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Acts 11:1-18: "Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, 3 ‘You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.' 4 But Peter began and explained it to them in order: 5 ‘I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. 6 Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. 7 And I heard a voice saying to me, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." 8 But I said, "By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth." 9 But the voice answered a second time from heaven, "What God has made clean, do not call common." 10 This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. 11 And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. 12 And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. 13 And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, "Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; 14 he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household." 15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, "John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." 17 If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?' 18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, ‘Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.'"

INTRODUCTION

Last week we looked at the incredible story of the welcoming of Cornelius and his household into the family of God. The continued advancement of the Gospel at this time was unheard of. The culture was fragmented and separated by numerous factors working to split up and segregate various groups.

Historians tell us that until Christianity, religion always divided people. Religions were always geared towards a particular region, race, or socio-economic class. If you lived in the mountains you worshipped the mountain god; if you lived by the ocean you worshipped the ocean god, etc. Religions had to do with regions. Also, they were often race specific. If you wanted to be a Jew, you essentially swore off your race and participated in the customs of the Jews. Religions were also class specific. Many of the different religions in Roman or Greek society were enjoyed and cultivated by specific classes of people.

What was so baffling about Christianity was its inclusive nature. Until Christianity came along, these various beliefs and religions were incredibly divisive and exclusive to race, class, education, and geography. Christianity broke on the scene and took royalty and slaves and enrolled them side-by-side as brothers and sisters. This pre-Christian attitude also divided genders since these other religions viewed women as second-class citizens. Yet here came Christianity which called women to learn and live as partners in the progress of the Gospel. Women were given back their high value by being shown that they are equal in value and worth because they are equal image bearers of God. This scandalized many racial groups which had to rethink their view of women when the Gospel broke into their lives. They had to repent of their mistreatment and low view of women and began to treat them with great value and dignity which was previously unheard of. Christianity was incredibly inclusive as it bound all these various groups together in Christ by grace.

This powerful early witness of the Gospel was explained by Tertullian in AD 130. Tertullian writes:

The Epistle to Diognetus, c. AD 130

"For the Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country, nor language, nor the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by any singularity. The course of conduct which they follow has not been devised by any speculation or deliberation of inquisitive men; nor do they, like some, proclaim themselves the advocates of any merely human doctrines. But, inhabiting Greek as well as barbarian cities, according as the lot of each of them has determined and following the customs of the natives in respect to clothing, food, and the rest of their ordinary conduct, they display to us their wonderful and confessedly striking method of life.
"They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others and yet suffer all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all others; they beget children; but they do not destroy their babies. They share their table with all, but not their bed with all. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their exemplary lives. They love all men and yet are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death and restored to life. They are poor yet make many rich; they are in lack of all things and yet abound in all; they are dishonored and yet in their very dishonor are glorified. They are evil spoken of and yet are justified; they are reviled and bless; they are insulted and repay the insult with honor; they do good yet are punished as evildoers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life; they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred. To sum it all up in one word-what the soul is to the body, that are Christians in the world."

Looking at this, it would be easy to assume that the Church understood this from the beginning and didn't struggle much with including people. This is simply not so. When the Gospel broke onto the scene it had to reorient the thinking and attitudes of every new Christian that had been welcomed by God into a new family.

Modern Tolerance

Today, our culture teaches us that the only way to live and work together with people whose beliefs are different than ours is to be tolerant.

We are told, "Our only hope is to agree that nobody has the right religion, right values, or the right to tell us what to believe."

This opinion, of course, betrays its own principle because it attempts to tell us what religion to believe (that all roads lead to whatever place you want), what values to hold (that all values are equal and right), and it does so while exercising its right to tell us what to believe.

This form of tolerance has become a new way to exclude people.

Today, if you speak publicly about the truth of what you believe you are denounced as intolerant or even engaging in hate speech. Can we honestly call this a leap forward from intolerance to tolerance? No, those in our society who were once excluded now have the power to exclude others.

The Gospel shows us there is a better way than this cycle of might makes right.

The inclusively exclusive nature of the Gospel is a powerful remedy for the separation and distance we feel from one another.

The early Church and leaders had to struggle through what the Gospel meant to draw out the implications of a God that welcomed all comers to the family, not based upon their credentials, past sins, present accomplishments, family history, but upon His grace alone found only in Christ.

Let's look at how the Church worked this out.

