Saved Through Grace Alone
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the age old problem of thinking that we must contribute something to our salvation is found in every false religion and cult
Without exception, every false religion teaches their followers that they must do something to earn God’s favour.
this became a key issue in the Reformation
Roman Catholicism developed an elaborate and lucrative system of works
RC taught its followers they must perform the sacraments in order to be saved
men like Luther, Calvin and Zwingli had been reading their bibles and recognized this was contrary to the scriptures and sought to bring reformation to Roman Catholicism
their desire was to bring it back in line with the scriptures and when their efforts were rejected and they were excommunicated they started their own churches
this marked the beginning of the Protestant Church
the five solas came to embody the teachings of the Reformers
The 5 Solas: Sola Fide, Sola Gracia, Sola Scriptura, Solus Christus, Sola Deo Gloria.
“Our being made spiritually alive, and God’s becoming 100% for us in Christ is by God’s grace alone, on the basis of Christ alone, received through faith alone, so that all things lead ultimately to the glory of God alone revealed in the scripture alone as the only final authoritative teaching on these truths.” John Piper
The same issue the Reformers faced, the church continues to fight against today, tying salvation to something we do.
if you were to stand before God and he were to ask why he should let you into heaven what would you say?
I said the sinners’ prayer? False
I exercised my free will? False
I went to church? False
I tithed my income? False
I did my best to keep the golden rule? False
the only right answer:
“According to your free grace, you gave me the ability to see my sin and faith to believe that your perfect Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, took all my sins upon himself and gave to me his perfect righteousness. My only hope of heaven is in what you have done for me”
the thinking that we must work for our salvation was an issue that had to be addressed right at the beginning of the NT church
[READ ACTS 15:1-21]
The Dissension
The Dissension
1 But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
“but” points the reader back to the previous verses
P&B have completed their first missionary journey and are back at their home church
had travelled across the Mediterranean to the Island of Cyprus
preached the gospel from the eastern to the western end of the island where they were invited by the Roman governor to tell him gospel
as they did so they were opposed by the Jewish false prophet and magician, Bar-Jesus whom Paul struck with blindness
God saw fit to grant the governor saving faith
P&B then travelled north across the Mediterranean where he continued preaching the gospel in Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe and Perga
in spite of intense opposition and an attempt to kill him, P&B continued preaching, making many disciples, strengthening them with the Word and appointing elders in each place to continue to lead, guide and protect them
All who accepted Paul’s message became Christians by faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ alone.
P&B returned to their home church to report these things and resume their pastoral ministry there
with that as the background, Luke tells us that men came from Judea and were teaching the Gentile believers in the Antioch church that they were not saved because they had not been circumcised
The Debate
The Debate
2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question.
“no small dissension and debate”
P&B had strong words with these men from Judea
both sides were convinced that they were in the right
Principles:
remember that P&B were on the pastoral team at Antioch (Acts 13:1)
one of the qualifications of an elder
9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
One of the responsibilities of an elder is to protect his church from false teachers.
as such he must hold firmly to the trustworthy word as revealed and taught by the Apostles (Tit 1:9)
he must be able to pass along that knowledge to others (2 Tim 2:2)
he must rebuke those who contradict the truth
9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
rebuke = to sternly admonish
recognizing the sinful characteristics of the Cretans Paul instructed Titus:
13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith,
15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
Strong disagreement is necessary when a core doctrine like salvation is at stake.
applies to all core doctrines:
the being and nature of God
the being and nature of man
sin
God’s plan of salvation
they are core because if you get any of these wrong you will find yourself in hell!
does not apply to secondary doctrines like:
how often we should have communion
what day we should worship on
when the rapture occurs (if at all)
whether the supernatural gifts are in operation in the church today
the mode of baptism
while all these doctrines are important you will not be excluded from salvation if you get them wrong
this does not mean that these doctrines don’t matter!
all of them have a right and a wrong answer
As the author of scripture God had one meaning in mind when he wrote it.
