So many will point to Acts 15 to prove that the law is done away with. Well let's look into the matter and let the Scriptures speak for themselves. Look up the passage for yourself for the full story as I will jump over a few verses or words here and there to keep this post at a decent length.
1 Some people came down from Judea teaching the family of believers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom we’ve received from Moses, you can’t be saved.” 2 Paul and Barnabas took sides against these Judeans and argued strongly against their position.
The church at Antioch appointed Paul, Barnabas, and several others from Antioch to go up to Jerusalem to set this question before the apostles and the elders. 3 The church sent this delegation on their way... 4 When they arrived in Jerusalem... 5 Some believers from among the Pharisees stood up and claimed, “The Gentiles must be circumcised. They must be required to keep the Law from Moses.”
6 The apostles and the elders gathered to consider this matter. 7 After much debate, Peter stood and addressed them, “Fellow believers, you know that, early on, God chose me from among you as the one through whom the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and come to believe. 8 God, who knows people’s deepest thoughts and desires, confirmed this by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, but purified their deepest thoughts and desires through faith. 10 Why then are you now challenging God by placing a burden on the shoulders of these disciples that neither we nor our ancestors could bear? 11 On the contrary, we believe that we and they are saved in the same way, by the grace of the Lord Jesus.”
Let's stop here to discuss for a few minutes. It is important to note that the question being asked here is not, "Should the Gentiles keep the law?" but the question is, "Do the Gentiles need to keep the law in order to be saved." We can see this clearly by the statement in verse 1, "Unless you are circumcised... you can't be saved."
Some would say that verse 5 proves the topic is about keeping the law in general not about keeping it for salvation, because Paul, Barnabas and Peter are in opposition to these men. Let me suggest to you that the opposition is in the idea that keeping the law is a REQUIREMENT. A requirement for what? "Salvation" is the only answer I can come up with that makes any sense. If you have another answer, please leave your answer in the comments below or email me through the contacts page, I'd like to test out other perspectives for own study.
What about Peter's statement in verse 10 about "placing a burden on the shoulders of these disciples that neither we nor our ancestors could bear"; this is clearly Peter stating that the law is a burden to hard to bear, right? Well let's see what the scriptures have to say about the law being a burden.
Deuteronomy 30:11-14 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, ‘Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so that we may obey it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so that we may obey it?’ No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so that you may obey it.
And what about King David who calls the law a delight 9 times in Psalm 119. Peter can not be calling the law itself a burden without being in direct opposition to the only scriptures that existed at that time! And then there's Paul—who while arguing with the Pharisees about the law's role to the Gentiles—agrees with David, because he states, "I delight in God's law." (Rom 7:22). No, neither of these men are calling the law a burden.
So what is this burden that they are talking about? My thought is that the burden Peter is referring to is the burden of trying to earn salvation by our works, by thinking we can be justified by the law—which was clearly an issue in their day, that's why the letter to the Galatians was written. They wanted to justify themselves by the law. And we can see Paul addressing this same exact issue in Romans 3.
Romans 3:28-31 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
The conclusion that the Acts 15 discussion is about keeping the law for salvation is confirmed in Peter's concluding statement, "On the contrary," —to the burden he was just talking about, earning our salvation, — "we believe that we and they are saved in the same way, by the grace of the Lord Jesus".
OK... now, back to the passage in Acts for the conclusion of the matter.
12 The entire assembly fell quiet as they listened to Barnabas and Paul describe all the signs and wonders God did among the Gentiles through their activity. 13 When Barnabas and Paul also fell silent, James responded... ...19“Therefore, I conclude that we shouldn’t create problems for Gentiles who turn to God. 20 Instead, we should write a letter, telling them to avoid the pollution associated with idols, sexual immorality, eating meat from strangled animals, and consuming blood. 21 After all, Moses has been proclaimed in every city for a long time, and is read aloud every Sabbath in every synagogue."
So it is not that the law has been declared irrelevant for the new Gentile believers. By the grace of Christ they are saved, and justified by their faith in him, BUT verse 21 clarifies, that "After all, Moses"... "is read aloud every Sabbath in every synagogue." He is saying we do not need to worry about forcing them to keep the law; God has already accepted them and justified them by their faith, and they will be learning the law as they gather with us on Sabbath for they will be hearing Moses read each week.
This places our relationship with God in the right perspective. We come as we are by faith in Jesus and acceptance of his grace to us. Then as we gather with other believers and learn what the scriptures say, we learn how to walk out our faith in a way that pleases our heavenly Father. It is the same thing nearly every church teaches it's children, "♫ OBEDIENCE is the very best way to show that we belive ♫", or as James says "Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do." (2:18) and "faith without works is dead." (2:26). We grow our faith by our obedience to his Word, and that includes his law. Because "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" - 2Tim 3:16
1 Some people came down from Judea teaching the family of believers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom we’ve received from Moses, you can’t be saved.” 2 Paul and Barnabas took sides against these Judeans and argued strongly against their position.
