Lesson by Pastor John Skaggs

Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

P. O. Box 1173

Claypool, Arizona 85532

520-425-8345

Date: 10-15-00

Sermon Number: 025

Text: Acts 15:

Topics Addressed in this Lesson

(Legalism)

"And some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." {2} And when Paul and Barnabas had GREAT DISSENSION AND DEBATE with them, the brethren (the church) determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. (These "men from Judea had created such confusion" that the congregation required more than Paul and Barnabas to assure them of the truth.) {3} Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren. (both Jew and Gentile) {4} And when they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. (among the Gentiles) {5} But certain ones of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed, (These men had made profession of faith in Jesus. Whether they were really saved or not cannot be known.) stood up, saying, "It is necessary to circumcise them, (believing Gentiles) and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses." They were not objecting to these Gentiles believing in Jesus as the promised Messiah, the Savior, spoken of by the prophets. What they were saying was that Jesus was not enough to save sinners. In addition to faith in Christ one must become a Jew by submitting to circumcision. Further more, one must observe the Law of Moses if he wants to become a Christian.

I think you can see enormity of the problem. Such men were in Antioch, they were in Jerusalem, they were everywhere Christianity was. They had infiltrated the churches and were teaching a works salvation. The issue must be settled at once, Christianity was at stake. A sinner is either saved by law, or grace through faith, it must be by one or the other, for law and grace simply do not mix. The scripture bears witness to this fact in many places.

(Galatians 5:1-4 NASB) "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. {2} Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. {3} And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. (if he hopes to be saved by the law) {4} You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace." The only person who can be saved by keeping the law is one who keeps it perfectly from the cradle to the grave without one violation in thought or deed. You must keep the whole law or perish! This is, of course, impossible but millions still think they can relate to God by doing certain religious things. If your hope is in circumcision or baptism or good behavior or anything else, that is legalism. You may be as religious as the Pharisees of Christ’s day but you are not Christian if you trust in your own performance for salvation. True Christianity is based on a salvation that is entirely of grace through faith in Christ not of works, or law keeping. Law and grace do not mix.

(Romans 11:6 NASB) "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace." Check the context of this statement and you will find it speaks of the whole of salvation from eternal election to eternity in heaven. Either salvation is all of grace or it is all of law, the two cannot be mixed.

(Galatians 2:21 NASB) "I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly." If acceptance of the sinner by God is based on what he does or does not do then Jesus died for no reason what ever. All a man has to do is behave himself, keep the law, and according to the Jews, be circumcised, keep the Sabbath, observe the holy days, and all will be well with you. But this is not the Gospel; there is no good news in this message for no man can keep the law in an acceptable way. Anyone who thinks they can get to heaven by human effort has been bewitched.

(Galatians 3:1-2 NASB) "You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, (fooled, deceived you) before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? {2} This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?" Were you saved, born again, changed from the inside out, by keeping the law or by hearing the Gospel and running to Christ by faith? God the Holy Spirit dwells in the believer not the law keeper. If a person is saved, he is saved by hearing with faith. Anyone who thinks otherwise has been bewitched. Legalism is the religion of the damned. What men do or do not do has nothing to do with salvation. Eternal life comes only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ the Lord plus nothing. The place of circumcision in the believer’s life is the subject of our text. Paul speaks to the subject in the letter to the Galatians.

(Galatians 6:13-16 NASB) "For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised, that they may boast in your flesh. {14} But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. {15} FOR NEITHER IS CIRCUMCISION ANYTHING, NOR UNCIRCUMCISION, BUT A NEW CREATION. {16} And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God." That is, those who boast only in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ have Paul’s approval and blessing. These are the Israel of God.

Legalism says brother J. I. Packer, " . . . is a distortion of obedience that can never produce truly good works. Its first fault is that it skews motive and purpose, seeing good deeds as essentially ways to earn more of God’s favor than one has at the moment. Its second fault is arrogance. Belief that one’s labor earns God’s favor begets contempt for those who do not labor in the same way. Its third fault is lovelessness in that its self-advancing purpose squeezes humble kindness and creative compassion out of the heart.

In the New Testament we meet both Pharisaic and Judaizing legalism. The Pharisees thought that their status as children of Abraham made God’s pleasure in them possible, and that their formalized daily law-keeping, down to minutest details, would make it actual. The Judaizers viewed Gentile evangelism as a form of proselytizing for Judaism; they believed that the Gentile believer in Christ must go on to become a Jew by circumcision and observance of the festal calendar and ritual law, and that thus he would gain increased favor with God. Jesus attacked the Pharisees; Paul attacked the Judaizers.

In Galatians, Paul condemns the Judaizers’ "Christ-plus" message as obscuring and indeed denying the all-sufficiency of the grace revealed in Jesus (Gal. 3:1-3; 4:21; 5:2-6). In Colossians, he conducts a similar polemic against a similar "Christ-plus" formula for "fullness" (i.e., spiritual completion: Col. 2:8-23). Any "plus" that requires us to take action in order to add to what Christ has given us is a reversion to legalism and, in truth, an insult to Christ.

