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Daily Devotions

Ephesians

Ephesians 
Day 
Day 143

"That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel."

Text: Ephesians 3:6

ACCEPTANCE OF THE GENTILES

The apostles may have, initially, struggled with the concept of the Gentiles being received into the kingdom of God as citizens on par with the Jews. However, the following factors paved the way and enabled them to accept the place of the Gentiles. Three may be highlighted:-

1. Having been taught by the Lord Jesus personally

2. The filling of the Spirit of God (Acts 2, 4 etc)

3. The evidence presented by the apostle Peter (Acts 11)

UNCERTAINTY OF SOME

There were some who were not so ready to accept the Gentiles, unless they were made to comply with Jewish traditions. These went out of Judea proclaiming the following statement.

And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren,
‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses,
you cannot be saved.’
ACTS 15:1

What was the basis of their arguments?

1. They were unable to get out of their Jewish traditional thinking.

2. In particular, they were not able to set aside the sign of the circumcision.

3. These insisted that salvation was tied in with circumcision.

A HUGE THEOLOGICAL DEBATE

The apostle Paul and Barnabas refused to accept this new twist of doctrine. They resisted the teaching of these Jews.

Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension
and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas
and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem,
to the apostles and elders, about this question.
ACTS 15:2

1. The doctrine of salvation was at stake.

2. The place of Gentiles in God’s plan of salvation was also in question.

3. The two positions were well polarized

4. This debate must be settled at the highest possible theological level