensive, keep it squabbling. It is significant that we have no record at this time of further plans for missionary activity and no record of souls being saved at Antioch. Evangelism had come to a halt.” (Exploring Acts)

THOUGHT - Confrontation is not easy but is necessary if the foundation of the Gospel is undermined by false teaching. I was told of a man suspected of being a false teacher and so I simply went to the class he was teaching so that I could hear first hand what he was teaching. I did not ask any questions, but simply listened. He knew I was in the class but never addressed me during the class or after. Within about 2 weeks this false teacher hot-footed it to another Bible church in the area. While I did not follow him, I did call a doctrinally sound man at the church to warn him this man was coming to his church. That was my last contact. This is probably as "easy" of a confrontation that one could have. The point is we need to be willing to speak the truth in love, but we also need to be absolutely certain that what is being taught is heretical. It would be easy to let our personal feelings for another person cloud our thinking and discernment. We need to heed Mt 7:1-2 (my children's favorite passage to quote to me!) but not forget Mt 7:4-5 so we might "see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye." - PA

Vs. 4-5 Some of the sect of the Pharisees - I have talked about this before, whether heritage, title, degree, height, strength, speed, talents etc., everyone wants what they have to be deemed the most important. The Pharisees were sons of Abraham, and they liked having a sense of importance linked to this. It put them as a little more special than the gentiles. The problem is, that isn't what justifies you before God. God chose to make you, give you your talents, and it all belongs to Him. My mom is a Christian, but that doesn't make me one. Many Jews had been circumcised, came from the twelve tribes, but still busted hell wide open. Why? Because of their unbelief. The Jewish people held the law and the prophets, the things that testified of Messiah, but most of them didn't recognize Him when He came. His was the sacrifice that the covenant with Abraham rested upon, the reason that history didn't end at the fall. Now these Pharisees, in the context of this chapter, are believers, but they are adding something to the gospel that doesn't belong. It was, as we can see in Gen. 17 above, a sign of the covenant God made with Abraham. The Pharisees also added to the law though, and thought they were saved through the law, and this is an issue in the church even to this day where men make a new gospel that is Christ plus something else, some work. Circumcision was given to you at 8 days old, before you could understand or make a decision for yourself, a promise of the parent that they would raise you separate from the systems of the world, that you would be brought up in the fear of God. The law was to teach you that you are a trespasser, a law breaker, that you were dirty and needed to be made clean. Baptism comes after the acknowledgment of your sin, the desire to be washed, made clean. It is the sign of those who believe in Christ for their salvation. rather than any works of the flesh. 

…27The one who is physically uncircumcised yet keeps the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker. 28 A man is not a Jew because he is one outwardly, nor is circumcision only outward and physical. 29No, a man is a Jew because he is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise does not come from men, but from God.… Romans 2: 27-29

V. 6 Both the apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter - Like we were talking about, the teaching of the Apostles was foundational to the church. They are the ones who walked with Christ, learned from Christ. This reminds you of the noble Bereans, who searched the Scriptures. We may have disagreements with our Christian brothers and sisters but it is important to have mature dialogue about these matters. It is wrong to blow up at people, but it is equally wrong to leave them or yourself in the dark regarding Scriptural truth. This was an attack on the gospel, so it is of utmost importance that it be sorted out. Why? Because it is about the Word of the eternal God, about salvation, it has eternal weight and significance. There are other questions or debates concerning doctrine that, though they are not about the gospel, yet deserve our attention because the Bible is God's word. It is important that we get it right especially before we go and try to teach others. What profit is it to them or us if we screw it up? 

V. 7 After there had been much debate, Peter stood up - It was that important; it couldn't just be set aside for the compromise of peace without truth. Peter is one of the twelve, and one of Christ's inner circle. The popes of the Roman Catholic cult see themselves as in a long succession of papal authority that starts with Peter, but this is not the case, that foundation has already been laid, and now we have Scripture as our highest court of appeal. Peter gives his credentials, that God made a choice that by his mouth the gentiles would hear the gospel. Was this, the circumcision that these Pharisees were pushing, part of that gospel message? Did it belong? Christ had given Peter authority in such matters, but Peter's position in Christ does not make what Peter says true, no, he has to say what God is saying. He has to rely upon the mind of Christ. 

…18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20Then He admonished the disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ.… Matthew 16: 18-20

…5Now send men to Joppa to call for a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.” 7When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among his attendants.… Acts 10: 5-7

…11And the LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Or who makes the mute or the deaf, the sighted or the blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12Now go! I will help you as you speak, and I will teach you what to say.” 13But Moses replied, “Please, Lord, send someone else.”… Exodus 4: 11-13

Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you - Peter first reminds the assembly of past Gentile conversions. The phrase in early days is an idiom which literally reads "from ancient days." The choice among you that God made was that Peter would proclaim the Gospel to the Gentiles. Some suggest the time phrase means at the beginning of time, but others feel it refers to the fact that it has been about 10+ years since Peter first spoke the Gospel to Cornelius (about 38 AD and it is now about 49 AD). And so it is fitting that Peter speaks because he had already received full approval from the congregation in Jerusalem against the Judaizing legalists in Acts 11:18+ Luke recording "When they heard this (that God gave the Gentiles the same gift as He gave the Jews - Acts 11:17+), they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.” - PA

