THURSDAY July 27, 2023
Persuasive Reasoning
Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.”
Acts 15:6-7
Certain Jews within the Christian Church began teaching a works salvation. Yet according to the Scriptures, believers are saved by faith in Jesus Christ. Those troubling the churches were actually false brethren who wanted to rob both Jew and Gentile believers of their liberty in Jesus Christ. They wanted to bring them back into bondage to the Law of Moses. In Galatians 2, Paul described men who were causing division in the churches by their false teachings:
And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you (Galatians 2:4-5).
Thank God for Paul. He stood his ground and did not yield to false teaching. Instead, he stated the obvious. Jews and Gentiles were justified by faith, not by works––keeping the Law. A person is saved by faith through the grace of God––that is the key to our salvation. Paul unwaveringly wrote:
“...knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified” (Galatians 2:16).
Be careful of people who creep into churches with false motives. There is a real danger of being led away from the truth and the liberty that we have in Christ.
...heresies which have arisen in the Christian Church have had a decided tendency to dishonor God and to flatter man.
~C.H Spurgeon~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
