One Gospel, One Church

One Gospel, One Church

The Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul – 6/29/2025

Acts 15:1–21

Rev. Dr. Christopher W. Brademeyer – St. John’s Lutheran Church of Oakes, ND

That portion from God’s holy Word for consideration this morning is our first reading from the book of Acts in the fifteenth chapter with special emphasis on verses seven through twelve which read as follows:

                                “And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.”[1]

Thus far the Scriptures.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Introduction

St. Peter and  St. Paul are two names known to every Christian, or, at least, should be. After our Lord Jesus, these two men are among the most important figures in the history of the Christian Church. Such is their importance that these two men were given the title “pillars of the Church,” due to their strong faith and great work of preaching the Gospel to multitudes of people.

One, Peter, was a simple fisherman from Galilee, a working man of humble origins. The other, Paul, was a highly educated Pharisee from Tarsus. Peter followed Jesus from the shores of the Sea of Galilee to the Garden of Gethsemane. Paul met the risen Lord in a blinding flash of light on the road to Damascus. Peter was brash, often speaking before thinking. Paul was brilliant, eloquent, and often found in chains.

But Peter denied Christ on the night of His trial. And Paul persecuted Christ’s followers, even going so far as to hold the cloaks of those who stoned St. Stephen the first martyr while the mob murdered him.[2] 

And yet God used both as instruments to preach Christ crucified. Today, we don’t celebrate them as individual religious heroes. We honor them together because they, so different in personality and background, were united in one Gospel and labored together for one Church.

This is not just history. This is our history and spiritual heritage.  And through their writings, their witness, and their martyrdom, we learn that the Church’s unity is not built on personalities, but on truth, on the confession of Christ and Him crucified.

The Rock of the Church: Matthew 16:13-19

Let’s begin where Peter is given the commission to pastor in Christ’s Church at Caesarea Philippi. There Jesus asks His disciples: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They answer by reviewing public opinion: “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, or Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. “But then Jesus makes it personal:  “But who do you say that I am?”

Peter replies with words that would echo across the centuries: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This is the right answer, it is a revealed truth, one revealed in and by Jesus Himself. Jesus says: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.”  And then He says something extraordinary: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Now let’s be clear: the Church is not built on Peter the man. It is built on Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

This confession is the foundation of the Church, the unshakable truth upon which every sermon, every baptism, every absolution, and every communion rests. And to the apostles, beginning with Peter, Jesus entrusts the keys of the kingdom, that is, He entrusts to Peter the authority to bind and loose sins, to proclaim forgiveness in His name. But this is not about Peter’s power, Peter’s office, or Peter’s authority, but Christ’s promise and command. It’s not about human authority, but divine truth.

Two Missions, One Message: Galatians 2:1–10

Now fast forward some twenty years later.[3] Peter is still an apostle, spending most of his time ministering to the Jews. Paul, now converted and called by Christ, has been laboring predominantly among the Gentiles. But questions begin to swirl, Are these two apostles preaching the same message? Are the Gentile converts truly full members of the Church without circumcision? Do Peter and Paul agree on the fundamentals?

These questions are not just for ancient times either. Even today, there are those who assert, without basis mind you, that Paul and Peter preach different Gospels, that there is one salvation for the Jews by the Law given to Moses and another by faith for the Gentiles. But this is not true; there is one message of salvation just as there is one Savior.

And in order that we know this, our readings tell us that Paul traveled to Jerusalem to meet with Peter, James, and John. He lays before them the Gospel he has been preaching. And what happens? “They added nothing to my message,” Paul says. “They gave me the right hand of fellowship.” Peter preaches to the Jews, Paul to the Gentiles. Two different audiences and mission fields, but one Gospel. Salvation to both and taught by both Peter and Paul is by grace alone, through faith alone, and in Christ alone.

Now Paul doesn’t hide the fact that there were tensions. In fact, he later has to confront Peter for falling into old habits, for example, refusing to eat with Gentiles out of fear of offending the circumcision party, that is, those who demanded that even Gentile converts must follow the Law of Moses, including circumcision.[4]

But even that confrontation was not about ego or politics. It was about the Gospel.Because when the truth of the Gospel is at stake, unity is not maintained by silence, it’s preserved by speaking the truth in love. Paul and Peter both understood that the Church must be unified, not in cultural practice or by common administration, but in doctrinal truth.

The Council of Jerusalem – Acts 15:1–21

And this issue came to a head in Acts 15. Some men from Judea were insisting that Gentile believers had to be circumcised in order to be saved. This wasn’t a small debate. It threatened the heart of the Gospel itself. And so the apostles and elders gathered in Jerusalem to settle the matter.

Peter stood and spoke first: “Why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?” Then he declares: “We believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

Paul and Barnabas speak next, sharing what God had done among the Gentiles, confirming their inclusion through signs and the Holy Spirit. Then James, the bishop of Jerusalem, adds his voice, confirming from the Scriptures that God had always planned to gather the Gentiles. And the council agrees with these Scriptural truths, promised from of old. Salvation is by grace, not by works of the law for both Jews and Gentiles.

This moment in Acts 15 is monumental because the Church speaks with one voice, affirming the witness of the Holy Scriptures. Peter and Paul, James and Barnabas; different backgrounds, same Gospel. They preserve the unity of the Church, not by compromising or downplaying, but by turning to the Scriptures to make a common confession.

The Church Still Stands on the Same Rock

Dear brothers and sisters, nothing has changed. The Church still stands or falls on this confession: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This confession is not ours to improve. It’s not ours to modernize or adjust to culture. It is ours to confess, to preach, to live, and, if need be, to suffer for. We live in an age where personalities dominate the stage like celebrity pastors, viral preachers, and Christian media empires.

But the Church is not built on personalities. It is built on Christ. And we live in a time when people want to draw lines based on tradition, politics, or tribal mindset. But the Church is not united by custom. It is united by truth, the truth of the Gospel. Peter and Paul remind us of this, that the Church can have different customs and traditions, different missions, even different languages and cultures, but she must never have different messages. There is one Gospel. There is one Savior. There is one cross and one resurrection. And so, there is one Church.

Conclusion

Ancient Christian records indicate that Peter was crucified upside down around 64 AD in Rome. He was hung upside down on the cross because he did not feel worthy to die in exactly the same manner as his Lord Jesus. Paul died by being beheaded by a sword in Rome around 67 AD. Both men, according to these histories, died under persecution by Emperor Nero. They may have died differently, but they died for the same Lord. They lived for serving the same Church. And they preached the same message:  “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, salvation is by grace through faith, and there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Let us honor their legacy, not just by remembering them, but by holding fast to what they held fast to: Christ and His Word. This example serves to remind us not to live for personalities or opinions, but for the truth of Christ and Him crucified for us sinners. After all, as Jesus said, this Church is built on the solid rock of the confession of Him as Messiah and Savior, on the solid rock of His saving death and Gospel, and is built with the keys of His forgiveness.

In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] Acts 15:7-21 English Standard Version. All subsequent citations from Holy Scripture are from the ESV.

[2] Acts 22:20

[3] Galatians was composed c. 51-53 AD.

[4] Galatians 2:11ff