1. Debate in Antioch (verses 1-3)
2. Debate in Jerusalem (verses 4-7a)
3. Peter’s Speech (verses 7b-11)

In the first centuries of the history of the Christian church, there were times when people believed different things, which resulted in a split developing to cause great division in the church. During these times, the church leaders recognized the danger, and called the church together to gather in one place and work these things through. These events were called, “ecumenical councils.” They did much to help clarify the orthodox beliefs of the church.
 
One such ecumenical took place in Nicaea in 325 A.D. Before this counsel, there was a division in the church regarding beliefs about the nature of Jesus Christ and his relationship to God the Father.

On the one hand, you had those who followed a man named Arius, who read the Scriptures that speak about Jesus being the “only begotten Son” of God and claimed that Jesus Christ was a created being. “Fathered,” if you will from God. Thus, the divinity of Jesus was denied. Jesus was not God. Though, he had some supernatural ability, even able to create the world. But was not “God Almighty.”

On the other hand, you had those who followed a man named Athanasius. who read the Scriptures, and concluded that they taught that Jesus was God. Thus, the Scriptures that speak of Jesus being “begotten” of God, it must mean that Jesus was “begotten” by the Father from his own being, and was without beginning. In this way the full divinity of Jesus was affirmed.

These two beliefs were dividing the church.

Constantine, who was the Roman Emperor at the time, did not like the division. He wanted peace in his empire. So he used his authority to convene a counsel to meet to resolve this issue. So, in the summer of 325 A. D., church leaders from all around the Roman empire were summoned to Nicaea, a central meeting place for them all. Though 1,800 men were invited, only 318 came to debate this issue.

Out of the counsel came a creed, which we know as the Nicene Creed. From time to time at Rock Valley Bible Church, we have quoted this creed. Here it is:

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, the maker of heaven and earth, of things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the begotten of God the Father, the Only-begotten, that is of the essence of the Father.

God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten and not made; of the very same nature of the Father, by Whom all things came into being, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.

Who for us humanity and for our salvation came down from heaven, was incarnate, was made human, was born perfectly of the holy virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit.

By whom He took body, soul, and mind, and everything that is in man, truly and not in semblance.

He suffered, was crucified, was buried, rose again on the third day, ascended into heaven with the same body, [and] sat at the right hand of the Father.

He is to come with the same body and with the glory of the Father, to judge the living and the dead; of His kingdom there is no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, in the uncreated and the perfect; Who spoke through the Law, prophets, and Gospels; Who came down upon the Jordan, preached through the apostles, and lived in the saints.

We believe also in only One, Universal, Apostolic, and Holy Church; in one baptism in repentance, for the remission, and forgiveness of sins; and in the resurrection of the dead, in the everlasting judgement of souls and bodies, and the Kingdom of Heaven and in the everlasting life.^[1]

I trust that you can see the part of the creed that addresses the nature of Jesus.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the begotten of God the Father, the Only-begotten, that is of the essence of the Father.

God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten and not made; of the very same nature of the Father, by Whom all things came into being, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.

Those who attended added these paragraphs to make sure that it was clear what they believed. All of the 318 attendees of the council signed the creed, except for two men, Arius and his friend. Arius was soon afterwards banished as a heretic.

Now, in the history of the church, there were several “ecumenical counsels” that worked the same way. There was some issue threatening to divide the church. and so, many church leaders were gathered from around the world to establish what was right and what was wrong. what the Bible teaches. what the Bible condemns.

We ought to be thankful for the conflict, because, out of the conflict in the church, these counsels have restored unity into the church. And in some strange way, we ought also to be thankful for those who were teaching heresy. because, it was the very error in teaching that caused the church to think and pray and debate and come to state what is the orthodox doctrine that the church should believe. In other words, the false teaching forces the church to confront the error and clearly articulate the truth. Or, you might say it simply, “Heresy Brings Clarity.”

Indeed, this is the title of my message this morning: “Heresy Brings Clarity.” That’s exactly what we see in our text this morning. We see some heretical teachers entering into the church with their false doctrine. and as a result, the leaders in the church gather the apostles and elders together in Jerusalem to decide the matter.

A secondary title to my message this morning could equally be, “The First Ecumenical Council.” Because that’s what took place in Jerusalem, when the apostles and elders of the church were gathered together to affirm what is right and what is wrong. Another title to my message might simply be, “The Jerusalem Council.” That’s often how people refer to the events of Acts, chapter 15, which is our text.

