Peter’s Theology – Acts 15:6-11

Generally speaking, people take their religion seriously.

No one likes to be told that they are heretics, anti-social or stupid.

But even in the pluralism of the 21^st century,

When we are brainwashed to think that every idea is as true as any other conflicting idea,

Even the pluralists point fingers at others and call them “heretics, anti-social and stupid.”

And to whom do they point to most often?

People like you and me, who think, and declare, that conflicting ideas cannot possibly both be correct.

As far as our degenerating society is concerned,

Fundamentalists are the most anti-social and destructive people on the face of the earth.

And as far as these people are concerned fundamental Baptists are as dangerous as fundamentalist Muslims or the sword-wielding Sikhs in India.

We are dangerous BECAUSE we believe that God has revealed Himself – but ONLY in the Bible.

We are a threat to orderly society because we believe that Jesus is the ONLY way, truth and life, and that no man cometh to the Father but by Him.

We a corroding rust in America because we believe that the evidence of a proper relationship to God is holiness.

We are a treat to orderly government because we believe that not only should the Ten Commandments be found in every courthouse, but they should be found in every family and in every heart.

We are anti-social because we say that abortion is murder and homosexuality is a crime – according to the principles of the Word of God.

And despite the hatred against us, we still take our religion very personally and very seriously.

And so did the Apostle Paul.

When men from Jerusalem started shadowing his ministry and trying to subvert his converts it made his heart boil.

He did his best to strengthen the people whom the Lord had saved under this ministry,

But he knew that he’d also have to confront his opponents.

So he and Barnabas, Titus and others from Antioch made the trip down to Jerusalem.

They were well received both along the way and at their destination.

“And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.

But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.”

After the initial howdy-dos, some time of fellowship and perhaps even a church service or two,

The remaining Apostles, the leadership of the church, Paul and Barnabas and the Judaizers got together.

There was some wrangling back and forth about the doctrines and practices of Paul’s ministry with the Apostle Peter quietly sitting and considering it all.

Then after some time, he arose and everyone got quiet.

It doesn’t take much imagination to picture the veneration and respect that was given to Peter.

He was a fairly old man, at least for that time and place.

He had received many ministerial battle scars down through the years.

He had walked with the Lord Jesus, learned directly from him and had been His servant.

He had been instrumental in holding the church together in the early days.

He was a veteran evangelist, a good preacher, and a repository of church history and Christian doctrine.

While the hot young men were arguing over how the Gentiles should be evangelized and whether or not they should become Jewish proselytes in order to become Christians, Peter arose.

Quickly, those who were talking and arguing saw Peter and knew that he had something important to say.

As I was reading over verses 7-11 once again, I was struck with several things:

For example, the Bible refers to the Apostles PLURAL, although only Peter and James are mentioned.

It makes me wonder who was there and who wasn’t.

For example, was the Apostle John present? I must assume that he was not.

I wonder how many more of the Apostles had been martyred for the Truth by this time.

I wonder how many were scattered around world preaching Christ.

And I see that Peter was not the pastor of the church in Jerusalem, James seemed to hold that office.

Peter wasn’t captain of the ship;

He was more like an Admiral being carried by a ship which was captained by James.

And as such, he didn’t issue any orders to the church.

He simply stated what he saw and what the Lord had lead him to believe.

As we shall see over the next couple of weeks, the pastor, not the Admiral directed the church.

The reason that we’re looking at Acts 15:7-11 this morning is because:

We have in these verses is a concise statement of Peter’s theology as it relates to God the Father, God the Son and Salvation.

When these three points of doctrine are in order, then the subject of the Gentiles falls into its proper place.

I think that this is well-worth our time this morning because we come from Gentiles, and we are in need of salvation.

Let’s think about Peter’s Theology.

First, Peter believed in the SOVEREIGNTY of God.

“And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.”

The Bible teaches THREE KINDS of ELECTION, over all of which God is ABSOLUTELY SOVEREIGN.

There was an election of THE NATION OF ISRAEL above all the other nations of the earth.

There is also an election of God whereby UNWORTHY SINNERS are lifted up by His grace and given eternal life through the Lord Jesus Christ.

And there is a VOCATIONAL ELECTION or a calling to the Lord’s ministry.

I think that it’s kind of funny that there are preachers who acknowledge God’s sovereign election of the nation of Israel, whether they actually like His choice or not.

And those same preachers would fight the man who questioned whether or not God had given them a specific call to the gospel ministry.

But those same preachers refuse to see that God also has called specific sinners to be saved.

