1009. Accepted Freely as Righteous Children vs Working Righteousness (Growing in Grace)

Paul offered some gems in the opening segment in his letter to the Ephesians, explaining that as adopted children, God made us accepted in the beloved and brought redemption through the blood of Jesus, according to the riches of His grace.

And let's not forget this reminder in Titus chapter 3: "But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

However, if we don't skim past it, we'll notice a bit of a clash with a recorded statement as quoted from the Apostle Peter in Acts chapter 10. The point is ... the Jewish apostles were human—as we are—and nobody knows everything, not even close. They were also growing in their understanding of the grace of the gospel, and we should take it into account as we read the writings in the New Testament.



   
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937. The Gentile Denial - Peter Accused by Other Apostles and Jews

Continuing with the 4th program in our series about Gentiles coming to faith in Christ, after God revealed to Peter that non-Jewish people could be saved and should no longer be considered unclean as they were under the Mosaic law ... the word about this had reached other apostles and Jewish believers. In Acts 11, Peter was "called on the carpet" and accused of doing the unthinkable by not only rubbing shoulders with some of those dirty Gentiles, but also eating grub with them that was prohibited by the law.

Peter would go on to explain his story of the vision he had about Gentiles coming to faith and receiving the Spirit, but it's another example of how even witnesses to the risen Jesus and early believing Jews were still of the mindset that they were to abide by the old law—unaware that outsiders could even be saved. Adding Gentiles to the equation would complicate their message of law and grace ... and even divide many of these believers for many years to come.



   
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936. The Gentile Denial: The Dog Days Are Over

Under the Mosaic law of stone tablet commandments, Gentiles (non-Jewish people) were considered unclean outsiders who were to be avoided by (old) covenant people. They fell into the same category as camel casserole, bacon burgers, and lobster for lunch. Therefore, in the first number of years after the ascension of Jesus, believing Jews were sharing the good news with other Jews ... and not the outsiders. Some might ask the question why the apostles would have assumed the law was still in effect when Paul made it clear that it had been abolished and brought to an end. On the other hand, until Peter had his vision (Acts 10) telling him this was now different, why wouldn't they assume the law was still in place? Paul hadn't made the scene yet with his revelations about the gospel because he was too busy having Christians killed.

Let's try to put ourselves in their sandals as we look through these pages. We'll take a look at something Jesus told his disciples when He had sent them out during the time of His earthly ministry. Plus, let's not forget about the "dog woman" who approached Jesus back at that time when the law was still in place (before the cross).



   
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935. The Gentile Denial - God Intervenes With a Vision

Program #2 in our series shows Peter receiving a vision from God about unclean food prohibited by the Mosaic Law. God told him to eat it, but Peter replied saying he would never eat anything that was considered to be common or unclean. God responded by telling him not to call anything unclean that He declared to be clean. Of course, the next day Peter put two and two together when he realized that there was also something else considered unclean by the standard of the Mosaic law ... it was Gentiles.

By God's direction, Peter would end up going to meet with a group of Gentiles. He pointed out to his host, Cornelius, that it was considered unlawful for a Jewish man like himself to meet with the outsiders of other nations (Gentiles). But when God's Spirit fell upon those (formerly) considered unclean ... Peter's Jewish friends were amazed and astonished at what they saw (they had not witnessed this before). Although it was nearly a decade after the cross, Gentiles were finally receiving God's Spirit and being saved ... all thanks to a new revelation about the law being set aside and taken out of the way.



   
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785. Growing in Knowledge (Bible Authors Didn’t Know Everything)

In Acts Chapter 10, when Peter had his vision from God directing him to reach out to Gentiles, historians estimate it occurred anywhere from 5 to 15 years after the resurrection of Jesus. Although Peter was being used mightily by God in multiple ways, there was much he didn’t understand when it came to the gospel. The apostles were not all seeing and all knowing – they were humans who were growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Up until this time, Peter thought he and other Jews were still under the requirement to follow the law of Moses, even though he was preaching Jesus for people to be saved. Through this experience, he came to realize the gospel was meant not only for Jews, but for Gentiles who had no relationship with the law.

Things like food and Gentiles, which had been considered unclean or unacceptable under law, God now had declared to be clean. But imagine if Peter had written letters to believers and church folks which ended up in the Bible before he had this revelation about freedom from law. Undoubtedly, his writings would have looked much different and inconsistent with what the Apostle Paul was communicating in his letters. The book of James is considered to likely be the oldest New Testament writing (or the first) after Jesus rose. Like most Jews, James had a similar assumption about the law when he wrote his letter – much like Peter did. And this continues our series about the subject of Paul, James and justification.

   
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724. Why Did Peter Cling to Law After it Ended with Jesus?

Religious legalists will argue that Peter adhered to rules from the law of Moses for years after the resurrection of Jesus. They make the false assumption that because God moved through him in such miraculous ways—such as shadow healing—Peter must have had a perfect understanding of the gospel. But like the rest of us limited humans, Peter was “growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Through a vision, God began to show Peter the change of law that occurred within a New Covenant which is based upon faith instead of a law of works … and he began to repent (have a change of mind). Later in the book of Acts, he would even argue the case before former Pharisees that Gentiles who were being saved and never had the law, should not be burdened with the futile attempt of trying to keep what they and their fathers were unable bear.



   
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