This is a very important event
that occurred. Let's watch it carefully. And
certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren and
said, except you be circumcised after the manner of Moses, you
cannot be saved. When therefore Paul and Barnabas
had no small dissension and disputation with them, They determined that
Paul and Barnabas, certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem
under the apostle and elders about this question. Being brought
on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenix and Samaria,
declaring the conversion of the Gentile, and they caused great
joy unto all the brethren. When they were come to Jerusalem,
they were received of the church and of the apostles and elders,
and they declared all things that God had done with them. But there arose up a certain
of the sect of the Pharisees, which believed, saying that it
was needful to circumcise them and to command them to keep the
law of Moses. And the apostles and elders came
together for to consider of this matter. When there had been much
disputing, Peter rose up and said unto them, Men and brethren,
you know how that a good while ago God made choice among us
that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel
and believe. And God which knoweth the hearts,
bear them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as unto
us, and put no difference between us and them, purifying their
hearts by faith. Now therefore, why tempt ye God
to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither
our fathers nor we are able to bear? But we believe that through
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved even as they. Then all the multitude kept silence
and gave audience to Barnabas and Saul, declaring what miracles
and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. And after
they'd held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren,
hearken unto me. Simeon hath declared how God
at the first did visit the Gentiles to take out of them a people
for his name. And to this agree the words of
the prophet, as it is written, after this I will return, will
build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down,
and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up. that the residue of men might
seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name
is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all those things. Known
unto God, therefore, are all of his works from the beginning
of the world. We later read that this pleased
the multitude, and it was agreeable unto them. Now, the book of Acts
is a running history of the spread of the gospel and of Christianity
from Jerusalem, Judea, and then under the uttermost parts of
the world. And in giving the spirit and
calling the Gentiles in, God did a great work. In fact, he
did two works in two different men to prepare for this great
event. that was to take place according
to the purpose, the prophecy, and the will of God. First of
all is in Acts chapter 9. That is the conversion of Saul
of Tarshish, who the Lord describes as a chosen vessel unto me to
bear my name before the Gentiles, Acts 9 and verse 15. The apostle
recognizes himself as being the Apostle unto the Gentile, and
therefore he presents himself in this light and in this character
in his writing. Now the second thing is recorded
in Acts chapter 10, and that would be verse 9 through verse
18, which we might justly call the preparation of Peter by a
vision from the Almighty God for his preaching, readying him
for his preaching unto the Gentile at the invitation of the ardent
man Cornelius at his house. The Spirit of God by that came
upon the Gentile as Peter preached unto them. Now the question come,
or might come, it came to my mind some time ago when I first
began to think upon these matters, why Peter and not Paul in this
initiation of the Gentile into the church of the Lord? Is he
not the apostle of the Gentile? Says he is. Is he not converted
and saved by that time? Yes, he had been. Peter was used,
however, in the coming of the Spirit upon the Jews at Pentecost
and again upon the Gentile down at the house of Cornelius. Now in Acts chapter 15, coming
there, and the dissension caused by the calling of the Gentile
in great number. This was the first time that
so many such a number had come, embraced, and professed Christianity
and the Lord Jesus Christ, whereby the matter brought an ascension
and it came to a head down in Antioch and the church there. After the 10th chapter of the
book of Acts, we read of a greater success of the gospel among the
Gentiles than ever before, and the Holy Spirit was also poured
out upon them in the 10th chapter and in verse 44 through verse
48. And in Acts chapter 11 and verse
18, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto
life." Again in Acts 11, 20 and 21. And some of them spake unto
the Grecian, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. That wonderful saying in Acts
13 and verse 48, when the Gentiles heard they were glad, they glorified
the word of the Lord, and as many of them as were ordained
unto eternal life believed. Acts 14 and verse 27, they rehearsed
how he, that is God, had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. In short, God had poured out
his spirit upon the Gentiles at the house of Cornelius. I
like to call that the Gentile Pentecost, for indeed it was. And he had opened the door of
faith unto them. He had granted them repentance
unto everlasting life through the Lord Jesus Christ. And here's
the important thing. God had done that without requiring
them, any of them, in any degree, to submit to any of the Mosaic
law, including the right of circumcision, or I.T.E. right. They were received
upon their belief, their confession, and their faith in Christ, so
that many of the Gentiles in Antioch, and Asia Minor, and
Cyprus, and in Southern Galatia had believed, and they were received
into the fellowship of the churches without any Mosaic requirements
whatsoever, and especially without circumcision. Now, certain of
the Judaizers opposed this practice, and they converged on the church
there, Antioch declaring that the Gentile converts Acts 15
and verse 1 and except unless, until they be circumcised after
the very manner of the law of Moses, they cannot be saved. Now notice how adamant they are. Without it, you cannot be saved. If you remain uncircumcised,
they said to the Gentiles, you cannot be saved in spite of their
faith and embrace of the Lord Jesus. FF Bruce has a good commentary
on the book of Acts and he said concerning the insistence of
these these Judaizers urged upon them that their faith in Jesus
as Lord required to be supplemented by circumcision and observance
of the Jewish ceremonial law," unquote. And that's exactly what
