Barnabas: A Beloved Ambassador
Acts 15:1-35
Have you noticed that life is full of “uh oh’s?” Life seems awesome, but then there’s a problem. Sometimes a bountiful blessing is followed by an awful testing. Life just seems to be flowing along like a placid stream, and then you hear the roar of the rapids. That’s an “uh oh” moment.
Those who go canoeing or kayaking speak of what it’s like to “shoot the rapids” (meaning to safely go through the turbulent whitewater ahead). When I was a youth pastor, we took our youth group canoeing on the Nantahala River in North Carolina. At one point near the end of the day, our guide asked us to pull all the canoes up to the beach. Then she asked all of those who were steering the canoes to follow her. We climbed up to the top of a tall bluff to look at the river ahead. And sure enough, there they were. Around a very large bend in the river, there were whitewater rapids, splashing around the jagged rocks. Our guide showed us all how to safely guide our passengers through the troubled waters ahead. And we made it! All of our canoes made it through the rapids safely. Now wouldn’t it be great if we could do that with the rest of our life? What if we could beach the boat, climb the bluff and survey the rapids ahead? That would be great, but there’s something even better. What if each of us could become an expert guide to help others “shoot the rapids?” Wouldn’t that be terrific? If this idea is interesting to you, then you’ve come to the right text of Scripture: Acts chapter 15. Acts 15 stands at the center of the Book of Acts, connecting the Great Commission to the Jews and Gentiles. The question was this: How were the Gentiles to be received into fellowship? Did they need to become Jewish proselytes?
James, the pastor at Jerusalem, wrote a letter to the churches in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. According to Acts 15:25, the assembly purposed “to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul.” He wrote, “send chosen men unto you” in the sense of ambassadors or messengers. He said “our” in the sense of “family” – true brothers in Christ. He said “beloved” because they had embraced God’s love; they had demonstrated that they loved God and loved their neighbors, both Jews and Gentiles. The church at Jerusalem sent those men to the churches in order to help them go through the troubles ahead. So Barnabas was one of the beloved ambassadors. Would you like to be like Barnabas, the beloved ambassador? He was like a guide to show people how to “shoot the rapids” ahead. Now you might be saying to yourself, “That was then, this is now. That doesn’t really apply to me.” To answer that objection, take the time to read through 2 Corinthians chapter 5 this week. As you read, notice how frequently the word “we” occurs, and while you are at it, notice the word “our.”[i] As the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, he did not speak in terms of “I” and “my” but “we” and “our.” So it really catches our attention when Paul wrote,
“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)
As an ambassador for Christ, you can speak to people on His behalf, using His very words. You can alert them to the dangers ahead. You can appeal for them to embrace the peace which God has offered through His Son, the Prince of Peace. He who knew no sin was made to be sin for us, nailed to that devastating cross at Calvary. He died that death and rose triumphantly for repentant sinners to be made the righteousness of God in Him. And each humbled adversary who trusts Christ’s finished work is transformed into a royal ambassador! So let’s call our service a meeting of ambassadors today. Each one of us wants to know how to help others face the troubles ahead. Throughout this series, we have learned to love and appreciate Barnabas. The Scriptures have shown us his sacrifice, his caring manner, and his boldness as a Gospel preacher. Barnabas was a brother who came alongside his brothers and sisters and encouraged them with comfort from Christ. A selfless servant-leader, he helped others learn how to succeed. It’s no surprise then to find that James referred to the team as “our beloved Barnabas and Paul.” And each one us could be like Barnabas, a beloved ambassador.
Today’s text breaks down naturally around two important concepts: fellowship and falsehood. How should we respond to opportunities for fellowship? How should we oppose falsehood?
You can see the concept of fellowship in verses such as
- Acts 14:28, “And there they abode long time with the disciples.”