Now, this chapter comes in the context of a church that’s booming. Paul and Barnabas had just returned from their first missionary journey, where they encountered much fruit. As they went city to city preaching the gospel, many people believed in Jesus, and experienced the forgiveness of sins. Paul and Barnabas had established many churches on their journey, appointing elders and teaching the people. Chapter 14 and verse 27 gives a good summary of the flavor of their journey. Paul and Barnabas had just arrived back from their missionary journey, having been gone for a year or two. We read, "And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles" (Acts 14:27).

This is the context of the counsel, “the faith of the Gentiles.” For the first time in the history of the church, we see the expansion of the church coming from the Gentile community.

Sure, in Acts, chapter 10, we saw Peter going to the home of Cornelius and bringing the gospel to the Gentiles. Sure, in Acts, chapter 11, we see a rising number of Gentiles coming into the church (Acts 11:21). But the missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas exploded the multitudes of Gentiles who were coming into the church. John Stott said it this way, “The trickle of Gentile conversions was fast becoming a torrent."^[2] The church was trying to understand how to bring the flood of Gentiles into the church.

There were some, who were saying, that the Gentiles must be circumcised to be saved. They must submit to the law of Moses. This makes sense if you understand that Christianity came out of Judaism. And Christianity, then, was under the umbrella of the Jewish religious system. After all, this is how the Gentiles came into the Jewish synagogues as proselytes. They were taught the law. They were circumcised. They were ritually cleansed with water through a ceremony much like our baptism. and they came into the synagogue as proselytes, converts into Judaism. And these people thought much the same way. and so, essentially, they said that the Gentiles, to be Christians, but also become Jews.

On the other hand, you had others who were saying, “No.” The gospel isn’t some add-on to Judaism, as if those believing in the Jewish Messiah need to come under the Jewish religious structure. When Jesus came to save sinners, he saved them from the law! That was the point of Jesus coming! Jesus said that he fulfilled the law! He fulfilled the law for us. The law was a tutor to bring us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). And Jesus said that he was building something new! He was building the church! So, they said, the Jewish laws are not applicable to Gentile believers in Christ. We don’t need to bring believing Gentiles under the law again, to be circumcised, and to eat the Jewish diet.

And the debate went on and on. And in Acts 15, we see the debate come to a head, and the debate decided in Jerusalem where the apostles and elders gathered together to decide how to deal with the Gentiles. In our text this morning, we see how the leaders dealt with it.

Acts 15:1-11
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.”

My first point is this: 

1. Debate in Antioch (verses 1-3)

The debate in Antioch was over the question of what to do with the Gentiles who were believing in Jesus. We read in verse 1 that ...

Acts 15:1
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."

Judea is where the center of the Jewish faith was located. Jerusalem is in Judea. These men “came down” that is, “down in elevation” to Antioch, where many Gentiles were coming to faith (Acts 14:27). And they began teaching. They began teaching the Gentiles that they must be circumcised, in accordance with the law of Moses if ever they hoped to be saved.

Now, we know from later in the chapter that these men were unsettling the minds of many of the new converts in Antioch. Because, they heard one thing from Paul and Barnabas. But they heard another thing from those who came from Judea, as if they came with apostolic authority. We find this out in a letter that the apostles and elders write, "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" (Acts 15:24).

Apparently, these men were renegades who heard about the Gentiles coming to faith, and wanted to compel them to come into the fold of Judaism. Many were being troubled by their words. I can see how this would be troubling! They heard the gospel from Paul and Barnabas! That Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. He did so by dying on the cross for our sins! We simply need to turn from our sins and believe in Jesus to find salvation in his name! This they did! Then they experienced salvation in the name of Jesus! And they were learning all about Jesus from the Scriptures, because Paul and Barnabas were there in Antioch teaching the disciples (Acts 14:28). But now, some teachers came from Jerusalem, the place where it all began! They began teaching them that they weren’t yet saved, because they hadn’t been circumcised. This troubled the new believers. What were they to believe?

Not only were the new believers troubled, But so were Paul and Barnabas. We read of this in verse 2, which tells of how Paul and Barnabas (and the church) responded.

Acts 15:2
Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, [that is, these teachers]

The NIV translates this, “This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them.” The NIrV says that Paul and Barnabas “argued strongly with them.” Paul and Barnabas wanted nothing of this teaching! They believed it to be heretical! So, they resisted their teaching strongly.

Such teaching was not the gospel that was “once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). The good news of Jesus isn’t, “Believe in Jesus and do all of these religious ceremonies, and you will be saved.” That’s not the way of salvation! The way of salvation is calling on the name of the Lord. Confessing your sin to him! Believing that Jesus died on the cross to forgive your sin! Believing that his resurrection is your assurance of the truth of these things.

