clarity for the mission

R W GLENN
DATE: 5.6.2012 SCRIPTURE: acts 15:1-35 SERIES: acts series #19

IntroductIon
I have an obsession with clarity. Im obsessed with being clear. Clarity in general but clarity especially when it comes to the Christian faith. I want, always, anytime I am standing behind a lectern or a pulpit to be clear on what Christianity really is. And I want to be clear about that to everyone who listens to me. I never want any of you to leave scratching your heads with some vague sense in your mind of the Christian faith. I cannot abide even the IDEA that you would leave confused. I want there to be no doubt in your mind about what the Christian faith really is. Now you may be wondering why. Why am I obsessed with clarity on the Christian faith? Well, heres the answer: your eternal destiny hangs on it. Where you will spend your life after you die heaven or hell hangs in the balance of whether or not youre clear on Christianity. So I never, never, never want to leave you in a fog about the Christian faith. But more than that, if youre already a Christian, it is EXTREMELY easy no matter how many times you think youve heard it, no matter how long youve been connected to the Christian church, no matter how well you can comprehend deep theological concepts it is EXTREMELY easy to become foggy about Christianity. EXTREMELY easy. Its like excessive exposure to Christianity can inoculate you to its message. You know how an inoculation works, right? You get injected with a little bit of the virus so that your body can fight it off whenever youre exposed to it. You have just enough of the virus to keep you immune to it. Well, the same thing can happen with the gospel. You can have just enough of the truth to become numb to its message. So unless were clear on the gospel, unless were near OBSESSED with clarity about it, there is a high likelihood that we will lose our grip on the true nature of the gospel. And losing that means losing everythingand everyone. Jesus mission to save the world simply cannot be accomplished without it. So as we come to the fifteenth chapter of the book of Acts, youre going to 2

see the church in crisis over this very issue. People have started to get muddy on the Christian faith, smuggling into it things that have absolutely no place being there. And the church, because of whats at stake, goes into huddle mode to make it absolutely plain what Christianity is all about. Turn with me to Acts 15 and lets read verses 1-35. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 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. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 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? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will. And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they finished speaking, James replied, Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from

them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old. Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 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. For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues. 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, 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. Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: 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. So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened

the brothers with many words. And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. Tonight I want to unpack this passage with you under four headings (all of which follow the order of the story): (1) the crisis; (2) the debate; (3) the resolution; and (4) the response.

the crIsIs
Put simply, the crisis is this: a small but persuasive minority in the church began to put forth a compelling addition to the gospel. Here it is: in order to be saved, you need to believe in Jesus Christ (his life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension), but you ALSO need to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses. Check out verse 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. And verse 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 believe in Jesus, they would have said. For sure. But you have to add to that being circumcised and keeping all the laws of the Old Testament (the law of Moses) from the Ten Commandments to the regulations regarding infectious skin diseases. Or we might put it this way: to be Christian you also have to be Jewish.

Now just a moment ago I said that this was a compelling addition to the gospel. Im sure youre wondering, how could anyone could find this compelling? Well, maybe this illustration will help: Lets say youre NOT a U.S. national. Your whole life, from your country, you wished to come to America to make a life here for you and your family. Citizenship was your dream. You wanted to have the opportunity to vote and make a positive contribution to your community. But you also know that becoming a citizen here would cost you something. Youd have to leave your homeland, suffer lack, and become a minority. And not only are the personal costs high, but in order to become a citizen, U.S. law (for the sake of the argument) requires that you complete a series of tests and receive a passing grade as well as engage in activities that show your commitment to the country before you can become a full-fledged citizen. All this youve learned from an administrator from the INS, who has explained to you this law, which, he explained, had been in place since the founding of the nation. Well, after considering the cost, you decide to go for it, making the necessary sacrifices to become a citizen. Now imagine that a different administrator from the INS comes to you explaining that there is a new law that says that there is nothing you must do in order to become a citizen except pledge your allegiance to America. How would you feel? Youd be thrilled. Youd be totally blown away. Youd be psyched. You thought youd have to go through all these hurdles, but it turns out that you can enjoy all the privileges of citizenship with a simple (but sincere) pledge of allegiance. Awesome! Well, this is very similar to how Gentiles (non-citizens) responded to the message of Christianity as they heard it coming from Paul and Barnabas.

