Acts 15: When Grace Was Put on Trial

There is an interesting story in Acts 15 that clearly depicts the challenges faced by the early church. A similar challenge continues in the church today: the question of works versus grace. In other words, are we saved by works, or are we saved by grace? Are we saved by grace first and then by a little bit of works? Sometimes this question is loudly debated, and other times it lingers quietly beneath the surface.

Acts 15 opens with a serious dispute when some Jewish believers from Judea began teaching that Gentile converts must be circumcised and required to keep the Law of Moses in order to be saved. This teaching directly challenged the message Paul and Barnabas had been preaching—that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone. The disagreement became so intense that the church in Antioch sent Paul, Barnabas, and others to Jerusalem to consult the apostles and elders. As a result, the early church was forced to confront a foundational question: whether salvation is based on God’s grace or on adherence to religious law.

The fact that this issue was even debated shows that many Jewish converts were likely still practicing the Mosaic Law after the resurrection and after Pentecost. This is understandable, as the Law had become deeply embedded in their culture. However, we know that Israel’s cultural practices no longer hold spiritual significance. In fact, there is no evidence that they ever had spiritual significance apart from pointing to Jesus.

After the apostles and elders met to discuss the issue, two of the most prominent leaders spoke—Peter and James. The contrast between their responses reflects the very tension we still face today.

Peter’s Response

Acts of the Apostles 15:10–11 (NIV):
“Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

Peter’s response is essentially a summary of the good news. It captures the message of the Bible in its entirety.

• First, the Law was a yoke.
• Second, there was never a point in Israel’s history when the people were able to bear that yoke. So why place the same burden on non-Israelites? The Law was never meant to save.

Romans 3:20 (NIV):
“Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.”

• Finally, both Jews and Gentiles are saved only by grace.

 James’ Response

Acts of the Apostles 15:19–21 (NIV): 19 “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.
20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

In an effort to not make it difficult for the Gentiles, James proposed a list of practices they should observe in other to be saved (remember that was the context of the issue): abstaining from food polluted by idols, sexual immorality, meat from strangled animals, and blood—because the Law of Moses was still being publicly taught.

According to verse 21, James also factored the surrounding social and political climate into his response. Mixing politics with the Gospel of Jesus is a recipe for heresies, and unfortunately, this remains an issue in the church today.

In Conclusion

At first glance, James’ response may appear reasonable, but it ultimately runs contrary to the message of grace and, in some cases, directly contradicts what Jesus taught. We are saved only by grace. Eating or not eating food polluted by idols has no bearing on our relationship with God once we are saved. Jesus clearly stated that what enters the mouth does not defile a person.

Mark 7:18–19 (NIV):“Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them?”

While abstaining from sexual immorality is good, abstinence—and moral behavior more broadly—does not save.

The only way to avoid making it difficult for those who have turned to God (if that was truly the goal) was, and still is, to preach the pure Gospel: that salvation comes only by grace. This was Peter’s response. James’ response, though it sounded reasonable, stood in opposition to grace.

The goal of this content is not to criticize the Fathers of the faith, such as James—especially with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight—but to identify recurring patterns.