Only Christ

ME: Intro

Growing up, I was such a fighter.

I was quick to anger,

And I had a short temper.

I would get in fights with my teammates on peewee football.

My sister and I fought a lot.

And I had a friend who also lived down the road from me.

We would get in fights all the time.

In fact, one time, we got into a fight at school and I happened to knock one of his loose teeth out during our scrum.

When my sister found out about it,

She had a loose tooth that had been bothering her at the time,

And she tried getting me to fight her to knock her tooth out.

Ironically, I could not get myself to fight her in that instance.

But I remember my parents struggling with all the fights I was getting in,

And my dad talking to me about possibly taking up karate.

So, that I would not fight all the time,

Rather, I would know when it was the right occasion to fight,

And how to fight.

I never ended up taking karate,

But by God’s grace,

His Spirit has slowly grown me so that I am not so quick to fight.

When I think back on how much of a fighter I was,

I regret how foolish I was.

But I share this because even as Christians,

The reality is there are occasions where we need to take a stand and fight,

And there are occasions where we need to avoid quarreling.

Unfortunately, even as Christians,

We tend to find ourselves on one of two extremes.

On one end, we approach most occasions like short-tempered children.

We are ready to fight over how we decorate the church,

Or what times our events are going to be,

Or the style of music we play,

Or the clothes we wear to church.

On the other end,

We embrace a culture of tolerance that thinks Christians never have conflict,

Even when it comes to the most significant matters of being a Christian.

You see, the one extreme fights over everything,

While the other extreme won’t fight for anything.

This morning, we are in Acts 15:1-35,

Where we see an occasion that the church took a stand to fight.

This conflict shows the simple truth,

That we must stand and fight when the gospel is at stake.

Because how a person is saved matters.

It is Only Christ by which we are saved.

This fight was the first of many fights over this subject throughout church history.

Perhaps the most famous example outside of this account in the Bible was the Reformation.

Martin Luther nailed a list of grievances to the door of the Wittenberg Church,

Not because of philosophical differences,

But because of gospel differences.

He fought earnestly for the truth that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

This is the same stand the apostles and leaders took here in ch. 15.

This is the idea of the exclusivity of Christ.

As Peter says in this chapter,

We believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus.

We need to be ready to stand and fight for this truth.

Because if we lose the true gospel,

Then we lose everything that matters.

So, we stand and fight for this truth.

We do so with civility, gentleness, and respect,

But we fight nonetheless.

From this truth,

We see the early church also teach the need to extend charity to maintain unity.

In other words,

When it comes to the essentials,

We must have unity,

When it comes to the non-essentials,

We must embrace liberty,

And when it comes to all things,

We must show charity.

This demands a sense of flexibility in the non-essentials.

A sensitivity to the conscience of others,

And, in love, avoiding offending a weaker brother or sister by fighting over the non-essentials.

That is what the conclusion of ch. 15’s conflict demonstrates.

A unity in spirit and truth,

Which sets the stage for the rest of Acts,

Where the apostle Paul proclaims Only Christ to both Jews and Gentiles.

The order of these events are...

The Conflict (vs. 1-5)

The Council (vs. 6-21)

The Correspondence (vs. 22-29)

The Conclusion (vs. 30-35)

It is only Christ by which we are saved and it is only Christ for which we live.

Last week,

We ended ch. 14,

With Paul and Barnabas resting in Antioch.

WE: The Controversy (1-5)

During this time of rest,

Paul and Barnabas reported on how God opened a door to the Gentiles.

Somehow these reports made their way back to Jerusalem and Judea.

And apparently some of the Jews began to fear that their Jewish heritage was being threatened.

So, in vs. 1,

We see some of them show up in Antioch with a modified teaching for the Gentiles;

Insisting that the Gentile Christians needed to get circumcised to truly be saved.

In other words,

They are teaching these Gentiles that trusting in Christ’s death on their behalf is not enough,

They also need to observe the Jewish ritual laws to be saved from God’s judgment.

But if that were the case,

Then salvation would be something we earned,

Rather than something given by grace,

And believed by faith.

This is why this teaching is such a conflict.

Because it asks a core question of faith:

What is required for salvation?

This was not just a major conflict in the early church,

But in all of church history.

So, how does a person become a Christian?

The men from Judea here,

Were teaching that a person becomes a Christian through Jesus AND circumcision.

Now let me be clear here,

Any gospel that says we need Jesus AND something else for salvation,

Is not THE gospel.

Being a Christian requires us to trust only Christ.

Any time a second requirement is added,

There is no end to the implications.