Their entire lives they would have been told that the only way to be welcomed into Gods family was to transfer their citizenship to become Jewish. To be circumcised, to make an offering at the temple, to renounce their closest relatives as unclean, to essentially transform themselves into a foreign ethnicity. But if it meant being included in the family of the true and living God, the sacrifice would have been worth it. There is no benefit in worshipping an idol. Enter Paul and Barnabas, the new INS agents, with a new criteria for joining the family. Turn from your idols, your false gods, and give your allegiance to Jesus Christ. Trust in him: his perfect life of success traded with your imperfect life of sin and failure, his death on the cross in your place, his resurrection, conquering death, hell, the devil and sin itself, and his ascension his return to heaven to give you the gift of his Spirit to change you from the inside-out and cause you to live in a new way. Simply trust in Jesus the Jewish Messiah and you will be part of the family as if you were BORN into it! No quarantining yourself from your family. No temple sacrifices. No dietary restrictions. No clothing restrictions. No regulations regarding infectious skin diseases. No circumcision! Simply trust in Jesus and youre in! How excited would they have been? Youd have been THRILLEDjust like the Gentiles here in Acts. So then, when these men came back to Antioch and started saying verse 1, Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved, can you see why this would be compelling? Judea is the mother ship. Its where Jerusalem was. Its essentially the INS headquarters. So its like a new delegation from the INS has come down to inform these citizens that the other agents didnt have the right information. Listen: I know that this is what they told you, but they were wrong. Its true that you need to

pledge allegiance in order to become a citizen, the old law still appliesall the hurdles to citizenship are still in placethe exams and the community service all of it. Do you see why I used the word compelling? They would have said to themselves, These are men from the mother ship. They are Christians like me. And since Christianity was birthed from Judaism, these Jewish Christians MUST know what theyre talking about. I KNEW it seemed too easy. I knew it. Simply trusting? This makes WAY more sense. So heres whats happening, heres the crisis: a small but persuasive minority in the church is presenting a compelling addition to the gospel. In order to be saved, you need to believe in Jesus, and you ALSO need to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses. And what makes these circumstances rise to the level of a crisis is found in my second point: the debate.

the debAte
The key to understanding the crisis of the debate is found in verses 7-11. 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. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 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? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will. Do you see what Peter is saying here? Hes saying that these men arent just ADDING to the gospel; theyre ALTERING it.

Why do I say this? Because of the nature of the grace that Peter talks about in verse 11 (We believe that we will be saved through the GRACE of the Lord Jesus). This addition is not an addition. This is alteration. Thats what makes it a crisis. Grace means that your welcome into the family has nothing to do with your race, your achievements, your merits, your record, your accomplishments, your successes, your morality or your religiosity. Grace means that your acceptance with God has absolutely nothing to do with who you are or what youve done. Therefore, when these people started adding requirements to the simple faith that Peter talks about in verse 9, they have moved away from grace in the direction of works. And when this happens, the very foundations of the Christian faith are at stake. Every other religion in the world is rooted in your performance. Do these things and youll achieve salvation or nirvana or paradise or a blessed afterlife. Keep these rules and your god will accept you. Be a good person. Be nice. Or even believe in God and be nice, and God will welcome you into his family. This, emphatically, is NOT Christianity. And in this text, Peter proves it. And he proves it in two ways. First, he says, look at the Gentiles. And second, he says, look at us Jews. 1. Look at the Gentiles verses 7-9: 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. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us In other words, when the Gentiles simply believed the gospel, God gave them the Holy Spirit just like he did for the Jews, which means that they had the same experiences of Gods presence, the same transformations of character as the Jews.1 This is huge! Because what Peter is saying that the Gentiles
1

Timothy Keller, Evangelism: Studies in the Book of Acts (Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2005), 129.

