Acts 15:1-4 – Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 This 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.3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.
“Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” V5 seems to imply that that these people (KJV “men”) were Pharisees that had become Christians. They came to Syrian Antioch and began to preach doctrine opposed to the foundation of Christian belief that we are saved by faith and not of works (Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 2:16). These men were teaching what some cults would like us now to believe, that the work of Jesus Christ is strong to save, but weak, limited, or non-existent to train us not to sin and to keep us from sin after the initial point of salvation. The devil has, since the advent of Christianity consistently and repeatedly tried to undermine the Truth that we are saved only by faith and not by what we do. So persistent is this lie in the world that it has crept into the church and it even attempts to invade our minds to sully the pure Truth of the Gospel. This “Jesus plus” is always wrong, is never from God, is always evil. The devil does not care what you believe so long as it is not the pure, unadulterated, no additions Gospel. If one wants to believe in any religion other than the pure message of the Gospel, the devil delights is that. If one wants to believe that cockroaches are gods, the devil is happy. Anything will do, as long as it is not the pure Gospel of Christ. When these people came and preached, their “Be saved by Jesus and…” garbage, it was potentially ruinous to the faith of the young believers. Believing the “Jesus plus” message, or believing in cockroach worship, have the same value.
Jerusalem believers (the Apostles and disciples there) was where the early church looked to for leadership. So that these people were from Jerusalem would have carried weight. Beware people who display their lineage, or the church they come from, or even their degrees, if they do not preach the pure Word of God only, but want to put their opinions into it. Stand fast in the Word of God that He has given us for instruction and guidance.
“This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them.” Of course it did. Paul wrote to the Galatians “Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” (Galatians 1:9). Paul knew the danger of a grace plus works doctrine. He also wrote “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? 4 Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? 5 So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? 6 So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Galatians 3:1-6) Family, faith plus works is a lie from the enemy an anathema to our faith. Paul asked the Galatians in V4 “Have you experienced so much in vain…” Let’s say it and know clearly, any belief other than that one is saved only through faith in the person and work of Jesus, is a lie from the devil. All roads do not lead to Heaven. Of course Paul and Barnabas came into “sharp dispute and debate with them.” This was, and is now, a matter of spiritual life and death.
Family and Friends, let us not be deceived by the error that is preached of ecumenical desires for all religions to unite is a good thing. What is a good thing is that Believers continue to hold to the truth of the Word. (John 14:6, Acts 4:12) Truth is that only through Jesus are we saved from the road that leads to destruction. Oh we want peace for us and all, but we must continue to proclaim that true and lasting peace is only, yes only, found in Jesus. We want the world to have pure love and pure joy and that is only found in Jesus. To acquiesce to anything that detracts from our “Only Jesus” message is to also become part of their deception, indeed, to feed it. To not tell the truth in order to not displease makes oneself their satisfier and thereby we think what we do is better than the Word of God. We make ourselves gods who have words that are sometimes better than God’s Word, us supposedly knowing a better thing to tell people than what our God has given us to give them. We all were once headed to hell and now that we are off of it our solitary message is “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10) Though the world hates the message, though they curse and defame us for holding fast to God’s Word, that we must do. God’s Word teaches us Truth, the philosophies and religions of the world, are all lies. We don’t apologize for saying that. We trust God over all the lies of the devil. Also, let us not be haughty, but humble, and love the world as God does. In that we display that we belong to Him. Be loving, humble and gracious after all, we all were likewise once lost. But now, thanks to God’s eternal love for us, we have been saved through faith in Jesus Christ. Thank you Jesus! Praise God! Always and forever praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.