Acts 15:5, 8-11, 19
“But then some of the believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and insisted, ‘The Gentile converts must be circumcised and required to follow the law of Moses.’ ...[Peter’s response]: 'God knows people’s hearts, and He confirmed that He accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for He cleansed their hearts through faith. So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus’... ‘And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.’”
The very first church faced a group of people who wanted to send a message that Jesus plus some other stuff saves you. That same mentality exists today. Back then, it was circumcision. Today it’s different things—church attendance, Bible reading, serving, etc. Those are all great things, and you should pursue them! But they are not salvation issues. You must always remember salvation comes through faith alone, by the underserved grace of the Lord Jesus. At Traders Point, we exist to remove unnecessary barriers that keep people from Jesus.
Respond
1. The problem with adding unnecessary barriers for people to come to Jesus is that we often do it unknowingly. Spend some time asking God to search your heart, pointing out any ways you may be unknowingly adding to the simple gospel of salvation by grace alone.
2. One mark of spiritual maturity is that you feed others instead of demanding to be fed. If you’ve been walking with Jesus for awhile, seek out ways to help others either start following Jesus for the first time or start growing to be more like Him.