it is our responsibility to keep studying these “secondary” doctrines in order to understand God’s mind and purpose in giving them to us
such continual study of this honours the Lord
when someone disagrees with us in these secondary matters:
“In essentials unity. In non-essentials charity. In all things, love” (Rupertus Meldenius)
P&B were appointed and sent by the church (v.3) to go to Jerusalem to seek the counsel and advice of the Apostles and elders
“sent by the church”
the disagreement was discussed in the context of the wider church and when agreement was not reached it decided to seek the counsel and advice of the church in Jerusalem where the other Apostles had remained (8:1) and the church had been existence the longest
remember that as an Apostle, Paul possessed special authority over the church
as such Paul could have commanded the church at Antioch to accept his teaching
instead he agreed submitted to his fellow elders and the church to seek the counsel of the Apostles and Elders at Jerusalem
It is likely Paul recognized this was a matter that had to be settled for all the churches, not just the church at Antioch.
Principles:
the Jerusalem church was recognized as the “go to” authority
there are churches with a proven track record of faithfulness and an ability to properly apply the scriptures
this doesn’t necessarily mean the churches that are large and have lots of programs and ministries!
often those churches have made compromises to get big
note the reason they were sent to Jerusalem: to seek the counsel and advice of the Apostles and Elders
the Jerusalem Elders had a long track record of faithful leadership in the midst of persecution
personal application beyond the church issues:
it is wise to seek counsel
22 Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.
of course this doesn’t matter if you seek counsel from those who are not wise
fyi to young people, your friends, for the most part, are not wise!
3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers.
though their primary mission was to go to Jerusalem they used their journey to encourage the churches on their way
Principle:
the effect on churches who are aware of what God is doing in other places: great joy
it’s easy to get complacent or even discouraged when you don’t know what God is doing in other places
Knowing what God is doing in other places encourages us to cry out to him and to stay focused on what he has called us to do.
great joy resulted from knowing that God was at work saving the Gentiles
the joy of their salvation was multiplied by hearing that others were also being saved
the news that the Gospel was spreading was great news to them
presupposes a desire to see Christ glorified among the nations
they were encouraged, believing that if God did it for others he would do it for them!
example of Krobel’s report of many being saved
example of Whatley’s and their ministry to those ravaged by the Tsunami
example of the Goud’s and the challenges they have faced in planting churches
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Part 2
Part 2
John MacArthur recounts being invited to present the gospel to a group of actors and actresses at a Hollywood Hotel
a young man from India who was a Muslim responded to the call to accept Christ
after taking some time alone with the young man to explain what it meant to accept Christ they prayed
after prayer the man declared, John was dismayed to hear the man say with great exuberance, “Isn’t it wonderful? Now I have two religions, Christianity and Islam!”
JM proceeded to explain the gospel to him again:
Mt 6:24 - cannot serve 2 masters
Mt 13:44-46 - giving up everything to obtain the pearl of great price
however like the rich young ruler who refused to give away his riches in order to become a disciple of Christ, this young Muslim man was unwilling to give up Islam for Christ
like the rich young man the young Indian Muslim walked away without Christ
previous message: the debate and the dissension led to a decision to seek the counsel and advice of the church in Jerusalem
the issue: some were teaching that in order to be saved one needed to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses
salvation is not by Christ alone but by Christ plus circumcision plus law keeping
why did the HS include this incident in our New Testaments?
because if a person gets this wrong, they might think they were saved when they were not
how we are saved is a critical issue that we must get right
although circumcision and Law keeping are not hot buttons in the evangelical church today many professing christians do not understand the doctrines of grace and are therefore unsure or unaware of how we are truly saved
The church has always been well populated with people who think they are saved when they are not. (Mt 7:21-23)
The Declaration
The Declaration
4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them.
when P&B and the delegation from Antioch arrived in Jerusalem they shared with the church the results of their first missionary journey
“they declared all that God had done with them”
let’s think for a minute about P&B’s missionary journey
who was it that the HS commissioned in Antioch? Paul & Barnabas
who sailed to Cyprus? Paul & Barnabas
who witnessed to the Roman Governor of Cyprus and led him to Christ? Paul & Barnabas
who travelled to Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe preaching and making many disciples? Paul and Barnabas
who was given the glory? God!
example of how we feel when we do something praise worthy and someone else gets the credit!
