The Early Church Reminds Us: Give First Place to Grace
It’s easy to let a “Jesus-plus” philosophy sneak in the back door.
By Pastor Kevin Wade
Have you ever read the children's book There's No Such Thing as a Dragon?
Little Billy Bixby wakes up one morning and finds a dragon the size of a kitten sitting on his bed. His mom insists dragons don't exist, so Billy ignores it. He doesn't even pet it, because why pet something that isn't real? But every time someone denies the dragon, it grows.
Soon it’s eating all the pancakes, filling the entire house, and eventually chasing a bread truck down the street with their house sitting on its back like a snail shell. When Mom finally admits the dragon is real, it instantly shrinks back down to kitten size. Billy looks at her and says, "I think it just wanted to be noticed."
Controversies and unresolved issues in our lives work the exact same way. If you tweak your hamstring playing softball with the guys and ignore it, pretending you’re still 20, you’re eventually going to be dragging your leg around because you didn't listen to your wife and go to the doctor. When we ignore conflict, hard questions, or growing problems, those kitten-sized issues turn into house-stealing dragons.
Is Jesus enough?
In Acts 15, the early church faced a massive dragon: legalism. Some believers insisted that trusting Jesus wasn't enough for Gentile Christians – they claimed you had to be circumcised and obey the Law of Moses to be saved.
They were trying to flip the Gospel upside down, letting Moses complete what Jesus had already finished.
We do the same thing today whenever we preach or live out a “Jesus-plus” equation:
The Apostle Peter responded: “God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.”
Legalism steals our joy, robs us of our assurance, and places heavy burdens on people that none of us can bear. The truth is simple: Salvation = Jesus plus nothing.
The cure for legalism
So how do we practically live this out?
First, deal with dragons while they’re still kitten-sized. Don't ignore conflict, personal struggles, or misunderstandings in your life and church hoping they’ll disappear. Face them honestly, bring them into the light, and address them before they run off with your peace.
Second, drop the "Jesus plus" checklist and welcome people into the family. A while back, I bought a Jeep Wrangler. Immediately, I was sucked into the whole "Jeep culture." Nobody handed me a background check, made me fill out a form, or questioned my credentials. They just saw the Jeep, waved, and welcomed me as one of them. I wish we as Christians were always that quick to embrace people. Whether someone has walked with Christ for forty years or forty seconds, if they’ve put their faith in Him, they are family. Period.
Finally, pursue holy living out of love for God and unity with people, not out legalism. When the apostles wrote to the Gentile believers, they asked them to abstain from idols and sexual immorality, not to earn their salvation, but to protect fellowship and avoid offending the consciences of others.
Living a set-apart life isn’t about earning God’s favor – it’s about honoring Him, walking in unity, and reflecting His grace to a world that desperately needs to see it. We must stop trying to earn what has already been freely given. The cure is to ground ourselves in God’s Word, drop the human checklists, and walk together in pure grace.
When we do, we can have an experience like the early church, whose response is recorded in Acts 15:31: “There was great joy throughout the church that day as they read this encouraging message.”
Have you ever read the children's book There's No Such Thing as a Dragon?
Little Billy Bixby wakes up one morning and finds a dragon the size of a kitten sitting on his bed. His mom insists dragons don't exist, so Billy ignores it. He doesn't even pet it, because why pet something that isn't real? But every time someone denies the dragon, it grows.
Soon it’s eating all the pancakes, filling the entire house, and eventually chasing a bread truck down the street with their house sitting on its back like a snail shell. When Mom finally admits the dragon is real, it instantly shrinks back down to kitten size. Billy looks at her and says, "I think it just wanted to be noticed."
Controversies and unresolved issues in our lives work the exact same way. If you tweak your hamstring playing softball with the guys and ignore it, pretending you’re still 20, you’re eventually going to be dragging your leg around because you didn't listen to your wife and go to the doctor. When we ignore conflict, hard questions, or growing problems, those kitten-sized issues turn into house-stealing dragons.
Is Jesus enough?
In Acts 15, the early church faced a massive dragon: legalism. Some believers insisted that trusting Jesus wasn't enough for Gentile Christians – they claimed you had to be circumcised and obey the Law of Moses to be saved.
They were trying to flip the Gospel upside down, letting Moses complete what Jesus had already finished.
We do the same thing today whenever we preach or live out a “Jesus-plus” equation:
- Jesus plus my personal preferences
- Jesus plus my favorite music style
- Jesus plus my preferred Bible translation
- Jesus plus worry, anxiety, or human effort
The Apostle Peter responded: “God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.”
Legalism steals our joy, robs us of our assurance, and places heavy burdens on people that none of us can bear. The truth is simple: Salvation = Jesus plus nothing.
The cure for legalism
So how do we practically live this out?
First, deal with dragons while they’re still kitten-sized. Don't ignore conflict, personal struggles, or misunderstandings in your life and church hoping they’ll disappear. Face them honestly, bring them into the light, and address them before they run off with your peace.
Second, drop the "Jesus plus" checklist and welcome people into the family. A while back, I bought a Jeep Wrangler. Immediately, I was sucked into the whole "Jeep culture." Nobody handed me a background check, made me fill out a form, or questioned my credentials. They just saw the Jeep, waved, and welcomed me as one of them. I wish we as Christians were always that quick to embrace people. Whether someone has walked with Christ for forty years or forty seconds, if they’ve put their faith in Him, they are family. Period.
Finally, pursue holy living out of love for God and unity with people, not out legalism. When the apostles wrote to the Gentile believers, they asked them to abstain from idols and sexual immorality, not to earn their salvation, but to protect fellowship and avoid offending the consciences of others.
Living a set-apart life isn’t about earning God’s favor – it’s about honoring Him, walking in unity, and reflecting His grace to a world that desperately needs to see it. We must stop trying to earn what has already been freely given. The cure is to ground ourselves in God’s Word, drop the human checklists, and walk together in pure grace.
When we do, we can have an experience like the early church, whose response is recorded in Acts 15:31: “There was great joy throughout the church that day as they read this encouraging message.”
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