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). It’s not “call on the name of the Lord” and and then do these things and you will be saved. No. It’s faith alone in Jesus that saves! It's faith plus nothing. So, Paul and Barnabas debated long and hard for their position. There was "no small dissension and debate" about these things.

Yet, nothing was resolved. So, the church thought it best to go to Jerusalem to try to resolve the matter. This is what we read in the second half of verse 2, ...

Acts 15:2
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.

Obviously, Paul and Barnabas were the best ones to send, as they were the ones “contending for the faith” (Jude 3) most strongly. Yet, there were some others who went up with Paul and Barnabas as well. We don’t know exactly why they were, but we do know what they did on their way up to Jerusalem. Verse 3 tells us, ...

Acts 15:3
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.

Phoenicia and Samaria were regions along their way to Jerusalem. As they passed through these regions, there was one thing on their lips: “the conversion of the Gentiles.” They were like missionaries on furlough, who were going around to the various churches describing what great things the Lord was doing on the mission field. They would have told stories of those Gentiles who came to faith in Antioch of Psidia, and in Iconium and Lystra and Derbe. How they “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thessalonians 1:9). How when the Gentiles first heard the gospel, they instantly began “rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord” (Acts 13:48).

Such news “brought great joy to all the brothers.” It’s always encouraging to hear of what God is doing in other parts of the world. It’s always encouraging to hear of how the gospel is spreading!

I love receiving missionary letters. I received the following missionary report of a youth retreat in Nepal that took place over the Christmas holiday. How encouraging it is! Here is what one of the leaders of the trip wrote:

Jaimashi? How are you?

Today I am writing the summary report of our Youth Retreat 2021 that happened on 24,25 and 26th December.

"How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in Unity!! "
-Psalm 133:1

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the father through him"
-Colossians 3:17-

Our three days of retreat had been full of blessings for every youth who participated. Praise The Lord for He gave us His presence and protection over the time of retreat. We were all blessed to spend the time together and have fellowship with each other. We had a total of 44 youths participating from different places. After a whole gap of two years due to covid-19, lockdowns and social distancing, I must say that this retreat was much needed to happen to bring reunion and refresh our youths being in fellowship together. We would like to thank our almighty God for all the protection and immensely blessing each individual participating in this retreat. God blessed this retreat with whole package from get together, celebration, sports, praise and worship, sessions from the word of God, Jeep safari, bonfire, caroling, time with children, gift exchanging program, giving practice, participating and helping in the church, testimonies and sharing blessing, and many more.

The main goal of this retreat was to let our youths know they are loved and are part of the same family in Christ, to build relationship and bonding with other youth and share love and have fellowship with each others, to let them think of where their spiritual status and foundation is, to remind them to be salt and light of Christ in their respective places, to encourage them to be hand and feet of Jesus by giving and helping others. I am 100% sure that not a single youth participating in this retreat went without blessings and some of them were revived in their faith to turn into fellowship again."

The letter then goes on to describe in detail what happened every day of the retreat, detailing the praise and worship, the teaching, the games, the testimonies, the bonfires, the singing, the serving, the jeep ride, the sharing times, etc. Then after the description of each day's events, the letter summarizes everything with these words:

Overall we had a blessed time in the whole retreat program. Our youths had time to spend with each other and everyone enjoyed the fellowship. Everyone was blessed and thankful for all the services they received during that whole retreat time.

Please continue to pray for these young adults who will continue to live life outside being the salt and light in the darkness. God will definitely work in their life from what they have learnt. We shared love of God together during the whole retreat time as a one family and we encouraged everyone to stay in touch with each other even after retreat.

Thank you all to our sponsors and prayer warriors who are supporting us and praying for these youths who have all grown up to love Christ more than anything. We are always grateful to each one of you for your love, support and prayers.

If you read the entire letter, you will be filled with joy at what the Lord is doing with the youth in Nepal! This is what took place with those in Phoenicia and Samaria. Hearing the reports of the conversion the Gentiles, "brought great joy to all the brothers" (Acts 15:3).

Then, in verse 4, they arrive in Jerusalem. I’m calling this point, ...

2. Debate in Jerusalem (verses 4-7a)

Verse 4 give the details of the arrival:

Acts 15:4
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.

