Part 1: Separation of The Church and The State of Israel (Acts 15:1-11)
Edgecliff Baptist Church, Spokane WA. Pastor John Young. 7-29-2018
Link to Sermon Video: https://youtu.be/pPG4EkXLv8E
Text: Acts 15:1-11 “And certain men which came down from Judæa taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. 2 When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. 3 And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. 4 And 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. 5 But there rose up 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. 6 And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. 7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye 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. 8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; 9 and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.”
Let’s Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, We Thank you for this passage. Think you for the opportunity understand the special place your grace through Jesus Christ has in your eyes and help us to understand the important differences between church and state and the important differences between State of Israel and the church itself and the differences between Old Testament law and New Testament law. Help us to understand the importance of this chapter and this passage upon our lives and upon our grace that we have through Jesus Christ and in Jesus name I Pray, Amen!
Introduction: All right. So Chapter 15 is a very important and crucial chapter in the Bible because it shows us a distinction between the law and grace, between Israel and the church, between the Covenant that Israel has and the Covenant the church has with God. They are all different things. They are not the same thing. A lot of times today you will have people that come along and they say, “well, the church is Israel” or they will say, “the church is a spiritual Israel” or, “the church has replaced Israel”. The church is not a spiritual Israel. It's separate and distinct.
Even in the Old Testament that church that was in the wilderness was separate and distinct from the nation Israel. There was twelve tribes in the nation of Israel and Levi was given of those tribes to be helpers in the temple of the congregation, which is the Old Testament Church, and so they were separate and distinct. When the Babylonian dispersion happened, what happened was, the nation was dissolved. It was dispersed. It was taken away. But in that nation, there were, taken to Babylon, the Jews. Which basically were religious Israelites. They were kind of like how we would perceive the Russian Church here in America. The Russian Church is not Russia. It is not a nation but it is a church full of culturally Russian people and so we can see how sometimes a Russian would, perhaps, confused their patriotism with their loyalty to Christ. And also we could say, “Well, in order to be American and in order to be a good Christian you need to keep the Constitution in the United States”.
This is similar to what the Jews at this time we're getting confused. They said, “Oh! We need to become part of the nation of Israel in order to be saved because you cannot be saved outside of the nation, which is Israel”. Today we have the Catholic Church that says, “In order to be saved, you need to be part of the church, which is Spiritual Israel” and they get this doctrine from understanding that the church is Israel. But we of course, as Christians, know that salvation cannot be found apart from faith in Lord Jesus Christ. It is not found in being a member of a church. It is found by being in the body of Jesus Christ. In His body we are saved! It is not by being in the nation Israel. It is not by being in a church. It is not by being in a group of people but it is by being in the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is baptized with him in the Spirit.
Verse 1: In this first part we see here it says, “And certain men which came down from Judæa taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.” So here in this passage we see that they’re teaching that there is no salvation apart from the circumcision of Moses. Now, what is the circumcision Moses? The Scriptures say in John 7:22 “Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man.” So circumcision is part of the Mosaic law. It enters you in to the Covenant, for the nation, to be part of that National Covenant but was not given to Moses directly. It was given to Abraham as a promise.
Before the nation of Israel was ever a nation it was given to Abraham as a promise that his descendants, physical descendants, would become part of a nation. Now of course, we understand that there are spiritual descendants of Abraham, through the faith of Abraham, but that's a separate covenant, and a separate promise. But the promise, because the Bible talks about promises, plural, there's a promise of a nation and then there is a promise of faith, in Jesus Christ, that would come through that lineage of Abraham. But what we're doing here is the circumcision given to Abraham as a promise that his descendants would become a nation and through them all the world would be blessed and in that it was given to Moses as part of that founding promise. And then Acts 7:8 “And he gave him the covenant of circumcision:…” So this is a covenant of circumcision and it is a covenant He gave. “…and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.” Oh! So, we see that this covenant of circumcision was for the 12 patriarchs in particular and also Abraham's lineage as a promise!
Now we understand that the nation of… you know, the nation that came out of Ishmael, was not part of that. But because Ishmael, as a child, was in Abraham's house, so too he was circumcised under this promise of the Covenant. But the Covenant was founded, it was established, just as they were given a promise in Abraham, it was established in Jacob to be Israel and the twelve patriarchs. And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: and that gives the whole story, and so forth, talking about how that they were sent into the land and then they were given the promise and verse 30, “And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight:…” and then verse 32, “saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.” So he understands that they are going to be in that nation.
In that passage, you'll see were it talks about how it was given to them a covenant of circumcision to be a nation, and so forth, and that they were to come. Abraham was given the promise to come, and his descends would come and serve God at that mountain, where Moses was, and was given that promise. So understand that He was entering into a covenant with Israel, as part of Israel.
So look at what these people are doing in Acts 15. They're saying that you need to enter into the covenant of circumcision. The covenant of the nation. And then, further down says they must also keep the law of Moses. They're connected. In order to be clean and pure, in the Old Testament, you have to keep the law of Moses. We have the order of cleansing. This is specifically the Levitical. Not necessarily talking all the law. Now we understand about morality. Not saying, “Hey, you can go kill and steal, out of your whim,” and all this stuff. It's not saying they don't have to be a normal citizen. What they're saying is that you have to join with the nation and you have to keep the nation's laws in order to be saved.