For example, in this case,

Circumcision is only one part of the law,

But if this one part of the law is added,

Then all of the law must be followed as well.

Because the law does not teach partial obedience,

It teaches that if one part of the law is broken,

Then its all broken.

So, by adding circumcision,

It was the first step down the slippery slope that would require the entire law for salvation.

Therefore, the apostles knew they had to oppose this teaching.

Because we do not relate to God by keeping a law that is impossible for us to keep.

We relate to God through faith in Christ.

By teaching Jesus AND circumcision,

These Jews are essentially telling the Gentiles that they either need to get circumcised or get out of the church!

This is what initiates the conflict that drives this chapter.

It is a significant conflict because it has been years since the first Gentiles began trusting in Christ.

So, this means there would be many uncircumcised Jews who are filled with the Spirit in the church,

But apparently, being filled with the Spirit is not enough for some.

The Jews here basically think the Gentiles must also convert to Judaism to be a Christian.

It had been earth-shattering to the Jews for their God to also redeem the Gentiles.

This goes against centuries of tradition,

And generations of Jewish suffering at the hand of the Gentiles.

Just believing in Jesus was a big leap of faith for these Jews.

Their Messiah was a nobody carpenter from the no name town of Nazareth,

Who rebuked them for many of the things they grew up believing!

Now, they are expected to baptize Gentiles,

Eat with them,

Live among them,

And teach them that all they have to do is trust in Christ as well,

And they will also become members of God’s family?!

Clearly, this was a lot for these Jewish believers to take in!

Nonetheless, by teaching that circumcision was required for salvation,

They were creating a hindrance to the gospel.

Therefore, in vs. 2, Paul and Barnabas enter into conflict,

Getting into a pretty heated argument with these guys.

Paul does not respond to their teaching with tolerance,

And it seems that through their argument,

They are not able to come to an agreement.

But at the very least,

They know they need to come to an agreement for the sake of unity.

So, Paul, Barnabas, and some others are appointed to go to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem with this issue.

Once again, the early church in Acts reflects a plurality of elders as the established leaders at a local church.

Specifically, at the church in Jerusalem,

The epicenter of the early Christian movement.

On their way to address this conflict in Jerusalem,

Vs. 3 says that Paul and Barnabas stop in Phoenicia and Samaria to share about Gentiles believing in Christ,

And the result is great joy among the believers there,

Building momentum for this pro-Gentile movement.

When they eventually arrived in Jerusalem in vs. 4,

After they were welcomed by all the believers,

They again reported all that God had done through them,

Which would of course include their witness to Gentiles.

But in vs. 5, the Pharisees who had believed in Jesus,

Doubled down on the initial conflict,

Saying that the Gentiles needed to be circumcised,

And needed to keep the law of Moses to be saved!

Remember, the Pharisees were some of the strongest opponents of Christ and the church,

However, some still believed in Christ.

But clearly, they struggled to completely abandon their Pharisaical ways.

And, in all reality,

There are still likely some ethnic tensions to blame for this.

These ethnic tensions have been an undercurrent for conflict all throughout Acts.

Back in ch. 6, it was essentially Hellenistic widows being left out of the daily portions,

Then in ch. 10, the Jewish Christians had to go and check on the report of a Roman centurion becoming a Christian,

Now, Paul and Barnabas get back from a two-year journey,

Where most of the people who responded to the gospel were Gentiles.

So, all the ethnic tension seems to be coming to a head.

GOD: The Council (6-21)

This is the conflict the early church faces,

So, the church,

With the leadership of the apostles and elders,

Must sort it out.

That is what The Council in vs. 6-21 does.

Remember, the central issue was whether Gentile Christians had to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses.

The essence of this question is asking what it means to be a Christian.

Because of the importance of this question,

All the key players in Acts participate in the council to come up with a resolution.

You got Peter,

One of the original 12 who was present for the first large-scale Gentile conversion.

You got Paul and Barnabas,

Who have made a predominately Gentile church their home base,

Then you have James,

The half-brother of Jesus and the main leader of the Jerusalem church.

The unity of these leaders is displayed in how they take the lead in resolving this conflict.

And their unity begins to be reciprocated by the entire church.

Remember, Christianity grew out of Jewish roots.

So, it is understandable that the church located in the heart of Israel would grapple with this issue.

The early church is still in a season of transition.

So, the church and the leaders coming to an agreeable solution is a work of the Spirit.

What comes from the discussion is that Gentile believers must be welcomed into the people of God without making them first become Jews.

The discussion begins in vs. 7 with Peter reminding the church of four things:

First, God had the Gentiles hear the gospel message by Peter’s mouth.

