Empowered Witness: Guarding the Gospel

Week 40

Acts 13–14 – The First Missionary Journey

Paul and Barnabas were set apart by the Holy Spirit and sent out by the church at Antioch. They traveled through cities like Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe — preaching the gospel, healing the sick, and planting churches.

In Acts 13, we saw Paul preach a bold sermon in a synagogue, declaring Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promises. Many Gentiles believed, but some Jews stirred up opposition.

In Acts 14, Paul and Barnabas continued to face both opportunity and opposition — being praised as gods in one moment and nearly stoned to death in the next.

Through it all, they remained faithful. And when they returned to Antioch, they gathered the church and gave testimony to all that God had done — especially how He “opened a door of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27).

Now We Come to Acts 15...

The gospel is spreading. The church is growing. But with that growth comes tension.

Some believers from Judea show up in Antioch saying, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

Suddenly, the question becomes urgent:

Is salvation really by grace alone through faith alone — or is something more required?

This chapter is one of the most important turning points in the early church — a moment when the apostles, elders, and leaders came together to defend the gospel, protect the unity of the church, and ensure that nothing would stand in the way of Gentiles coming to faith in Christ.

Text: Acts 15:1–21 Theme: The church must protect the truth of the gospel by confronting false teaching and standing firm in grace.

If the enemy can’t stop the church through persecution, he’ll try to corrupt it from the inside — by distorting the gospel.

I. The Threat to the Gospel

(vv. 1–5)

Acts 15:1–5 ESV

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.” 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.”

“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.’” – v. 1

Some Jewish believers couldn’t accept that Gentiles could be saved without following the law of Moses — specifically circumcision. They were essentially saying, “Faith in Jesus is not enough — you must become Jewish to become Christian.”

Circumcision:

Circumcision was a physical sign of God’s covenant with His people. While it first appears in Genesis with Abraham (Gen. 17:10–14), it was later codified into the Law of Moses and became a central identity marker for the Jewish people.

Under the Mosaic Law:

Every male child was to be circumcised on the eighth day (Lev. 12:3).

It symbolized belonging to the covenant community — a people set apart for God.

It was closely tied to obedience to the whole Law. To be uncircumcised was to be considered outside the covenant (Ex. 12:48; Joshua 5:2–9).

Circumcision and the Early Church:

By the time of Acts 15, many Jewish believers still viewed circumcision as essential for salvation — especially for Gentile converts. They assumed that following Jesus meant also following Moses.

But the apostles realized something powerful through the work of the Holy Spirit among Gentiles:

Salvation is not marked by a physical sign, but by faith. Circumcision of the flesh is no longer required — what matters is the circumcision of the heart (Rom. 2:28–29 Col. 2:11

Romans 2:28–29 ESV

28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

Colossians 2:11 ESV

11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,

This is legalism: adding human effort to divine grace.

Paul and Barnabas were not about to let that slide. Verse 2 says they had “no small dissension and debate.” In other words, it was a serious confrontation.

Application: We must be vigilant when the purity of the gospel is threatened. Even today, people add to grace:

“You’re not really saved unless you dress a certain way.”

“You have to be baptized in our church.”

“You can’t be a real Christian unless you vote this way, sing these songs, or follow these rules.”

Grace + anything = a false gospel.

The issue: Is salvation by grace alone through faith alone, or is something more required?

II. The Defense of the Gospel

(Acts 15:6–12)

“The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter.” – v. 6

The early church faced a theological crisis: Was salvation by grace through faith alone, or was obedience to the law—specifically circumcision—also required?

Peter stands and reminds them how God saved Cornelius and the Gentiles:

“He made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.” – v. 9

“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?” – v. 10

“But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” – v. 11

This was not a small debate. The gospel was at stake. And the apostles defended it clearly and courageously.