- Acts 15:3 “They caused great joy unto all the brethren”
- Acts 15:4, “They were received by the church”
- Acts 15:30-31 They gathered the multitude together, rejoicing, exhorting
You can see the concept of falsehood in verses such as
- Acts 15:1, 5-7 The error of the Judaizers and resulting debates
- Acts 15:10 Putting God to the test, putting a manmade yoke on believers
- Acts 15:18, 19 Troubling believers
- Acts 15:24 “Troubled you with words,” “subverting your souls”
In Acts 15 we can see the pattern of how beloved ambassadors respond: continuing in fellowship and confronting falsehood. As you can see from the list above, these two are not two divisions of the chapter, but they are intertwined in the history of the church. And so it will ever be until the Lord returns: tremendous fellowship followed by troubling falsehoods, followed by tremendous fellowship, etc. So let’s learn how to be ambassadors like Barnabas.
CONFRONTING FALSEHOOD
In this chapter, the trouble begins with the false teaching in verse 1: “And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except [unless] ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.” Who were these men? A little later in the story, the Jerusalem letter stated about these men “Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment” (v. 24). These particular false teachers did not deny the Gospel outright, they just maintained that it was incomplete. Coming from their Jewish background with all its sensibilities, these Jewish teachers were insisting that the Gentiles had to become more Jewish.
When Peter returned from Caesarea, reporting the conversion of the Gentiles, “the circumcision party” confronted him (Acts 11:2). Apparently, they were arguing that a Gentile had to become part of the Jewish covenant community. At issue was not the observance of the moral law (the 10 commandments), but the observance of the ritual laws (such as circumcision, food preparation, etc.). According to verse 5, these people had placed their faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah. But just because someone is a believer, does that mean that their Scriptural teaching will be true? Of course not. The Pharisee party accused the apostles and elders of preaching an incomplete Gospel. So it is no surprise that verse 2 records:
“When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them . . .” Paul and Barnabas understood what was at stake. So these beloved ambassadors were willing to debate the issue with fervency. Why did godly leaders confront this falsehood so vehemently?
- Their teaching about salvation was in error.
- Their teaching was troubling God’s people.
J.C. Ryle wrote, “Divisions and separations in religion, are most objectionable. They weaken the cause of true Christianity. They give occasion to the enemies of all godliness to blaspheme. But before we blame people for them, we must be careful that we lay the blame where it is deserved. False doctrine and heresy are even worse than schism. If people separate themselves from teaching which is positively false and unscriptural, they ought to be praised rather than reproved. In such cases separation is a virtue—and not a sin.”[ii]
Across the centuries, there have been many false teachings that attempted to add things to the Gospel.
Evangelist George Whitefield confronted such error among the Anglicans. Responding to the Bishop of London, Whitefield had compared the Church of England to a leaky ship.
“For is it not too evident that she is not only leaky, but really sinking when several of the Right Reverend the Bishops . . . can openly plead for works being a condition of our justification in the sight of God? This was the particular charge my Lord of London gave his clergy in his pastoral letter ‘So to explain the doctrine of justification by faith alone, as not to exclude good works from being a condition of our justification.’ Was [were] the great apostle of the Gentiles now living what anathema’s would he pronounce against such Judaizing doctrine? Was Luther on earth, how would he thunder against such a charge? . . . This is the great fundamental point in which we differ from the church of Rome.”[iii] Remember what the Apostle Peter said in Acts 15:8-9?
“And God, which knows the hearts, bore them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even asHe did unto us; and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.”
Peter did not say “faith plus something.” He said “purifying their hearts by faith.”
According to the Roman Catholic Council of Trent (1545-1563) Canon 9: “If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema.”[iv] Fifteen hundred years after Peter, the Roman Catholic church denied what Peter proclaimed in Acts 15:8-9.
