1 Kings 9: 10-28, 1 Kings 10, 1 Kings 11: 1-13, Acts 15: 1-21, Psalm 93
Acts 15: 10-11 (ESV)
“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.”
Verses 10 and 11 from Acts 15 is Peter’s response as to
whether the Gentiles needed to follow the laws set forth by Moses when the Hebrews
left Egypt. Peter’s argument is that laws of Moses were hard for even the
Hebrews to bear, and they kept breaking them again and again. Peter then argued
that with resurrection of Christ, the people who believe in him are saved by God’s
grace and not by obedience to the laws of Moses.
Followers of Christ still had to obey God, but they were not
saved by following the laws. Everyone who believes in Christ is saved by grace.
I think the bigger argument is here from Peter is what is your intention for
obeying God’s laws. Are you obeying God’s law to be saved? Or are you in obedience
to God’s laws because you love God and Jesus so much? If you loved Christ and
God so much and with all of your heart, wouldn’t you naturally want to follow
his laws? For me, Peter’s argument is demanding of each believer in Christ that
they examine deeply their love for God and the reasons they would obey his laws.
If we aren’t saved by obeying God’s laws, then why would we need to follow God’s
laws and commandments? Each believer needs to answer this question for
themselves and when they do, they will I think develop a closer relationship
with God because of love and not because of obedience.
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