November 25 Acts 13-15 Adding Works Makes A False Gospel

Acts 15:1 Some 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." Adding works to the requirements of salvation makes a false gospel. Although the Jerusalem Council was focused on the circumcision and the many, many laws of Moses, they established a precedent for all works. What they teach us is that this is false: "Unless you  ___________, according to the custom taught by ________, you cannot be saved." Some churches teach you must be baptized to be saved - FALSE! The Catholic Church teaches you must be baptized and do certain things according to the traditions of the Catholic Church - FALSE! What Christ did on the cross is sufficient - TRUE!

All false religions (including false gospel churches) preach this formula:

• Faith + Works = Salvation
• Works must be added to faith to be saved
• Works merit salvation - they are meritorious

True Biblical Christians preach this formula:

• Faith = Salvation + Works
• Faith alone in Christ's finished work on the cross is all that is needed for salvation
• Works are a grateful response to the work of Christ applied to our lives. 
• Works are NOT meritorious. 
• Works do not get you saved, they do not keep you saved, they do not make you more saved.
• Works are evidence that you are saved. Again, they are not meritorious.

Am I arguing details? No.

If you preach works are required to earn salvation, then you are saying that what Christ did on the cross is insufficient. In the final analysis, your motivation for doing the works is selfish - you are trying to save yourself. The grace of Christ is no longer sufficient.

Paul will later write about a gospel that includes works:

• Galatians 1:6-9 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!  As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!

Paul wasn't wishy washy - we shouldn't be either.

FYI What an individual Catholic believes may be very different from what Rome teaches. What an individual Protestant believes may be different from what his church teaches.