This is a reference to when Peter shared the Gospel with Cornelius in chs. 10-11,

Which, by this time, was about a decade ago.

But Peter also highlights how this was not a plan hatched by the apostles,

It was God’s plan!

The second reminder Peter squeaks in at the very end of vs. 7,

The Gentiles were trusting in Christ!

Peter continues in vs. 8, pointing out how God knows a person’s heart,

Which leads to his third reminder:

That God gave the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles He knew believed.

Peter concludes with the fourth reminder that the way the Gentiles became Christians,

Is the same way the Jews became Christians.

God made no distinction between them, vs. 9 says.

Peter says the hearts of the Gentiles were cleansed by faith,

Just as the hearts of the Jews were cleansed by faith.

Peter’s point is that God does not share the ethnic tensions many of His people had.

This was so jarring for them to hear.

The seriousness of this conflict is reflected by Peter’s concluding question in vs. 10.

The OT context to this question is that the Jews would put God to the test,

Which led to their downfall and demise.

By saying that the Gentiles need something God has not required,

Once again, they are putting God to the test.

When the Bible talks about putting God to the test,

It is talking about knowing what God desires and requires,

But deciding to go another way,

Or at the very least,

Pushing the boundaries as much as you can.

The core issue with testing God is that is represents unbelief.

The Psalms repeatedly talk about testing God as a summary of the people’s unbelief and disobedience.

So, by suggesting that the Jews are testing God,

Peter is confronting them on their unbelief.

But he takes it a step further,

Illustrating how they are also placing a burden on the Gentiles that not even they could bear.

Show Picture

Peter uses this object to illustrate this.

Who knows what this is?

That is right, a yoke!

Not to be confused with the yellow stuff that comes out of an egg.

What does a yoke do?

It attaches two animals together then something like a plow or a cart is attached in the middle so they can carry it.

And symbolically a yoke is a mark of slavery.

It took me years to understand this imagery because I was not familiar with yokes.

So, the idea is, there is this massively heavy object like a giant boulder,

That gets bigger every time we disobey God’s law.

And there is a rope tied around it attached to a yoke.

The Jews could not move it when the yoke was around their necks,

So, Peter is asking why they are expecting the Gentiles to move the boulder they could not move.

All this yoke does is make a person weary and burdened.

That is why Jesus invites all who are weary and burdened to come to Him in Matthew 11.

Unlike us, Jesus perfectly obeyed God’s law.

So, His yoke is not attached to a giant boulder,

His yoke is easy!

His burden is light!

So, He says,

“Here, take my yoke, and put this on you!”

And He takes our yokes,

Our giant boulders upon Himself.

So, that we are free from being slaves to sin,

And instead become slaves of righteousness!

He gives us rest for our weary souls!

That is what Jesus’ invitation is in Matthew 11:28-29,

Matthew 11:28–29 ESV

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

After concluding with this yoke question,

Peter finishes his comments with an application in vs. 11.

This application is the heart of the gospel,

Teaching how salvation for Christians is only through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is a gift.

No rituals,

No religion,

No works,

No circumcision,

Can save anyone.

God has intended salvation not by doing,

But by believing,

Regardless of our race or ethnicity.

After Peter finished speaking,

Vs. 12 says everyone was silent.

Then Paul and Barnabas follow Peter by describing all the signs and wonders God did through them among the Gentiles.

Unlike Peter’s speech and James’ speech,

Acts does not give us their exact words,

But we can almost certainly conclude that they summarized their journey from the previous two chapters.

After they finish their testimony,

James begins to bring the discussion to a close in vs. 13.

His leadership in Jerusalem is shown by his opening words that commands the attention of the entire church.

Then, referencing Peter’s speech in vs. 14,

He too refutes the idea that Gentiles must be circumcised and obey the law.

But he takes it a step further in vs. 15-17,

Showing how the OT prophet, Amos,

And alluding to Isaiah 43:7, foretold the Gentile’s inclusion.

These references foretold of a day when Israel will be restored hand in hand with the other nations.

Just as Jesus told His disciples to be His witnesses in Jerusalem,

Judea and Samaria,

And to the ends of the earth.

So, now, through Christ, the rest of humanity,

Who had been outside the people of God,

Can now have a relationship with God.

This underscores Peter’s warning against testing God back in vs. 10.

Because James is saying that what is happening with the Gentiles is happening according to God’s Word.

James conclusion continues to demonstrate how recent history for the Jews has not been good.

They rejected God by rejecting Jesus,

Then they rejected God by rejecting Jesus’ witnesses,

Now they are rejecting God by rejecting God’s purpose of saving Gentiles.

After quoting the OT,

James gives the final word in vs. 19-21.

In his judgment, he says,

God wants the Gentiles to be free from the ceremonial law.

In other words,

Gentiles need Only Christ for salvation.

However, as Christians,

James makes a four point proposal for Christian living.

He is essentially challenging both Jewish and Gentile believers.

He says Jewish Christians must recognize and accept that Gentiles are not bound by ceremonial law.

Therefore, they should not be making it more difficult for the Gentiles.

And Gentile Christians must be considerate of the convictions held by Jewish unbelievers.

Therefore, they should not eat food sacrificed to idols,

They should abstain from sexual immorality,

They should not eat food from a strangled animal,

And they should not drink blood.

These things were prohibited by OT law.

Now, James is giving them as guidelines for these new Gentile believers to follow.

But he is not saying they must do these things to be saved.

It is vital we understand that James is not compromising with the Jews who were requiring Gentiles to get circumcised.

He is clear that only Christ forgives our sins.

But James explains in vs. 21 how these restrictions were given for the effect Gentile believers can have on unbelieving Jews.

These restrictions were given for their testimony in the culture around them.

When he mentions Moses in vs. 21,

He is referring to the books Moses wrote,

The first 5 books of the Bible.

The writings of Moses spread as a result of the Jewish dispersion.

So, James’ point is that there are Jews in virtually ever city in the Roman empire.

Therefore, this conflict caused the leaders of the early church to consider the impact Gentile believers would have on unbelieving Jews.

The tables are turning in church history.

It is not longer just about Jews reaching Gentiles with the gospel.

Now, the council is considering how Gentiles can reach Jews with the gospel.

That is the context of these restrictions:

How Gentile believers in the Jewish Messiah effect Jews.

So, James is recommissioning the responsibility of being Christ’s witnesses onto these Gentiles believers.

These restrictions are given to keep them from offending unbelieving Jews.

He wants the Gentiles to be aware of their witness to the Jews around them,

While also teaching them about the need to break from their old idolatrous lifestyle.

These things go hand in hand,

They are decisively leaving their idolatrous past,

While actively living as Christ’s witnesses among Jews.

Again, understand that these are not requirements for being saved,

But they are requirements of the Christian life.

Abstaining from these things do not turn an unbeliever into a believer,

Nor does it guarantee salvation.

But at the same time,

The Bible does not teach that salvation is just a safety net for every time we fall.

No, the Bible teaches that Jesus first saves us,

Not obedience to the law.

Then He fills us with the Spirit,

Which transforms our thinking and behavior to better reflect these requirements.

This is a very fine line,

So, much so, that Christians have debated and disagreed over this line all throughout church history.

But there are at least three key truths we can observe that helps us see that fine line.

First, the requirements are given in a brand new situation,

Where believing Gentiles are now living among unbelieving Jews.

Second, the requirements communicate a clear and definite break from their idolatrous past.

And third, the requirements are by no means given as necessary for salvation.

It is interesting,

By the end of this council,

The concerns raised by the Jews that started this whole conflict,

Were essentially swept away.

After it was shown that their position was equated with opposing God’s will,

They did not have much of a leg to stand on.

I mean, they were requiring a standard that they could not keep themselves.

But James did not conclude the council without teaching the Gentiles the importance of living responsibly among Jews to keep from being an obstacle.

And to make a clear and decisive break from their idolatrous past.

YOU: The Correspondence (22-29)

After the council reaches a resolution,

It seemed good to send a correspondence to Antioch,

The correspondence reveals how united the church was.

Once again, the apostles and the elders took the lead,

But vs. 22 emphasizes how the whole church is involved.

But be careful not to read too much into this.

The council is not likely the way we would understand a congregational meeting in our modern context.

But the entire congregation was most certainly in on this decision,

Even though everyone probably did not draft a part of the letter.

That being said,

The leaders and the whole church send Judas Barsabbas and Silas.

These guys were able to be spokesmen to express the support of the church in Jerusalem.

The correspondence uses intentional language to express this as well.

As vs. 23 recounts the decision that was made by the brothers in Jerusalem,

They address the Gentiles as brothers.

By using the same simple yet intimate word,

They are putting any question about Jewish and Gentile standing at ease.

Jewish believers and Gentile believers are all God’s family.

However, in vs. 24,

They emphasize that those who started this conflict do not represent the church in Jerusalem.

According to vs. 25,

The church in Jerusalem came to one accord,

Implying that the decision to send Judas and Silas was unanimous.

They also emphasize that Paul and Barnabas are dearly loved,

They are behind these guys who have risked their necks for Jesus!

Suffering for the sake of the gospel!