STUDY

This is a recapitulation of the story for a different audience as Peter defends his actions with the Jerusalem church.

Usually when an event is repeated, it is a mark of significance. The story of Cornelius is told again because the word of the inclusion of the Gentiles has spread to Jerusalem before Peter arrived.

Unlike Israel before her, the Church wouldn't fail to act as a channel of God's grace and forgiveness to the world.

Verses 1-3: "Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, 3 ‘You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.'"

The Problem

The circumcision party was made up of individuals who believed the only way to become a Christian was to first become a Jew. In Acts 15:5 at the Jerusalem council, they argued that no one could become a Christian until he was first circumcised. And you thought baptism was intense! These legalists didn't want to accept Gentiles into the family of God. They had developed a sense of their rightness based upon a very separatist attitude. To them, Gentiles were the dirty unclean of their day, worse than dogs.

They had missed the entire point of Abraham being chosen and blessed. In Genesis 12:3 we're told that Abraham was blessed in order that God would be a blessing to others. God promised to bring in all nations through Abraham's seed.

Israel was to act as a light to the nations and failed. Jesus comes to fulfill what Israel was called to do.

Their loss of identity as the sent people of God on mission caused tremendous pain and sorrow for Israel. When a loss of identity and mission occurs it is replaced by either an abandonment of truth, or truth taken too far. So far that it creates stupid man rules that crushes people instead of welcomes them in.

They forgot that God was always about welcoming in others by grace. God promised the Gospel to Adam and Eve at the fall. God welcomed Noah in by grace. God chose Abraham by grace. It wasn't their accomplishment, but His grace that brought them to Him.

At the time of Peter's experience, these stupid man rules had fully blossomed into a crushing weight.

Think about it. In verses 2 and 3 we see the circumcision party of the Jerusalem fellowship is shocked that Peter would eat with the Gentiles. Even though they already had heard that the Gentiles had already received the Word, what they were most concerned with was that Peter ate with them.

Now, I don't want to downplay the significance of eating with the unclean in their thinking. Because they thought clean and unclean was primarily an outward issue, their concern is that Peter just became defiled.

But isn't this ridiculous? Instead of falling on their knees in amazement that God's grace had spread and the Gentiles had "received the word," they were sidetracked by this other issue of eating together.

To them it was fine if they wanted Jesus to be their Lord and Savior, but to accept them into fellowship as equals was to topple their idol of accomplishment. To claim Gentiles were just as acceptable before God as they were was too much for them.

They came to Christ from their Judaism directly, yet because of a misunderstanding of the Gospel they wanted others to come through their religious, national, and even social customs before getting to Christ.

Stupid man rules always produce pride and racism. It has to. Consider the story of the paralytic at the pool by the sheep gate in the Gospel of John. This man was paralyzed for 38 years. He was well known and yet no one would come and put him in the water to be healed. Jesus seeks him out since the man is not looking for Him and Jesus tells him to "get up, take up his bed and walk" (John 5:8). It was the Sabbath and the Jews confronted the man and asked him who it was that told him to take up his bed? Did they care about the fact that God healed a man on the Sabbath or that he was breaking one of their stupid man rules? This rule was instituted by the Rabbis who tried to figure out what constituted "working" on the Sabbath. You couldn't even carry a pin in your pocket or else you'd be considered working.

Stupid men love stupid man laws because they make you feel holy.

I would argue, however, that this wasn't just a struggle for the circumcision party, but a struggle for the Church to include outsiders. Even the early church leader Peter struggled not only during his vision and of course his visit to Cornelius' house, but after this experience about 14 years later we hear of him struggling again.

Galatians 2:11-14: "But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, ‘If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?'"

Here the Christian movement has been around for 14 or so years. Peter has had many experiences, notwithstanding the experience of Cornelius as God's welcome to the Gentiles as well as the criticism he received from the circumcision party. Yet Peter is still struggling with working out the implications of the Gospel.

This shows us that on one hand we can hear and receive the Gospel and yet on the other hand still be in the process of working out its implications in every area of our lives. The Gospel isn't just the answer to your spiritual problem, it's the answer to every practical problem in your life. Sexuality, racism, pride, fear, anger, bitterness, betrayal, suffering, are all to be connected to the Gospel as you draw out its truth in your life. Paul doesn't call Peter to the Law but to remember the Gospel, to walk "in step" with it.