WITHOUT circumcision and WITHOUT keeping the law were brought into the family. They just believed, and when they believed they had all the same effects in their lives as the [Christian] Jew did. Therefore they MUST be saved by grace through faith. They got all the results without any of the works. So, Look at the Gentiles, Peter says. They prove that Christianity is all about grace. They were saved APART from their religious performance, simply by faith in the message. The second thing he says to prove that Christianity is about grace is 2. Look at Us Jews verse 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? Here we have a clear admission that the Jews THEMSELVES couldnt keep the Law. And by admitting this, Peter is saying, How can you demand that the Gentiles be saved by keeping the rules when weve never been able to do it ourselves?! We werent saved by keeping the rules. We broke them all! If we are saved, we must be saved APART from keeping the law because weve never been able to live up to it. So like them, we must also be saved by grace and not by rules. So many people think that the Christian faith is about living according to a set of rules. That is not true at all. Christianity is about grace verse 11: We are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, pure and simple. The Gentiles prove it (God saved them by faith apart from circumcision and law-keeping). And we prove it (God saved us by faith even though we failed to keep the law). Christianity is all about grace. This is why, when these men say in verse 5, It is necessary to circumcise them [they must be circumcised] and to order them to keep the law of Moses its why when they say this, Peter doesnt see it as a benign addition to the

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gospel, but as a malignant alteration to it. A non-gospel. An anti-gospel. The antithesis of Christianity. This is why the debate was so significant, why this was a crisis in the church: the very foundations of Christianity were at stake. Are we (as Peter puts it in verse 10) saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, or are we saved by keeping rules? Is the Christian faith fundamentally about what you do for God, or about what God has done for you in Jesus Christ? Those two things are worlds apart. Well, the church answers that question with a clear and decisive emphasis on grace what Im calling the resolution.

the resolutIon
Read verses 13-14. After they finished speaking, James replied, Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. Here is what James is saying: believe Peter. We shouldnt ignore Peters testimony. Peters experience with the Gentiles shows that God saves us by grace. But more than Peters experience by itself, James appeals to the Bible. Peters experience with the Gentiles, he says, is exactly what the Scripture teaches verses 15-17. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.

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James is quoting from the Old Testament prophet, Amos. Amos says a day is coming when a Davidic king a king like David is going to rebuild the temple. James says Gods promise to rebuild the tent of David IS what happened with Peter and the Gentiles. People who are not Jews are welcomed into the family by grace alone. James is saying that is what the promise is about. It is not about a building in Israel. It is about the building which is the people of God made up of people from every tribe and kingdom all by grace, not by ethnicity. James is saying, from these competent authorities (Peter and the witness of Scripture), that this is true its by grace. From here, he draws an inference and offers a compromise in verses 19-21. Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 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. For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues. Since this is the case, that Gentiles are saved by grace, lets not make it hard for them. Lets not add stuff to the faith. At the same time, a lot of Jewish Christians are getting all worked up into a lather over more and more Gentiles coming into the church. We need to do something so that we dont unnecessarily get them in a tizzy. Lets just have the Gentiles (verse 20) abstain from things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. Isnt that a great idea?! Abstain from things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood! Its exactly what I would have thought of! If Im thinking of a compromise at this point, Im thinking of that. So whats this all about? Its actually pretty simple when you understand the historical context. Things polluted by idols, sexual immorality, what has been

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strangled, and blood refer to four different activities that were known or believed to [take place] in pagan temples.2 So basically what James is saying is, Lets just tell them to make sure they stop going to temple feasts. Our Jewish brothers are going to think that theyre doing all kinds of filthy and unlawful things in there and its going to create controversy where there is none. It is not in order to be welcome into the family, but because you are welcome into the family, love the Jewish neighbors and not go into those places anymore. Lets ask the Gentiles to love the Jews well by avoiding them. So then, whats the resolution? The Gentiles do NOT need to be circumcised and keep the Law in order to be saved. But precisely because the Gentiles have experienced that grace, they ought to love their Jewish brothers and sisters by staying away from places that will offend them. So what the resolution is saying in essence is that Christianity is all about grace. Grace received from God and grace given to other people.

the response
Well, with this resolution in hand, the church drafts a letter explaining it and sends a delegation back to Antioch to share the councils decision. Thats what we read about in verses 22-29. Then, in verses 30-31, we get to read their response, which is my fourth point. Weve seen the crisis, the debate, the resolution, and now, the response. So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. Every time I read this story and get to verse 31, I always laugh. They rejoiced because of the letters encouragement. What would encourage you and bring joy to your heart more than to hear verse 29?

Ben Witherington III, The Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Eerdmans, 1998), 464.

