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Christianity

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…

  1. …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
  2. …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
  3. …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)
  4. …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
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