Acts 15:5-11 :

But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”

The apostles and the elders were gathered together to see about this matter. When there had been much discussion, Peter rose up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that a good while ago God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the nations should hear the word of the Good News, and believe. God, who knows the heart, testified about them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just like he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Now therefore why do you tempt God, that you should put a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they are.”

Here we see that some “of the Pharisees who believed” thought that Christians had to become Jews and follow “the law of Moses”. Many today are saying the exact same thing. The question remains, “How do you deal with this passage?”

It is unmistakable that Peter believed that the Law of Moses, even for a Christian is a “yoke on the neck” that no one has ever been able to bear. He also says that “we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus.” Notice that it isn’t law that saves us but faith. Notice also that the Holy Spirit is a clear sign of God’s intent in the matter.

Without any question it is obvious that not only is the Law not good for saving a person, but it cannot be imposed on a Christian who is saved either! This subject is taken up at length by Paul in many of his books of the Bible. Two of them that are very specific on the topic are the books of Romans and Galatians. It is alarming to me that so many believers continue to be deceived and persuaded by the “Pharisees” of today who say that they must follow the law as a Christian. Consider how wrong it would be to just throw a part of the Bible away like this part. Does the law say you can do that?

We need to pay close attention to the fact that faith is what we need to pursue in our new life as believers, not law, and there we will find the grace of God.