Daily Devotion, August 30, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read Acts 15:5-12.

Acts 15 opens with the news that “certain individuals” from Judea arrived in Antioch. These teachers say that Gentile members of the church must be circumcised. They were teaching that faith in Christ alone was not sufficient to please God. The leaders in the early church understood that the way of salvation must be a clear and correct teaching.

 Modern teachers might insist upon the following additions to faith:

• "Unless you are baptized, you cannot be saved."
• "Unless you keep the Ten Commandments, you cannot be saved."
• "Unless you belong to a particular church, you cannot be saved."

You may not encounter a false teacher, but you can encounter a false teaching in your thinking. The Christian who feels they must earn God's approval or do something extraordinary to gain God's forgiveness has fallen into the same error. We are saved through faith alone. 

Peter, having learned his lesson about God's plans for both Jews and Gentiles, stood before the group saying, “God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us.” Peter seems to be saying something like this: “Haven’t we already dealt with this issue and made our decision? Didn’t we agree that God is saving Gentiles as well as Jews?” There was dead silence. No one said a word.

The false teachers had been arguing that the Gentiles must find salvation through Jewish tradition and practice. Peter turned their argument on its head and declared the Jewish people must be saved just as the Gentiles are -- by faith alone.

Now that Peter had spoken, Barnabas and Paul spoke to a hushed group as they reported to them concerning the many miraculous signs and wonders that God performed through them as they proclaimed the gospel to the Gentiles. 

The apostles stood firm on their belief that both Jews and Gentiles are saved by faith alone. This message is a good reminder to us that God welcomes all to the kingdom. He sees the heart of people. He does not discriminate based on color, economic status, nationality, or ethnic group. He welcomes all by faith.

Personal Worship Option:

Remind yourself today of this truth: God’s Word says that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus and not by our own efforts or works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Grace alone. Faith alone.

Grace alone means that God loves, forgives, and saves us not because of who we are or what we do, but because of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. We receive that grace through faith alone.