{"id":1771,"date":"2019-08-22T08:37:22","date_gmt":"2019-08-22T16:37:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=1771"},"modified":"2019-08-22T08:37:42","modified_gmt":"2019-08-22T16:37:42","slug":"devotion-acts-155-11-never-a-change-by-faith-alone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=1771","title":{"rendered":"Devotion Acts 15:5-11 Never A Change, By Faith Alone"},"content":{"rendered":"

Acts 15:5-11\u00a0<\/b>\u2013<\/i>\u00a0\u00a0<\/sup><\/b><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/sup><\/b>Then some of the believers who belonged to the party\u00a0of the Pharisees\u00a0stood up and said, \u201cThe Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.\u201d\u00a0 6\u00a0The apostles and elders met to consider this question.7\u00a0After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: \u201cBrothers, 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.\u00a08\u00a0God, who knows the heart,\u00a0showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them,\u00a0just as he did to us.\u00a09\u00a0He did not discriminate between us and them,\u00a0for he purified their hearts by faith.10\u00a0Now then, why do you try to test God\u00a0by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke\u00a0that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?\u00a011\u00a0No! We believe it is through the grace\u00a0of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThen some of the believers who belonged to the party\u00a0of the Pharisees\u00a0stood up and said, \u201cThe Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.\u201d<\/i>\u201d \u00a0Again, let\u2019s remember that the Word of God states that those who were erroneously stating that the Gentile converts needed to be circumcised were believers.\u00a0 And we see that what was said in Syrian Antioch was the same thing that they said here.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because they were firmly convinced that they were right and that the Apostles and other leaders in Jerusalem would agree with them.\u00a0 Brothers and Sisters, sometimes some who are also believers latch onto a wrong doctrine.\u00a0 They are also believers, like us, but have fallen into error.\u00a0 Let\u2019s acquiesce that though we all endeavor to have it all right all the time, sometimes we also misunderstand.\u00a0 Jesus said that we should \u201cDo to others as you would have them do to you.\u201d (Luke 6:31<\/b>) How would we want to be treated if we, with all honest intent, latched onto some wrong doctrine?\u00a0 Would we want to be called a heretic and blasphemer and be excommunicated?\u00a0 That is doubtful!\u00a0 We want to be loved and shown our error for our own benefit, even if it took some time and energy to show us.\u00a0 Well let us do as Jesus said to and treat others how we want to be treated.\u00a0 Correct the error, of course.\u00a0 But also let us remember and take heed lest we forget this warning of Jesus \u201cWoe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth\u00a0of your spices\u2014mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law\u2014justice, mercy and faithfulness.\u00a0You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.\u00a024\u00a0You blind guides!\u00a0You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel<\/i>.\u201d (Matthew 23:23-24<\/b>)\u00a0 Jesus wants us to do what is most important, and that is not \u201cdo this and don\u2019t do that,\u201d it is justice, mercy and faithfulness.\u00a0 In other words, let\u2019s be very strong about essentials, and very gracious about non-essentials.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe apostles and elders met to consider this question.7\u00a0After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them<\/i>.\u201d\u00a0 Although Peter and Paul had tensions between them in their lives (Galatians 2:11-14<\/b>) none of that mattered.\u00a0 Peter stood up to speak what was right.\u00a0 Was he standing up for Paul?\u00a0 Perhaps.\u00a0 But what most mattered to Him was the Gospel of Christ and glorifying God.\u00a0 May we set aside any possible grievances against each other and may we not divide over smaller dissimilar beliefs (though this was a big one and needed to be addressed).\u00a0 Instead keep our eyes on the Lord and the peace and unity He brings to us all. (Ephesians 4:1-3, 1 Peter 3:8<\/b>).<\/p>\n

