Ep 154: Insiders and Outsiders (Sunday Sermon)

This episode is the recording of a sermon that I preached on Sunday, September 15, on the difference between insiders and outsiders in the church. I explain why, by definition, every group needs boundaries and discuss how 1st century Jews understood the boundaries between insider and outsider to be defined by the Jewish law. I then explore the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 and how God’s gift of the Spirit to gentiles caused a controversy among the Jewish leaders of the church, with some claiming that gentiles need to follow the law to become ‘insiders’ and others arguing that faith and the Spirit are enough. The church affirms the idea that what defines the insider from the outsider are faith and the Spirit. I then read through Galatians 3 and show how Paul addresses the problem of Jewish leaders backsliding and claiming that gentiles should embrace the law, and how Paul demonstrates persuasively that all of those who have faith and have been given the Spirit are now fully apart of the family of Abraham. I look at the consequences of this Biblical view of the boundary between insiders and outsiders, which includes getting along with Christians from other traditions and patiently submitting to the gradual moral development of the Spirit. Finally, I challenge my church to understand the distinction between insiders and outsiders in non-oppositional terms; the family of Abraham is called to be a blessing to the nations therefore we have a missional obligation to those outside of the church. It is our responsibility to help the outsiders become insiders. Enjoy!


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