The idea here is that they were given an official reception by the people. After all, the apostles and elders knew Paul and Barnabas. They knew of their generosity (Acts 4:36-37). They knew of their Christian testimony (Acts 9). When things began stirring in Antioch, they sent Barnabas to Antioch to check it out (Acts 11:22).

After the welcome, Paul and Barnabas would have given the apostle and the elders the same testimony that they gave to all of the churches in Phoenicia and Sameria of how the Gentiles were coming to Christ.

Then, in verse 5, we are introduced to those who opposed Paul and Barnabas. They are described as ...

Acts 15:5
believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees.

Typically, we think of the Pharisees, as those who resisted Jesus during his days upon the earth. But here they are, interacting with the apostles. Apparently, some of them believed in Jesus, as the Messiah.

As Jesus battled with the Pharisees, Jesus always brought it back to the heart, How important it was to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. The Pharisees always laid emphasis upon the external observance of the law. Keeping the Sabbath. Paying the tithes. Condemning all who didn’t conform. Here we see the same battle. The Pharisees are continuing on in their hold toward outward conformity to the law. They rose up and said, ...

Acts 15:5
“It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”

Even in their "belief" in Jesus, their old ways die hard. Again, the battle line is set. How are the Gentiles to be received into the church? The Pharisees were good with the idea of adding Jesus to their religion. They thought that Christianity was a new sect of those within Judaism rather than an entirely new movement. So, those coming in, must come in under Judaism, and be circumcised.

Now, lest you think that this is merely an old debate, please know that this “Jesus plus” mentality is alive and well in the minds of many. As Tony Merida says, “Many adhere to a Jesus-plus-something gospel: Jesus plus baptism. Jesus plus church attendance. Jesus plus quiet times. But if we add anything to the gospel, we lose the gospel."^[3] And that’s what’s at stake with this Jerusalem council: the gospel! That’s why we read in verse 6, ...

Acts 15:6
The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter.

Right here is where we see the truth of the title of my message this morning: “Heresy Brings Clarity.” This idea of adding something to the gospel is false. it is wrong. it leads many to hell, even with good intentions. But with the gathering of the apostles and elders, we will see clarity brought to the issue.

This clarity will come through some speeches given by men in Jerusalem. In Acts 15, Luke highlights three speeches. One given by Peter. One given by Paul. One given by James. By the end of the chapter, we see how the apostles and elders decide to deal with this issue. They do so in a way that makes crystal clear what the gospel is.

But it didn’t come easy. It came after "much debate" (Acts 15:7). Back and forth the argument went. Those of the party of the Pharisees stood on one side of the debate. Paul and Barnabas, Peter and James stood on the other side of the debate. Until finally it was resolved.

This morning, we only have time for ...

3. Peter’s Speech (verses 7b-11)

Acts 15:7-11
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.”

In these verses, Peter takes us back to the events of chapter 10, when God called Peter in a dream to go to the home of Cornelius. Do you remember the scene? Peter was up on the housetop when he saw a dream of a sheet coming down from heaven with all of these animals on the sheet. The vision told Peter to eat, but there were some unclean animals upon the sheet. He refused to eat, even though the voice in the vision repeatedly told him to eat.

When Peter came to his senses after the vision, there was a knock in the door. God had been working in the heart of Cornelius, who also had seen a vision. He sent several men to summon Peter. The Holy Spirit instructed Peter to go with the men at the door (Acts 10:19). They led him to the home of Cornelius in Caesarea, where Cornelius, his friends and relatives were gathered together. Peter said, "You know that it's unlawful for me to associate with anyone who is not a Jew. Even to eat with you is unlawful. But here I am. I'm doing this. It's certainly strange for all of us." Then, Peter preaches the gospel to them. Even before he gets his sermon finished, the Holy Spirit falls upon them and they believe.

This was such a strange event that when Peter came back to Jerusalem in Acts chapter 11, he was accused. "You went to the uncircumcised men and you ate with them?" (Acts 11:3). In effect they were saying, "You can't do that with uncircumcised people! It's unlawful." So Peter tells the story again, a third time!^[4]

Now Peter doesn't give all the details. But the thrust is this: God is the one who initiated this and brought this about. Look at verse 7.

Acts 15:7b
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.

In other words, God made a choice among us all. He said, "Peter, you're the one, and you're going to go to the Gentiles to open the door for the Gentiles." After all, Jesus did give him the keys of the kingdom, and there he was opening the door for the Gentiles to come and believe. What Peter is saying is this was God's idea. God made a choice among us all. He chose me, and I went, and I brought the gospel to the Gentiles. They heard the word of the gospel and they believed. Cornelius and all his household believed and trusted in Christ.

