Daily Walk Through the New Testament

October 5

Read Acts 15:1-21

Can you think of a time when you found out that you’d been accepted to a school or offered a job you’d been excited about? In that moment, you were thrilled! After putting in the necessary time and effort to become a candidate they were looking for and complete it the application process, you finally met your goal. What a great feeling!
Did you know that God has an acceptance policy too? His is much simpler. There is only 1 condition: you must come to the cross in repentance and faith, completely trusting in the finished work of Christ for salvation. That’s right — no complicated application process, no weighted system to evaluate grades, no required work experience — simply grace.
Acts 15 reminds us that our salvation in not based on our ability to fulfill the law. The Judaizers taught that one must keep the law of Moses and be circumcised in addition to having faith in Christ. But this is completely contrary to grace. Grace teaches that God accepts anyone who comes to Him in repentance and faith.
Jesus accused the Pharisees of cleaning the outside of the cup while ignoring the inside (Luke 11:39), which is exactly what legalism does. It focuses only on external activities while ignoring the attitude of the heart. In the end, we should all know we are incapable of fulfilling the law, and this should make us desperate for God’s grace. Embrace this reality today and humble yourself at the feet of Jesus.