Hearts Cleansed by Faith

Acts 15:1-8

4 Groups in Early Church Communities:

• Jewish Christ-followers observing the Torah

• Jewish Christ-followers not observing the Torah

• Gentile Christ-followers not observing the Torah

• Gentile Christ-followers who might observe the Torah

Galatians 2:1-5

1 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also. 2 I went up according to a revelation and presented to them the gospel I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those recognized as leaders. I wanted to be sure I was not running, and had not been running, in vain. 3 But not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4 This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus in order to enslave us. 5 But we did not give up and submit to these people for even a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would be preserved for you.

Some in the early church believed Gentiles needed to convert to Judaism (including circumcision) before becoming Christians. 

Paul's position is summarized in Galatians 5:6– For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love.

Acts 15:1-21

Theology

theos- God

lego- to speak

logos- the word

theology- to speak about God

theology- words about God

Scripture

Let me share two important truths about how we read Scripture—truths drawn from the biblical story itself and beautifully emphasized by theologian Joel Green.

First, we must read Scripture together.

The Bible was never meant to be a private book for private religion. It was given to form a people—a community shaped by the Word of God. That means we don’t just read the Bible individually; we read it communally. We need the Church. We need each other. We need to wrestle with the text together, pray through it together, and be shaped by it together. When we read in community—with the saints who’ve gone before us, with our brothers and sisters today, across generations and backgrounds—God uses that shared reading to guard us from error and deepen our understanding.

Second, we must read Scripture globally.

Every one of us brings our own lens—our culture, our assumptions, our blind spots. That’s true of churches, too. We all see in part. And that’s why we need the voices of Christians around the world—believers who don’t look like us, vote like us, or live where we live. They help us see what we might otherwise miss. The global Church is a gift, and when we listen to it, we hear a fuller, richer harmony of God’s truth.

So, Church, let’s be the kind of people who don’t read the Bible in isolation or in an echo chamber. Let’s be a peopleshaped by the Word—together, and in the company of the global Body of Christ.

Experience

"... and they reported all that God had done with them."

Tradition

Tradition serves as a helpful framework in our talk about God and our interpretation of Scripture.

Reason

"Therefore, in my judgment, we should not cause difficulties for those among the Gentiles who turn to God..."