Illustration: Martin Luther’s Defense of the Gospel

Over 1,500 years later, a German monk named Martin Luther stood in the same fire. Desperate to earn God's favor, he tried every rule, ritual, and religious tradition. But the more he obeyed, the more he despaired — until he read Romans 1:17, and the Spirit opened his heart:

“The righteous shall live by faith.”

He saw that God’s righteousness was a gift, not a reward. It shattered his chains. He said, “I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise through open gates.”

He wrote 95 Theses and stood before the most powerful religious court of his time. When told to recant, he answered:

“Here I stand. I can do no other. So help me God.”

Just like Peter and Paul in Acts 15, Luther defended the true gospel: grace alone, by faith alone, in Christ alone.

Modern Threats to the Gospel

And here we are, today — still fighting for the same truth.

We see it everywhere: people adding to or subtracting from the gospel.

Catholicism still teaches that salvation is administered through the Church’s sacraments — that grace is something earned or dispensed.

Some Pentecostal and charismatic groups claim you're not truly saved unless you speak in tongues.

Progressive movements now teach that God affirms lifestyles clearly condemned in Scripture — that love is love, even if it defies the design of the Creator.

Others proclaim a therapeutic gospel — that Jesus came just to make you happy, whole, and successful, not to save you from sin.

These additions and distortions blur the beauty of the gospel, confuse believers, and lead people to a dangerous place — a gospel that no longer saves.

Paul warned the Galatians:

“If anyone preaches to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” (Gal. 1:9)

Application:

The gospel doesn’t evolve. It doesn't need to be modernized. It needs to be guarded.

If we don’t hold the line on the essentials of salvation, the church will drift into confusion and compromise.

The gospel is not ours to edit. It's God's to proclaim.

A gospel with additions is no gospel at all. A gospel that subtracts the truth is spiritual poison.

Let us be like Peter, Paul, and Luther — not just believers in the gospel, but defenders of it.

III. The Wisdom for the Church

(vv. 13–21)

Now James — the brother of Jesus and leader in the Jerusalem church — speaks up.

He refers to the prophets, specifically Amos, to show that God always intended to include the Gentiles in His redemptive plan:

“That the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name…” – v. 17

James proposes a letter to Gentile believers — not to impose the law, but to offer guidance for unity and fellowship.

They ask Gentile believers to:

Abstain from things polluted by idols

From sexual immorality

From what has been strangled and from blood

These weren’t salvation requirements — they were discipleship and fellowship matters. Avoiding these things would help Gentiles maintain fellowship with Jewish believers and avoid offending their consciences.

PRAISE TEAM COME TO THE STAGE

ANDREW PLAYS BEHIND ME

Application:

We don’t compromise the gospel, but we do show love and humility in how we live.

Grace sets us free — not to do whatever we want, but to love our brothers and sisters better.

Unity in the essentials, liberty in the non-essentials, and charity in all things.

At the heart of the gospel is this unshakable truth: Jesus plus nothing equals everything.

We are not saved by Jesus and good works, Jesus and church membership, Jesus and speaking in tongues, Jesus and tradition, or Jesus and personal performance. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone — full stop.

The cross doesn’t need our help. It just needs to be preached. And the church doesn’t need more rules — it needs more gospel.

So let us stand firm, like Peter, Paul, and Luther before us, and boldly declare to a confused world:

Jesus is enough. He is always enough. He will forever be enough.

Today, you may be here and realize you’ve been carrying a burden Jesus never asked you to carry.

Maybe you’ve believed the lie that you had to be good enough, clean enough, spiritual enough to be saved. Maybe you’ve been chasing religion instead of resting in redemption.

But the gospel is simple and powerful: Jesus plus nothing equals everything.

You don’t have to jump through hoops. You don’t have to fix yourself first. Come to Jesus — just as you are — and let Him be your righteousness.

If you’re already saved, but you’ve let legalism creep in… maybe you’ve judged others or been hard on yourself… Today is your moment to lay down the law and return to grace.

The invitation is open. Come pray. Come surrender. Come find freedom at the foot of the cross — where Jesus paid it all.