Lesson 2782

(Lesson 2782)(08-06-19) Acts 18:25-28
    “ And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.”

   Today’s quote contains yet another very important lesson in that it helps to affirm that some of the more influential Jews, and even some of the early Christians themselves, inadvertently, or some even by design, distorted, or misrepresented, the gospel of Jesus Christ.
    Apollos, as described above, was a devout man who, although he obviously knew the old testament inside and out, was fervently, yet erroneously, teaching the Law of Moses as a means to gain eternal salvation.
    The quote says that when Aquila and Priscilla heard Apollos preach, they recognized that he was misrepresenting the gospel by preaching salvation under the Law. After learning that Apollos had only known *“the baptism of John”, they immediately took Appolos aside and corrected his message by, obviously, making it known to him that eternal salvation comes only by “grace” through faith.
    I believe some of those misrepresentations, along with the Roman Catholic influence, have carried over into many of today’s, so-called, Christian sects. As we know, Paul encountered problems with Peter, James and the others because he wouldn’t force the Gentiles to be obedient to the rules of the Law as a pre-requisite to salvation.
    As is learned upon a complete and thorough study of God’s word, eternal salvation comes ONLY through faith in the virgin born life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ.~
*The phrase, “the baptism of John”, as it is applied in today’s quote, refers to the message that John brought. It is not a reference to the water immersions John administered.