Young men and women come out of college and university with sterling diplomas and degrees. Some of them have passed with a cum laude or even better … a magna cum laude or summa cum laude award for achieving such high distinctions … yet too often they have all the theory and little or no practical experience.
Often this is true in Church and Christian circles. Having all the theory seems good but without testing it in the “real” world could make knowledge used, used without wisdom. Consider the apostle Peter and his dramatic experience whilst having a vision in Acts 10. You will recall he was a Jew who became a Christian. He adhered to the Law rather legalistically until he was shown that God had made all animals clean and edible … including pork. The spiritual meaning was that God had approved all people who believed, entrance into His Kingdom. This resulted in Cornelius and his household and friends becoming Christian. Now Peter was able to take the doctrines of the old covenant and apply it to its fulfilment in the new covenant in Jesus’ blood. In other words, the theory he had as a Jew could now be applied as a Christian. Let’s read on:
Ac 15:7 After much discussion, 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 made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
1) Knowledge turned into wisdom. From the outset, might I say that whatever knowledge one has from both secular and Biblical studies means little until the person is saved by grace and the Holy Spirit indwells enabling that knowledge to be converted into spiritual wisdom? Peter uses his Cornelius experience to explain his growth in his understanding of the doctrine of salvation by faith apart from works.
(1) Remember the context. He is together with the apostles and elders discussing whether Gentiles need to be circumcised to become Christian … that is … do they need to become Jews to become Christian?
(2) He addresses them in Gospel love …. calling them “brothers” for that they were. He was reminding them that they are part of the Family of the true God through the grace of God in Jesus. This is something we need to remember as we deliberate over tense issues in the Church. We might have knowledge but we need to combine it with wisdom … and wisdom literally means being open to the Holy Spirit’s leading as we respond by word and action to the present environment at hand. Always remember that although we might differ as followers of Jesus in some way, be it doctrine or Church governance (practice), if we are born again we are beloved family … brothers and sisters in Christ.
(3) Peter’s spiritual wisdom came at the right time. Gentiles were being converted. This was according to the promise God made to Abraham in Genesis 12 and subsequent passages.
Ge 12:3 and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.
This was confirmed practically when Jesus send His disciples out, saying:
Mt 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
Did you see that? Jesus said nothing about circumcision! He dealt with making disciples, baptism and teaching! You may compare Luke 24:44-48 and Acts 1:8. Absolutely nothing is said of the need to become a Jew to become a follower of Jesus! Surely if circumcision was an issue, Jesus would have insisted it be part of the coming to faith and included it in the Gospel Message! He did not. This is why Peter drew from his experience with Cornelius … 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. If they grasped election and predestination they would understand that God works in advance all the time. He chose that Gentiles be saved! He chose a Jew (Peter) to speak the Gospel to Gentiles. He never included the rite of circumcision to be part of Free Salvation by Grace because the old covenant is now obsolete.
2) Salvation is a heart matter. This is the crux of the matter. The New Birth is not a flesh matter it is a heart matter.
(i) God knows the heart. What most people, even Christians don’t realize it that God is omniscient. They might think He knows about big matters in the universe but the truth be told, God knows exactly what is in the heart of all people all the time. He says Himself:
Jer 17:10 “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.”
With this divine ability, God knew the hearts of the Gentiles who surrendered to Him. As an aside, the Psalmist understood this and prayed:
Ps 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
We ought to do the same to ensure we keep short accounts with God.
(ii) God accepts a change of heart. These Gentiles were pagan … idolaters … demon worshippers. As they surrendered in confession, repentance and faith … so … the Holy Spirit … purified their hearts by faith … through their faith.
3) Don’t discriminate and add what the Gospel does not require for salvation.
Ac 15:9 He made no distinction between us and them.
Before God discriminated against the Jews and Gentiles but now in Christ and through His Blood all may be saved, the same way … through repentance and faith and all have an equal standing in the Kingdom. There is no difference between anyone coming from any ethnicity in the eyes of God’s. All Blood covered are His saints, totally equal in every way. You and I need to be cautious because however bad discrimination is, it comes from a heart that is judgmental! When Peter says “now then” … it seems as though he is saying … “if what I have said is true … then why …”
Ac 15:10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?
Many Jews struggled under upholding the Law. To them having all the commandments was a “yoke” … a burden like that around the oxen’s neck. Others were delighted that God loved them so much that He gave them all the commandments. For the Gentile, in becoming a proselyte, they would need to undertake to keep the Law of Moses. It meant “take up the yoke of the kingdom of heaven” … meaning reciting the “Shema” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) as a confession of faith, upholding all the Law which included being circumcised. Paul’s argument was in essence … “We are saved by grace, do you want the Gentiles to be saved differently?” Beloved, to add one thing to or take one thing away from the Gospel renders it another Gospel.
Father, steer us away from ever contemplating adding certain requirements to the Gospel for certain people, making it hard for them to be saved. Thank You for the simplicity of the Gospel. Amen.