So that's a completely different thing than what we understand. As faith is completely in Jesus Christ and that you don't have to keep laws. We don't have to keep the law in order to be saved but, of course, we understand that if we don't keep law then we will be chastised, as sons. Of course, there's a different thing that goes on there. We'll deal with that next week, in the next section of this chapter about what the gentiles supposed to do.
Paul said that people slander us and say, “well, you think that you have a license to sin!”, “You have a license to do whatever you want, if you are not connected to the law!”. So, a lot of people, they try to say, “Well, you know you're not saved by the law, but once you are saved, you must keep the law!” In fact, this is what the Pharisees said. See the certain here at the beginning, they say you cannot be saved unless you enter in but then the Pharisees down in Jerusalem say, “No, no, no! that's not what it is at all! What it actually is, is that you get saved first, then you keep the laws of Moses!”. So, these guys at the beginning of the chapter say is; “You must first enter the nation by circumcision and keep the law of Moses, then Jesus Christ will save you.” It's basically turn over a good leaf. Be a good person, to works salvation, and then God will accept you, and then Jesus will save you. But then the Pharisees out of the bottom of this chapter they switch around. “No, no, no. Jesus will save you but then He will bring you to the Covenant, and then you must keep the laws.”
So, we see how that they are confused by this. They think it's all part of the same covenant. They think it's all part of the same thing. Even today we have people that are confused and they don't know how to distinguish between church and state. They don't know how to distinguish between Old Testament and New Testaments. So, we understand that this passage is teaching us and that church and state are separate things. They are two different covenants. They are not. The church today is not a spiritual Israel. Israel is the physical nation.
The servants in Israel, they are supposed to be servants to God regardless of their salvation. They also, like we've been studying, is to circumcise not just their flesh but the heart as well and if they don't circumcise the heart they are going to die. They're going to go to hell and they're not going to have any eternal inheritance in the nation of Israel. So, an Israelite must circumcise their heart in order to obtain eternal life to go along with their eternal nation and that's their confusion.
Remember, when they went up to Babylon, they went off, not as a nation to Babylon but kind of like the Russian Church or a Greek Orthodox Church or something. Where they have their culture and their faith in Christ or their faith in a church system or a religion all mixed together. So the Jews, at this time, they were that type of people. They were dispersed as a church and that church came back to Israel; To establish their nation underneath the Greeks and Persians. Then later underneath Rome, in the Roman Empire, as a nation. So, they confused them both. They're saying you've got to become Israelites before you can be saved. It’s what they're saying here. “It's wonderful that you as Gentiles are getting saved but now you need to join our nation.”, is what they're saying. “You need to go and get circumcised. You need to go and keep our national laws.”
Verse 2: “When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.” So, you see, nobody else has a problem with this except for these Judaizers, that are coming in. Judaizers are people that try to make the church into the Jewish nation. You got your “Hebrew Roots” people. You got your “Spiritual Israel” people. You got all these people that are someway, somehow, trying to make the Church of the Melchizedek Priesthood linked with the nation of Israel. But the thing is the nation of Israel has their priesthood. It is Levitical Priesthood. Ours is for the whole world. It is for the kingdom of heaven. It is not [only] for the Kingdom of Israel.
So, we need to understand the differences between these. The nation of Israel had to keep laws in order to be clean. We do not have to keep laws in order to clean because we are clean and cleanse through the blood of Jesus Christ. We are different than that Covenant. We are not a “spiritual” covenant, of Israel, at all. Let's go and actually look at Acts 13:39. They were teaching the Brethren, they got to be part of Israel and in Acts 13:39 Paul was saying, “and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.” You cannot be justified by entering into the covenant and keeping the law of Moses. You couldn't do that. So, Jesus Christ had to come. For if salvation were by the Law then where would there be need of a savior? You know thats what he is saying here.
So, these certain men are contradicting everything that the Church of Antioch have been taught up to this point. The Church of Antioch taught salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone and then these Judaizers are coming up from Jerusalem contradict them. “Look at us we're teachers from the first church. We have a special position in the church and we're teachers!” and “you know the Bible says that the covenants and the promises were given to our Fathers, and therefore, you need to join us. Otherwise you cannot have a part in any of these promises because they were given to Abraham and to Isaac and to Jacob and to the patriarchs! So that's what they're teaching. They're teaching that’s what you need to do. “It's good that you're Gentiles but you now need to enter in.”
Verse 3: “And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.” So, these Judaizers are saying you are not yet converted. You see they're going to a church that's already saved and converted and they're subverting their souls by saying, “Oh, you must be converted, still. Converted to the law of Moses.
Verse 4: “And 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.” So, they're declaring all these wonderful things that happened and all the Apostles there said, “Oh, it's wonderful! The gentiles have come to the Lord! Amen! Hallelujah!” “But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees…” Okay, so, the big fight causes them to go up to Jerusalem in order to discuss this thing. What's going on here? Why is it? Do we have to enter in? Do we? What's this problem? And Paul and Barnabas are at great odds.
