5.15 Acts - Dissension arises over the new means to salvation in Christ
After Paul had ministered salvation to the Gentiles, some Jewish converts insisted that they had to be circumcised to be saved and to keep the Law of Moses (Acts 15:1, 5). There was a big dissension among them over the means of salvation. Surely the question on how to receive salvation is the most important question that confronts us - it could make a difference between heaven and hell.
They were still trying to understand how to receive salvation under the New Covenant, and to reconcile that with the requirements of the Old Covenant. The Jerusalem Council convened, and they made a resolution based on the Word of God and the testimony of the Holy Spirit. The basis of relationship with God had changed in the New Covenant and it was not necessary for them to keep the Law of Moses (Acts 15:24). They needed to reconcile the new means of salvation under the New Covenants with the Old.
We would'nt find these answers by reading the Gospels because it is not explained there. The Gospels tell us that Christ died on the cross, but it does not tell us what has changed for us since the cross.
There is no explanation on how the cross has changed the basis of relationship between God and mankind. Or that the New Covenant had superseded the Old Covenant cut at Mount Sinai. The early believers found it difficult to reconcile the two covenants. They did not understand that they had entered into a new dispensation of grace where God deals with them on the basis of Jesus' finished work rather than their own works.
The above truths would be the foundation of our Christian faith - but they were not explained in the gospels. How can our faith be established on truths that we hardly understand? These truths are explained only in the Epistles. The Epistles are letters written to the believer in the context of the New Covenant.
The main task of explaining the Gospel mystery was given to the apostle Paul. In Galatians 1:11-15, he tells us that he did not receive the gospel from man, but directly from Jesus by revelation. He wrote the book of Romans, which is the foundation of the Christian faith. He also went on to write about two-thirds of the New Testament.
Today, if you do not fully understand God's redemption plan, or the basis of your Christian faith, you are not alone. Like the early disciples, there are often many theological knots that have to be disentangled in order to see the perfection and beauty of God's redemption plan. We will find these answers in the Epistles, where the redemption work of Christ is explained.
They were still trying to understand how to receive salvation under the New Covenant, and to reconcile that with the requirements of the Old Covenant. The Jerusalem Council convened, and they made a resolution based on the Word of God and the testimony of the Holy Spirit. The basis of relationship with God had changed in the New Covenant and it was not necessary for them to keep the Law of Moses (Acts 15:24). They needed to reconcile the new means of salvation under the New Covenants with the Old.
We would'nt find these answers by reading the Gospels because it is not explained there. The Gospels tell us that Christ died on the cross, but it does not tell us what has changed for us since the cross.
There is no explanation on how the cross has changed the basis of relationship between God and mankind. Or that the New Covenant had superseded the Old Covenant cut at Mount Sinai. The early believers found it difficult to reconcile the two covenants. They did not understand that they had entered into a new dispensation of grace where God deals with them on the basis of Jesus' finished work rather than their own works.
The above truths would be the foundation of our Christian faith - but they were not explained in the gospels. How can our faith be established on truths that we hardly understand? These truths are explained only in the Epistles. The Epistles are letters written to the believer in the context of the New Covenant.
The main task of explaining the Gospel mystery was given to the apostle Paul. In Galatians 1:11-15, he tells us that he did not receive the gospel from man, but directly from Jesus by revelation. He wrote the book of Romans, which is the foundation of the Christian faith. He also went on to write about two-thirds of the New Testament.
Today, if you do not fully understand God's redemption plan, or the basis of your Christian faith, you are not alone. Like the early disciples, there are often many theological knots that have to be disentangled in order to see the perfection and beauty of God's redemption plan. We will find these answers in the Epistles, where the redemption work of Christ is explained.
posted by Joshua Lye @ 1:07 AM
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