So far, then, from enriching our relationship with God, as it seeks to do, legalism in all its forms does the opposite. It puts that relationship in jeopardy and, by stopping us from focusing on Christ, it starves our souls while feeding our pride. Legalistic religion in all its forms should be avoided like the plague." (End Quote)

Another commentator by the name of Lenski wrote: "To add anything to Christ as being necessary to salvation, say circumcision or any human work of any kind, is to deny that Christ is the complete Savior, it is to put something human on par with Him, it is to make it the crowning point. That is fatal. A bridge to heaven that is built of 99/100 of Christ and even only 1/100 of anything human breaks down at the joint and ceases to be a bridge. Even if Christ be thought of as carrying us 999 miles of the way, and something merely human be required for the last mile, this would leave us hanging in the air with heaven being still far away. (R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of the Acts of the Apostles [Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1961], 593)

Salvation by law keeping, beloved, is the most destructive of the "destructive heresies," since it damns men to hell forever. This doctrine is the foundation of all false religion. It is no surprise, therefore, that a debate ensued following the statement made by these Pharisees. Again I say, Christianity itself was at stake! The truth of the matter must be discovered and made clear to all. How were sinners to be saved, was it by faith, works, or a combination of both?

{6} And the apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter. {7} And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brethren, 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, GIVING THEM THE HOLY SPIRIT, just as He also did to us; (Jews) {9} and HE MADE NO DISTINCTION BETWEEN US AND THEM, CLEANSING THEIR HEARTS BY FAITH."

When Peter speaks of his being chosen by God to take the gospel to the Gentiles I have no doubt but what Peter is speaking of his vision and encounter with the Gentile, Cornelius. He tells of the experience in Acts 11 NASB.

"Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. {2} And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him, (You see this is not the first time he had to deal with this issue.) {3} saying, "You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them." {4} But Peter began speaking and proceeded to explain to them in orderly sequence, saying, {5} "I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, a certain object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky; and it came right down to me, {6} and when I had fixed my gaze upon it and was observing it I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the crawling creatures and the birds of the air. {7} "And I also heard a voice saying to me, 'Arise, Peter; kill and eat.' {8} "But I said, 'By no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.' {9} "But a voice from heaven answered a second time, 'What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.' {10} "And this happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into the sky. {11} "And behold, at that moment three men appeared before the house in which we were staying, having been sent to me from Caesarea. {12} "And the Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings. And these six brethren also went with me, and we entered the man's house. {13} "And he reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, 'Send to Joppa, and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here; {14} and he shall speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.' {15} "And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as He did upon us at the beginning. {16} "And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, 'John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' {17} "If God therefore gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?" {18} And when they heard this, they quieted down, and glorified God, saying, "Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life."

Peter had been chosen to take the Gospel to Gentiles. He wasn’t told to take circumcision, or ceremony, sacrifice, or baptism. He was to take the gospel, the good news that whoever believers in the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved. This he did and God blessed his work. Peter now asks the relevant question.

Acts 15:10 "Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples A YOKE WHICH NEITHER OUR FATHERS NOR WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BEAR?" This yoke is the law. A yoke was a piece of tack placed around the neck of an ox so he could pull a plow. The term includes the idea of a heavy burden and hard, laborious, work. The law is a yoke in that when it is laid on the back of an individual it burdens them. It sets before them requirements they can’t possibly keep and fills them with a sense of dread and guilt. The Christian who takes his eyes off Christ and accepts the yoke of the law will find himself oppressed and doubting the love of God for him. Why? Because no man can keep the law of God perfectly, not even a believer. The law condemns but it cannot equip one with strength to keep the law. It lays on men the requirement and demand of perfection and then damns him for their certain failure. This is the yoke the Jews wanted to place on the necks of the believing Gentiles. They must be circumcised and keep the law of Moses in addition to trusting in Christ if they hoped to be saved form the wrath of God. The text just read tells us that the Jews had never been able to keep the law yet they wanted to burden others with the requirement. This is not the good news that Jesus or the Apostles proclaimed. Rather it is a burdensome and fearful message. For ten minutes after one sets out to please God by keeping the law he fails, he breaks the law of God and is damned. The law is a burden men cannot bear. If these Jews had their way, the Gentile Christians would live with a sense of failure and frustration all their lives and then die without assurance of salvation. This is the way of the law. But it is not the way of Christ who said,

(Matthew 11:28-30 NASB) "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, (by the knowledge of your sin and guilt revealed to you by the law) and I will give you rest. {29} "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and YOU SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. {30} "For My yoke is easy, and My load is light. " The law makes many and heavy demands upon men, things they can’t possibly do. Jesus, on the other hand, makes one, believe in Me and be saved from the wrath to come! For I am the end, the fulfillment of the law, for all who come to Me by faith.