In vs. 28, the correspondence starts to summarize the decision of the council.

But before revealing the decision,

They emphasize how the entire discussion and the final decision was all led by the Spirit.

But they still acknowledge how they affirm the Spirit’s decision.

This is more than God just giving the church His stamp of approval.

This implies a prayerful decision that would not have been reached without the Spirit’s direction.

But also, by emphasizing their affirmation,

They are stating that they are convinced that this is God’s decision.

Then, the requirements from vs. 20 are listed again in vs. 29.

Which remember, are not requirements of salvation.

WE: The Conclusion (30-35)

Then, after the correspondence,

The narrative picks back up with the conclusion in vs. 30-35.

After arriving in Antioch in vs. 30,

They got the church together to read the letter,

And they rejoiced in vs. 31 because of how encouraging it was.

They wanted to know what the leaders and what the church in Jerusalem thought about them being Christians.

Then they get this letter that endorsed the Gentiles without imposing unnecessary burdens for salvation.

Even with the four restrictions,

The Gentile believers are still happy and satisfied.

They understand these things are not an unnecessary burden,

Rather, it is the burden of being Christ’s witnesses to the Jews,

By living as Spirit-filled believers.

Back when Judas and Silas were first introduced,

They were called leaders.

But in vs. 32, they are also called prophets.

Because they fill the role of a NT prophet.

This is slightly nuanced from the OT prophet.

OT prophets called people to repentance for their sin, disobedience, or unfaithfulness.

In the NT, prophets do what Judas and Silas do here,

They encourage and strengthen believers by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is a primary function of God’s spokesmen in the NT.

There is no NT evidence to suggest anything more than this.

Vs. 33 says that these two prophets stay a while in Antioch,

Before being sent off in peace.

Then, vs. 34, is not here.

Most modern translations do not have a vs. 34 here.

If you look in your Bible,

You may notice vs. 34 is missing.

The reason for this is because when the Dead Sea Scrolls were found,

It was discovered that what was vs. 34 was not actually found on the earliest manuscripts.

So, instead of renumbering verses,

Potentially causing confusion with older printed resources,

Modern translations just kept the remaining verses the same,

And simply removed vs. 34.

Most believe that a few centuries after Acts was written,

Scribes began adding an editorial note explaining later events,

And at some point,

Scribes began just treating the editorial note as a verse.

It took discovering the earlier manuscripts to discover this minor translation inaccuracy.

It is not a common thing for scribes to make edits like this.

Historically, most scribes took their job of transmitting and preserving the Bible seriously.

In fact, many dedicated their entire lives to it!

But these minor errors are not a reason for anxiety.

Your English Bible is trustworthy.

We believe that God’s Word in its original language is without error.

The translation from ancient languages to modern English are the most reliable translations of any ancient text,

By far!

So, even though vs. 34 is missing,

Vs. 35 then concludes our passage with Paul and Barnabas once again remaining in Antioch,

Once again teaching and preaching Christ’s Word.

So, let’s close this morning with a brief application.

It is only Christ by which we are saved.

Therefore, we must be on the lookout for subtle ways that we add to what it means to be a Christian.

When it comes to salvation,

It is only Christ.

Not Christ and...

The requirements that get added to Christ differ from place to place and culture to culture.

But regardless of what requirements are added,

All added requirements are dangerous.

Because it is rare that the requirements we add are clear and obvious.

In our context,

It can be things like:

Jesus and a specific Bible translation,

Or Jesus and not drinking or smoking,

Or Jesus and being a conservative.

You see,

When we add requirements,

We are not drawing that fine line between belief and unbelief.

But these requirements are just a few examples,

There are countless more requirements that could be added.

It is requirements like these that are addressed in this chapter.

Anything added to Christ is always dangerous.

When Christianity is defined along ethnic, cultural, regional, or even racial lines,

We are essentially claiming that being a Christian means being just like us.

That is the error the Jews were making at the start of this chapter.

So, the first half of our application is that it is only Christ by which we are saved.

But upon salvation,

It is not as if the way we live as Christians is unimportant,

Or a matter of personal preference.

No, salvation in Christ,

And Spirit-filled living in accordance with the Bible are inseparable.

That is why the correspondence sent to the Gentiles included directions for living as Christ’s witnesses among the Jews.

But these restrictions were not given as the ways to become a Christian.

They were given as ways for those who believe in Christ to live for Christ.

Elsewhere, the Bible says faith without works is dead.

This means is we believe in Christ,

Then we will believe in Christ’s teaching.

So, it is only Christ by which we are saved.

Then it is only Christ for which we live.

Pray.