The problem with Peter was that he was already acting under the Law which was what caused his racism. He wanted to be approved and thought by pulling away form the Gentiles, James' disciples would approve him and think more highly of him.

The Solution

Healing Racism with the Gospel

1. The "Moralizing" Approach.
Basic analysis: Your problem is that you are doing wrong. Repent!

This focuses on behavior, but doesn't go deep enough. We must find out the why of our behavior. Why do I find I want to do the wrong things? What inordinate desires are drawing me to do so? What are the idols and false beliefs behind them? To simply tell an unhappy person (or yourself) to, "repent and change behavior," is insufficient, because the lack of self-control is coming from a belief that says, "even if you live up to moral standards, but you don't have this (value from race/culture), then you are still a failure." You must replace this belief through repentance for the one sin under it all, your particular idolatry.

2. The "Psychologizing" Approach.
Basic analysis: Your problem is that you don't see that God loves you as you are. Rejoice!

This focuses on feelings, which seem to be "deeper" than behavior, but it also fails to go deep enough. We must also find out the why of our feelings. Why do I have such strong feelings of despair (or fear, or anger) when this or that happens? What are the inordinate desires that are being frustrated? What are the idols and false beliefs behind them? To simply tell an unhappy person (or yourself), "God loves you, rejoice!" is insufficient, because the unhappiness is coming from a belief that says, "even if God loves you, but you don't have this, then you are still a failure." You must replace this belief through repentance for the one sin under it all, your particular idolatry.

3. The "Gospel" Approach.
Basic Analysis: Your problem is that you are looking to something besides Christ for your happiness. Repent and rejoice!

The Gospel confronts a person (like Peter) with the real sin under the sin. Our problem is that we have given ourselves over to idols. Every idol-system is a way of our-works-salvation, and thus it keeps us "under the law." Paul tells us that the bondage of sin is broken when we come out from under the law-when we begin to believe the Gospel of Christ's-work-salvation. Only when we realize in a new way that we are righteous in Christ will the idol's power over us be broken. "Sin shall not be your master for you are not under law, but under grace" (Rom.6:14). You will only be "under grace" and free from the controlling effects of idols to the degree that you have both: (1) repented for your idols, and (2) rested and rejoiced in the saving work and love of Christ instead.

This is really important to understand. Paul's view of racism is unique in that he doesn't just tell Peter that racism is a sin and it is breaking the rules (though it is). He confronts Peter with the Gospel to show his error is not only outward, but it is more importantly a spiritual, heart issue.

This is an excellent principle for us, because without the Gospel as the standard and the knowledge of its significance in each situation, we are left without any ability to change. There is no hope if the Gospel is not the standard to correct us. Paul tells Peter that his racism which causes him to "draw back" and act hypocritically is a resistance to the Gospel of salvation by grace alone.

This racism came to the surface in Peter, and rises in our own hearts, because we are still opposing grace and are attempting to find ways to justify ourselves. Racism is nothing more than attempting to find a way to feel cleaner than others. Peter did this by making many of his cultural and traditional norms an absolute standard. He idolized his culture and it became a more important standard than the Gospel. Like Peter, each of us does this in varying ways in our own day. We all try at some point to use our culture, race, or nationality to feel superior to others.

This kind of Gospel analysis of racism shows us that whether you are a racial majority or minority, you can both forget the Gospel and put your pride in justifying yourself through your race. The dominant group thinks it's superior to the minority race. And the minority race can act superior by holding on to the fact they have suffered more than the majority race, and they are not oppressors like the others.

Yet, in this conformation and opposition to Peter, Paul was still trying to bring him back in line with the truth of the Gospel. Paul didn't fight legalistic pressure with more legalistic guilt. He didn't simply tell Peter to stop sinning, or stop being a racist. He could have, and he would have been absolutely correct. Peter did need to repent of his racism, but the only way we can give advice that would compel another Christian to repent of this kind of sin is to show them that they need to repent of forgetting that they have been saved by grace and welcomed by God based not upon their skin color, race, or nationality, but purely by God's grace alone. Paul didn't simply target Peter's behavior, but the sin of self-righteousness behind his racism.