The church at Antioch appointed Paul, Barnabas, and several others from Antioch to go up to Jerusalem to set this question before the apostles and the elders. 3 The church sent this delegation on their way... 4 When they arrived in Jerusalem... 5 Some believers from among the Pharisees stood up and claimed, “The Gentiles must be circumcised. They must be required to keep the Law from Moses.”
6 The apostles and the elders gathered to consider this matter. 7 After much debate, Peter stood and addressed them, “Fellow believers, you know that, early on, God chose me from among you as the one through whom the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and come to believe. 8 God, who knows people’s deepest thoughts and desires, confirmed this by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, but purified their deepest thoughts and desires through faith. 10 Why then are you now challenging God by placing a burden on the shoulders of these disciples that neither we nor our ancestors could bear? 11 On the contrary, we believe that we and they are saved in the same way, by the grace of the Lord Jesus.”
Let's stop here to discuss for a few minutes. It is important to note that the question being asked here is not, "Should the Gentiles keep the law?" but the question is, "Do the Gentiles need to keep the law in order to be saved." We can see this clearly by the statement in verse 1, "Unless you are circumcised... you can't be saved."
Some would say that verse 5 proves the topic is about keeping the law in general not about keeping it for salvation, because Paul, Barnabas and Peter are in opposition to these men. Let me suggest to you that the opposition is in the idea that keeping the law is a REQUIREMENT. A requirement for what? "Salvation" is the only answer I can come up with that makes any sense. If you have another answer, please leave your answer in the comments below or email me through the contacts page, I'd like to test out other perspectives for own study.
What about Peter's statement in verse 10 about "placing a burden on the shoulders of these disciples that neither we nor our ancestors could bear"; this is clearly Peter stating that the law is a burden to hard to bear, right? Well let's see what the scriptures have to say about the law being a burden.
Deuteronomy 30:11-14 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, ‘Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so that we may obey it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so that we may obey it?’ No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so that you may obey it.
And what about King David who calls the law a delight 9 times in Psalm 119. Peter can not be calling the law itself a burden without being in direct opposition to the only scriptures that existed at that time! And then there's Paul—who while arguing with the Pharisees about the law's role to the Gentiles—agrees with David, because he states, "I delight in God's law." (Rom 7:22). No, neither of these men are calling the law a burden.
So what is this burden that they are talking about? My thought is that the burden Peter is referring to is the burden of trying to earn salvation by our works, by thinking we can be justified by the law—which was clearly an issue in their day, that's why the letter to the Galatians was written. They wanted to justify themselves by the law. And we can see Paul addressing this same exact issue in Romans 3.
Romans 3:28-31 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
The conclusion that the Acts 15 discussion is about keeping the law for salvation is confirmed in Peter's concluding statement, "On the contrary," —to the burden he was just talking about, earning our salvation, — "we believe that we and they are saved in the same way, by the grace of the Lord Jesus".
OK... now, back to the passage in Acts for the conclusion of the matter.
12 The entire assembly fell quiet as they listened to Barnabas and Paul describe all the signs and wonders God did among the Gentiles through their activity. 13 When Barnabas and Paul also fell silent, James responded... ...19“Therefore, I conclude that we shouldn’t create problems for Gentiles who turn to God. 20 Instead, we should write a letter, telling them to avoid the pollution associated with idols, sexual immorality, eating meat from strangled animals, and consuming blood. 21 After all, Moses has been proclaimed in every city for a long time, and is read aloud every Sabbath in every synagogue."
So it is not that the law has been declared irrelevant for the new Gentile believers. By the grace of Christ they are saved, and justified by their faith in him, BUT verse 21 clarifies, that "After all, Moses"... "is read aloud every Sabbath in every synagogue." He is saying we do not need to worry about forcing them to keep the law; God has already accepted them and justified them by their faith, and they will be learning the law as they gather with us on Sabbath for they will be hearing Moses read each week.
This places our relationship with God in the right perspective. We come as we are by faith in Jesus and acceptance of his grace to us. Then as we gather with other believers and learn what the scriptures say, we learn how to walk out our faith in a way that pleases our heavenly Father. It is the same thing nearly every church teaches it's children, "♫ OBEDIENCE is the very best way to show that we belive ♫", or as James says "Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do." (2:18) and "faith without works is dead." (2:26). We grow our faith by our obedience to his Word, and that includes his law. Because "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" - 2Tim 3:16