Tuesday Devo
Scripture:
Acts 15
6 So the apostles and elders met together to resolve this issue. 7 At the meeting, after a long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe. 8 God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith. 10 So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? 11 We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.”
6 So the apostles and elders met together to resolve this issue. 7 At the meeting, after a long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe. 8 God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith. 10 So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? 11 We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.”
Commentary:
15:6 The apostles and the elders provided the main leadership at the council, but v. 22 indicates that “the whole church” was present for the occasion and apparently also gave consent to the decision.
15:7 and after there had been much debate. This important theological issue in the early history of the church was not decided by a sudden decree spoken by a prophet but by careful reasoning and thoughtful argumentation based on Scripture. Peter’s reference to the Gentiles hearing the gospel … by my mouth … in the early days refers to his witness at the house of Cornelius (10:34–43), c. a.d. 38, as many as 10 years before the Jerusalem council.
15:9 Peter’s reference to God having cleansed their hearts by faith may allude to the content of his vision prior to visiting Cornelius (see v. 7): “What God has made clean, do not call common” (10:15; 11:9). The faith of the Gentiles at Cornelius’s house is only implicit in chs. 10–11, but Peter referred to it explicitly here: they were saved by faith in their hearts, not by circumcision in their flesh. The argument here recalls points made in Acts 11:15–17.
15:10–11 The rabbis often used the metaphor of a yoke with reference to the law, and Peter’s reference to “yoke” here refers not just to circumcision but to the whole of the Mosaic law (see note on v. 1). By speaking of the law as an unbearable yoke, Peter was not denying that the law was God’s gift to Israel. Rather, he was arguing that Israel was unable to fulfill it perfectly and that salvation could not be obtained through the law (cf. Rom. 2:17–24). Only one means of salvation exists for both Jew and Gentile: God’s “grace” (Acts 15:11) in Jesus Christ. Paul also refers to any requirement to keep the OT laws as “a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1). By contrast, Jesus calls people to take his new “yoke” upon them, a yoke that is easy (see note on Matt. 11:29).
15:7 and after there had been much debate. This important theological issue in the early history of the church was not decided by a sudden decree spoken by a prophet but by careful reasoning and thoughtful argumentation based on Scripture. Peter’s reference to the Gentiles hearing the gospel … by my mouth … in the early days refers to his witness at the house of Cornelius (10:34–43), c. a.d. 38, as many as 10 years before the Jerusalem council.
15:9 Peter’s reference to God having cleansed their hearts by faith may allude to the content of his vision prior to visiting Cornelius (see v. 7): “What God has made clean, do not call common” (10:15; 11:9). The faith of the Gentiles at Cornelius’s house is only implicit in chs. 10–11, but Peter referred to it explicitly here: they were saved by faith in their hearts, not by circumcision in their flesh. The argument here recalls points made in Acts 11:15–17.
15:10–11 The rabbis often used the metaphor of a yoke with reference to the law, and Peter’s reference to “yoke” here refers not just to circumcision but to the whole of the Mosaic law (see note on v. 1). By speaking of the law as an unbearable yoke, Peter was not denying that the law was God’s gift to Israel. Rather, he was arguing that Israel was unable to fulfill it perfectly and that salvation could not be obtained through the law (cf. Rom. 2:17–24). Only one means of salvation exists for both Jew and Gentile: God’s “grace” (Acts 15:11) in Jesus Christ. Paul also refers to any requirement to keep the OT laws as “a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1). By contrast, Jesus calls people to take his new “yoke” upon them, a yoke that is easy (see note on Matt. 11:29).
Questions:
- During this discussion in chapter 15, it's now Peter's turn to speak. He basically gives them three points. First, he tells them it was God Himself that put His stamp of approval on the Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit. And if this was true, then for these men to challenge Gentiles coming to faith they were actually challenging God Himself! This is true of anyone who goes against the known revelation of God from His Word. When we stand against scripture, against God's best, we are say that we know better. What are some areas you've stood in opposition to God's Word by your attitudes and actions?
- Next, Peter made the point that it made no sense to put the burden of the Jewish law onto the Gentiles, because even Peter and all the other devout Jews failed to keep the Law perfectly. This leads to his third point, which was that we are all saved in the same way... by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Just like the devout Jews of the first church, our tendency is also to drift towards our own performance and religious duty, thinking this will put us in better standing with God. But we can't do better or try harder our way into His grace. Because His grace is just that... it can't be earned and it is never deserved. How grateful are you for God's undeserved grace? How often are you tempted to try to earn it with your good behavior? How can you learn to live in the freedom of His undeserved mercy?
Prayer Topics:
- That you would never stand in opposition to God's Word or will.
- That you would live in the freedom of God's grace.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
3. Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Since “all have sinned” and the “wages of sin is death,” Jesus had to die on the cross to pay the fine for my sin so I could be right with God.
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
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