They refuse to believe the Bible which says that only those who are ordained to eternal life believe on Christ.

They refuse to accept that God sovereignly chose to open the heart of Lydia so that she would be saved.

They refuse to believe that there is an election of grace.

Those three varieties of election cannot be separated very far from one another.

But Peter is not talking about God’s election of Israel or directly about personal salvation;

He was talking about God’s choice to send him to evangelize Cornelius, the Roman Centurion.

In studying Acts 10 we learned that God sovereignly interrupted Cornelius’ devotions one day.

The man was told to send to the city of Joppa and ask Peter to visit him.

Then we learned that the Lord interrupted Peter’s devotions and told him to go to Caesarea.

The whole idea of going into the house of a Gentile, a Roman, a member of the occupation forces that were desecrating the Promised Land, was repugnant to Peter.

But the Lord even wanted Peter to present to that foreigner the precious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It was contrary to the upbringing, the nature, and the heritage of the Apostle.

But God proved to Peter that day that the Lord can sovereignly save anyone that He chooses.

Peter accepted and believed in the sovereignty of God.

Not only did the Lord call Peter and sent him to evangelize someone whom by nature he hated.

But he also saw that God actually saved the man.

The Theology of Peter included God’s sovereignty and also His OMNISCIENCE.

“Ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us,

That the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.

And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us.”

I have to smile and marvel at the wonders of the Word of God.

When we studied the conversion of Cornelius, I knew that Acts 10 related to Acts 11 and then to Acts 15, but at the time, I looked at the first of those chapters as mere history and only chronologically.

But we have to remember that although the Book of Acts was penned by LUKE, it was inspired, taught and outlined by the HOLY SPIRIT.

And Luke was PAUL’S helper in the ministry; most likely a Gentile, and probably never even met Peter.

When that holy man of God wrote Acts 10, as he was moved by the Holy Spirit,

Whether he knew it or not, he was laying the foundation for the later vindication of the ministry of Paul.

The evangelization of the Gentiles didn’t BEGIN with Paul,

But it might have ENDED with Paul had not the Lord previously commissioned this work of Peter.

In this we see the omniscience AND the omnipotence of the Lord.

But more directly than that, Peter declared that GOD KNOWS THE HEARTS OF ALL MEN.

When Peter began to tell Cornelius about the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. . .

As he began to explain the gospel to that Roman soldier, Cornelius put his faith in Christ.

Peter said, God “commanded us to preach unto the people,

And to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.

To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”

Apparently Cornelius and the other Gentiles who were there believed the truth that Peter was preaching.

And how did Peter KNOW that they had believed?

“While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.

And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter,

Because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

Peter had no way of knowing whether or not Cornelius was a true believer.

In fact, because of his prejudice, Peter probably would have been very, very hard to convince.

But the omniscient God, the One Who knows all hearts, and Who knew that Cornelius was a believer,

PROVED to the visiting Jews that Cornelius and his friends were trusting Christ as their Saviour.

Omniscience was a part of Peter’s theology and it should be a part of yours.

Never forget that the Lord knows every thought that crosses your mind.

He knows if you’re an hypocrite or a true believer.

He knows how envious and jealous and angry you sometimes get, even though others may not know.

He knows if there is lust in your heart, and He knows what kind it is.

He knows your heart, and He knows the hearts of those who may hate you.

The omniscience of God can be blessing or it can be a curse, depending on your spiritual condition.

But whether or not God’s omniscience is a part of your accepted theology, IT IS one of His divine attributes

Peter’s Theology also included the ministry of the HOLY SPIRIT.

“Ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us,

That the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.

And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us.”

If someone asked you whether or not you were a TRINITARIAN or a UNITARIAN how would you answer?

That is a misleading question because it suggests that Trinitarian and Unitarian are opposites, and in some ways they are not.

There are people who call themselves Unitarians and who claim to be Christian, but who deny the deity of Christ and the personality of the Holy Spirit.

Those people are NOT Christians, because –

“Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God.

He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.”

To deny the deity of Christ is deny the doctrine of Christ and the doctrines ABOUT Christ.

The faith of those people is similar to the Muslim and the Jews, and that makes them non-Christian.

But the fact of the matter is that there is a sense in which I am a unitarian and so, I believe, are you.

A unitarian is someone who believes that there is but one God, and that is what the Bible teaches.

However, the Bible also teaches the deity of Christ and of the Holy Spirit.

There is one God, but He exists in a Trinity, a tri-unity.

It is quite clear that JESUS CHRIST is the Son of God, and that He possesses all the attributes of deity.

