15 But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. 3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers.[a] 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. 5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”
6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 7 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 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? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
12 And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. 13 After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,
16 “‘After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;
I will rebuild its ruins,
and I will restore it,
17 that the remnant[b] of mankind may seek the Lord,
and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,
says the Lord, who makes these things 18 known from of old.’19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. 21 For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”
— Acts 15:1-21, English Standard Version
And here’s a solid dose of Pastor John Macarthur to keep things Scriptural:
2 Comments
“But some believers who belonged to the [u]party of the Pharisees[/u] rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”
The apostles should be revered and honored for this very practical reason: They managed to divest an entrenched group of allies from the church, who sought not the good of the Church but the glorification of themselves. Many of these Pharisees-become-followers-of-the-Way folks probably heard of Jesus in the flesh, some certainly saw him and heard him in the flesh. Despite his constant lashing of the tyranny of the pharisee’s self-righteousness, they still didn’t grasp humility and showed up as cancer in the church.
They’re still out here today. They masquerade as tolerant and progressive and open-minded now. The core of self-righteous virtue signaling is pride. It is to be out for themselves and not the bride of Christ that corrodes their souls and poisons the body. God bless any church leader willing to stand up here, but they are few and often outnumbered by the white knight types of their own flock.
Good selection, thank you Didact.
100% agreed. “Progressive” Christianity is neither progressive nor Christian. They flagrantly disobey and ignore and even reinterpret outright the absolutely clear and unquestionable commands of Jesus and the other prophets in the Bible. Essentially, they do exactly what the Pharisees of old did – they try to “lawyer around” the realities of Scripture to suit their own twisted ends.
Much appreciated, sir, you are most welcome.