they insisted upon. Except you be circumcised and
keep the law of Moses, you cannot be saved. So let us be clear
on certain points, such as, first of all, which circumcision is
intended here in their insistence. For there are two circumcisions
that we read about in the Bible. Which one is intended, except
you be circumcised, they said, after the manner of the law of
Moses. There is a circumcision made
with hand, a circumcision in the flesh. Then there is a circumcision,
Colossians 2 and verse 11, that is made without hand and is called
the circumcision of the heart, which is the circumcision of
Christ. And you see that In Romans 2
verse 29, Deuteronomy 10 and verse 16 even mentions the operation
of the circumcision of the heart even under the Mosaic law. Of course, it is the first which
they wish to bind upon the Gentile believer and convert after the
custom or the manner of the law of Mosaic. performed with a knife
on the flesh and outward circumcision. So let's remember that under
the Mosaic economy, when a Gentile was made or became a proselyte
under Judaism, you read of that in Acts chapter 2 and verse 10
and in Matthew 23, and verse 15 of making cross alike. That's
one that crossed over. And he crossed over from his
Gentile-ism, became a convert under Judaism, and made a profession
of Judaism, and took upon himself the practice of Judaism. Well,
it included that Gentile submitting himself under circumcision and
a vow to keep the whole Mosaic law. In fact, the Jew not only
circumcised their Gentile converts, but as Gil and others have said,
at certain times also dipped them in water. And they had a
saying that such a one became as a newborn babe when he submitted
to that rite and was dipped in water. Now, another point. The
Judaizer made circumcision an indispensable prerequisite to
being saved, a very part and partial salvation a part of their
salvation if we get it except he be circumcised you cannot
be saved and a particular circumcision after the custom of Moses after
the institution of Moses as it is written up in in the Mosaic
Law, and their contention was in this form. The Gentile professors
could in no wise be saved from everlasting destruction, not
even saved by Christ and by his death, unless and until they
submitted themselves to the circumcision in the flesh. And as Lange said,
according to the custom and usage of Moses, that is, as legally
sanctioned by Moses in the law, as a covenant status symbol. And their position is leaded
in the rock. There was no moving. They were
adamant about it. All uncircumcised Gentiles in
their mind were without God and salvation. We notice in verse
5 that even when the convention was moved over into Jerusalem,
there were certain believing Pharisees who contended the same
thing in Jerusalem as in Antioch, quote, that it was needful to
circumcise them and command them to keep the law of Moses. Now the sacred history, the sacred
historian gives us a fact in verse five that is missing in
verse one. That is that those that held
such a view of circumcision and the Gentiles were certain of
the sect of the Pharisees which believed, literally having believed,
believed upon the Lord that Jesus was the Messiah. Now, what other sense can we
give unto it than that? These were Jews of the sect of
the Pharisees, having, as long as they could remember, worn
the yoke of the law. who though being enlightened
to a degree by the gospel, yet as Goodwin observed, quote, still
made conscience of the law, unquote. And this they did, and did for
quite a while. And let us raise the question,
rather, why circumcision? Why did they not say unto them,
except you become, speak in tongues, or except you become a Jew by
nationality, you can be saved. Why not say, except you observe
the Sabbath, except you observe the dietary laws, and eat and
drink only those things approved therein, except you keep the
days and the season and the ceremonies and such like, except you offer
those particular sacrifices that were offered under the law. Why
lead out and make their stand upon circumcision? If we look
again at the last part of verse 5, we see that they do indeed,
all of these things tie together. saying that it was needful to
circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses. For as Paul said in Galatians
5 and 3, I testify unto every man that gets himself circumcised
that he is better to do or to keep the whole law. That is,
if one submit or subject himself to circumcision as a part of
his justifying righteousness before God, He therefore becomes
a debtor and has, as it were, placed himself under the whole
law of God. For it is not a past circumcision,
he means, but a present one, allying themselves, submitting
themselves up to the circumcision of the flesh as having saving
benefit and a part in their redemption of the soul. Now Paul also said
that they that receive this circumcision have no profit from Christ in
Galatians 5 and verse 2. But why the question again, why
the emphasis directly upon circumcision? Except you be circumcised, you
cannot be saved. Now, some have referred to circumcision
as, quote, the initiatory right, unquote. And I think, in our
mind, we can see that. Especially so, was it so with
a Gentile proselyte. That this became an initiatory
right for him into Judaism, and upon his becoming a proselyte
over from his Gentilism to Judaism. walk then under the ceremonial
law and the precepts of it and all of it. Thus one, a proselyte,
a person come the years, who willingly and on purpose submitted
to the circumcision of Moses' law as an initiatory right into
Judaism, did, as John Eady wrote and said, quote, by that act
place himself under the law, unquote. Chrysostom, John, who
became patriarch of Constantinople and showed the obligation that
attacked under circumcision, as we speak of, a man circumcised,
that is, as the initiatory rite into Judaism, is bound to offer
sacrifices and such oblation necessitate the observance of
the sacred season and the visitation of sacred places. That was the
view of one who saw a Gentile initiated over into Judaism. And the problem with such a use
of such a circumcision is that it is completely at barium with
the grace of God and of the gospel. It forms no part of it whatsoever. To make circumcision a necessary
and indispensable part of salvation is to make Christ, as Paul said,
of none effect and to come to nothing by Christ and by coming
unto Him. To fall away from the grace of
God, Paul says in Galatians chapter 5, 1 through 5. You are fallen
from grace. Not that you were once saved
and fell out of grace, but as the word might indicate, driven
off the course of grace by such an act. Now the same thing is
true of any requirement, for there are certain things that
men insist upon apart from Judaism and apart from circumcision.
