The Church of God Set on the New Foundation of Liberty
Acts 11:1-18
And the apostles and brothers that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.…


I. The only stable foundation of SPIRITUAL FELLOWSHIP. Mutual confidence. Common dependence on the Spirit of God. Free speech. Entire understanding of the rule of life. Peter himself cannot be allowed to violate accepted principles without being called to account. He frankly explains and justifies his conduct. The old leaven of Judaism was at work; but the antidote was there - obedience to the Spirit.

II. The true conditions of SPIRITUAL ADVANCEMENT. The individual not despotically silenced, but called to his true place as one of the community, a member of the body, supplying his portion of new light. The standard of reference, not Peter's private Opinion, or the Church's decision after discussion, but the manifestation of the Spirit in facts and undoubted testimony. There were seven trustworthy witnesses. "Who was I, that I could withstand God?" Difference between such a revelation and these private, isolated assertions of inspiration such as Swedenborg's and others.

III. THE BREAKING DOWN OF THE "MIDDLE WALL OF PARTITION" between Jew and Gentile; glory to God. The old circumcision superseded by the new baptism. Repentance granted to all. The free gift of the Spirit. - R.



Parallel Verses
KJV: And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.

WEB: Now the apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.




The Best Testimony of the Servant of God Against Opposition and Misapprehension
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