Saved Through the Grace of the Lord Jesus

Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” Acts 15:10-11

The context of this scripture places us inside the Jerusalem Council. The council was dealing with the topic of Gentile salvation. Some argued that the Gentile must first convert to Judaism and uphold the Mosaic Law as well as be circumcised before they could convert to Christianity. Obviously not all agreed with this logic but there were enough people concerned about it that they decided to hold a council to discuss the issue further.

It is during this debate that Peter steps up to defend Paul and his missionary work. Peter is the best to defend because he also saw, firsthand, the Holy Spirit given to the Gentiles—specifically Cornelius in Acts 10. Peter was simply pointing out that the circumcision party was missing the point. Instead of celebrating the salvation of others they were focusing on the law. Peter argued this to be a mistake.

Why is this a mistake? Why would doing your best and upholding the Mosaic Law be a negative thing? Are we not called to be obedient? Are we not called to be more like Christ? Peter’s point was not that the Law in and of itself was negative or sinful. The Law was given to man from God. This means that it—the law—was intrinsically good. The Law was also given to man to show our complete dependence and need for a Savior. Apart from God and His saving grace and mercy we have no chance—NO CHANCE—of entering the Kingdom. Apart from God and His saving grace and mercy we have no hope. This is where the problems arise with the circumcision party’s argument.

Peter has to remind them of the yoke—burden—that comes with this works based philosophy. He also reminds the group that none of them or their fathers had been able to uphold the law. So why would they think that new converts could do this? Peter simply points out what should be obvious, this is an unnecessary burden. This is a burden because we can spend our entire life trying to earn our way into heaven and always miss the mark. This way of thinking is poison for the soul of a believer. This poison shows itself when one finally sees the impossibility of being “good” enough to earn salvation.

I am not arguing for disobedience or for complete disregard to the commandments laid out in the scriptures. We are called to be like Christ. We are called to obey. The problem with the burden or yoke that Peter is referring to is the begrudging obedience it brings. We are called to obey lovingly not begrudgingly. Apart from Christ we are simply trying to be “good”. We are so focused on the law and the obedience of it that it becomes our God. We shift our focus from God and His sovereignty to our idol, the law. This is a major problem. We must understand that we will never be good enough. We will never reach a point or a level where we have earned salvation.

The other side of this coin is that of a lovingly submitted believer. This is someone who understands the cross and the importance of it. This is someone who understands that the gospel is not about what I can do but instead about what Jesus did. This is someone who understands they are a sinner in need of saving. This is someone who understands and loves the authoritative word of God. This is someone who understands, as Peter says in verse 11, we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus. This is not about working your way to heaven. This is about our God gifting us with grace and saving us. This has nothing to do with my personal worth or my personal works. This has everything to do with His—Jesus—worth and His work on the cross. Once we see this and understand it is about Him and not us we began to desire and long to be like Him. So our begrudging submission turns into loving submission to the Savior. This causes us to read scripture differently and appreciate the truth presented to us. The truth begins to pour out of the Word that we are hopeless apart from the saving grace of God. We are hopeless if left to our own works.

Peter was not arguing the law to be sinful. Peter was arguing that our worship of the law apart from God is sinful. Peter was warning the group to not idolize the gift—the law—but instead keep your sights on the One who presents the gift—God. This gift is truly the greatest gift ever offered. This gift then shifts our obedience away from man and the world and toward God and His Word. This shift brings about freedom from sin. The yoke was taken by Christ. He bore that burden. Knowing this and understanding this truth allows us to enjoy the freedom that is the gospel. We trust in His work and not our own.

This freedom does not take us down a path of disobedience. This freedom takes us down a path of loving obedience. We submit to His authority and the authority of His Word. This is such a great truth that I pray everyone would grasp. Please stop trying to work your way into the Kingdom. Stop trying to earn your salvation. You will never be good enough. Let me repeat that, YOU WILL NEVER BE GOOD ENOUGH. This is why we look to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He was and is more than enough.