P&B had no problem giving God the credit for their successful ministry
they understood John 15:5,
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Everything Paul and Barnabas had done would have come to nothing apart from the Holy Spirit working in and through them. (Jn 15:5)
a reminder that if anything is going to happen here at Eastwood it will be because God is working through you and me
what had God done? v.3 - the conversion of the Gentiles
God called Saul out of darkness on the road to Damascus and made him his personal servant to preach the gospel, God led Paul to Antioch where he became a member of the pastoral team, God called P&B to go and make disciples and plant churches, God enabled protected and directed P&B in their journey, many disciples were won and churches planted
therefore hear Paul’s confession,
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
“what God had done with them”
the HS told the Antioch church to set apart P&B for the work of evangelism and church planting
they obeyed and because they did their work was a cooperative work with God
they were working with God
Principle:
If anything of any lasting value is going to happen in our ministries it will be because God is doing his work of calling and enabling us to do his work and our responding in joyful obedience.
the problem: we often have this backwards!
we come up with a plan and then and ask God to bless it and then wonder why it fails
As we humble ourselves and determine to understand and do his will, we can expect God to richly bless our labours for him! (Jn 15:7-8)
when we are responding to the will of God we can pray expectantly for what we need to accomplish it and expect God to bless and produce great results
7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
The Dissension Revived
The Dissension Revived
5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”
“but”
contrasts the joyful welcome
the Jerusalem church welcomed the delegation from Antioch and were listening to the report of what God had done in Antioch and through P&B in their church planting trip
it’s as if they were waiting for an opportunity to put forward their criticism
Principle
we all struggle at times with not being able to see the forest for the trees!
example of challenging a person not to think about a pink elephant
“some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees”
these were Pharisees who had put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus
they were believers who had not yet let go of their Jewish practices and were trying to force them on others
Whenever these Christian Pharisees heard the the word “salvation” their thoughts immediately went to circumcision and law keeping. (Acts 15:1,5)
what is the first thing that comes to your mind when I say the word “salvation”?
is your first thought about something you did or what God did?
for a moment I would like to set aside the issue of adding to salvation and speak to an important related issue: the dissension which often arises in churches over matters that are not essential to salvation
Principle:
when these Pharisees were saved they were unable to leave their Jewish practices and customs behind
their weak consciences required them to keep the OT laws which had been fulfilled in Christ
Jewish Christians trying to force the observance of the ceremonial law on Gentile believers was a recurring problem in the NT church.
this was the issue which motivated Paul to write a letter to the Galatians
their weak consciences kept them from fully embracing the Gentiles as brothers and sisters in Christ
Paul deals with this issue in Romans 14:
those who are weak have overly sensitive consciences which tends to lead them to judge those who are free to do things they cannot do
the strong have more freedoms and are tempted to despise those whose consciences won’t permit them to enjoy their gospel freedoms
in this particular issue in Acts 15, the weak Christian Pharisees had set themselves up as judges over the Christian Gentiles within the church
the weak were condemning those who were free
key to eating/not eating, observing/not observing is whom you are doing it for
the goal of the strong and the weak should be the glory of the Lord
he is the Lord of both the living and the dead and it to him that we live and die (Rom 14:8-9)
as such we belong to him and answer to him, not one another
honouring the Lord requires the strong to surrender their freedom for the sake of the weak (Rom 14:13-23)
this is in fact what the Lord does for us every day!
practical example: after I preached on the importance of seeking wise counsel a couple of weeks ago a young person was asked whether he would be interested in doing this
his answer: “why would I seek counsel from them when they are judging me for the way I dress?”
