What Does God Say?

Acts 15:5-11

In Galatians 2:4, Paul stated that a group of false brethren had caused them to have to go to Jerusalem to settle whether circumcision was required for salvation. They had had an impact on a sect of Christians who were former Pharisees, and accepted the idea themselves, clinging to their Jewish background. When Paul and Barnabas told what God had done among the Gentiles, one group insisted they were not preaching the whole word.

“But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” (Acts 15:5)

While every Christian receives the Holy Spirit at salvation, they do not all allow him full control, choosing to retain control themselves. As a result they walk in the flesh rather than the Spirit as I Corinthians 3:3 states. “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” Every conflict between Christians indicates an unspiritual state by one or both parties. Conflicts always result in sin according to James 2:16. “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” From what Galatians 2:3 says, the trigger which touched off the debate was the presence of Titus, a gentile who accompanied them to Jerusalem. He would later become a pastor and missionary himself.

Unspiritual people easily fall for unsound doctrine and follow false teachers. II Timothy 2:15 advises us that the way to be sure we are satisfactory to God is to study his word, making sure we understand it correctly. “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” These kinds of controversies indicate who is really studying the scriptures and who is just accepting whatever they are told according to I Corinthians 11:19. “For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.”

The assertion that circumcision or keeping the Mosaic law is essential for Christians is still common today and still causes conflict. If it didn’t, it would indicate that there was no real concern for pleasing God. When people decide to just ignore false doctrine, they indicate they are not concerned about the truth. It raised serious debate in the church at Jerusalem.

“And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.” (Acts 15:6)

As long as they dealt solely with those who had been raised as Jews or Jewish proselytes, the Apostles had never had to consider the issue. It had never even occurred to them that it might matter, so they had not dealt with it. Now they had to consider what God actually said about the subject. There was a lot of arguing before Peter finally focused their attention on what God had indicated by his actions.

“And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.” (Acts 15:7)

God had specifically sent Peter to the gentiles in Caesarea, as described in Acts 10, and the church had recognized salvation was possible for the Gentiles. God had clearly saved them the same way he had the Jews, replicating the events that had occurred at Pentecost in Caesarea.

“And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.” (Acts 15:10)

By filling them with the Holy Spirit even though they had not lived up to the Jewish standard, God clearly indicated that it was not required. To demand that they do so was to imply that God didn’t have the right to accept anything other than their standard, implying they, not God, made the rules. It would be a direct challenge to God’s authority.

“Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?” (Acts 15:10)

In the fifteen hundred years the Jews had had the Mosaic Law, they had found it a constant burden to maintain all the sacrifices and follow all the rules, and had not been able to fulfill it themselves. If God would still save them without having kept it, why would they want to place such a burden on others.

“But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.” (Acts 15:11)

In fact, the Jews were not saved because they kept the law either. Romans 3:20 tells us the only thing the Law accomplished was making them aware of their sin. “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Even the old Testament saints were not saved by keeping the law. Just like for the Gentiles, salvation for Jews was by God’s gift, his grace, not by keeping the law. In fact, God had established the principle of salvation through faith more than four hundred years before the Law was given as Paul explains in Galatians 3, and the Law did not change it. Christ’s death on the cross made it possible for them to be saved the same as present day Christians, they just had to wait until he came.

One similar controversy today is over whether baptism is essential for salvation. In looking to the thief on the cross to prove that baptism is not required for salvation we apply the same logic Peter used here. As James makes clear in the next few verses, the logic is valid. To declare that the thief on the cross was saved a special way directly contradicts Paul’s teaching.

As Paul points out, he and the other apostles were in full agreement on every count, in Galatians 2:6, when he shared what he’d been teaching. Their only concern was to find out what God wanted. Myself, I have to agree with the apostles’ conclusion as to what Jesus meant. Only God’s opinion matters. Too often religious decisions are not based on what God wants, but on human logic.