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But the reason I laugh is because Im forgetting the context. They are not rejoicing because all they have to do is avoid pagan temples. They are thrilled because this letter has put them at ease. They are thrilled because it is a confirmation that their relationship with God is not predicated on their race or attention to religious detail. They are thrilled because this letter and the presence of this delegation is a reaffirmation that they are saved by grace and not works! [Before the letter came,] they were disturbed. They were really bothered. Check out verse 24. Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds They were troubled and unsettled. They were anxious and insecure. And let me tell you, that this is always what happens when you compromise the gospel, when you veer off from grace. You create all kinds of insecurity in peoples minds and hearts. I mean, just think about it. How good are you at keeping rules? ANY rules? You cant even stay on a diet for more than like 15 minutes! As soon as you introduce your own performance into whats required for a relationship with God, you begin to wonder whether or not he accepts you. And because youre a perennial failure, a consistent poor performer, youll be consistently insecure in your relationship with God. Youll be unsettled all the time. Sometimes the reason why youre so insecure and unsettled is because youre starting to think your relationship with God is about what you do for God. It is a veering off from grace. So when the Gentiles in Antioch get this letter, theyre thrilledbecause it means that salvation is not by works but really is through the grace of the Lord Jesus (as Peter puts it). Do your remember my INS story? Well, now these non-citizens hear with an official letter and official delegation from the headquarters that the NEW

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law, the allegiance ONLY law, is the TRUE law, that salvation really is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Plus or minus NOTHING. Thats good news. Thats encouraging. Thats worth getting a little excited over, dont you think? And so they do in verse 31, they rejoice over that letters encouragement. So then, weve seen the crisis, the debate, the resolution, and the response, all of which are really making one point: that Christianity is all about grace. And if I can be even more specific, the point is that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

WhAts the poInt?

But now, in light of this, I need to ask a question. And its a really important one: Why does Luke (the author of Acts) feel the need to emphasize this for us? Or we could even go bigger than that, Why did God feel the need to inspire Luke to include the events of Acts 15 in a book that the church would use for nearly 2,000 years? Let me make a suggestion. Because you (and I) are thick headed. You (and I) forget it so easily! Grace is the essence of the Christian faith, and yet over and over and over and over again, you slouch back toward works. Over and over and over again you turn the Christian faith into a system of achievement, a ladder of performance with rungs leading you up to God. The reason why you need Acts 15 is that unless youre repeatedly reminded of it, you will lose your handle on grace. Let me give you an example of how quickly we can forget the gospel. Youve seen Peters argument for grace alone in verse 11 (But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus), so fervent and earnest and insistent, right? And youve also seen Barnabas in verse 2 fiercely arguing for salvation by grace. Well, with that in mind, I want you to read what happened perhaps less than a year later.3 Turn with me to Gal 2:11-14.

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But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews? So there you have Cephas (the Aramaic version of Peter) and Barnabas, even after contending for the gospel of grace, so quickly abandoning the very gospel they argued so strenuously to maintain. Paul describes their behavior with such an excellent image in v 14: Their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel. They were out of step, out of sync with the gospel. And what is the gospel? What is the essence of that gospel? Look at verse 16. we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. Do you see what Paul is doing here? He is saying three times the exact same thing. Its justification by faith. Justification = declared not guilty in Gods courtroom. It means to be given immunity from prosecution; it means to be acquitted. That acquittal is by faith, not works. And by faith as opposed to works = not because you earned the right to an acquittal, but simply because you trusted in Jesus. That is ALWAYS how it is. You are declared not guilty simply by faith in Jesus. When you start introducing other things, you are saying, I can earn my acquittal.
3

I am familiar with the arguments that suggest that Gal 2:1-10 is not referring to the events of Acts 15, but to a prior and private meeting of Paul with the pillars. At this point, I am not convinced. Instead, I side with the majority of commentators who believe that Gal 2:10 is referring to Acts 15:1-35. For a helpful treatment, see Moises Silva, Explorations in Exegetical Method: Galatians as a Test Case (Baker, 1996), 129-39. At the same time, I will say that whether or not one identifies Gal 2:1-10 with Acts 15:1-35 does not undermine the point Im making, as Peter would still have been guilty of quickly abandoning the gospel of grace so soon after his experience with Cornelius.