This issue is still alive today. Instead of choosing to be beloved ambassadors like Barnabas and Paul, some professing Christian leaders refuse to challenge error. Rather than highlight and confront the Roman Catholic error, men like J.I. Packer and Charles Colson signed the “Evangelicals and Catholics Together” statement in 1994.[v] Part of the problem with the ECT statement is “It avoids any indication that behind the agreed words [“justified by grace”] lies a very major difference. The Catholic certainly believes in justifying grace. It is first received through baptism, and subsequently sustained by good works, including faith, confession, penance and the ongoing reception of Christ in the Mass.”[vi]
Now the question for each beloved ambassador is this: Will we compromise with the error or confront it? Remember this issue is alive and well – right near your doorstep.
- Do you see the problem with this statement? “The Bible and Lutherans teach that baptism is a holy act. It is instituted by God. Using water and God’s Word it offers and gives the forgiveness of sins, spiritual life, and eternal salvation. It is meant for young and old, including children. Infants also are sinful and therefore need the spiritual rebirth.” This is a doctrinal statement from the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.[vii] In this case, water baptism is being added and/or substituted for saving faith.
- Another Lutheran synod statement puts it this way: “It is the Word of God connected with the earthly elements which makes Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper effective means through which forgiveness, life and salvation are truly offered to those who receive these sacraments.”[viii]
Some who read these words this will naturally claim that we think this is just about being Baptists. It is not; it is much more than that. We praise God for godly leaders in several denominations who have been willing to confront error, just as Paul and Barnabas did. These are people who strongly object to adding anything to the simple Gospel of Jesus Christ. For instance, men, women and churches from several denominations signed The Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel (sometimes called “The Dallas Statement”). There are those who insist that we are not preaching a complete Gospel if we don’t include social justice.[ix] But the Dallas Statement includes the following section on “The Gospel”
WE AFFIRM that the gospel is the divinely-revealed message concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ—especially his virgin birth, righteous life, substitutionary sacrifice, atoning death, and bodily resurrection—revealing who he is and what he has done with the promise that he will save anyone and everyone who turns from sin by trusting him as Lord.
WE DENY that anything else, whether works to be performed or opinions to be held, can be added to the gospel without perverting it into another gospel. This also means that implications and applications of the gospel, such as the obligation to live justly in the world, though legitimate and important in their own right, are not definitional components of the gospel.
SCRIPTURE: GENESIS 3:15; PROVERBS 29:18; ISAIAH 25:7, 60:2, 3; ROMANS 1:16-17, 10:14,15,17; 1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-11; GALATIANS 1:6-9; REVELATION 13:8”[x]
Signing this faithful statement cost at least one Baptist seminary professor his job.[xi] How we thank God for faithful believers in every denomination who are like Barnabas and Paul. They are willing to denounce any additions to the simple Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank God for these who are willing to watch for the wolves who rise up in the churches, and confront them (Acts 20:29-31).
What are the characteristics of beloved ambassadors?
- They are willing to debate those who try to make additions to the simple Gospel of Christ. 15:2, 24
- They are willing to humbly seek Biblical counsel about truth and error. 15:3
- They are willing to patiently hear out the issues involved in order to make Scriptural determinations. 15:4-7
- They are willing to testify about God’s magnificent saving work through the simple Gospel of Christ. 15:7-12
- They are willing to enter into Scriptural agreement with likeminded men in order to honor God. 15:25
- They are willing to minister to others with a Scriptural understanding of sound doctrine. 15:30
Now from the stalwart confrontations listed above, we might get the wrong impression. After all, if these people entered into debate, then they must have been obnoxious, right? Does the Bible depict these men as those who were always spoiling for a fight? Did they relish arguments and disputations? No, the text of Acts 15 shows us what really motivated them. The false teachers were “killjoys.” These beloved ambassadors confronted those false teachers who were killing the joy of God’s people.
CONTINUING IN FELLOWSHIP
Beloved ambassadors like Barnabas and Paul love Christian fellowship. They don’t take dominion over your faith – they are helpers of your joy! (See 2 Corinthians 1:24.) If we are to be like Barnabas, a beloved ambassador, we must assist others to embrace fullness of joy.