By opposing Peter in this way, Paul was motivating and urging Peter to see that his value and dignity didn't come from external culture, but through Christ's righteousness. This is how we should confront our brothers and sisters who are in sin. We need to point to the depth and riches of Christ's love for them, so that they stop trying to get it from their sinful actions. This takes more courage, and it takes more humility, but the results are more profound. If you attempt to motivate and change someone by threatening them with the law alone, you will not only feel superior to them, you will not be acting as if you are for them. By using the Gospel of grace to confront, we can speak directly and truthfully, and if the other is humble enough to receive the counsel, they will feel that we are on their side. Peter was gripped with fear, and what he didn't need was more fear motivation from Paul. He was not only acting like a racist and hypocrite, he was acting like a coward. Had Paul only addressed him by the law, his fear and cowardice would have not been dealt with. How much we have to learn about the Gospel so that we can lovingly confront each other in this way. How incredible would this community be if it were motivated by the Gospel to give loving rebukes based upon grace and humility and not guilt? This would free us to have the courage to confront, yet humble us because we know all along we are one of them, we are sinners saved by grace, too.

Grace is Jesus plus nothing!

The most biblically literate men didn't understand the Bible! The Bible is all about the Gospel (Luke 24), but law keeping for salvation makes our hearts hard and our minds dull to the Gospel.

How does Peter respond to their criticism? He tells them the Gospel story and His experience.

Verses 4-16: "But Peter began and explained it to them in order: 5 ‘I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. 6 Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. 7 And I heard a voice saying to me, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." 8 But I said, "By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth." 9 But the voice answered a second time from heaven, "What God has made clean, do not call common." 10 This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. 11 And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. 12 And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. 13 And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, "Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; 14 he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household." 15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, "John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."'"

This wasn't just some abstract story; it was Peter's story as well. Peter was learning the Gospel and coming to a clearer understanding of it. Peter in was in some ways giving his own testimony of how the Gospel was teaching him of God's grace to outsiders.

Peter reminds these men of the Word of the Lord (v. 16). Peter realized that the greatest Prophet, Jesus, had told them that the Spirit was going to go out and they were to make disciples of all nations.

Until they realized that God granted repentance, they would never welcome others in.

God gave us a gift (v. 17), not a deserved wage of the Spirit based upon our work. It was all a gift. None of us can boast in God's Spirit and favor since we are all beggars to whom the "Bread of Life" has given Himself. We'll always need His grace so we are always dependent upon Him, and therefore we are always going to be beggars who can only receive.

Beggars don't boast in their accomplishments. A worker can boast, but not a beggar. When we boast in ourselves we always look down at others. This is how we look at beggars in our own time. We look down on them because we don't see that we are just like them. Without Christ, we are all without resources and hopeless. We are all homeless and without rest. But in Christ we are shown that we are in continual need and therefore we identify with beggars on the street because it shows us our dependency on Him.

To not welcome others in is to stand in God's way (v. 17).

What will turn a racist into a lover of Christ and others? V. 18 tells us:

Verse 18: "When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, ‘Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.'"

They were silenced but they glorified God because God graciously has granted repentance, a turning of oneself which leads to life.

Idolatry begs us to compare ourselves amongst ourselves. It causes us to be boastful and disdain others who aren't as "spiritual" or "moral" as we are.

We see this in 1 Cor. 8 that some would not eat meat which had an incantation and was sacrificed to idols. Yet as much as they were attempting to be holy and shun idols, they were feeding the idols of their own heart. It's easy to steer clear of outward idols, but it is much harder to see the inward false lovers of our hearts.

When we exclude people, we are doing the same. We are feeding our own internal idols all for the purpose of "staying clean" from the outsiders.

So what kind of tolerance are we looking for? World tolerance refuses to evaluate others and doesn't want to be inconvenienced with how someone lives or thinks.
Gospel tolerance will evaluate others but also allows others to inconvenience you with how they live and think.

It is far more inclusive than the liberal can bear and far more truthful than the legalist can bear. It is something other.

And if you build your identity firmly upon what Jesus has done for you, rather than what you have done for Him, you will become far better than tolerant. You will be able to disagree with others who are different than you and yet do so without an attitude, without having to defend yourself, and without ill will, or the need to exercise power and superiority.

You'll be able to disagree in love, respect, and with great courage and humility.

Racism and intolerance is not "in step" with the Gospel of grace. It denies grace vs. works because racism is a form of works-righteousness.

We are built to worship God alone and we can't when we're still ashamed and sewing together our own fig leaves of righteousness. We try to find ways to justify ourselves before God so that we'll feel acceptable. One of the strongest ways to do this is to put others down so we fell superior.