If you were to ask most people what they think is the greatest thing about being an American, they’d probably say that the best thing about being an American is having freedom. We love living in the United States because here we are free. Being an American citizen means we are politically free.
Now, if you were to ask most people what they think the best thing about being a Christian is, you’d probably get a plethora of answers. The best thing about being a Christian is that I’m going to Heaven. The best thing about being a Christian is that I can talk to God. The best thing about being a Christian is that I’m now happy. The best thing about being a Christian is that I have true friends in the church.
While all those answers are good and valid, the underlying reason why it’s so great to be a Christian is that we are now spiritually free! And that spiritual freedom produces all those results that we so enjoy in the Christian life. As a Christian, we have that [2] freedom in Christ that gives us the life we so enjoy.
Because of Christ we are now free from the eternal penalty of sin.
Because of Christ we are now free from sin’s bondage over our daily lives.
Because of Christ we are now free to approach God with our prayers.
Because of Christ we are now free to have a relationship with our Creator.
Because of Christ we are now free to live as we were created to live.
Because of Christ we are now free to worship God as an individual.
It is great to be a Christian because now I am spiritually free!
But there are those who would seek to take away that freedom in Christ. Those people who think they have the corner market on spirituality and have appointed themselves the fourth person of the trinity here to set us straight. Today we’re talking about how legalism seeks to take away the most precious thing we have as Christians – our freedom.
Now just what is legalism? Legalism is when you try to add rules and stipulations to a person’s salvation. A legalistic person would say that the salvation of the soul is by Jesus plus adhering to this rule and that rule. You’re saved by Jesus and works – not just Jesus.
A legalistic person would also say that maintaining that salvation is based on adhering to a strict set of rules that are usually preference-based and not bible-based.
In both cases, your spirituality becomes a very self-righteous endeavor of rigid rules that enslave a person. The freedom and joy in Christ disappear and bondage returns.
Not only is legalism ungodly and unbiblical, [3] legalism causes disunity. Wherever you see legalism being allowed to fester, disunity will surely follow. And that’s what happened in the early church some 2,000 years ago. Turn with me to Acts chapter fifteen where we see people try and introduce legalism into the early church.
[Read Acts 15:1-6.]
Remember, throughout Paul and Barnabas’ missionary travels, thousands of Gentiles were turning to Christ. Just like in Peter’s ministry, it was obvious that God was working amongst the Jews and non-Jews in the same way. God was not a respecter of persons and He would save whoever would come to Him by faith.
But there were some legalistic Pharisees in the church who still had some bias against the non-Jewish community and expected them to act like Jews when they became Christians.
In verse one they said that they needed to be circumcised to be saved. (Adding works to salvation.)
[Read Acts 15:1.]
In verse 5 they implied that these Gentile Christians needed to follow the Mosaic law after being saved. (Substituting self-righteousness for God’s leadership in a person’s life.)
[Read Acts 15:5.]
Either way you slice it, these legalists wanted everyone to live the way that they lived and were causing great disunity in the church.
You see, these people probably never understood what the Mosaic law was all about. Living by the Old Testament law was never the means to salvation. It was always the tool that the Lord used to show people their need for salvation. Since it’s impossible for us humans to even uphold just the ten commandments, the law shows us that we need a Savior. All through the Old Testament the Lord promised to bring a Savior who would save us from our sins. Trusting in His promise, and trusting the Savior once He came, is our salvation. Not living by the law.
People who don’t understand this can fall into the trap of legalism, and it’s a trap that can cause disunity in the church.
[Swindoll ‘missionary and peanut butter’ story from his book “Grace Awakening”.]
Legalism can be a destructive force that can bring serious disunity in the church. And I’m sure that we could spend lots of time rehearsing legalistic issues that people have argued about in the church. What kind of clothes you should wear to church, musical styles of worship, Bible translations, decorations, finances, you name it – people have argued about it. And the legalistic people try and attach a spiritual reason why their preference should become law in the church.