the strong are not to despise the weak and the weak are not to judge the strong
I am not going to identify which was the strong and which was the weak
both need to consider what the HS teaches in Rom 14
I think it is safe to say that at a very basic level both sides were guilty of violating this passage!
the one who was critical of the youth was wrong to do so and the youth was wrong to classify all older people as out of touch and unworthy to be his mentor
begs the question of what we should do with those who don’t measure up to our expectations
Paul’s message: no one is free to write someone else off in matters which are not core doctrines
the opposite can also happen where the strong force their freedoms on the weak
In matters that don’t have to do with core doctrines the responsibility is on the strong to surrender their freedoms so as not to offend the weak.
this is easier said than done when the weak elevate a matter of conscience, a secondary issue, to a matter of core doctrine, as these Christian Pharisees had done
in this case a group of churches met together to decide the issue
it was not swept “under the carpet” in the hopes it would die down and go away
The Debate Considered
The Debate Considered
6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter.
after the issue was raised in the Jerusalem church the their apostles and elders met separately with the delegation from Antioch to decide the issue
Resolving the issue was the responsibility of the leadership not the wider church.
Principle:
church should submit to its leaders (Heb 13:17) and trust them to lead and guide them
leaders are the ones tasked with confronting aberrant or false teaching (Tit 1:9)
7 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.
8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,
9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
there was much debate without a resolution
a consensus had not been reached
the Apostles and elders were still not united on how to handle the issue
“Peter stood up and said to them” (v.7)
Peter was designated the Apostle to the Jews (Gal 2:8) and since this was the Jerusalem church and a Jewish issue it made sense that he spoke up
he also had been chosen by God to bring the Gospel to Cornelius
a watershed for the church which to that point had been primarily Jewish
God makes no distinction between Jew and Gentile
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
“God who knows the heart bore witness to them” (v.8)
The basis on which God bore witness to the Gentile believers was the state of their hearts.
God’s focus was not on whether they were circumcised
the reality of true saving faith is a matter of the heart not external rituals
he confirmed their salvation by giving them the HS in the same manner in which the Jewish disciples had received him at Pentecost
that God made no distinction (v.9) between them and the Gentiles was clear proof that nothing further was required
their hearts had been cleansed by their believing not by anything else
Principle:
God bears witness to everyone who believes.
He gives the desire to obey him
24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
a mark of the presence of the HS is abiding in God’s commands
to have God’s HS within means that we will seek to obey him
He gives a hunger for his Word
23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
the believer comes to saving faith through the word of God
a truly saved believer continues to hunger and thirst for that word
2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—
He gives the desire for holiness
4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
it makes sense that if the Spirit of holiness dwells within us we will desire and seek after holiness
the fruits of the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal 5:22-23)
Paul concludes in Gal 5:24
24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
this is holiness in action: putting to death our sinful passions and desires
He makes them spiritually minded
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
the tone, tenor and bias of their thinking is toward spiritual things
though they may be laid low by temptation the general tendency of their thoughts, desires, tastes, inclinations is spiritual
can be seen in the way they spend their leisure time, the company they love to keep, their conduct in their homes
Just as the caterpillar when it becomes a butterfly can no longer be content to crawl on earth—but will fly upwards and use its wings, so will the affections of the man who has the Spirit be ever reaching upwards toward God. (J.C. Ryle)
He creates a conflict between the Old and New Natures
17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
they feel the struggle that Paul speaks of in Rom 7
He instills a love for other believers
14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.
because the Spirit resides in them they love others who possess the HS
He gives the desire to pray
6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
our prayers may be poor, weak and wandering but we cannot help but cry out to our heavenly Father!
Summary:
apart from God’s work in and through us as we humble ourselves before him and seek his will we will accomplish little for the the kingdom
if we are going to see God do great things among us we must maintain great love and respect for one another
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
be sensitive to the fact that we all bring baggage to our faith in Christ!
if it does not have to do with core doctrine we are to keep in mind that we each belong to Christ as his servants and we have no right to judge or despise one another
God bears witness to everyone who belongs to him