Gospel Accuracy, Liberty, and Community: Finding Balance in Faith

Imagine you're watching a football game, and suddenly the ref says, "Okay, new rule—field goals are now 15 yards farther back." You'd be confused, right? Because if you change the rules, it's not really football anymore.

That's exactly the issue the early church faced in Acts 15. Some people were saying, "You have to be circumcised and follow the Mosaic Law to be saved." In other words, "Jesus + these other things = salvation."

But here's the problem: if salvation is Jesus + anything else, then it's not really grace anymore. It's something we earn. And that fundamentally changes the Gospel.

Gospel Accuracy: Getting It Right

Peter stood up in the meeting and said, "We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are" (Acts 15:11).

Notice the order: We are saved like them—not the other way around. Everyone, no matter their background, comes to God the same way: by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

The early church cared deeply about Gospel accuracy. They didn't reshape the Gospel to fit their preferences—they let the Gospel reshape them according to God's truth. They grounded their beliefs in Scripture, not in their feelings or cultural norms.

So here's the question for us: Is your faith grounded in Scripture, or in what feels right to you? We don't get to be our own source of truth and follow Jesus at the same time.

Gospel Liberty: Freedom with Responsibility

After affirming salvation by grace, James gives some practical guidelines: abstain from food offered to idols, from sexual immorality, from meat of strangled animals, and from blood (Acts 15:20).

Wait—why these rules if salvation is by grace alone? Because these weren't requirements for salvation. They were guidelines for unity. These practices were offensive to Jewish believers, and James was saying, "Use your freedom responsibly. Don't flaunt your liberty in a way that hurts others."

Christian liberty isn't "I'm forgiven, so I can do whatever I want." It's "I'm free, so I can choose to lay down my rights when love requires it."

James was avoiding two dangers:

• Legalism: Adding requirements to salvation
• License: Ignoring others and living selfishly

True freedom in Christ means loving others well—even when it costs us something.

Gospel Community: We Need Each Other

Acts 15:6 says, "The apostles and elders met to consider this question." They didn't decide in isolation—they discerned together. Verse 28 says, "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us."

We need the church. We need to test what we think against God's Word and the wisdom of God's people. Our hearts can deceive us, but when we bring things into community, the Holy Spirit uses that to guide us.

This Week, Try This

1. Check your foundation. Are your beliefs about God grounded in Scripture, or are they based on what feels right to you? Pick one thing you believe and ask, "Is this actually what the Bible teaches?"
2. Use your freedom to love. Is there an area where you could lay down your rights for the sake of someone else? Maybe it's a preference, a habit, or a freedom you have—but using it might hurt or confuse someone. Ask God if He's calling you to set it aside out of love.
3. Don't go it alone. Who in your life helps you discern God's will? If you don't have someone like that, ask God to bring wise, mature believers into your life who can walk with you.

Accuracy, Liberty, and Community

When we get the Gospel right, understand Christian freedom, and walk in community, we experience and show God's love to the world. We become a lighthouse pointing people to Jesus.

At Indy Metro, we're committed to Gospel accuracy—believing what Scripture teaches, not just what's popular. We're learning what it means to use our freedom responsibly, loving others well. And we're doing it together, in community, because we genuinely need each other.

Come be part of it. If you're looking for a church that takes truth seriously but also knows how to love well, we'd be honored to have you join us this Sunday. Come as you are—let's figure out this whole "following Jesus together" thing.