Brothers and sisters, all of us are responsible to keep these kinds of legalistic attitudes out of our church here. All of us are responsible. If someone is trying to bring in a divisive, legalistic attitude in here, we need to confront that person and not allow disunity to settle in.
Legalism causes disunity. But if we will remember how [4] salvation is by grace through faith, legalism won’t be able to get it’s hooks into us.
The Pharisees here were trying to convince people that salvation was through Jesus plus good works. But the apostles would have none of that and one by one they stood up and declared that salvation was a work of God – not a work of man. Let’s look at how Peter declares that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
[Read Acts 15:7-11.]
Did you notice that in verse eleven Peter says that they, the Jews, are saved just like them, the Gentiles. He didn’t say that they are saved like us. He purposefully said we are saved like them! In other words, we Jews are no better than the Gentiles. We are all saved by grace through faith. It is an act of God.
To further prove his point he called their attention to the fact that when the Gentiles were getting saved they would receive the gift of the Spirit just like the Jews did. Outward evidence of inward salvation that no one could deny.
Peter then sat down while Paul and Barnabas told the people of how God had worked amongst the Gentiles through them as well.
[Read Acts 15:12.]
There was no doubt that God was saving the souls of men and women regardless of if they had upheld the Mosaic law or not. Some of these people might not have even known who Moses was – let alone the Mosaic Law. But it didn’t matter to God as long as they put their faith in Him – because salvation is by grace through faith!
[Catholics, Church of Christ, extreme charismatics, 7th Day Adventist and others.]
[Read Romans 3:21-24, Galatians 2:16, Ephesians 2:8-9.]
We are saved by grace when we come to the Lord in faith believing that He alone is able and willing to forgive us and save us from our sins. And oh what freedom it brings to a person when they realize that salvation is free in Jesus Christ.
Not only did the apostle at this council establish that salvation is by grace through faith, but they also showed how [5] salvation is for all people. James now takes his turn and stands before the council establishing this point by calling attention to prophecy.
[Read Acts 15:13-19.]
James is quoting from the Greek version of Amos 9:11-12 where the Lord promises to rebuild the kingdom of David which happens during the millennial kingdom. This is obviously a future event that includes all the nations of the earth, not just the Jews.
The point he’s making is that the gentiles have always been a part of God’s plan and will continue to be forever. All through the Old Testament you see God making a way for the gentiles to approach Him. The Jews were chosen by God to show the world His reality – but not at the exclusion of the gentiles.
So if the gentiles could come to God in the past, and if they were a part of what God is doing in the future, of course they can come to God now, and come just as they are!
Salvation is for all people. You don’t have to become someone you aren’t to come to
Christ, you just have to come by faith. What freedom we have in Christ.
Now while the apostles instructed the Pharisees to accept the gentile believers just as they were, they also instructed the gentiles to not be a stumbling block to their Jewish brothers in Christ. You see, there were things that the gentiles engaged in that would have been great hindrances to the Jewish believer’s faith, so they were told to stop doing those things. And remember, our freedom in Christ enables us to live as we ought to live.
So we now see how [6] selflessness promotes unity.
[Read Acts 15:20-21.]
The apostles instructed the gentile believers to stop doing three things – three things that were prevalent in their culture.
1. Eating meat offered to idols…(I Corinthians 8)
2. Fornication…
3. Eating blood…(Genesis 9:1-4)
So they sent the gentile church back in Antioch a letter.
[Read Acts 15:22-29.]
And that was it! The gentiles didn’t have to become Jews to worship God! The disunity could stop as long as everyone remained selfless. As long as the Jews didn’t place a burden on the gentiles, and as long as the gentiles weren’t be a stumbling block to the Jews, unity would remain. Look at the results.
[Read Acts 15:30-35.]
Legalism wasn’t allowed to fester in that place. They all gave up their right to be the boss and allowed the Lord to decide how they should live. You see, when people get selfless, people get along. When people get selfless, people get along. And God gives us the freedom to consider others first. Let us not go the way of the legalists and try to spiritualize and even enforce our preferences! We are free in Christ. Let others be free! [7]