Nothing less than an utter subservience of Christianity is that we must
keep in our mind. The leading principle of salvation,
the grace of God, was at stake in this matter. It was not an
indifferent situation. It was not something less important. The grace of God was at stake
here with this issue. Let's turn, if we might, to the
second chapter of Galatians, and I'd like to read verses 1
through 5 for our consideration. when Paul writes unto them, Galatians
2, 1 through 5. I'm sorry, I think it's Galatians
chapter 3 and 1 through 5. O foolish Galatian, who hath
bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose
eyes Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth, crucified among you. This only would I learn of you. Receive ye the spirit by the
works of the law or by the hearing of faith. Are you so foolish,
having begun in the Spirit? Are you now made perfect by the
flesh? Have you suffered so many things
in vain, if it be in vain? He, therefore, that ministereth
to you the Spirit, worketh miracles among you. Does he do it by the
works of the law or by the hearing of faith? As you no doubt know,
We have two cases of close associates of Paul and their experience
for them to be clamored and to be circumcised. The first one
is Timothy in Acts 16, 1 through 3, the cause of the case, rather,
of Timothy, whom Paul circumcised because of the Jew that were
in that park. And we can say, I've known some
to call Paul a compromiser for that. But when we look, nothing
with regard to the gospel was compromised by it. On the other
hand, there is the case of Titus. He resisted the Jews' call for
Titus to be circumcised after the manner of Moses, not Even
Titus not Titus neither Titus as in Galatians chapter 2 and
verse 3 Was compelled though agreed to be circumcised in the
commotion that did arrive in Jerusalem over that matter A
Gentile was what a Jew called the uncircumcision. That was a derogatory term that
they heaped upon them. You see it in 1 Samuel 31 and
4, Acts 11 and verse 3, Judges 15 and verse 18. Now, why Paul refused to allow
Titus to be circumcised in Galatians chapter 2 and verse 5, that the
truth of the gospel might continue with you. The truth of the gospel
is at stake in yielding to the desire and the command of the
Judaizer. Two things actually were at stake. Number one, the freedom of the
Gentile converts. For there, in verse four, they
came to spy out our liberty, which we have in Christ Jesus,
that they might bring us into bondage, or that they might enslave
us, or bring us again into enslavement. This liberty was and is very
precious, because it was the liberty of being justified freely
in and through Jesus Christ, apart from the yoke of Judaism,
being saved apart from the deeds of the law, as Paul is so clear
in the book of Romans. Then the second thing, the integrity
of the gospel and hence of salvation was at stake in Paul's stand
upon this matter. Gospel truth would be compromised,
severely compromised in requiring the circumcision of a Gentile
as a part of his justifying righteousness before God. Paul makes a strong
case in Romans chapter 4, 9 through 12, that Abraham was justified
in uncircumcision. And that's a pattern, a model
for the Jew and carries great weight with him. that before
Abraham was circumcised, Abraham was justified by faith. Before, when he was in uncircumcision,
Abraham was justified. Now this truth included the non-obligation
of the Gentiles to be brought under the Mosaic Law. because it would both subvert
and pervert the gospel of the grace of God as preached by Paul
and the Apostle. And the way sinners from among
the Gentiles are saved would be greatly Compromise now in
our day. You don't hear anybody saying
except you be circumcised You cannot be saved, but we do hear
them say Except you be baptized. You cannot be saved or except
you belong to our denomination You cannot be saved or except
you worship upon this day. You cannot be saved and So though
the matter is different, the principle is the same, adding
something to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ for the justification
of a soul. We could go this further if the
Lord lead, for it is a very important subject. In the scripture, Christ
plus nothing, Christ minus nothing, or the salvation and the justification
of a soul. In Christ, freely justified by
his grace without the deeds of the law. No exception. No except
you do this in addition to Christ. Christ is all. Christ is the
fullness of God. We're complete in him and we
need to Shout that from the house top.