Now we know Paul is the Jew of the Jews. He is “Ultimate Jew”. You know, I mean, like, if he would be the Chuck Norris of Judaism. He would be like, “Nobody Jews better than I Jew. So, we need to understand that for Paul to have the strong dissension shows that there is not just some sort of semantics going on here. This is a very important fact that it is completely separate and Paul understands this as being the Jew of the Jew. He is very adamant about this!
So, they were brought in by the church and they want a solution to this problem. It's not just a small dispute. The whole church has it. So, they send them back. What's neat about this is also that they send back the people, the teachers, and Paul and Barnabas, back to the church from which they came from. When you have a church problem; say you understand that everything should be taken care of locally, and then when you have people coming from a certain church, and they got this problem. Where do you go to solve it?” You go back to the church that was teaching them. Right? “Hey, Church! What are you guys teaching these guys? What's going on here?”
You see the problem a lot of times that people have is that if a church is in error, or teacher is an error, what do they go do? They spread it all around Facebook. They spread it all around YouTube. They spread all over the place! But what are they supposed to do? One or two. Go to your brother. If you have aught with him. That's what Paul and Barnabas did. They disputed with them and then the church. They brought them before the church. Then the church is saying, “Hey, these guys came up from Jerusalem. Go back to Jerusalem and find out what's going on down at that church!”
So we see here in the proper method of dealing with problems that are outside of your church. You go directly. If you can't solve the problem within your church. You go directly to the church from whence the problem came. This is basically going back down the trail. Go take that paper trail and track it back from where it came. So often times we say, “Well, I have a problem with X Y & Z. So I'm just going to spread it all over the place but I'm not going to deal it. With the people that have the problem.” All right and so we see here the important principle of dealing with this. If you've brought it to up to your church. And if there's still a problem because there are people from outside of your church, you go to that people's church.
So what they did…These people came up from Judea and taught. So, they go back to Judah and into Jerusalem saying, “Hey, what's going on here?” Plus, because they are the Apostles, and the authority over the Lord's Church, they go to the authority. They don't just go spreading gossip and “This is what's happening here” and they go to that church and infiltrate in and spread all this gossip. No! What they do is they go to the leaders. They go to the leaders. And so they bring up this problem and they're talking about all the people that they got converted. Everybody's happy and singing “Kumbaya”. There so lovey dovey and being happy about this. And then…
Verse 5: “But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed.” Now notice this. It doesn’t say certain of the sect of the Pharisees that pretend to believe. These are actual believers! A lot of times this problem, problems like this, that crop up, are not because the people are unsaved but because they've been taught error. They've been taught a falsehood. They maybe were confused. Not everything is an error because somebody is intentionally trying to deceive one another.
See this confusion, even, is up in our day today. The Catholic Church said, “Oh we are a spiritual Israel”. Even Baptist churches today. They can confuse about this issue and they say, “Oh, we are spiritual Israel! There's no such thing as a National Israel. It's all spiritual now!” So, they get confused by this even today. But does that mean that they're lost and going to hell, and they’re all reprobate, and they don't know nothing, and they're false teachers, and…you know… people on one side, they are teaching the error out of ignorance and then on the other side they look at them in horror and say, “The horror! That's not the way it's supposed to be! They're false prophets! They're all of the devil! They cannot be saved!” Not everything is because it's false prophecy. Not everything is because they are trying to serve their own bellies. So we need to understand that there can be some serious error but it's a serious question that needs to be resolved and it's not [intentional] deception of any kind. Its among believers.
But notice here, the men that came there, put circumcision before. You know, you must enter in before you can be saved. They put it in before but the Pharisees which believed put it in after. A lot of times you'll have false doctrine that says, “Unless you believe this certain thing you cannot be saved.” Other people say, “Yes, by faith alone but you must have a good show of works, to show that you have been saved.” Saying you have to do this, or that, or the other thing, you have to have a progression of faith! Now, I don't disagree that, if you are saved, the Holy Spirit will be working in you, and will be washing you, but for me to look at your life and tell you that you have not progressed properly and therefore must not be saved….It is not for me to do that. It's for me to look at myself and say do I have a show of good works showing that the Lord is indeed working in me. For if I do not endure chastisement myself, I am not his son but I'm a bastard, the Bible says.
So, we need to be careful to not look at others because what we justifying in ourselves we do not justify in others. And what we condemn in others we do ourselves. What’d Paul say? Ye that teach the law, thou shalt not steal, do you steal yourselves? You know? So if you teach somebody that they must have a show of good works, in order to show everybody else, that they’re saved… as if I have to critique you, to justify and verify your salvation… No! They're there for our own selves. To examine ourselves. To see if we be in the faith and not to be deceived, of our own selves.
“And when there had been much disputing…” verse 5 which is certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed so they are believers! Don't get this wrong! It's not a bunch of reprobates, trying to trick you, to deceive the church. It's just people that are confused. And the Pharisees, God bless them, they love the law. They love the things of God and they want to do what is right, and they have a wonderful spirit about them and love of the law. And saying that it was needful to circumcise them, to command them to keep the law of Moses…So, what are they saying? “Hey, they are saved. They are believers. But you need to teach them the law of God and you need to command them.” Command means to force them. To expect of them.
