Forward: Grace Alone

Acts 15:1-35
- the centre of the largest controversy around how someone can be truly saved
the message is the basis of a campaign, and the campaign needs to repeat that message
- salvation in grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone
  - do you believe this in your heart?
  - salvation is undeserved gift from God, and opponents will try to add to this to confuse you

When I know grace…

…I wage war against legalism (v1-5)
- early church arguing how Gentiles are to be included in the church
- they believed grace was sufficient but added the old law to ensure salvation
  - “salvation through acts” rather than “grace alone”
- how many times have you said “I need to fix x before I can come to God”?
  - you need to come before Him as the true broken mess you are because through Him you are fixed and made whole!
  - the Gospel frees you to approach God in your brokenness such that He can complete you!
- v2: Paul waged war on the legalism because this legalism can destroy the church
  - need unity in belief of the sufficiency of grace
- need to fight the legalism in own hearts
  - our natural disposition of works-based salvation
- grace confronts our desire to grow/gain God’s favour
  - anything that adds/replaces grace becomes what we think saves us, as opposed to grace alone
- Preventing legalism:
  1. 2 Pet 3:18; grow in knowledge of the Lord (the work and life of Jesus)
  2. wage war against legalists
    - go after those who are trapped in works-based salvation
…I declare it as the only way (v6-18)
- v7: Peter laying it down! refers to situation in Acts 10
- external rituals vs heart of man
  - sinful heart needing to be cleaned by grace of Jesus
- “putting God to test” viewed in negative in the ancient times
  - questions whether God sees your sin
- Gal 5:1-4; grace saves and changes you
- v13: pivotal moment because James, as half-brother of Jesus, was distinctly Jewish, and now speaks powerfully to Jews about this issue
  - clear that James had thought about this substantially because he quotes multiple parts of OT (Amos 9:12, Jeremiah, Daniel…)
- Peter and James under pressure to compromise the truth (i.e. salvation through grace alone), but remained bold to declare it
…I love those who are different (v19-29)
1. Grace changes me and the way I treat/view other people
  - v22: shares unity and love for body of Christ
  - embracing the truth of grace alone has huge implications for Gentiles
    - how we interact and create unity within the church
    - lack of unity is distracting
      - love one another; Gal 5:6
2. Grace allows me to embrace others’ differences
  - don’t make prescription of “Christian living/lifestyle” when it is not in the Bible
    - i.e. musical preferences, dress code, schooling
  - God embraced us without conforming to a certain way of life
3. Be sacrificing for the good of others
  - v20: NOT law for salvation, but rather how we interact with one another
    - idolatry, sexual immorality, strangling/blood were part of the Pagan rituals the Gentiles were previously associated/familiar with
  - v21: be sensitive to the Jews around them such that they don’t stumble or doubt your salvation
    - because we are under grace, we can gladly restrict our freedoms for the benefit of others
      - this way, we can serve those who may stumble (1 Cor 9:19-21)
…I celebrate my undeserved freedom (v30-35)
- the Gentiles rejoiced at the letter!
  - understood grace given to them, therefore understood the freedom to give up their liberties for the benefit of others
- I celebrate because I am:
  1. free from efforts to gain my salvation
    - only through Jesus and His grace are we saved
  2. free to live to Christ as joyful response
    - free from sin and death, grace grows us to live for Christ!
    - we are free from the prison of sin!
  3. free to proclaim freedom from sin and death
    - remember we are on campaign trail for King of Kings and our message is clear: salvation is through grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone