Acts 15:1-11 - Corps Notes - September 28, 1976
Acts 15:1-11 September 28, 1976 Acts chapters 13 & 14 are the first missionary journey of Paul. Acts 15:1 I think, in our day had God had this Word of God written, He might have said it something like, “And certain men and women, having been at Headquarters, came down to the areas and they taught the believers that unless they believe that Jesus is God, they would not be able to get saved.” In this day, when it was written, they taught the brethren, except the believers would get circumcised, they could not be saved. Circumcision has sort of ‘worn out’ from a religious point of view. What is happening, in many places, is that people are saying, “Except you be baptized in water, you cannot be saved. Except you get immersed, you cannot be saved.” From many different headquarters, you hear these things. One group will talk about sprinkling, another one about dipping. One group will talk about, “If you’re not baptized, there’s absolutely no way whereby you can be saved. This first verse of Acts 15 is just as alive tonight as it was the first time God ever had a man to speak it, or to write it. Acts 15:24 They came from headquarters’ area and they said, “Headquarters sent us.” Headquarters never sent them to begin with. They took it upon themselves to say headquarters sent them to get the people to give them a better listen; so they would carry influence in the areas when they would come in. It was an outright lie. Acts 15:2 “Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them” – Literally it would be translated – “Paul and Barnabas, having questioned them extensively about their sedition.” “dissension” – This is the same word that we utilize in sedition. Sedition is whenever language or conduct tends toward treason. Concerning this requirement, that they’ were endeavoring to lay on the believers, that except you be circumcised according to the manner of the laws of Moses, you cannot be saved, Paul and Barnabas looked them straight in he eye and said, “Th
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came into existence first after the Babylonian captivity. And if you will remember that, then whenever you read about certain things of the Pharisees, you will see why they would bring back from the Babylonian captivity with them that real adamant approach to the disciplinary action to be taken against people who didn’t quite agree with them and to be very legalistic in their walk. The Pharisees separated themselves by their special beliefs and by their practices, as some groups have done today. They were so strong on tithing, little details, food practices, and hand washing. (Matthew 23:23 Luke 18:12) The greatest thing about their teaching was that you had to have their oral law in order to understand the written law. Their oral law explained the written law. That oral law, you and I today would call a commentary. The Pharisees believed in the resurrection. They also believed in the “t