Peter continues to address the Jerusalem counsel. {11} "But WE BELIEVE THAT WE ARE SAVED THROUGH THE GRACE OF THE LORD JESUS, IN THE SAME WAY AS THEY ALSO ARE." {12} And all the multitude kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. {13} And after they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, "Brethren, listen to me. {14} "Simeon (Peter) has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. {15} "And with this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, {16} 'AFTER THESE THINGS I will return, AND I WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN, AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL RESTORE IT, {17} IN ORDER THAT THE REST OF MANKIND (not just the Jews) MAY SEEK THE LORD, AND ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME,' (the elect from every nation) {18} SAYS THE LORD, WHO MAKES THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM OF OLD." A summation of our brother’s statement might read like this; "What Peter has said is in perfect harmony with the words of the prophets who spoke often of the Gentiles being saved. God has made this truth known from of old! The Gentiles are saved in the same way the Jews are saved, by faith alone in Christ alone with or without circumcision. Further they are saved apart from observing the law of Moses."

{19} "Therefore it is my judgment (and therefore the judgment of all) that we DO NOT TROUBLE THOSE who are turning to God from among the Gentiles,

James insists that circumcision and law keeping not be required of those who have come to Christ for salvation. Why? Because they were legal amendments to the Gospel. And when the Gospel is amended it is no longer the Gospel. He says he did not want to trouble those who were turning to God from among the Gentiles. This is exactly what happens when the law is imposed upon a Christian. The law does not bless rather it troubles or burdens a man. Thus the words of the apostle in Acts 15:10 "Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?"

To add law to the Gospel brings one in to bondage as Galatians 2:4 declares. "But it was because of the false brethren who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty (our rest, our peace, our contentment, our joy) which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into BONDAGE." These false brethren were in bondage to the law and couldn’t stand the thought that Christians weren’t. They could see their joy, their freedom to live, and laugh, to be guilt free and they couldn’t stand it. So they infiltrated the church and began teaching their heresy. That you must be circumcised and keep the law of Moses to be saved. Praise God that this is not Christianity! Praise God for this counsel of elders and apostles who, by the direction of God, rejected the Judaizers message and stood up for the gospel of grace!

{19} "Therefore it is my judgment (Says James speaking for himself and the others) that we DO NOT TROUBLE THOSE who are turning to God from among the Gentiles." However we do have some instruction for the Gentiles as to how they must behave in reference to their weaker Jewish brothers.

These things have nothing to do with being saved. Rather they have to do with the Christian walk after salvation. More particularly they have to do with Christian love, one brother toward another. The order of the counsel was that the Gentiles not be required to undergo circumcision or to observe the law of Moses for salvation. But they were to do all things possible not to offend their Jewish brothers who were obviously still hung up on keeping the law and Jewish traditions. Therefore, even though meat sacrificed to Idols was nothing to be afraid of and had no religious significance whatever they were not to eat it out of deference to the believing Jews in their midst.

The instruction to abstain from fornication had a broader purpose. True, fornication would be offensive to the Jews but the instruction was necessary for yet another reason. The word fornication describes sexual sin in general, and here, has particular reference to sexual activities associated with the worship of pagan gods in the Gentile world. Illicit sex, fornication, was part of pagan Gentile worship. Temple priestesses were often little more than prostitutes. The Gentiles in the early church came from that world and, therefore, needed instruction as to how they ought to behave sexually. So James kills two birds with one stone. They were to abstain from fornication because that behavior was sinful and unbecoming a Christian. And secondly they were to abstain because it would offend their Jewish brothers.

Abstaining from what is strangled and from blood had to do with the Old Testament dietary laws (Gen. 9:4; Lev. 3:17; 7:26; 17:12–14; 19:26; Deut. 12:16, 23; 15:23; 1 Sam. 14:34; Ezek. 33:25). James is not saying that these things must be avoided if one hopes to be saved. Rather, he is speaking of things necessary if Jews and Gentiles are to live together in the same church. These were the minimum requirements for fellowship between the two groups. The Jews would not have their way as concerns circumcision and the law, the Gentiles were to do nothing unnecessarily offensive to the Jews.

The Jerusalem counsel had been convened to deal with the question, "Is faith in Christ enough or must something be added to that?" The question at that time was circumcision and the law of Moses. Today we might ask about ones appearance, church affiliation, baptism or lack of it, what about a person’s weight, or health damaging habits? Do these have anything at all to do with salvation? The answer is no, they have nothing at all to do with becoming a Christian. As a church we must never be found adding any perquisite to the Gospel. Any church that does this has left the Christian faith and entered the world of cults. As individuals we must be careful as well. When we are given the opportunity we must present a pure, unadulterated, Gospel. Faith in Christ is what saves sinners. He is the end of the law for all who believe. Jesus stands in the place and stead of all who come to Him by faith. Jesus took upon Himself the work of redemption and when it was accomplished He declared, "It is finished." I tell you this Lord’s Day morning that there is nothing to add to the work of Christ. If you would be saved today put down your tools. Look away from yourself to Jesus. Trust Him with your never dying soul and you will be saved.

Christians, if you would have peace and joy in your Christian life you must learn to depend on grace now as you did when you were first saved. Your salvation is no different today than it was then. You are still saved by grace through faith and that no of yourselves lest any man should boast. There is misery in the law there is peace and rest in grace.