Is Jesus Truly Enough?
Notes
Transcript
Handout
As long as we are together, not everyone thinks and believes the same way. We all come from different backgrounds, different families, with different values.
Hard work is valued… we are identified by our work ethic… by our occupation… our success… our degrees.
Often times, our background and values floods over to effect other areas of our life, the expectations we place on certain people, how we treat people… the way we even view other people within the church.
If they don’t work hard enough they somehow have less value within the Body of Christ.
It’s easy to view measuring up to our standards in terms of our salvation as well.
Our value is based on God’s love not based on our performance and once Jesus in our Lord and Savior we are enough because Jesus is enough.
In the early church there was brewing some controversy as the church was growing and moving from being an Old Testament Church to a New Testament church.
As they were growing and expanding, reaching those who were outside the Jewish faith, the church had to reflect on traditions that could potentially become problematic for Gentiles.
The church had to wrestle with some questions: How does the Law of Moses fit into our relationship with Jesus? How does this impact our new Gentile brothers and sisters in Christ?
At the beginning: Acts 15:1
1 But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
This was an issue that needed to be talked about. Even though this issue was openly discussed and settled here in chapter 15, this had been a theological struggle throughout Paul’s ministry.
Judaizers (some Jewish Christians): Gentiles must become Jewish first to be eligible for salvation
They were devout, practicing Jews who found it difficult to set aside a tradition of gaining merit with God by keeping the law
They thought grace was too easy for the Gentiles
They were afraid of seeming too non-Jewish in the practice of their new faith—which could lead to persecution
The demands on the Gentiles were a way of maintaining control and authority in the movement
Even in churches today, requirements are added by certain denominations that are viewed as essential for salvation.
Baptism, Holy Spirit Baptism, Church attendance, Giving, abstaining from… alcohol, drugs, tobacco.
Those are things that we do as a result of our salvation, not to earn our salvation. Jesus sets us free from addictions, Jesus begins that work in us, so we receive from Jesus in faith.
Paul was raised as an ultra conservative Jew, under the Pharisee traditions but after Jesus powerfully changed Paul’s life his hard line traditional beliefs changed. He set aside those Jewish traditions because they had become barriers to the new believers that Paul was reaching who received salvation through Jesus Christ by faith alone.
As the church was moving forward reaching Gentile believers who are now a part of the church, circumcision and observing the law were issues that needed to be discussed and debated.
Why was circumcision such a big deal for the Jewish believers?
Starting with Abraham, God commanded circumcision to be what identified the Jews. All male Jews must be circumcised just after birth otherwise they would be under God’s judgement.
Circumcision was an act of obedience and it was an outward sign of being set apart as God’s people.
This was a covering for his family in a patriarch family structure.
This was a major change that came into question after the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Jesus Christ is now enough for salvation.
The question discussed and debated in Chapter 15 was about circumcision being necessary for salvation.
This was a major issue that needed to be resolved through discussion and debate.
2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. 3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. 5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”
So Paul and Barnabas, who were at the church in Antioch, disagreed sharply with these people who were adding requirements to salvation. This was serious debate, Paul and Barnabas were arguing vehemently so they were sent to the church in Jerusalem to meet with the apostles and the elders.
This was not a debate about paint, or carpet, or how money is spent in the church… this was an issue about salvation through faith in Jesus. Was Jesus enough, or do we need to add other things to make sure they are truly saved?
Not everyone is going to agree about how scripture is interrupted: end times, the details about communion, baptism, giving (tithing), the gifts of the Holy Spirit, women in ministry… there are so many denominations separated because of these different issues.
Yet, one issue must be made crystal clear, that salvation by faith in what Jesus Christ is enough. HIS sacrificial death, resurrection, and ascension alone will always be enough for salvation. Jesus did the work, we must receive what HE did through faith alone. We must trust in Jesus every day, living that crucified life so we can receive that new life that comes by being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Adding works to salvation is saying that what Jesus was and never will be enough.
This controversy needed to be resolved first within the leadership of the church.
This controversy needed to be resolved first within the leadership of the church.
This was something that needed to be dealt with quickly and decisively.
As leaders, they didn’t dodge controversy, they challenged it.
Not dealing with it would have destroyed the church.
Not dealing with it will cost us much more then dealing with it.
They listened to the people who God was using to reach both Jews and Gentiles. They weighed the evidence and made a decision.
6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider 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 should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
After much debate, Peter stood up and presented evidence that faith in Jesus alone is enough for salvation. Peter referred to his own experience with Cornelius and his family. How God poured out the Holy Spirit on this group of Gentiles after Peter presented them with the Gospel.
We don’t know people’s hearts but God does and yet God still bore witness to them. While Peter was preaching a message of salvation, it says they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
All this was done… not because they were Jews, circumcised, or obeyed the Law of Moses but because God choose to offer salvation and they simply received it by faith.
Gentile Christians: Faith in Christ as Savior is the only requirement for salvation.
To submit to Jewish demands would be to doubt what God had already done for them by grace alone
They resisted exchanging a system of Jewish rituals for their pagan rituals—neither of which had power to save
They sought to obey Christ by baptism (rather than by circumcision) as a sign of their new faith.
This was the crux of the matter.
10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
The Jews had the law, the 10 commandments, circumcision, the dietary laws, the tabernacle, worship requirements and ceremonies, sabbath.
They had it all laid out for them from the Lord through Moses, but failed to meet the requirements of the law.
God requires complete obedience, not partial.
God knew that all have sinned and fallen short. The Jews could not measure up to the Law of Moses and that’s why God had to intervene by sending Jesus HIS Son. Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law for us by becoming the perfect lamb of God to take away the sins of the world, not just for the Jews, but all humankind.
Paul wrote that the law had been a guide that pointed out their sins so they could repent and return to God and right living.
24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,
It was still impossible to obey the law completely. Both Jews and Gentiles must receive salvation through faith in Jesus alone. What the law could never do, God did through Jesus Christ.
Nobody can ever earn grace; it is simply given by God voluntarily to those HE saves. Salvation cannot be earned and without God’s grace, no person can be saved.
After Peter spoke on this, Paul and Barnabas spoke about how God worked through there ministry to the Gentiles.
And then James, the half-brother of Jesus spoke confirming that what Jesus did was more then enough for salvation.
The church leadership kept a united front on the very important issue.
Nothing else needed to be added so these new Gentile believers could be saved.
No circumcision or obeying the Law of Moses, was required for salvation. What Jesus did was enough.
A decision was made and everyone agreed to abide by the decision.
A decision was made and everyone agreed to abide by the decision.
Then James summarized the reports and drew up the decision and presented a compromise by mentioning 4 requirements.
19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.
Without explicitly mentioning circumcision, James echoed Peter’s argument by ruling that the leaders in the church who were Jewish should not make it difficult for the Gentiles to become Christians and join the church. This rejected the circumcision requirement.
Peter and James: Faith is the only requirement, but there must be evidence of change by rejecting the old lifestyle
They tried to distinguish between what was true from God’s Word and what was just human tradition
They had Christ’s command to preach to all the world
They wanted to preserve unity
They saw that Christianity could never survive as just a sect within Judaism.
This judgment also included the stipulation that the Gentile converts should abstain from food polluted by idols.
This was a problem in the New Testament churches where meat was first sacrificed to idols and then sold in butcher shops (1 Corinthians 8:1–13; 10:18–33).
They were also to abstain from sexual immorality.
This which was often a part of idol worship.
Abstaining from sexual relationships outside a marriage relationships including incest and homosexuality.
Finally, they were not to eat the meat of strangled animals or to consume blood.
This reflected the biblical teaching that life is in the blood.
Strangling an animal would keep the blood in the circulatory system and not drained away, thus causing blood to be eaten with the meat.
If Gentile Christians would abstain from these practices, they would please God and get along better with their Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ.
Of course, there were other actions inappropriate for believers, but the Jews were especially concerned about these four.
There was a sense in which the Jews needed to be patient with these new Gentile believers who were not familiar with all the Old Testament laws and rituals.
And there was a sense in which the Gentiles needed to be sensitive to the Jews who were there first—being careful not to offend their weaker consciences.
vs. 22 “This seemed good to the apostles and the elders.”
They agreed and supported the decision and then they let the Gentile churches know the decision.
The council sent a letter with delegates to report the decision.
The council sent a letter with delegates to report the decision.
22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, 23 with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings.
They reported the decision to the Gentile churches and this was received with joy and were encouraged. (vs 31)
They resolved the conflict as the leaders debated the issue, came to a resolution, wrote it down, and sent it through Paul, Barnabas, Judas, and Silas to share it with the Gentile Churches.
Sometimes making a decision can be very difficult but after the decision has been made communication is vital.
They didn’t just mail the letter, they sent some of the leaders to the gentiles believers who were impacted by these decision that were made.
Compromise and listening to one another is all apart of practicing the law of love. We don’t want to offend somebody based on our own freedoms in Christ.
In the spirit of unity, they wrote down these requirements.
28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: 29 that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
“It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…”
Seeming good to the Holy Spirit means as the church, we are led by the Holy Spirit but not all things are easy to determine. Not all decisions are clear.
As we are working with different people groups, we need to be led by the Holy Spirit.
Are these requirements applicable to us today?
I would say yes to sexual immorality.
However, food sacrificed to idols, strangled animals, and blood were requirements set up in order to keep unity within a Jewish and Gentile blended church.
There may be other rules that you set because you don’t want to offend somebody. Even though we have own freedoms in Christ, we don’t want to do something that would cause an offense.
Jesus is and always will be enough for salvation.
Take Away:
Do we have a religious or a critical spirit?
Are we listening well, willing to compromise on non-essentials to bring unity, and giving margin for grace?
Is Jesus truly enough?
