Salvation Through Jesus & the Law?
In Acts Chapter 15 we read of a dispute in the early Christian church that had to do with which of the Old Testament Laws were to be kept by Gentile believers. The debate starts when some were teaching that circumcision was a prerequisite to salvation.
Verses 1-2:
Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.
So Paul and company go to Jerusalem to meet with the apostles and elders. After some discussion, Peter addresses them with the following (verses 7-11):
… “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
Peter emphatically reminds everyone that Gentiles were already being saved by God through faith in Jesus alone. He also points out that no one has ever kept the whole law and that salvation through following the law is impossible. God knows each man’s heart and so it is though faith that Jew and Gentile are saved, not by works or law keeping.
The leaders listened and agreed with Peter’s words. Then James suggests that the Gentiles keep just a small portion of the law in an effort to show respect and keep a general peace with the traditional Jewish believer.
Verses 19-21:
It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.
The decision is made to send Paul and Barnabas with the message, along with two other men named Judas and Silas, with the written decision of the elders back to the churches that were having the disputes. Verses 23-29 contain the words of the letter:
… The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.
Conclusion
In this 15th chapter of Acts we see that salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ alone. The Gentiles were asked to make sure they keep two moral laws (not eating meat sacrificed to idols, and abstaining from sexual immorality) and two kosher laws (dealing with the eating of blood). Of course there are other immoral acts that Chrisians should abstain from, but being perfect in those areas is not how one gains salvation. Instead, God meets us wherever we are and throughout our lives works in our hearts to make us more and more like Jesus (a.k.a. progressive sanctification).