“But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
we shall be saved, even as they.”
(Acts 15:11)
As Gentiles were converted in the early church, some Jewish Christians questioned the legitimacy of their salvation. They thought these converts must first adopt Jewish customs and submit to Mosaic ordinances before being considered Christian. But Paul, filled with apostolic clarity and boldness, rejected this distortion. The Law, he declared, was a burden none could bear, not even their own forefathers. “Why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples?” (Acts 15:10).
Paul was not condemning the Law itself, but the misuse of it as a means of salvation. “We believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they” (Acts 15:11). Grace is the common stream that flows from Christ to both Jew and Gentile. It is not our birthright, our obedience, or our law-keeping that saves. It is God’s unmerited favor, purchased by Christ and applied by faith.
The covenant of works, given to Adam, required perfect obedience. But Adam fell, and with him, all humanity. A second covenant was needed, the covenant of grace. Christ, the second Adam, fulfilled the Law and bore the penalty of sin. In Him, God reconciled the world to Himself, saving a people from every nation by grace through faith.
From Genesis to Revelation, salvation has always been the same. The covenant of grace stretches back to God’s promise in Genesis 3:15 and finds its fulfillment in Christ. Whether one lived before the cross or after, all are justified by the same righteousness—Christ’s. Hebrews 11 confirms this. The Old Testament saints, from Noah to Moses to David, believed in the promised Redeemer. “They looked for a city… whose builder and maker is God,” and by faith they received righteousness (Heb. 11:10, 7).
George Walker rightly saw the unity of this Gospel across both testaments: the covenant remains the same in substance, grounded in Christ’s obedience.[1] It is not two ways of salvation, but one. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father… yesterday, today, and forever.
How precious is this truth for us! We are not bound to fulfill the Law to gain righteousness. We are not subject to types and shadows. Christ has come, fulfilled all, and now offers salvation freely by grace. He is the testament of God’s love—the unspeakable gift—through whom all are saved alike. Thanks be to God for this mercy.
Contemplations:
- I am one with Abraham in faith. He believed the promise of the coming Seed; I believe in the Seed who came. We are united by the same grace, the same covenant, the same Christ. Let me study the Scriptures not as a divided book but as a unified testimony to one Gospel from beginning to end.
- I rejoice in the joy of Zaccheus. He ran to Christ without hesitation. He heard the call and obeyed in faith. So must I. When grace appears, I must not delay. My joy in Christ ought to be as full and immediate as his—eager, humble, and grateful. I too must come and receive Him gladly.
- I marvel at the righteousness counted to me. Just as Noah was declared righteous by faith, and Moses was saved not by Law but by promise, I too have been justified by faith in the work of Christ. There is no other way. The Law condemns, but grace saves. Christ is my righteousness.
- I give thanks that there is only one way. If salvation came by multiple paths, there would be confusion and despair. But because it comes by one Savior, one sacrifice, one Gospel, I can rest in the assurance that God’s justice is satisfied. His mercy is made known. His Son is glorified. The covenant of grace is my hope and my song.
Prayer (Thanksgiving):
O gracious and merciful Father, we lift our hearts in joyful thanks for the eternal covenant of grace, established before the foundation of the world, ratified in the blood of Christ, and applied by Your Spirit to our hearts. We thank You that salvation is not of works, nor by lineage, nor through ceremonial law, but by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
We bless You for Your wisdom, that in the fulness of time You sent forth Your Son, made under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption as sons. We thank You that both Jew and Gentile, young and old, male and female, are saved in the same way, by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. We praise You for the simplicity and power of the Gospel: that the righteousness we need has already been provided in Your Son.
Lord, we thank You that we are not crushed under the weight of a yoke we cannot bear. You have not required us to ascend the mountain of merit. Instead, You have descended to us in grace. You have revealed Your Gospel clearly. You have preserved the truth across generations, from Abraham to Paul, from the prophets to the apostles, and now to us. What we could never do, Christ has done. What we could never earn, He has freely given.
We thank You for the witness of the saints of old—Noah, Abraham, Moses, David—who trusted in the Messiah to come. We thank You for the same Spirit who caused them to hope in promises not yet fulfilled, and who now causes us to believe in promises fulfilled in Christ. We are heirs with them, part of the one body of Christ across all ages.
Thank You for the truth that our faith is not grounded in experience, effort, or works, but in the unchangeable person of the Son of God. Thank You that His obedience is perfect, His sacrifice sufficient, His resurrection glorious, and His intercession unceasing. We are accepted in the Beloved because You have chosen to make us recipients of grace.
And so, we give You thanks, not only with words but with our lives. Let this Gospel shape our thoughts, our speech, our conduct. Let our thanksgiving rise daily as we remember that we are not our own but bought with a price. Let us walk worthy of the calling we have received, knowing that Christ fulfilled the covenant for us.
Let us never boast in ourselves, but only in the cross of Christ. Let us never look for another way, but always cling to the one Way, the one Savior, the one Mediator between God and man. May our lives be a song of gratitude, and our lips ever proclaim, “Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift!”
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further References for Acts 15:11
Romans 3:24; Ephesians 2:5; Galatians 2:16; Titus 2:11; Acts 16:31; 2 Corinthians 13:14.
[1] George Walker, The Manifold Wisdom of God Seen in Covenant Theology, (Coconut Creek, FL: Puritan Publications, 2012) eBook, Chapter 7.
