Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible Recap.

Before we popped over to the book of Jacob slash James, Paul and Barnabas had just arrived back from their first missionary journey in the church at Antioch was celebrating with

them. They've been there for a while, and today some guys from Jerusalem show up for a teaching

trip. And guess what they're teaching? Circumcision. They start all the drama back up again,

saying people have to convert to Judaism in order to convert to Christianity. Paul and Barnabas

pushed back. They've already been down this road about a decade

earlier. They make a trip back to Jerusalem in hopes of dealing with it once and for all. When they

arrive, we find out who is behind this circumcision requirement, the Pharisees. These are believers

who are Pharisees, though, according to 15-5, people who have the Holy Spirit. Isn't it his job to teach us and help us reach unity?

Yes, he totally does that. But like with most things, change happens slowly, not immediately.

It's often when we look back over the course of years that we see the fruit. By the way,

Paul is a Pharisee too, but he obviously disagrees with this Pharisee in Jerusalem.

While they're debating this, Peter says,

Hey, remember when this all started?

Remember how God used a Jew like me to preach to the Gentiles?

Remember how those uncircumcised people received the Holy Spirit in a way that was so obvious

and evident that none of us could deny it?

It's clear that God doesn't make a distinction

between Jew and Gentile. He knows all hearts and he cleanses the Gentile's hearts too. By saying

he requires them to be circumcised, you're doing two very foolish things. You're heaping a burden on

them that none of us have been able to bear anyway, and you're also testing God because he's made himself clear.

Knock it off. All who are saved are saved through his grace alone, not by keeping the law.

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