My thoughts on Act Chapter 15

My Though on Act Chapter 15

In this chapter we see how the grace of God is sufficient to save the Gentiles, despite the custom taught by Moses Law, about one has to be circumcise in order to be saved. Paul and Barnabas stood for the Gentiles and got in sharp dispute and debate with the believers who came down from Judea to Antioch, where Paul and Barnabas were at the time, to teach.

            To discuss the matter and resolve the issue with other apostles and elders, the church appointed and sent both Paul and Barnabas, to travel to Jerusalem, and present the mater before them. They went to Jerusalem and gathered in the assembly with more apostles and elders to discuss the matter. Once, Paul had told them about the wonders of God and what God has done through them to the Gentiles, the whole assembly got quite and James spoke up.

“Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. ¹⁴ Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. ¹⁵ The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

¹⁶ “‘After this I will return
      and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
      Its ruins I will rebuild,
      and I will restore it,
¹⁷     that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
      even all the Gentiles who bear my name,

      says the Lord, who does these things’

¹⁸   things known from long ago.

¹⁹ “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰ 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.

So we see a complete shift in terms of accepting the Gentiles and they don’t need to fulfill the Moses Law to be saved. Here is what Peter said prior to what Simon had said,

Peter got up and addressed them: “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. ⁸ God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. ⁹ He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.

They are accepted by God and they too are given the greatest gift holy spirit!

To sum up thought, the word of God teaches us we all are saved by the Grace not by our works or deeds. So it is very important to know and understand we were saved not by what we have done but by the grace of God, thought the works of his son Jesus Christ.  

Saved By Grace!