An Equal Opportunity Savior

Acts 15:1-11
1Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad. 4When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

6The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? 11No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

A few years ago my church congregation began a Hispanic ministry that opened it’s doors to a section of the community it had not specifically sought before. We were excited by the possibilities of this ministry, but were nervous about the subtle changes that would follow. We had to think outside of what we were used to and expand our concept of community such as offering classes to teach English speakers Spanish and Spanish speakers English. After a few months of prayer and accommodation the Hispanic ministry was bursting with new members. God was working in a new way and our congregation was blessed.

On a much grander level, the early church leaders were excited by the universal message that was now reaching the Gentiles: “They told them—much to everyone’s joy—that the Gentiles, too, were being converted” (v.3b). But as Paul and Barnabas shared the success of Gentile conversion some early believers were angry that their traditional Jewish customs were not required of new Gentile believers. Circumcision had been a tradition of the Jewish faith for thousands of years and now wasn’t what God required for men to be clean. What these troublemakers were asking the Gentiles to do would be similar to telling those who were apart of the Hispanic ministry that they were not saved unless they only spoke English.

One of the greatest aspects of Christianity is that anyone can become a follower of Christ. Jesus is an equal opportunity Savior. He did not exclude believers because they were not born in a certain religion or because they were a certain race or gender. God sent Jesus to save the world. That is why Peter so powerfully rebuked those who thought otherwise: “We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the special favor of the Lord Jesus” (v.11). Take a moment and reflect on our universal Lord, and thank Him that His plan of salvation included everyone.