Grace is not free. The cost of grace is the sacrifice and suffering of Jesus on the cross.

Acts 15:1-35 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” ² And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. ³ Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren. ⁴ When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. ⁵ But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.”

⁶ The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter. ⁷ After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. ⁸ And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; ⁹ and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? ¹¹ But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

¹² All the people kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.

¹³ After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, “Brethren, listen to me. ¹⁴ Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. ¹⁵ With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written,

¹⁶ ‘After these things I will return, And I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen, And I will rebuild its ruins, And I will restore it,
¹⁷ So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,’ ¹⁸ Says the Lord, who makes these things known from long ago.

¹⁹ Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, ²⁰ but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. ²¹ For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

²² Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas—Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, ²³ and they sent this letter by them,

“The apostles and the brethren who are elders, to the brethren in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, greetings.

²⁴ “Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls, ²⁵ it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, ²⁶ men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁷ “Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will also report the same things by word of mouth. ²⁸ “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: ²⁹ that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.”

³⁰ So when they were sent away, they went down to Antioch; and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. ³¹ When they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. ³² Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message. ³³ After they had spent time there, they were sent away from the brethren in peace to those who had sent them out. ³⁴ But it seemed good to Silas to remain there. ³⁵ But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and preaching with many others also, the word of the Lord.

In today’s text, regarding the gentile believers, it says:  Some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.”  The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter.  After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe.  And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.  Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”  From that time to the present time, there is this same struggle within the church to determine how much new believers should be made to conform to the regulations of God and man. Almost every church will say to those outside, ‘come as you are.’ The unspoken message though is often, ‘if you want to stay you will have to become like us.’ In the text the conditions they arrived at were:  “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well.”

Peter’s reasoning is something that the church today should bear in mind. Again, he said:  “Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? We believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”   That we focus on grace does not mean though that we disregard righteousness. In Matthew 22:37-38 Jesus says:  “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’This is the first and great commandment.”   1 John 4:19 says:  We love, because He first loved us.  That we or any believer can love God with our whole heart, soul and mind is only a response to His love for us. John 3:16 says:  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begottenSon, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  Romans 5:8 says:  God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Ephesians 2:8 says:  By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.  Focusing on grace needs to keep in mind that salvation is a free gift from God. Grace is not free. The cost of grace is the sacrifice and suffering of Jesus on the cross. That is the price He paid because of love. That is why we can love.

In John 14:15;21;23-24  Jesus says:  “If you love Me, keep My commandments… “If you love Me, keep My commandments…  “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him,and We will come to him and make Our home with him.He who does not love Me does not keep My words; andthe word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.”  If we encourage believers to love God with their whole heart, soul and mind, it is necessary for them to know what Jesus commanded. In Matthew 5:17-19 Jesus says:  “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”   God’s commandments were not intended to place a burden on His people. They were meant for our good and for our protection. In fulfilling the law, Jesus did not do away with the wisdom of avoiding the things that can harm us. He paid the price, suffered the consequences of our sin for us. He died so that we could live. If we love Him, we will keep His commandments, not out of obligation to the law, but in response to His grace.

All who believe, receive the same Spirit. Galatians 5:16-25 says:  Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.   Amen.

Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit. Amen.