- Beloved ambassadors continue in fellowship with God’s people Acts 14:28
- Beloved ambassadors rejoice in the fellowship of likeminded churches. Acts 15:23
- Beloved ambassadors cause great joy to the believers in these churches. Acts 15:3
- Beloved ambassadors declare the great things that God has done in and through their lives. Acts 15:4
- Beloved ambassadors work together for a Spirit-led unity around sound, Biblical doctrine. Acts 15:25, 28
- Beloved ambassadors are willing to risk their lives for the cause of Christ. Acts 15:25-26
- Beloved ambassadors cause believers to rejoice in their comfort through the simple Gospel of Christ. 15:31.
What was the result of their ministry? When they returned, “. . . they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle: which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation” (Acts 15:30-31). Have you “rejoiced for the consolation?” Have you delighted in the simple Gospel message of Jesus Christ? He is the Lamb who was slain for the sins of mankind. Will you refuse to give Him glory for what He has done? Will you deny His saving work by insisting that there must be more to it? Or will you humbly receive Him and “rejoice for the consolation” – delighting in the comfort that Christ alone can give?
Would you be willing to be a guide others on this river that we call “life?” Would you be willing to be like Barnabas, the beloved ambassador? My friend, you could be a cause of great joy as you tell them about the magnificent saving work of Jesus.
The shepherds in Bethlehem will never forget what happened that night the angels appeared. “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people” (Luke 2:10). When the Jerusalem letter was read in Antioch, they rejoiced in the consolation which shall be to all people. And even today, we can proclaim, “Joy to the World!”
Bible Doctrines
The doctrine of salvation by grace, especially justification
The Gospel, the finished work of Jesus Christ
Pastor Gordon Dickson, Calvary Baptist Church, Findlay, Ohio www.cbcfindlay.org
[i] The word “we” occurs 30 times! “Our” can be found 8 times.
[ii] J.C. Ryle, Warnings to the Churches, Monergism Books p. 78 accessed at https://www.monergism.com/blog/warnings-churches-ebook . J.C. Ryle was an evangelical Anglican bishop who ministered during the 1800’s.
[iii] The Works of the Rev. George Whitefield, Edinburgh: Dilly, 1771, p.115-116
[iv] Matt Slick, Council of Trent: Canons on Justification, CARM, accessed at https://carm.org/catholic/council-trent-canons-justification
[v] For an analysis of the serious errors of the ECT, see John MacArthur, “Evangelicals and Catholics Together” adapted from the Master’s Seminary Journal Volume 6 (6:7-37). Accessed at https://www.gty.org/library/articles/A149/evangelicals-and-catholics-together
[vi] Ian Murray, Evangelicalism Divided, A Record of Crucial Change in the Years 1950-2000. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 2001, p. 227. I urge you to get a copy of this book and read it carefully. A lack of clarity about the Gospel of Jesus Christ has slowly destroyed thousands of churches across the centuries. For more information on the ECT controversy, see John MacArthur, “Evangelicals and Catholics Together” accessed at https://www.gty.org/library/articles/A149/evangelicals-and-catholics-together
[vii] Baptism. Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod accessed at https://wels.net/about-wels/what-we-believe/#toggle-id-20
[viii] The Evangelical Lutheran Synod statement on baptism under “Means of Grace.” Accessed at https://els.org/beliefs/we-believe-teach-and-confess/ Remarkably, though this synod is more Calvinistic, it still adopted the language and concepts of the Wisconsin Lutheran Synod. If baptism were essential for salvation, why would the Apostle Paul have written, “I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius!” 1 Corinthians 1:14
[ix] Bear in mind that the term “social justice” is a very broad term and that many groups insist on widely different definitions of this term.
[x] https://founders.org/2018/09/04/the-statement-on-social-justice-and-the-gospel/
[xi] “BOMBSHELL: Fired Professor’s Family Breaks Their Silence about Mohler and SBTS” Capstone Report, April 24, 2020, accessed at https://capstonereport.com/2020/04/24/bombshell-family-confirms-al-mohlers-sbts-fired-professor-for-fighting-identity-politics/34320/