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slouchInG AWAy from JustIfIcAtIon

And what you need to see through the example of Peter and Barnabas is that your default posture is QUICKLY to slouch away from justification by faith. I do not mean just a year later. I mean that earlier today, I was operating on the basis that I knew that I was not accepted by God on the basis of my performance and then five minutes later Im acting like I am. It moves THAT fast. But what you have to understand here is that you never slouch away from justification by faith to NOTHING. Whenever you slouch away from justification by faith, you slouch toward SOMETHING; namely, a million forms of self-justification the things you look to instead of Jesus to be acceptable to God. For Peter and Barnabas, their behavior betrayed a belief that it was by keeping the Old Testament law that Christians would be acceptable to God. This is the source of the crisis in Acts 15. They were looking to their nationality instead of Jesus ALONE to be justified before God. In the absence of the justifying work of Christ, you will look to anything you can to justify yourself even your ethnicity. Now maybe youre not guilty of this particular manifestation of selfjustification. But that doesnt mean youre not guilty of ANY. Let me see if I can help you find your spheres of self-justification by asking you one simple question: What do you do when you feel guilty? Youre feeling guilty for something you said or did or even thought what do you do with that guilt? Do you blame-shift? Do you make excuses? Do you become defensive and irritable? Do you gossip? Do you compare yourself with other people who are in worse shape than you are? Where are you looking for justification when you do that? To Christ? No you are looking to yourself. And that last one, I think, really nails our self-justifying tendencies justifying 17

yourself before God by looking down on other people. Luke 18 contains the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector. Luke says that Jesus told this story to people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked down on everybody else (Luke 18:9). In other words, trusting in your own righteousness ENTAILS looking down on everybody else. So, what are the kinds of people you look down on? In the absence of Christ justifying you, you will try to make yourself feel superior to someone else at some time. If you can figure that out, you can discover how you engage in self-justification. Do you look down on people who smoke, who watch rated-R movies, who read Harry Potter, who believe in evolution, who have tattoos and piercings, who dont serve enough in church? Single moms? Poor people? Muslims? Gays and lesbians? Minorities? Mormons? Scientologists? Actors? If youre part of the Christian church, do you look down on people whose doctrine is weaker or whose understanding is weaker or whose behavior is either silly or sinful? Do you look down at narrow-minded, ignorant, racists? If you are a minority, do you look down on the dominant race, thinking youre nobler because of how youve suffered? Do you look down on people who are less educated than you are? People whose tastes are less refined? Or maybe you look down on none of these people. Maybe youre like me: you look down on people who look down on people. Go to your perch of superiority. Thats the place where you justify yourself. Its the place where you are saying in essence: I am acceptable to God and other people on a basis OTHER than the Lord Jesus Christ. And when that happens, you are not living in step with the truth of the gospel.

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overcomInG self-JustIfIcAtIon
And yet, its so easy to do! Too easy. How can we overcome it? How can we overcome our pervasive and powerful self-justifying tendencies? Well, there is only one way: you and I need to be continually reminded of verse 16: a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. That, in one sentence, is the message of Acts 15. You and I cant hear enough that God does not accept you on the basis of your works, but only through faith in Christ. Listen. If you are a Christian, you have NOTHING to prove to ANYONE! You are walking around with the record of Christ. It is a perfect record. It is a perfect resume. We need to hear this over and over and over again. You cant hear enough that Christianity is not a moralistic system of achievement, but a living relationship with a savior who accepts you completely in spite of the kind of person you are. Martin Luther has said, The gospelis the principal article of all Christian doctrineMost necessary it is, therefore, that we should know this article well, teach it [to] others, and beat it into their heads continually.4

conclusIon
So you and I need to be clear on the gospel. And that gospel is this: we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus. Sheer grace. Grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone on that basis alone are you welcomed and stay welcomed in the presence of God. The church had to get this clear in Acts 15. The church had to get this clear again in Galatians 2. The church has ALWAYS had to get this clearbecause without it, there is no Christianity. And if there is no Christianity, there is no
Martin Luther, A Commentary on St Pauls Epistle to the Galatians (Miller & Burlock, 1860), 206. 19
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mission, the world cannot be reclaimed, and all is lost. So where are you at tonight? Have you been relying on your performance, the fact that youre a good, nice person to gain your welcome into Gods family? Can I encourage you tonight? Relax. Rest in what Christ has done. Put your trust in Jesus Christ. Alone. And your salvation is forever secure. Always secure. Amen.

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