In the 1st century church, a debate ensued bordering on how sinners are saved. There were two sides to the debate. One party, the Pharisee party posited that “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” (v.1). Others, including Paul, Barnabas, Peter and the other apostles insisted “we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus” (v.11). This presents us with two positions on how sinners are saved: works and grace.
The matter ended up in Jerusalem, what is called the Jerusalem council.
Paul and Barnabas and d some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to e the apostles and the elders about this question (v.2).
And after a long debate, Peter stood up and said: “why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? (v.10). In these words, Peter points the inability of the law to save. It is a yoke; an unbearable burden. No one can keep the law for salvation because then the whole law must be kept without breaking one:
For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it (James 2:10).
Who in this world is up to that task? Peter admits generation past and their own generation couldn’t bear this yoke. Then he draws a conclusion to end the debate: “we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”(v.11) (Emphasis mine).
Note the use of “we” and “they” in Peter’s conclusion. It refers to Jews and Gentiles respectively signaling that all, whether Jew, Greek or Gentile are saved by grace alone through Faith alone. Anything apart from this, is, as Peter said, “putting God to the test”. That is putting aside his established rule of salvation to establish our own.
Peter’s conclusion is the Christian position that sinners are saved by grace through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8). Anything apart from this is not the Christian position and unbiblical.
Grace and Truth 