Alright, and so here we have believers saying, “Yes you are saved we believe that. But you need to keep the law. You need, now that you've returned to Christ, and returned to God through Christ, you need to keep the law of God. Because you've entered in by the law.” You've entered in…
So, this is the same way, the phrase “repent of sin” [for salvation], has a similar problem associated with it. We as Christians understand, that repent of sin is just generic slang, to say that you need to stop “trusting yourself” and trust in the Lord. You need to focus on the Lord. But then, often times, lost people think “repent of sin” means, “Well, I got to turn over a new leaf.”, “That means, I have to have work salvation.”. It's a confusing term for some people. Just because people use that term, does that mean they're lost or anything. Is just that it's bad wording. Sometimes our failure is bad wording. Bad understanding. Not necessarily that we're trying to lie to people.
It says, saying, That it was needful. This is something they need to do. It's wonderful that they're saved but in order to have fellowship… see, so, these are believers. The first people, they say, “Hey, you need it. You need to, you have to. Have circumcision in order to have Jesus.” Here they say those who have Jesus must keep the law. It's the same way of saying, “Well you don't need to be saved by works but you need to keep the law, in order to show that you are saved.” It is the same thing. Its the same problem. It's the same issue. Maybe not quite as nuanced or similar but it's the same general idea. “That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” Just like somebody said, “Oh, you're saved now but you must be baptized and you must keep the law of the church.” No! It's not! For salvation, you did not need baptism. You do not need those things. You don't need circumcision.
Verse 6: “And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.” They considered it. They thought about it. What's going on here? Why is there such confusion on whether it's by grace through faith alone and confusion on whether or not to keep the law. Confusion on whether or not the church is “spiritual” Israel. Confusion on whether or not you should join the nation of Israel, because isn’t the nation of Israel God's people? Aren't they God’s people and aren't we God’s people because we're saved in Christ Jesus? So, isn't it the same thing?
A lot of error comes from acquainting two different things as the same thing. Now we understand that things can be interconnected. Like we understand that in Israel, the church was part of Israel in the sense that the same people that were in Israel, were also in the church. So there was a there was an overlap there but just because somebody was in Israel, does not mean that they congregate with the church, in fellowship with the church, and in all those things. It just means that, in Israel, the leadership was all part of the church and the church taught the people. All Right? So we understand how that goes but in this we understand that, especially as Baptist, we understand, innately that there is a separation between church and state. But what we allow for us, what we say about the Church and State today, we just ignore, or confuse about separation of Church and State in their day. Just as in our day the Church and State is separate so to it is, and was, Church and State separation in the Old Testament and so to it was separate in the New Testament. So, we cannot confuse and integrate both systems. They interact with each other, and overlap, and there's an interconnectivity there, but they are separate, distinct, systems and covenants.
Verse 7: “And when there had been much disputing,” so even in church, with the Apostles, with the leaders of the church, at this time, They was a lot confusion that people were, “What about this”, “What about that?”, “You can't just have lawless people running around and committing murders and still be in Christ, can you?!”, “What's going on here?”, “Maybe it's just the moral law that they have to keep and not the ceremonial laws?”. You know all this debate that goes on here.
But I'm here to tell you that faith in Jesus Christ is all you need to be saved and you can ignore the whole law and still be saved! You do not have to keep any law. You could be… you can, technically, if you want to say… You can be a vagrant and you can be a person committing all manner sins, but, I also tell you… to guarantee you… that if you are saved and the Holy Ghost dwells in you, you're not going to be a vagrant. You're going to be led by the Spirit!
And so there are things that I can tell you, so you can examine yourselves. If you're truly saved then you'll be washed and God will be dealing with you and He'll be chastising. You don't need the law, you have the Spirit! You're saved through the Spirit. The Spirit will lead you into all truth. It's not that you must keep, like, because law is me looking at you and telling you what you must do, but faith is me looking to God and God telling me what I must do. So whenever we have anything outside of that system, looking down upon me, and saying this is what you must do, then that's no longer faith. That is a command.
When I as a pastor look at your life and say you need to stop doing that thing and then I as a Christian look at you and say, “Yes! I must stop doing that thing. Yes sir, yes sir!”, then it's not my faith. It is like Lot living in the faith of Abraham. I may be saved but I'm not living in my faith! I'm following after your rules. I'm following after your thing. Now, should we have a standard of conduct? Yes we should. But when I chastise you as the pastor, when I say, “This is what you should be doing.”, you just choose to look at your scripture and say, “Yes that's what God wants me to do.” Not what my pastor wants me to do. Not what somebody else wants me to do. And then you do it.
Not because I told you what to do but because you see it's what God wants you to do and what the Holy Spirit convicts you. And through your conviction you say, “Yes Lord. Your servant heareth. That's what I'm doing.” So faith is that way [gestures up and down] not this way [gestures back and forth]. So when we interject the law. The law is made for this way [gestures back and forth]. It's made for the lawbreaker and for the rebellious but when you have an indwelling of the Holy Ghost, it's this way [gestures up and down] and then if we're this way [up and down] Paul said that all the things that are this way basically have no law because the law takes care of itself.
Paul gives an example of this in 1 Corinthians 6:12. He says “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient:”. So everything that is in the law that says, “You're not allowed to do this.” I can go ahead and do it! As a saved believer, I can go ahead and do whatever I want. But don't expect to be without chastisement. Don't expect to be without corruption of the flesh. You can feed the flesh all you want to still be saved. Yes you can! But, all things are lawful for me, because I’m justified in faith to Jesus Christ. Not my own faith. Not my own righteousness.
“…but I will not be brought under the power of any.” Why? because the Holy Spirit dwells in me and I will be used of God. If I don't keep the law… which I can break at any time and even… yeah I'm not perfect and I can break or whatever I want, or because I got a bad habit, habitual… I it's lawful for me. I'm not going to lose my salvation but I'll be chastised and I won’t be useful for God. So we need to understand, that, we are allowed.
We don't need to keep the law, and as Gentiles. Now, later on, we'll show this, and see, that, as the nation of Israel, as a national representative in Israel, you have to keep the Israelite law. But not for salvation. It was for being part of that nation. So, the Gentiles, who are not part of the nation, don't need to keep that law whatsoever. There's no obligation there. But Paul the Apostle and all those people that are part of that nation, they ought to keep those laws because they are their national laws.
We Gentiles have our own nation and have our own laws! If I go down the road and say, “Oh! Ah! All things are lawful for me!”. I can go speed down a hundred miles on a ten mile road, in the parking lot, through and in front of the police station, and then throw bombs at the police stations, and, “No, it's okay. I'm not under the law!” You know, that's not expedient for me as a Christian, is it? Yeah. I'm going to get a bunch of people saying, “Oh yeah? We're gonna make you accountable to this law!” Sovern citizen here! … No. I'm gonna make you accountable to this law.
The thing is that we will be judged for what we do in this body. 1 Corinthians 10:23 says All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. The Christian is about edification. The Christian is about helping one another. The Christian is not trying to say, “You need to keep the law buddy!” No. The Christian is to say, “Hey that's not expedient for you to do that!” That's a helpful for you to do that. If you do that, you can't be one of us. You got to go somewhere else. You're not productive. You know.
If somebody goes and does some heinous crime or violation of something that's in the law, then we need to see that they're not in fellowship with the Spirit. We don't kick them out because they're violating that law necessarily. We kick them out because they're not in fellowship with the Spirit. We cannot be a faithful group of Christians if they're doing that. But we'll deal with that dynamic later.
But right now, we can understand the importance of realizing the separation between the church and state here and the fact that we don't need to keep the national laws in order to be saved.
Of the nation, of the Nation of Israel and of course, to give in this example, people say, “Well, they weren’t really a nation. I mean, they're just a religion. Jews are just a religious group of people.” Acts 5:21 shows us that at this time, even though they're under subjection to Rome, they have a Senate. Now a nation has a Senate. So, with these verses I want to show that the Nation of Israel was there. They just did not have the kingdom of Christ. We of course, as Christians, are the priesthood of the Kingdom of God. Which is in Heaven but that was not, according Acts 1, not restored unto Israel yet. But they did, as a nation, as a people, with the circumcision, have a nation, and a law.
Acts 5:21 says, “And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate…”, it doesn’t say “of the Jews”. It says, “of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.” So we can see here, at this time, that there is a Senate of the Children of Israel. At that time. So that shows that they are gathered, as a nation, at the time of Paul and Peter and all those things. So to say, “Hey you know the Jews are just a religious organization at this time and they don't really have a nation.”, It's not quite true. They don't have their own authority but they are still assembled as the Children of Israel.
Acts 18:18 says, and of course here we have Paul the Apostle keeping a vow for his Nation, “And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.” We believe that that was a Nazarite vow, for a certain amount of time. As part of his nation. See he's working under his covenant, as an in the nation of Israel, in order to, in the Nazarite vow, in order to ask a favor with God and in a little bit there… So we see that Paul himself is keeping part of his National vows. So how do they?... as an Israelite, he can still continue in that covenant he has with God. So he had a vow and he's keeping it.
In Acts 21:17-30 we see that he ends up in Jerusalem and he's going to keep a vow in the temple. It is before his Nation. Acts 21:17-30 says, “And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. 18 And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.” So similar to where in Acts 15 they're all present there disputing this matter and they decide, “Hey you know everybody saved under the faith of Christ, right?” So people say, “Well look their! Not even the Jews have to keep the law or anything like that!” But in this passage we see, “Hey, even though we're saved under the faith of Christ, I want you to go keep this vow in the temple.” So, it's supposedly, that system is done gone away with and has no authority. Then why is James, the leader of the church, asking Paul, who had the strong disputation in Acts 15, to keep a vow in the temple? And to purify himself in the temple? And so look at this.
“And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present. 19 And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.” So they're glad for that. “And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord”, So they're still glad and they're holding to what they said in Acts 15, about the faith of Jesus Christ not being subject to the law of Moses. 20 “And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:”. Now he's referring not to Gentiles but to the Jews. He says, “Hey, you know all these Jews that believe (Just like the Pharisees that believe in chapter 15) they believed but they're worried that you as a Jew, not as a Gentile, but as a Jew, in our nation, as a citizen of our nation, are not keeping the laws of Moses!”
You see? The Gentiles were not required to keep the law of Moses. Christians that are Jews, that believe, are not required to keep the Law of Moses for salvation but they were required to keep the Law of Moses. For faith in their nation and to be subject to their nation.
So here he gives this problem. Here is Paul going around telling, “You don't need to keep the law.” To all the Gentiles. Galatians 3:1 is like this, “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should…” and they get these letters say, “Where is Paul telling people to be rebellious to the law? What's going on here?” And so people are a little confused about this even in this chapter.
19 “And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. 20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe;”. So this is not a church problem this is a Jewish problem and a National problem that they have with Paul. Not a church problem because they call him brother. They don't say, “You seest heretic!” they don’t say that at all. They say brother. They are in fellowship with him.
“…Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:”. They still continue in their law and they are important. So, Paul doesn’t say, “We don't need to worry about them because they're fools! They don’t understand!” No, No. He says, “They're zealous of the law.” 21 “and they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.” No, because Paul saying, “Hey, you know, the nation of Israel is in Israel and the Land of Israel is not in Crete. You're living in Crete right now. So, you're not in the nation of Israel. You're Cretians. You're not Israelites. You used to be Jews. Now you are Cretians.” They're seeing this confusion here because, remember, they were a dispersed Church, that came back to found the nation.
He says, “saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.” You know, the national law. So if I'm in a nation, when I go across the border, what do they say? Border and Customs Patrol, right? The customs...neither to walk after the customs. 22 “What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.” They want to hear what's going on with this problem. Didn’t they solve it in Acts 15? Well they solved it for the Gentiles but the question now is for the Jews.
So what should Paul be doing in regards to the Jews? Tell them not to keep the Law of Moses? or to keep the law of Moses? We see previously, as he's traveling, he’s making a vow, in order to be a Nazarite, according to, after law of, Moses! Yet people are confused that he's not keeping the law of Moses. So he says, 22 “What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come. 23 Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;”. So Paul has a vow as he was traveling and they have avow in the Jerusalem Church. So here's the Jerusalem Church that has four men among them that are keeping a vow after the Law of Moses. So we see here that the Law of Moses was not wrong to keep for the Jew. For the nation of Israel. For the people that had that [covenant].
So he says, 24 “them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing”;, because James knew and understood that Paul kept the Nazarite vow. Paul kept these vows! And so he says I want you to fulfill this in the temple in our Nation. He says, “concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest…” What does it say there?... “orderly, and keepest the law.” 25 thou thyself also walkest…” What does it say there?... “orderly, and keepest the law.” 25 “As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.…” We'll deal with that next week…. 26 “Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple,” So how is he purifying himself? “I’m glorified by the blood of Jesus!” No! He's purified himself after the law of Moses. That's Leviticus. That's Levitical law! So that is after the Nation of Israel. He's walking orderly after the nation of Israel.
So this understands, the distinction between Israel The Church are two different things. The Gentiles are not part of the Nation of Israel. So, therefore, they don't have to keep that law, as a nation. 26 “Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.” Of course we associated that with the Levitical, probably the Nazarite vow, most likely. And the laws is that it has to be offered there [in the temple].
27 “And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him,” So this is a Jewish problem. 28 “crying out, Men of Israel, help:”. So they're Jews religiously from other nations that come back here. They're not believing Jews and then they say men of Israel. So the nation of Israel. “Men of Israel, help. Were religious Jews we keep Law of Moses and you Nation. You need to have the authority to stop him from entering into this temple. We believe that he is telling all the Gentiles not to do these things. Not to convert to Judaism and all this stuff. He's now destroying our temple and desolating our temple!” Which, in fact, he was purifying himself in the temple after the Law of Moses.
and so 28 “crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where…” not just Gentiles, they think…. “against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place. 29 (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)” He did not bring them. So Paul's doing this as a Jew. Not as a person of the church. Not as a person of the Gentiles. And so, therefore, he did not bring the Gentiles with him.
30 “And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut.” They don't want him back in. 31 “And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.”, because of it. So they're confused about this whole matter.
Let's go to Acts 24:10. It says, 10 “Then Paul, after that the governor had beckoned unto him to speak, answered, Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto…” What? This church? The Jewish people? No. It says, unto “this nation”. So we see that this is dealing with the Nation now. Problems of the laws of the Nation, all right? He says, “thou hast been of many years a judge unto this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself:”. So he's defending himself as being lawful and just and part of this Nation of Israel. 11 “because that thou mayest understand, that there are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship.” He is worshiping in the temple. “But also, Isn’t our bodies the temple? Isn’t our bodies…” you know all this. Saying, the temple. The physical temple.
12 “And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man, neither raising up the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the city: 13 neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me. 14 But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: 15 and have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. 16 And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.” So he doesn't want to offend the laws of God. He's not trying to be an insurrectionist. He just knows the distinction between State and Church.
17 “Now after many years I came to bring alms to my nation.” So he's keeping the Nazarite vow for his Nation. He is keeping the purification for his Nation and he's bringing alms for his Nation. What nation that in? The nation of Israel.
18 “Whereupon certain Jews (religious Jews not of this nation) from Asia found me purified in the temple, neither with multitude, nor with tumult.” He's doing this thing as a National Israelite. 19 “Who ought to have been here before thee, and object, if they had ought against me.” They send him off to jail and then they go off on their way back to it wherever they're going. 21 “except it be for this one voice, that I cried standing among them, Touching the resurrection of the dead I am called in question by you this day.”
And then Acts 26:1-7 says, “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself: 2 I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews: 3 especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews:” So he’s associating the Nation of Israel and the Jewish people as holding to the laws of that Nation. So the Jews whether religious or national locally, whether a Greek or Hebrew, of the Jews, keep the Law of the Nation. That was the problem the Old Testament Jew as they kept a Law of the Nation even when they were not in the Nation.
“…wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently. 4 My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;” “They know that I'm a perfect Jew. They know I'm a perfect National Israelite. They know this!” 5 “which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify”, See. Notice there was the Jews of Asia that sent him up and gave this problem. None of the Jews in Israel had this problem with Paul. Except for the fact that converted to Christ.
5 “which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.” So he's right along there with those Pharisees. Keep the law of Moses for the Jew. Keep the law of Moses for the Nation. But not for salvation! That's why. That's the disputation he has with the believing Pharisees. Not that he doesn't want to be a Pharisee because, in fact, we have evidence in scriptures that he continued being a strict Pharisee in most of his life!
6 “And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: So this is not the promise of circumcision made of God to the Fathers but the promise of Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Messiah. 7 unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night,” So the Nation of Israel serves God. They are servants of God and they serve God. “…hope to come.” They hope for the promise that was going to be Christ. “For which hope’s sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.” They don't believe in this hope. I do. That's the only difference between those Jews and this Jew. I'm accused of the Jews. 8 “Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?” and then he continues on and we don’t have time for the rest of the chapter.
Galatians 1:13 “For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:” So we noticed here in separation between the Jews religion and the Church of God. The Jewish religious Old Testament is after the laws. They followed the laws of the Nation but they are separate. It says, 14 “and profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation,” So we talk about the Jews religion and then he says, in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. So the nation is that a tradition of the fathers. Under the tradition of circumcision and so forth.… “and profited in the Jews’ religion” that is religious after that [tradition and covenant], whether in the nation are out of it.
15 “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, 16 to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: 17 neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. 18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. 19 But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother. 20 Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not. 21 Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia; 22 and was unknown by face unto the churches of Judæa which were in Christ:” So there's churches. The churches are not in in Israel. They are in Christ. This is the differences. The Jews are in the Nation and the Church is in Christ. And those Jews that believe are in the Church and the Nation. And so there is a difference there.
22 “and was unknown by face unto the churches of Judæa which were in Christ: 23 but they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. 24 And they glorified God in me.” So, we see the differences there. The distinctions.
So we have here in the disputation. There's beauty in this thing. They're arguing about this thing and in Acts 15:7 “And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye 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.” He said, “Hey, Remember what God told me about the Gentiles? What to what they should keep? What they should do? and what He said before they were even believers? You know. What he said to me about them?” He says this, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. So he says, “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.[Romans 10:17]”. That's what Peter is saying here. He does not say faith cometh by the law or faith cometh by circumcision or faith comes by enduring but by hearing of the word of God. And they would believe!
Verse 8: “And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost,” so the people at the beginning…say “certain men which came down from Judæa taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.” Now, how is salvation? By the receiving of the Spirit, of the Holy Ghost, that comes in the name of Christ, who is able to save our souls. Right? Because he quickens through the Spirit, that is in Christ. So Peter said, He gave these Gentiles, by the speaking of my word, the Holy Ghost, which saved them. Which cleansed them. He says, 8 “And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, that they're saved by the Holy Ghost.” So he's saying they are saved by the Holy Ghost. Not by the circumcision. Not by the law.
8 “And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, and He put no difference between us and them.” “We [Jews] are saved by hearing the word of faith, inside of our covenant, by faith. They [Gentiles] are going to be saved outside of the covenant through faith and there's no difference.” Salvation comes upon all men who hear the Word and receive the Spirit. Whether they're in the covenant [of Israel] or not.
Verse 9: “and put no difference between us and them,” Who’s the “us” and “them”? “Us” would be in the Jews, for the Nation of Israel, who keep the laws of Nation of Israel, by circumcision, and keeping the law of Moses. They could not be saved by that but there's no difference. He says, “put no difference between us...,” “purifying their hearts by faith”. So the Law of the Old Testament, the Levitical law, was to purify them. To cleanse them. We talked [in other sermons] about how the stages of people that are unclean, people that are clean, people that are sanctified, people that are holy, and we talked about that level of cleanness. That's where they could cleanse and purify themselves and so forth. The law and all that. He says there's no difference. The Old Testament law could not purify [hearts].
Verse 10: “Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?” We talked about [in other sermons] that a Nazarite was the cleanest person possible. Having the strictest lifestyle possible and the most perfect lifestyle possible. All he was able to muster up of perfection was the shavings of his hair, as a sacrifice. Yet we see as Christ, who was fully consecrated. The Nazarite had consecrated hair but Christ had the consecrated body. Was able through his body to redeem us but we being as perfect as possible can only use the sacrifice of our hair. Not to redeem anybody but to get a little bit of a blessing from the Lord.
He says, “Why would you want but that yoke for purification and sanctification upon the Gentiles when we ourselves could not be saved by it? We couldn’t keep the law for salvation! Why would we want to force them to do it?”
10 “Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?” You say that the Gentiles, and everybody like that, should become a part of the Nation of Israel you're putting upon them something that they were never called to have. The physical children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, were called to be part of the Nation of Israel through circumcision. But the Gentile believers, they're not called to be in that nation. We [Saved Gentiles] are part of the Nation of heaven but not the Nation of Israel.
“…and put no difference between us…purifying their hearts by faith.” We're pure! Were saved by faith! We are not saved by keeping of the law. We see how Abraham was saved before he received the Covenant of Circumcision. He was saved before that! 10 “Now therefore why tempt ye God…”
Verse 11: “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we” (the Jew, the Nation of Israel people) “we shall be saved, even as they” (the Gentile of other nations). So we see the salvation is irrespective of what nation you are in. Irrespective of what Covenant you are in, of the Old Testament. It is a separate thing from the Covenant of Circumcision. A separate thing from the Law of Moses. That is for them. Especially in the Old Testament to be purifying themselves. So they can be in fellowship with God. Now there's certain things in being a Jew that is special for the Jew, as part of that circumcision but salvation comes upon all men in the same way regardless of nation. So he says, we shall be saved, even as they.
Now a lot of people… I want to bring up these two verses real quick… that people may have… probably... the confusion some people have. The Pharisees which believe, they say, “Well they believe but they got to be part of the Nation of Israel.”, Exodus 12:48-49, Would say, “Hey these people can be saved but then they have to, in order to have fellowship with the church, they need to be circumcised.” It's probably where they got it. Exodus 12:48-49. Because even in the Old Testament, people who wanted to keep the Passover, with Israel, could become part of the Nation of Israel.
Exodus 12:48-49 says, “And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land:”. That doesn't say he's saved but born in the land but there's a confusion there. “for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.” So they can’t eat of the Passover unless they are circumcised. And 49 “One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.”
So if we are spiritual Israel we need to have circumcision of the flesh and of the heart! You know? So if we're Israel that's what we need to have because otherwise we cannot keep Passover. But we don't keep the Passover. We keep the Lord's Supper, right? Now…but anyway.
Isaiah 56:6 …so these are some examples how that Gentiles could become Israelites. They could become part of the nation in order to partake in the National laws and the National things. Isaiah 56:6 says, 6 “Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants,…” Now notice this! The Covenant of Israel is to be Servants but we are no more Servants but we are Sons! So those are the difference between the Covenants. Servants verses Sons. every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of… What?... my covenant;.
So Circumcision, to enter in by Circumcision, is to take hold of the Israelite Covenant, in order to be part of that nation, but salvation is not through entering into that Covenant! It is through Jesus Christ alone! Through a separate Nation which is the Kingdom of Heaven. And he says, 7 “even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.”
So we understand that, yes today, if you want to become part of the nation of Israel, you can be circumcised and you can keep the law of Moses! But that is not for salvation! That’s as a whole different matter. We see that Paul, as part of that nation, kept the law of Moses. He kept the Covenant of his people. He kept those things.
But we understand the seed. That they are two different Covenants. Salvation is by Jesus. By being in Christ. The Law of Moses…those put you in the Nation of Israel. And the Nation of Israel has special promises given to it as a physical nation but they are separate. So we need to always make this distinction that the Church and Israel are separate. The State and Israel are separate [from the church]. Although, they are interconnected and one can be part of the Nation of Israel and be part of the Church. They are separate. One could be a Gentile and part of the Church but not part of the Nation of Israel. They are separate.
They're two different things. You are not saved by the Covenant of Israel. You're saved by faith and grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Who purified your hearts through faith!
Let’s Pray: Dear Heavenly Father. Thank you for the blessings you’ve given to us Lord. Thank you for the opportunity and that special promise that we don't have to keep laws. We don't have to become part of a Nation. We don't have to be a Spiritual Nation of anything on this earth but we are of that Heavenly Nation. Through faith in Jesus Christ. Through the blood of Jesus Christ alone. We don't have to, as the Nation of Israel, keep those Covenants for a land or anything like that. We can just be in your son Jesus Christ without any conditions. Without any Circumcision. Without any law keeping. This by grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ and just I pray and thank you, in Jesus Name. Amen!
(Part 2: "We are David's Tabernacle - Acts 15:12-41" was not transcribed. The Sermon Video can be found here: https://youtu.be/5GMzLXVL4FM)