Jesus is the Creator and the Sustainer of heaven and earth.

None can forgive sins but God only since all sin is against God, and yet Jesus Christ is the Forgiver of sin.

Just like God the Father, the Lord Jesus is omniscient.

In John 2 we read: “But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,

And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.”

Just about everything that could be said about God the father, could be said about the Lord Jesus.

And what is more, THE HOLY SPIRIT is divine as well; He is God.

Peter believed in the deity of the Holy Spirit as we saw in Acts 5.

This came out during the problems with Ananias and his wife Sapphira.

“Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.”

When two things are equal to the same thing, they must also be equal to each other.

When Peter said that these two lied to the Holy Spirit and that they lied to God,

The way that he said it proved that to lie to the Spirit is to lie to God.

And not only that, as soon as they were charged with lying to God the Holy Spirit, God the Holy Spirit claimed their souls and they instantly died.

Peter believed in the deity and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

But here in Acts 15 he referred to the manifestation of the power of the Spirit in more positive ways.

Upon the new Gentile believers in Christ came a manifestation of the power of the Holy Spirit.

Peter couldn’t deny what the Holy Spirit did that day.

Another part of the Theology of Peter was that Christianity demands A PURIFIED HEART.

It is impossible for any dyed-in-the-wool religionist to prove from the Bible that Christianity is nothing more than a name on a church membership list.

Bible Christianity is not a baptismal certificate or perfect attendance ribbon for Sunday School attendance.

It’s not passing a test at the end of a semester of religious classes or reciting a catechism.

It’s not perfectly quoting a hundred scriptures, or flawlessly practicing Biblical morality.

What Paul was doing among the Galatians, and what Peter was doing in Jerusalem, was leading sinners to the place where they saw the need for NEW HEARTS – PURIFIED HEARTS.

In Acts 8 Peter confronted a fraud and hypocrite with the same name as his.

“And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,

Saying, Give me this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.

But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.

Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for THY HEART IS NOT RIGHT in the sight of God.

Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.

For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.”

Peter said that the problem that Simon Magus had was a sin-corrupted heart.

It is a problem that is universal.

In Matthew 15 some Pharisees where complaining that the disciples didn’t ceremonially wash before eating.

I know that there are a lot of people who CEREMONIALLY wash their hands before eating who should wash with real soap and real scrubbing.

But the Pharisees were more concerned with the ceremonial washings, which the disciples didn’t practice.

The Lord “said unto them, Hear, and understand:

Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?

But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; & they defile man.

For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.”

In the sermon on the mount the Lord Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”

From where does this pure heart come?

The point that the Lord was making was that no man can of himself change his heart from wicked to pure.

“Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?

Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.”

Heart-changing is the work of God and God alone Who created that heart in the first place.

That which is born of the flesh, is flesh, and is therefore corrupted by sin.

But only that which is born of the Holy Spirit is spirit.

Therefore said the Lord Jesus, “Ye must be born again.”

As he said here, Peter believed that GOD PURIFIES HEARTS.

Do you possess a pure heart?

I don’t mean one that is sinlessly perfect, but one that has been touched and regenerated by God.

Do you know that you’ve been born again?

“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, & that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” – I John 5:13.

Peter believed that this blessing of a pure heart is received by GRACE and enjoyed by FAITH.

“And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost,

Even as he did unto us; and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

We believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.”

Peter was convinced by the Scriptures and the leadership of the Holy Spirit that God saves sinners by grace.

That means that He does so by unmerited, undeserved favor.

The Lord didn’t have to call or save Abraham, David or any other Hebrew or Jew, but He did save many.

And Peter knew that not only had God graciously saved people from his nation, but that God was also saving people from among the heathen.

That was precisely the message of the Apostle Paul, and every gospel preacher before or since.

And “salvation is by grace through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.”

The conclusion of the council in Jerusalem was that “ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through His name.”

It was that “whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life..”

Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, & believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”

Because of what Peter believed and because of what the Apostle Paul believed, I believe that unless YOU repent of your sins and trust Christ you are yet under the penalty of your sins.

The Bible teaches that unless you repent and believe on Christ, you will die in your sins and be justly judged for your rebellion throughout all of eternity.

You need the Saviour.

Just as Paul had the responsibility to warn the people of Galatia, I have the responsibility to exhort you to repent before God and to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Don’t cling to the religious works which the Judaizers were trying to impose on the Galatians.

Cling to Christ, trust Christ, love Christ.

Both Peter and Paul and every gospel preacher believe that salvation is by grace through faith.

Are you trusting Christ for salvation from your sin?