\u201cBrothers, 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.\u00a0 8\u00a0God, who knows the heart,\u00a0showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them,\u00a0just as he did to us.\u00a09\u00a0He did not discriminate between us and them,\u00a0for he purified their hearts by faith.\u00a0 10\u00a0Now then, why do you try to test God\u00a0by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke\u00a0that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?<\/i>\u201d How gracious were the Apostles and leaders at Jerusalem.\u00a0 They agreed to rehear something that had already been settled. In\u00a0Acts 10:1 \u2013 11:18<\/b>\u00a0they had accepted that the Gentiles were received by God as He had clearly directed to Peter.\u00a0 They had all agreed that the Lord called these Gentile believers who He filled with the Holy Spirit and cleansed.\u00a0 The Lord had told Peter not to call dirty what He called clean.\u00a0 And now this same issue had arisen again.\u00a0 It seems that Pastors speak on a topic on Sunday and on Monday the lesson is often already forgotten!\u00a0 Some were confused, being loyal to their past culture and tradition, they thought that the gentiles ought to obey the law rather than walk in the freedom of God\u2019s love through grace.<\/p>\n

Peter spoke to the truth of the matter, God looks at the heart of a person.\u00a0 He did it for David (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22<\/b>).\u00a0 In fact He does it for all of us.\u00a0 Though we continue to bumble in our walk He looks at our hearts.\u00a0 Now that is not an excuse or permission to sin, but a fact that God understands His plans for us much better than we do.\u00a0 He knows our hearts and is pleased with a heart after His heart.<\/p>\n

God had powerfully come upon the Gentiles as He had come upon the Jews at Pentecost (Acts 2<\/b>).\u00a0 God does not discriminate between Jew and Gentile.\u00a0 He does not only give the Jew or the Gentile the offer of salvation, but desires that all would be saved (1 Timothy 2:4<\/b>).<\/p>\n

Peter told them that in their insistence upon the following of the law they were testing the work of Christ.\u00a0 They were saying that the work of Jesus was not able to fully save but that something else was needed.\u00a0 They were reverting to the law for salvation, even though the law could not save any of them because no-one can fully keep the law.\u00a0 If one is looking to be saved through the law then they must perfectly keep keep the whole law because to violate one law is to bring condemnation as if violating all the law.\u00a0 God\u2019s standard to live in peace with Him is perfect holiness, and none of us can live up to that.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo! We believe it is through the grace\u00a0of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are<\/i>.\u201d\u00a0 There is something in here that it would be easy for us to miss.\u00a0 Notice that Peter did not say to the Jews, who were proud of their heritage as keepers of the Holy Scriptures, that salvation has come to the Gentile through grace just as it came to the Jews.\u00a0 No, He told the Jews that grace came to them just as them just as it has come to the Gentiles.\u00a0 We may not notice this, but we can be certain the Jews did.\u00a0 Peter was telling them not to be proud, telling them to not feel that only Jews could be blessed by God, or that the Gentiles had to do something extra to receive God\u2019s grace.\u00a0 He was saying that we all come to God the same way.\u00a0 Peter was also stressing to them that is no difference between Jew and Gentile or between man and woman, between all people on how we come to favor with God. We all come through the grace and faithfulness of God who draws us to Jesus.\u00a0 God does the work and cleanses us all through faith alone.\u00a0 Let no man attempt to dirty this pure genius of God.<\/p>\n

Family and Friends, let us celebrate the goodness of God who desires that we all be saved by faith in the work and person of Jesus.\u00a0 God did not want the way back to Him to be hard, but to be easy.\u00a0 He cleared the way for us to have peace with Him.\u00a0 He did it through Jesus.\u00a0 Let\u2019s cling on to simple truth of God that we love and cling to Jesus and we shall be saved.\u00a0 Praise God!<\/p>\n

Psalm 150:6<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!<\/i><\/p>\n

Micah 7:7<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0But as for me, I watch\u00a0in hope\u00a0for the\u00a0Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear\u00a0me.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Micah 6:8<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0He has shown You, O man, what\u00a0is\u00a0good; And what does the\u00a0Lord\u00a0require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Acts 15:5-11\u00a0\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Then some of the believers who belonged to the party\u00a0of the Pharisees\u00a0stood up and said, \u201cThe Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.\u201d\u00a0 6\u00a0The apostles and elders met to consider this question.7\u00a0After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: \u201cBrothers, you know that some time ago God made…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192],"tags":[82,1841,1969,106,101,94,90,17,2187,2036],"class_list":["post-1771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-acts","tag-ephesians","tag-galatians","tag-luke","tag-matthew","tag-micah","tag-peter","tag-psalm","tag-samuel","tag-timothy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1771"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1771\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1772,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1771\/revisions\/1772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}