Furthermore, not only did God send Peter, but God bore witness about the events taking place there. Look at verse 8.

Acts 15:8
And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us.

"Just as he did to us." He's talking about the day of Pentecost. You remember when we were there in the upper room, and the Holy Spirit came upon us, and we began speaking in tongues. That miraculous thing took place. That's exactly what happened in Acts chapter 10. If you look in Acts chapter 10, verse 44,

Acts 10:44-46
While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word, and the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God.

That's when Peter said, "Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" And he commanded them to be baptized, not in order to be saved, but as a sign of how they were willing to follow in obedience, identifying with Jesus. Baptism is the natural response of a believer to be baptized.

Back to verse 8, God bore witness to this whole event by giving the Holy Spirit just as he did on the day of Pentecost, the Gentile day of Pentecost. Furthermore, God made no distinction. Verse 9.

Acts 15:9
He made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.

In other words, he went to Cornelius' house, and the Holy Spirit came upon them, and there was no distinction between Jew and Gentile. Everything the Jew received is everything that the Gentiles receive. God made no distinction here between Jews and Gentiles.

God knows the heart (verse 8). He knows the Gentile heart. He knows the Jewish heart, and those that believe he gave the Holy Spirit to them. Peter is telling those in Antioch, "It wasn't my idea. It was God's idea. Then he comes to his conclusions. He says, "Now why are you testing God?"

Acts 15:10
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?

In other words, why are you testing God to bring these Gentiles into submission under the law of God? We've not been able to handle submission under the law. Our fathers haven't been able to handle submission under the law. What makes you think that it's good for these Gentiles to come under the law just like you all have? Peter is really rebuking the other side here. He's rebuking those who are all about their religious structure, the gates you need to get through in order to be justified in God's sight.

But then he says in verse 11, Peter is crystal clear. Heresy brings about clarity. Here's the best clarity that could ever come to pass. He says,

Acts 15:11
But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.

That's Peter's main point. This is the whole point of Paul. This is the whole point of the apostles. We are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus.

Peter speaks this to the Jews. "Don't we Jews believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus?" It is interesting here that in verse 11, he doesn't even mention faith. He doesn't say we're going to be saved through faith. He says we are saved by God's initiative, by his grace that comes upon us, that grants us faith, that grants us repentance, that gives the Holy Spirit to us. It's God's grace that we're saved. God gives it to the Gentiles and God gave it to the Jews. He gave it to the Gentiles next, and he continues to give it to the Gentiles today.

This is the point: Jews and Gentiles are all saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus.

I don't know how much clearer on the gospel I can be. I don't know how much clearer on the gospel we as a church can be. I don't know how much clearer on the gospel Peter could have been. But after all this debate and discussion, Peter says, "Hey, listen, I was there. God initiated. He brought me there. I preached. God poured out his Spirit. And just like we are saved by grace, so also are they saved by grace as well."

So are you saved by grace this morning? Are you here because you know you've experienced the grace of God in your life? This is why we exist as a church. We exist as a church to enjoy that grace of God.

This is the grace that we enjoy. We enjoy it so much, we want others to come and share in that joy.

If you don't enjoy that grace, if you don't know that grace, I call you today to repent and turn and trust in Jesus. Don't think about your church attendance or your Bible reading or your knowledge or the rituals you go through. Don't think any of that saves. None of that saves. All of our Christian life is all outflow. It's from the heart that we do these things. But none of that is necessarily needful for us to be saved.

That's the issue that they're fighting right here in the Jerusalem Council. They are dealing with these clashing cultures. They're trying to figure out how Gentiles come into the fold. At this point in the council, in the life of the church, the council could have gone either way. If they said yes to circumcision, the gospel would have stopped. It would have been hindered. But God in his sovereignty, just as he was with Peter in bringing the gospel to the Gentiles in Acts chapter 10, I believe he also guided them here in what they should believe and how they should respond. I'm thankful for the sovereignty of God in directing these apostles to come down in this ecumenical council to really stand firm right here where Peter is, that we're saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for the glory of God alone.

This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on January 9, 2022 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rockvalleybiblechurch.org.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicene_Creed.
 
[2] John Stott, The Message of Acts (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 240.

[3] Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Acts (Nashville: B & H Publishing, 2017), 210.

[4] Since, over the course of the book of Acts, this story is repeated a third time, it demonstrates the importance of the story, how the gospel has come to the Gentiles!

[5] Horatius Bonar, https://hymnary.org/text/not_what_these_hands_have_done.