This Sunday, we come to Acts 15 and one of the most pivotal moments in early church history. The very first Church Council was held in Jerusalem concerning the growing number of non-Jewish Gentiles responding to the Good News of Jesus. The question is: What, if anything, in the Law of Moses should be required of these new Gentile believers in Jesus?
Why was this Council needed?
Under the Old Covenant that God made with the Jewish people, any Gentile who wanted to enter into the covenant had to become a proselyte. That meant circumcision, feast observance, temple sacrifices, kosher eating, law observance, and all the rest. Salvation was of the Jews, after all, so anyone who wanted in on the covenant had to essentially become Jewish.
But, as we’ve seen in the book of Acts, the New Covenant has shifted things. All who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. That’s true not only of the Jews who trust in Jesus as Messiah, but also the Samaritans (half-Jews) and Gentiles (non-Jews) who place their faith in the Lord Jesus as Savior. The fact that the Samaritans and Gentiles are fully accepted by God through Jesus is confirmed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8 & 10). In other words, Gentiles didn’t need to become Jewish proselytes to gain covenant access any longer. In the New Covenant, they could come directly to God through Jesus as Gentiles.
This was a seismic shift that generated massive controversy. A group we now know as the “Judaizers” went around insisting that the Gentiles in Christ must still become proselytes to Judaism for salvation. Paul and Barnabas contended that Jesus was the only and all-sufficient ground of our salvation. The Gospel itself was at stake. Was Jesus enough? Was His grace sufficient? Were the Gentiles in? Was the Spirit proof? What did God’s Word say?
The Council in Jerusalem was a watershed moment for the trajectory of this early Christian movement. And it was a moment of decisive clarity when it comes to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But this isn’t just a historical curiosity. The Gospel of grace must be contended for in each and every generation. Let’s discover afresh the wonder of God’s amazing grace in Christ by the Spirit that is always enough. For we are indeed loved, more than we know!
