Acts 15
Have you ever played a board game with “house rules”? Each board game gives you a clear list of instructions on how to play the game exactly as it was made. A “house rule” is when someone adds a rule, takes away a rule, or changes a current rule. A common house rule in Monopoly is that any time you have to pay a tax or fee, the money goes to the middle of the board. If you land on the Free Parking space, you get to take the money. Many of us have probably played that way and never even knew it was a house rule. Some house rules can be fun and add another layer to the game. Some house rules, though, can be annoying, make the game harder to understand, and only make sense to the host. Do you have any house rules you follow?
In today’s passage, we see some “house rules” at play. There is a conflict going on in the early church. The question really came down to, what must someone do to be saved? Some were misguided, even possibly with good intentions. They wanted the new believer Gentiles to follow Jewish customs in order to be a real follower of Jesus. One of the biggest things they were arguing for was the tradition of circumcision. They wanted new Gentile Christians to get circumcised as they once were as Jews. In other words, believing and trusting in Jesus was good, but not good enough; they were adding to it. Salvation was being offered, but extra conditions were being added to it. The gospel, but with strings attached. This is a dangerous mindset to fall into. We cannot ever be looking to add stipulations to what Jesus did and where real salvation is found.
Legalism is a dangerous game to play. It is the idea of Jesus, and then adding something else along with it for salvation. Jesus and.....whatever that might be. In modern times, we see it in various ways, such as the kinds of music played in church, how we dress at church, how often we go to church, and so on. Legalism often starts off with good intentions but quickly goes downhill. The early Jewish Christians weren’t trying to ruin the church; they thought they were trying to protect it from compromising. Fear can often look like faithfulness. Legalism ends up leading to division, insecurity, and spiritual exhaustion. Legalism often adds extra weight to bear, but grace comes in and takes it all. It is by grace alone that we are saved. Grace takes away the burden and weight of our sin, but also shapes the way we live. It frees us from the thought of earning God’s favor or love. Legalism tries to put it back on our own merit and tries to earn God’s love in our own works again.
It is so important for us not to be adding weights or stipulations to the grace that is found in the gospel. When the good news becomes “good + rules,” it is no longer good. Grace is found when the rules are subtracted, and we focus on the work of Jesus alone. That is where we find salvation, and that is where we must keep our eyes fixed. We must also realize not to add these weights onto other people when they are not needed. The church becomes powerful when it chooses to stay in His grace and is led by that alone.
Are there areas in your life that you have added things to the gospel that God never required? What about to someone else? Do you feel like God loves you more if you “perform well”? How can you be filled and led by grace instead?
Have you ever played a board game with “house rules”? Each board game gives you a clear list of instructions on how to play the game exactly as it was made. A “house rule” is when someone adds a rule, takes away a rule, or changes a current rule. A common house rule in Monopoly is that any time you have to pay a tax or fee, the money goes to the middle of the board. If you land on the Free Parking space, you get to take the money. Many of us have probably played that way and never even knew it was a house rule. Some house rules can be fun and add another layer to the game. Some house rules, though, can be annoying, make the game harder to understand, and only make sense to the host. Do you have any house rules you follow?
In today’s passage, we see some “house rules” at play. There is a conflict going on in the early church. The question really came down to, what must someone do to be saved? Some were misguided, even possibly with good intentions. They wanted the new believer Gentiles to follow Jewish customs in order to be a real follower of Jesus. One of the biggest things they were arguing for was the tradition of circumcision. They wanted new Gentile Christians to get circumcised as they once were as Jews. In other words, believing and trusting in Jesus was good, but not good enough; they were adding to it. Salvation was being offered, but extra conditions were being added to it. The gospel, but with strings attached. This is a dangerous mindset to fall into. We cannot ever be looking to add stipulations to what Jesus did and where real salvation is found.
Legalism is a dangerous game to play. It is the idea of Jesus, and then adding something else along with it for salvation. Jesus and.....whatever that might be. In modern times, we see it in various ways, such as the kinds of music played in church, how we dress at church, how often we go to church, and so on. Legalism often starts off with good intentions but quickly goes downhill. The early Jewish Christians weren’t trying to ruin the church; they thought they were trying to protect it from compromising. Fear can often look like faithfulness. Legalism ends up leading to division, insecurity, and spiritual exhaustion. Legalism often adds extra weight to bear, but grace comes in and takes it all. It is by grace alone that we are saved. Grace takes away the burden and weight of our sin, but also shapes the way we live. It frees us from the thought of earning God’s favor or love. Legalism tries to put it back on our own merit and tries to earn God’s love in our own works again.
It is so important for us not to be adding weights or stipulations to the grace that is found in the gospel. When the good news becomes “good + rules,” it is no longer good. Grace is found when the rules are subtracted, and we focus on the work of Jesus alone. That is where we find salvation, and that is where we must keep our eyes fixed. We must also realize not to add these weights onto other people when they are not needed. The church becomes powerful when it chooses to stay in His grace and is led by that alone.
Are there areas in your life that you have added things to the gospel that God never required? What about to someone else? Do you feel like God loves you more if you “perform well”? How can you be filled and led by grace instead?
Posted in Devotional