V. 8 And God, Who knows the heart - There is something to consider in the sign of circumcision, it is an outward sign of the flesh, yet concealed. It is hidden away, as the Jews also had laws about modesty. It hints in this toward an inward sign, the circumcision of the heart, where God is looking. God is looking for the life of the Spirit, the blood of His Son on the inner door of the heart. Circumcision could not save, only Christ can save, so God draws us, the Holy Spirit quickens us, gifting us with the faith to believe in Christ alone for our salvation. There is no work here. We have the sacraments, but they do not save. As He says, "do this in remembrance of  Me". Works are therefore not the means to salvation but the fruit that grows from that saved tree. 

…23So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24And they prayed, “Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have chosen 25to take up this ministry and apostleship, which Judas abandoned to go to his rightful place.”… Acts 1: 23-25

…6When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and said, “Surely here before the LORD is His anointed.” 7But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.” 8Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel, who said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.”… 1 Samuel 16: 6-8

…5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved! 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.…

…8For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.… Ephesians 2: 5-10

V. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith - You can see above that faith is also a gift, so there is no room for boasting in the flesh, in traditions, only that I was helpless but had a great Savior. It wasn't a merit system based upon my works. It was based upon the perfect, sinless life of Christ, that He lived in my place, perfectly fulfilling the law. It is based not upon my suffering to pay for my sin, for that is only less than I deserved, but Christ's taking my place upon the cross, dying for my sin. He is the fulfillment of the skins that covered our parents, Adam and Eve, after the fall, the ram that took Isaac's place, the Passover Lamb, spotless and pure before the Father. There is no separate way, no different gospel, no different Messiah, only Jesus, and everyone who was ever saved was saved by faith. 

…27For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.… Galatians 3: 27-29

V. 10 Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear - Remember, the law showed the infraction, the impossible void between us and a Holy God. He said the wages of sin is death, and the law revealed that we were sinners. No one was able to keep the law, but the Pharisees pretended that they did, pretended to the point that they accepted the praise of men as proof, but God was looking at the heart. Why ask others to do what is impossible, to do what you couldn't do yourself. The law says, do this and you will live, but guess what, you didn't do it, and the bar is perfection, so you are dead in your trespasses and sins. You need a mediator, you need the God Man, Jesus Christ. 

1What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he is the owner of everything. 2 He is subject to guardians and trustees until the date set by his father. 3So also, when we were children, we were enslaved under the basic principles of the world.…

…4But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons. 6And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”…

7So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, you are also an heir through God. 8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. 9But now that you know God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you are turning back to those weak and worthless principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?… Galatians 4: 1-9

…8By this arrangement the Holy Spirit was showing that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing. 9It is an illustration for the present time, because the gifts and sacrifices being offered were unable to cleanse the conscience of the worshiper. 10They consist only in food and drink and special washings—external regulations imposed until the time of reform.… Hebrews 9: 8-10

Messianic Jewish writer Steven Ger adds that "Yoke" was a common rabbinic designation for the Torah, cited in the Mishnah concerning proselytes taking up "the yoke of the commandments." (Mishnah, Berakhot 2:2) While rabbinic literature, both ancient and contemporary, is filled with eloquent testimony to the joys and delights of keeping God's gracious gift of Torah, the average Jew has not often found this to be the case, particularly when filtered through the interpretive grid of the rabbinic oral tradition. Peter was merely stating a candid fact, one that could be bluntly reaffirmed by countless Jews throughout Jewish history."

Thus Peter's metaphor is crystal clear that the "yoke" stood for anything added to faith, in this specific case referring to the addition of circumcision and keeping of the Mosaic Law. The picture is of yoke that was so "heavy" (figuratively speaking) that the fathers in the Old Covenant did not have strength to bear. Paul's words in Galatians are a good "commentary" writing "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." (Gal. 5:1) Jesus castigated the Pharisees with a similar declaration that "They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders (COMPARE TO A "YOKE"), but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.(Mt 23:4) - Precept Austin

V. 11 But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way they also are - Whether Jew or Greek, salvation is of the Lord, by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ. They were the same, there was no other gospel. 

Spurgeon - What the sun is to the heavens, that the doctrine of a vicarious satisfaction is to theology. Atonement is the brain and spinal cord of Christianity. Take away the cleansing blood, and what is left to the guilty? Deny the substitutionary work of Jesus, and you have denied all that is precious in the New Testament.

That we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus - Through is placed at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis. The preposition "through" is dia which means across, successfully across, and in a sense is a picture of a "door" (the grace of the Lord Jesus, a phrase that is synonymous with THE GOSPEL), through which one walks by faith across to the other side from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of God's beloved Son. - PA

…23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25God presented Him as the atoning sacrifice through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.… Romans 3: 23-25

V. 12 And all the multitude kept silent - This is the peace that we are seeking in the end, peace under roof of truth, not peace at the sacrifice of truth. It is so interesting to see that they were contending for the purity of the gospel even back then. The attack came so quickly, and it persists to this day. The hardest people to reach are the religious.